NOTES ON NATIVE AFFAIRS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 216, 1 March 1882, Page 2

NOTES ON NATIVE AFFAIRS.

(from our travelling correspondent.)

Te Whiti's son lately paid him a visit in New Plymouth Gaol. He found the four political prisoners together, viz : Te Whiti, Tohu, Titokowaru, and Te Rangipuahoaho. They said they wanted for nothing in the way of food and clothing, and that the only thing they felt a longing for was some shell or other fish. Their relation procured some fish at the mouth of the Waiwakaiho River, and forwarded them to the prisoners. During the interview, Te Whiti deprecated the sale of potatoes by the Maoris of Parihaka, saying that the same ought to be distributed among the various tribes who were in need ot food. Te Whiti tent word to all his followers to remain quietly at their homes, and abstain from any kind of agitation. He refrained from making any remarks concerning his policy or expectations of his trial or release. Katene Tuwhakaruru has been on a visit to New Plymouth to see Sir William Fox, Mr. Bryce, and Mr. Parris, concerning the survey and leasing of the Waimate Plains Reserve. He has given his account of the interview he had with the officials mentioned, and in the absence of all other information, your correspondent sends it, but at the same time, he doubts very much, if Kateue has told the whole and exact truth. The account, however, is received by the natives and believed by many. His first interview was with Mr. Parris, who referred him to Sir William Fox. That gentleman on meeting him, said that a report had reached him of the meeting at Te Hokorima, and that it was a failure. Katene replied that many natives were present, but that no decision was arrivod at, in consequence of the absence of some of the hapus" on the Plains. Sir William asked if the Mawhitiwhiti natives were there? — "Yes," replied Katene. "The Werewere people ?" — " Yes." " The Ahipaipa ?"— " Yes." "The people further north?" — "No," returned Katene ; and then the Royal Commissioner said that this was very bad indeed, and those natives who were not present should suffer for it. (It must be recollected that this is Katene's account, and that the meeting referred to was called by himself^and that he may have so colored the report of his interview with Sir Wm. Fox as to lead his native audience to suppose that the meeting was called by the Government through himself.) Sir. Wm. Fox then fetched a plan of the Continuous Reserve, and placing his finger on Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu, run it from thence along Skeet road to Inaha ; from thence to Mangaone stream, down which it travelled to the Mill dam, on the Normauby-Inaha road, near Okaiawa ; following along this road, the finger crossed Kapuui, left Manaia on the left, crossed Waiokura and Kaupokonui, till it reached Otakeho, which stream it ascended till it came to the Skeet road again ; and passing along this, the dexter finger of the Commissioner paused at last at its starting point at Te Ngutu. "In consequence of their deafness to your invitation," Sir William is reported to have said, " the whole of the land enclosed within the boundary traced by my finger shall be taken by the Government, surveyed and sold to European settlers." Then Katene said that he came to ask the Commissioner to make the land between the Waingongoro and Inaha rivers exempt from survey and sale, and to leave it to those tribes who had attended the meeting. Sir" William asked if the people of Ma-

