Chapter III.—Something ABOUT THE Maories.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 950, 9 June 1868, Page 3

Chapter 111. — Something ABOUT THE Maories.

Leaving for a time the fortunes of the white population, ' let us turn to the condition of the natives. Not many years before the fisheries first alluded to were established at Mahia, the natives of Wairoa, Nuhaka, and Nukutaurua, had been exposed to severe raids from Waikato. The yeiy name of Waikato still struck terror into their hearts. The northern tribes were not always successful, having on more than one occasion experienced heavy reverses. Nevertheless, the slightest rumour of a "taua" would cause all these people to fortify their pss and prepare for th'o reception of their deadly foes. On the Wairoa river, divided into their several hapus, and under their distinctive heads, the natives occupied settlements on either bank, commencing at the mouth of the river, and extending many miles inland. Chief among these sections wei-e the Ngatikurupakiaka, a turbulent people, who, under Tiakiwai, Taui, and others, were the recognised bullies of the place ; their pa was situated at Te Uhi, at the mouth of the Awatere Creek, and close to where the first mission house was subsequently built. Hi would be easy to adduce proofs of the influence these people possessed. One instance will suffice, and also illustrate what the whites were occasionally subjected to. Most of the whites at Wairoa lived at a place called Kaimango, opposite Te Uhi, on the south bank of the river ; but, for the purpose of being close to the fishery, the majority had shifted to a place near the mouth of the stream Waiopaoa. One of their party, by some mischance, broke a "sliver" off a canoe belonging to Kopu and Hapurona, whose tribe, the Ngatipuku, came down in a war party to demand payment, and, to enforce it, seized all the boats. The Ngatikurupakiaka, who considered the whites as specially under their protection, immediately took up arms, and, after violent threatening and fierce demonstrations, compelled the Ngatipuku to deliver up the boats and retire discomfited from the scene. I have it on impartial testimony that the natives made considerable progress under missionary teaching, the older members of the tribes especially, many of whom learned to read then- Bible within a few weeks, and, after their lights, strove to walk consistently with the teachings they received. With the juniors, reformation made but small advance ; as time rolled on, and the then juniors became the present elders, what had been so rapidly gained was speedily lost. With the native love for special observances, the institution of the Sabbath chimed in admirably* and its rigid regard was insisted upon so strongly as to become an infringement of personal liberty. Cooking was strictly prohibited, and potatoes were peeled and prepared on the Saturday for use on Sunday. The late Rev. Mr. Hamlin once told me a story that seemed to hint that the Maories had a custom of observing a day similar to our institution of the Sabbath, long before any whites ventured to settle in the country. However this may have been, it is certain that the custom became used so tyrannically, that the missionaries had in many cases to exercise their personal influence to mitigate fines -and penalties imposed for some petty breech of the rightful observance (to the native mind) of the Sabbath. In but few cases have the native ministers been of much value ; in the majority of instances, they have proved both a failure and a stumbling block. I once heard an old and valued settler express his opinion that twen-ty-five years' missionary instruction had resulted in nothing more than the bare removal of cannibalism. This I think too strong; but certainly, for some cognate reason, missionaries have failed to strike at the root of existing evils, and have created 1 but the semblance of Christianity amongst the natives. Before leaving the present portion of my subject, I must mention some of the causes which induced the migration southwards of a very large portion of the tribes inhabiting the Mahia peninsula. It was about the year 1817 that the last attack was made upon them by the Ngapuhi, who, in a tcma some 500 in number, under Te Wera, came round in canoes and effected a landing at Wainui, on the northern side of the peninsula. The Ngatikahungu rushed down from the hill, into the water, armed with their spears and tomahawks, to repel their assailants, when they fell in great numbers before the volleys of musketry which the Ngapuhi poured into ' them. A fusion in the tribes seems "to have taken place after the contest. Agreat many of the Ngapuhi settled on the peninsula, and Te Wera took the Ngatikahungu under his protection. Between Table Cape and Port Nicholson the country was totally uninhabited, owing to the fear inspired by the northern tribes. Occasionally parties from the Cape ventured a little way down the coast in canoes, on fishing excursions, or to collect karaka berries ; but when, in 1840, the arrival of English settlers in Wellington offered some chance of security and protection, the natives at the Mahia began to think of reoccupying the conquered territory; and shortly afterwards as many as sixty-nine canoes left the peninsula in one day, carrying Hapuku, Werota, Puhera, and other chiefs, with their people and families, to take possession of the intermediate district. The old Ngapuhi chief died on the peninsula, and the Auckland government, at the request of the natives, sent the brig Victoria to bring away his bones. Pomare, the powerful Bay of Islands chief, together with Mouparaoa and other influential natives, accompanied the vessel. Many of the Ngapuhi availed thomselves of the opportunity, and returned north in the Victoria. Tarapatiki, second in command, remained, and subsequently died at Mahia. The protection afforded by Te Wora had been of the greatest service to these tribes; but for it, what with Te Eauparaha at one end of the island, and the Waikatos at the other, very few of the Ngatikahungu would have been left. As illustrative of the amiable character of the natives, I will relate an incident which occurred at Whangawehi, and which was witnessed by a very old settler yet a resident in Hawke's Bay. A quarrel had arisen between two natives as to which was proprietor of a little girl about five or six years of age. The dispute ran so high as to offend a chief who was an auditor ; disgusted, apparently, at so much noise about so trifling a matter, he quietly got up, seized the poor child by the ankles, and dashed its head against the ground till life was extinct. He then said, " There's your cause of dispute settled; now be quiet." There is no doubt that, as a rule, the natives have always been eminently regardless of human suffering, and reckless of life, of which numerous well authenticated instances could be adduced. As being curious 1 and interesting in their way, I will recount one or two cases. At the mouth of the Wairoa river, a pa was built on the sand bank, the river running out then as now close to the bluff on the south side, and the settler I refer to had a house, with a verandah to it, built inside this enclosure. For some reason, nearly all the males belonging to the settlement were absent, except old Apatu (a great woodcarver), who, in adzing a canoe, had cut his foot so severely as to prevent his accompanying the expedition. He and a few decrepid old men, together with the women and children, were left in charge of the pa. Amongst the latter was a lad, whose mother was in some way connected with the

