PRINCESS TE PUEA.

Franklin Times, Volume XIX, Issue 38, 3 April 1929, Page 7

PRINCESS TE PUEA.

OPENING OF WHAREPUNI.

IMMENSE MAORI GATHERING

PICTURESQUE AND DIGNIFED

The following interesting account of the opening of the large new wharepuni at Ngaruawahla is taken from the Manawatu Evening Standard, and is the most vivid and interesting account that has been published of a ceremony of great importance to the Maori people generally.

With picturesque solemnity, and invested with an impressive dignity which is but rarely witnessed nowadays because of the tendency towards decadence of old customs, the large new Maori meeting-house at Ngaru-

awahia was the centre of a wonder-

ful ceremony performed on Saturday last, true native rites being carried out after the fashion of preceding generations.

The spectacle of five thousand Maoris, representative of every hapu in the Dominion, gathered together for a great occasion is one which does not often occur nowadays, nor is any ceremony but rarely carried out with such remarkable reserve and beauty in modern times. The occasion was a sacred one to the assembled natives, commanding great deference and respect, and it almost seemed as if the spirits of, the great chiefs of the past had come forth to exercise their mana over the multitude.

No pakeha intruder was allowed within the hallowed precincts, for it was the opening of the wharepuni From north and south and east and west came the Maoris to pay their respects in a sense which was not merely provincial but national, and indicated the awakening of a feeling of unity among tribes which possessed differences born of previous embitterment and grievances in the early days. In the inspiration of the occasion they, were forgotten, and that was a feature of significance, for tribal enmities are not easily discarded by the Maoris.

The hapus represented were Ngapuhi (Northern), Matatua (Bay of Plenty), Arawa (Rotorua), Tuwharetoa (Taupo), Ngatipoi'u (East Coast), Ngati Awa (Taranaki), Ngati-Mania-poto (Central North Island), NgatiKohunguru (Wairarapa), Ngati-Rua-kawa (Otalci) Ngati-Toa (South Island) . The Deities Invoked. There was an immediate hush when the venerable chief of Te Arawa, bearded, and a picturesque figure in his chieftain’s mantle and robes, stepped forward. He was Tutanekai, named after the hero of the immortal Maori legend, and he was accompanied by the daughter of Te Heu Heu of Taupo. Standing on the marae of the open plaza in front of the meeting-house, he invoked the ancient Maori deities in a plaintive, dirge-like wail, reciting the names of th»e canoes which had ploughed the crested waves of the mighty ocean of Kiwa, and relating in poetic strain, with beautifully symbolic. phrasing, the traditions of the Maori race, concluding with an inspired chant demanded by the importance ot the occasion.

Approaching the building with his taiaha in his hand, he struck resounding blows on the middle of the extreme side supports in the front of the meet-ing-house, chanting the wharekawa, or genealogy of carving. He then struck similarly the pou-toko-manawa, or chief support of the structure, and called on the gods to strengthen, the house, as well as to drive out the taipo (devils or evil spirits). The chieftainess then sang in an undulating tone the lament, or pau. Whenever the chief invoked the gods, the warriors chanted the chorus, after the manner of church congregations saying the Litany. The phati-toka (door) was next struck with the taiaha,- and the chief entered the hallowed atmosphere, continuing the karakia (invocation) to bless the interior and appease the gods. The ceremony was over, but a sign had to be given. The representative braves of each tribe entered the kakamarae, and made speeches of greetnig to their hostess, Princess Te Puea, congratulating her on the successful function of her scheme, and the erection of the beautiful edifice, with all the arts and crafts of the Maoris. A Strange Termination.

Still, a fitting termination to the proceeding was necessary, and the chief was challenged by the tohunga, and called upon to parry, with poru-poru, in combat. As an indication that the old must give way to the new, the old man fell prostrate to signalise defeat. Subsequently the Ngati-porou, with their leader, Sir Apirana Ngata, entered the marae to greet Princess Te Puea with songs and haka, and poi dances in rhythmic movement. Mr Tuiti Makitanara, M.P., the representative of the Southern Maori electorate, greeted the Princess and presented her with a slab' of greenstone, a greenstone pendant and money.

The generosity of the Maoris was reflected in the gifts made. The Maketu hapu contributed £l5O, the Tuwhataroa £IOO, the Matatua £126, the Tai-Rawhiti £825, and the Heretaunga £25.

The ceremony was an entirely private one for Maoris, and was the preliminary to the official opening on Monday last.

Legend, tradition, and history invested with beautiful romance are per-

Legend and Tradition. petuated ,in intricate carving, of a deeply symbolic nature, which represent the development of the Maori, and embellish the interior of the Mahinarangi hostel erected by the natives at Ngaruawahia for the orphans and indigent members of their race. It is in this hospitable home, administered with typical Maori sympathv and generosity, that Princess Te ’ Puea Herangi, an acknowledged chieftainess Of high rank in the Waikato, will in future supervise the attention provided for those who have an antipathy to the modern hospitals, despite the comforts which those institutions bestow. It is no secret that the Maori who feels that life is ebbing greatly prefers to pass the final hours tended by his relatives and friends after the native fashion, and it is a wish that is not lightly regarded. in the hoslel which has been erected, and which was officially opened on Monda/ at the delta township of the Waikato, the old people who still dwell in the realm of superstition will pass their last hours in the atmosphere in which they have always lives, for the Maori regards death in a very sacred sense. In the house, ancient Maori deities are represented, the carvings relate the history of the canoes. Denizens of the underworld, and the taniwhas, of which the old Maoris stand m awe, are set up in effigy, as well as Te Ika a Maui (the fish of Maui), and the grotesque three-fingered figures (whakapakoko). In these eerie surroundings stands foremost the figure of a chief, holding in his hand the taiaha, as a gesture of defiance. The painting is executed in a red, black and white scheme.

Wonderful Old Princess

Princess Te Puea, who raised the funds to provide the hostel, is a wonderful old figure among the Maoris, ruling firmly and with native dignity. She has her ambassadors and supporters, and the building of this most up-to-date Maori house has been her foremost ambition. A Romantic Movement. Romantic features are associated with the Maori King movement, of which the Princess is a direct descendant. Imbued with the idea of a regency after a visit to the Bay of Islands in the early days; Tamihana Te Rauparaha (a son of the warlike old chief) and Matene Te Whiwhi, offered the kingship to the descendant of Hine Matioro, Te Kani-a-takirau, of the Ngaki-porou tribe (East Coast). He however, refused saying: “I am already an ariki (chieftain). Therefore we cannot consider your suggestion.” It was then offered to Whanganui/to Peehi Turoa, but he rejected it, and the next one approached was Te Heu-Heu, but he too declined, holding that his symbol of mana was not strong enough, being only an enanga (like a big whitebait). He suggested Te Amohau,, of Rotorua, but his reply was that tha symbol of his mana was a crayfish (koura),. Finally the office was offered to Potatau, because the River of Waikato was full of taniwhas (symbol of strength) and he was duly elected. - v Identity of Visitors.

The Scotsman has his tartan as the symbol of his clan, but the symbol of the Maori hapu is the tribal emblem on the canoe, each of which has its own sea-chanty, and when visits are paid to the Tangata-whenua (hosts), the latter are able to discern the identity of their guests when they arrive,' because of their incantations, in which their genealogy is recited. This custom took place at Ngaruawahia on Saturday on the arrival of the various tribal representatives.