THE LOST TRIBE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 June 1927, Page 8

THE LOST TRIBE.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—During the course of an address to members of the Philosophical Institute, at Christchurch, Professor Arnold Wall recently mentioned that during a botanical expedition to the Nelson and the West Coast districts, he investigated reports concerning the supposed existence of a strange people traditionally known as “The Lost Tribe.” He was, however, unable to obtain any definite account of their history. What he did learn was to the effect that many years ago, a number of families went into the Nelson backblocks and became cut off from the rest of civilisation.

I have been very fortunate in obtaining the perusal of much manuscript in the possession of a wellknown resident of Greymouth, who during last century, spent a .great deal of time in collecting information regarding to the life history, traditions, and mythology of the above extinct and interesting tribe. If there was any connection of this tribe with the “Biblical” lost ten tribes P must have been in the remote and misty past. From measurements taken of the skulls, anthropologists have classified them as ranging from long round heads to short square heads. They were the remnants of a race who landed here in ships and wandered over the coast, extracting a bright yellow metal from the gravel deposits in the rivers and their tributaries. Their chief tools were the axe, pick, and long-handled shovel. They wore hob-nailed boots, moleskin trousers, with a saSh round the waist, also a shirt on the upper part of the body, and grew an expansive beard, after the style of the pictured hayseed. The -last habitat of, this vigorous .people was in the head waters of the Kawitiri, and its branches. Their chief foods were, damper, soda and acid bread, bacon, dough : boys, and potatoes, with stewed billycan tea. Certain .members .were well acquainted with dhe properties of a certain particular grain from which a liquid was brewed having extended dynamic force; considerable use of this was made during the festive season. For amusement, they played games known amongst them as poker, forty-fives and quoits. They had no weapons of defence, but their .fists,- which were used with deadly effect .when required; .their history records that numerous combats had taken place during the annual race meetings. They were keen followers of the sport of kings, and gathered in force from all directions to these equine contests, carried out in a primitive manner. Some of the doings on our local tracks, suggest descent from these ;peoples. In obtaining ..the weight of materials their prin-i cjpal .measure was the .pennyweight.' In regard to distance and direction,, their ideas were crude; in reply to a question as to how far distant it was from, or, to a certain place, they would state, “not far,” “a long way,” or “a short distance,” as the case might be. Also, in giving you a direction to some point, the instruction was, “go straight ahead.” Being an ■inland people, they 'had 'little knowledge of 'the sea, but believed 'the earth ‘to be fiat, with numerous knobs oh it; -and tradition stated that on sailing too far seawards, there was a danger of going over the >end! They -were mostly “hatters” living in isolated localities and appeared to have no marriage customs; and, more remarkable, they were mostly of the male sex, the only female discovered was ‘tßiddy ‘the /Eossicker.” To these latter conditions .can ibe ascribed the reason of the early .extinction of this tribe. ‘Much -remains to -be yet -learned of their language and history before migrating to -the Matakitaki, and a (large -field for further .research -in this .direction ,is .open to our numerous ‘.‘ologists.” At the present time, a -company is -boring holes in that district and at ds to -be hoped their excavations will -throw more .light on the -doings of -this .interesting and vanished .people. Yours, etc., — INTERESTED.