objects of the tauu, and whose legitimacy was more than questioned by the tribe. This youth was of a wayward disposition, and keenly alive to the imputation on his birth. It so happened that an at all times extremely objectionable old woman, who used to go about clad in an ancient gaki, and smeared with ochre, posted herself in the verandah of the house alluded to, and abused the boy, twitting him with his misfortune. He quietly recommended the old lady to mind her own business. In reply, she cursed him in the usual form, threatening to cook his head. The boy immediately ran off. and speedily returned with a musket, into the barrel of which he put several handfuls of shingle, and, without further parley, marched up to the old dame, fired the contents into her chest, and thus incontinently blew to pieces the cause of his annoyance. Apatu simply said it served her right, and there the matter ended. The following incident, which occurred comparatively recently, possesses a certain grotesque horror which makes it worth attention. A certain old native at Nuhaka fell sick, and was handed over by the tribe to a married member of the settlement, as the special charge of himself and wife. The care of the sick is rarely a pleasant duty, and in this case it proved extremely irksome to this amiable couple, who took council together " as to how they might rid themselves of their burden. They at length hit upon a scheme, and, taking advantage of the absence of the population, placed the old man in a canoe, and paddled some distance up the river. Having brought a spade with them, a grave was dug, and between them they carried the moribund out of the canoe and placed him in the receptacle prepared for him. The male nurse then addressed his victim, and expostulated with him on the gross impropriety of his behaviour in protracting his miserable existence to such an unconscionable period, and endeavoured to persuade him that it was really necessaiy the thing should be brought to a close — that they had, with praiseworthy forethought, done all the most unreasonable man could desire, and would now close the transaction by reading the burial service over him. Of course the old gentleman said he didn't view the matter in precisely the same light, but the arrangements were so perfect that such a miserably weak objection as that could not be allowed to interfere with their plan. A few gentle taps on the head with the spade procured the necessary acquiescence ; the service was then duly .read, and the worthy couple returned to the settlement with feelings of the most perfect contentment at having done the right thing selon en regie. The tribe, not unnaturally perhaps, wished for some information, as some suspicion of everything not being strictly correct was aroused ; the woman, as the most impressionable, was submitted to a rigid examination, and, by degrees, the whole affair leaked out. The woman, as Queen's evidence, was pardoned, but a council of the tribe decided that the man should suffer the proper punishment for his offence, and execution followed promptly upon judgment. He was tied to a stake, and a willing agent placed two balls in his musket, and literally blew the murderer's head to atoms. The gentleman who so kindly officiated on the occasion became a follower, in late years, of the Pai Marire, and was present at the fight at Marumaru, Wairoa, and to his steady aim, I believe, poor Hussey lost his life. (To he oontimied.J