BURYING THE HATCHET.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 5359, 2 December 1885, Page 2

BURYING THE HATCHET.

Mr Ballahce received f rohi Wahahui the tidtya or sceptre i;of war of the Ngatiman;upotos, /which' jndicates;. that henceforth ho bloodshed will tike place between the Europeans and the Waik'atp tribes. This idiha is said to have been in the hands of the'Ngatimanibpotos for upwards of 100 yearsj and its passing 'out of the hands of the^natives is a matter of the highest impjar^ncp. . ,The "sceptre," if it maybe so termed;- is a long shaft of hard •■Wood clubbed at the foot and pointedjat the other "extremity, the point being curved and decorated" with dog!s hair "and kaka feathers? 'At' the time the King's aukati lines were -drawn this taiha was sent down by the Ngatimaniopotos to the Tuhua tribes, indicating thereby that peace had not beeri proclaimed between the Maoris and the Europeans, and the Tuhua natives were at liberty to wage war against all Europeans who overstepped the line. The taiha remained with Ngatio and his people until Moffat's" murderers were pardoned some 1 few years ago. It was then returned to the Ngatimaniopoto, in whose possession it was kept till it was handed over to Mr Wilkins, a Government agent at Waikato, by Wahanui a few days ago, to be forworded to the Native Ministar. Mr Ballance intends to have the taiha placed in the General Assembly tLbrary.lor in the House of Representatives as a token of the final withdrawal of the aukati by the Waikato tribes.