whitiwhiti, Hokorima, Werewere, and Ahipaipa were of one hapu, and Katene unblushingly said that they were. Sir William then seemed favorably disposed towards Katenc's proposal, but said that the final decision rested with Mr. Bryce, to whom Katene then went. The Native Minister, in reply to questions from Katene, said that 5000 acres would be taken from near Te Ngutu as indemnity; and that the reserve could be surveyed. With reference to nativ< s visiting Parihaka, they were not to build houses and potato stages ( or dig potato-pits, but after they had dug their potatoes they were to return to their homes; and that the Parihaka natives had orders to report the arrival of any alien or banished tribe at Parihaka, and failure to so report would be visited by punishment upon the Parihaka people. Katene then mentioned the Waingongoro to Inaha scheme, and receiving a satisfactory answer from the Native Minister, returned to his hornet rejoicing. There are one or two points worth noticing in the above report. The first ia that it relates that natives are to be punished for not obeying the invitation of Katene, who was and probably is a native assessor, to meet at Te Hokorima. ' The meeting was alluded to in the Star some week or two back and whilst it was then stated that the Government may 'have inspired the idea, it was asserted that the gathering was convened by Katene. it would be interesting to know what authority the latter has from Government, Commiasion^', a.nd other officials, if the meeting alluded to "was a Government one and if there is any truth that those who did not attend it are to be punished. The latter, at all events, offended only in a negative sense by not putting in an appearance where as many of those whx> were there actually declined to support any measure proposed for the sub-division of the land. These, however, are to have all their land undisturbed according to Katene. The fact is Katene is anxious to acquire all the land he can for the hapu to which he belongs, viz., Okahn ; and when he said that the people of Werewere, Hokorima, Mawhitiwhiti, and Ahipaipa, were all of one hapu, he told an untruth for the purpose of extending the boundaries of the land claimed by the natives of the three first named places who are of the hapu of Okahu. Kanihi is a sub-hapu of Okahu, the separation took place some generations back and the kaianga is Mawhitiwhiti. The Okahu olaimon both sides of Waingongoro, and have reserves on the south side let to Mr. Caverhill. Their northern boundary is Mangone Stream on the opposite side of which the Kupanga hapu claims. The Kupanga live at Ahipaipa, Mangootai, and Okaiawa, and are the largest tribal owners of land on the Plains. Ahipaipa is on the south, bank of Inaha, and Katene wishes to make this Kupanga village an Okahu settlement to suit his own purposes. It is to be hoped that the Commissioners will not listen to such stories as those of Katene. There is only one basis on which the land can be honestly divided : that of population in comparison with area to be apportioned. The tribal right to the land is extinguished by the confiscation and all the land is Crown land. The Crown has intimated its determination to return portions for native occupation and the quantity so returned should be given to each native in suoh areas as is decided on. To return the land to the tribe after extinguishing the tribal and ancestral claim is retrocession. It is thought by some that Katene and others associated with him wish to save their lands from survey for the purpose of letting it in large blocks to speculators. The Government has an act which provides in the best way discoverable for the leasing of the land and the disposal of the money, in the West Coast Reserves Settlement Act. Those who wish to prevent the operations of this and retard the settlement of the continuous reserve should be exposed. In the hands of the Public Trustee, the money accruing from the lease of lands is safe ; in the hands of the so-called chiefs of the tribe of whom Katene is supposed by the ignorant to be one, nothing will ever be known of its subdivision. In initiating an entirely new phase in our native) policy, in assuming a true parental guardianship over the natives and then: lands, it is absolutely necessary that the old leaven of deceit, espionage, seoret oonference, and underhand dealings should be thoroughly expunged. No. go-between like Katene should be trusted. The land is open for the Government to survey and lease, there is none to interfere, and when the time comes that unanimity among the natives gives place to the present undecided policy which actuates them in their standing aloof, the money which has accumulated in the hands of the Public Trustee will be an inducement to all to seek the ways of peace and a substantial guarantee of the honesty of purpose of the Government. Until that unanimity is arrived at, no money should be parted with ; until a satisfactory census return.' is obtained of the numbers to participate none should be paid. The " takoha " money was actually hawked around the country by laud purchase agents of the Government, who in vain sought influential men and tribal owners to accept it, as a bonus given for the alienation of the confiscated land, a token that they assented to the confiscation, and when at last it was distributed, into whose hands did it fall ? The appendices of the Royal Commission can answer the question, and Hansard debates will tell of the indignation expressed by the representatives of the people at the improper manner ia which the money was disposed of. Large sums will accumulate in the hands of the Public Trustee, and it is a serious question how this is to be divided. Until this is solved, no distribution should take place. The Katenei of the natives are posing with outstretched palms, the patriots of the Maoris are at present unwilling to accept. There does not appear to bo any reason why a difference should be made between one native and another in the distribution of the land or the money accruing from the rent of it. Each is a native of a particular tribe, hence his claim on the bounty of the Government who has confiscated the tribal lands. Chieftainship died with the confiscation ; all are either ex-rebels, or have remained loyal. The latter otily are deserving of exceptional treatment,', for the New Zealand Settlement Act decidedly says that their land shall not be taken. Of the exrebels, the greater the chief and the larger his influence, the more blame is attached to him for his rebellion, consequently if any are deserving of punishment, the leaders are entitled to more severe punishment than the common people.