THE MAORI.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 28 May 1915, Page 6

THE MAORI.

PAST AND PRESENT.

(By '"Fifty-One.") The history ot the Maori face points unxnisiaKauiy to tne tact mac xuuj vers _ w<u-u*e peopie. j_ the earlier days' or liUoir teu«mcy,-even up to-and after —lUiopean _._tue~ue_t, commenced, uncimg _o obner Oaiie* tor a display qf weir natural inclinations, tney de-" voced their energies- to making war upou. one anobner, wnicn they cua upon Wl6 flimsiest pretext; indeed) without any pretext whatever in many cases. Tnere was as much enmity between auterent tribes at times as there was subsequently between a majority of the Maoris m .North Island against British rule. Taranaki Maoris made war upon one another, and the Waikatos and other outside tribes made raids on the native homes in these parts when the war spirit moved them. The Maori is a born fighter, and to-day we find representatives of the old warriors taking up arms against England's foes; and one thing may be relied upon: when they come ,to grips with the enemy, they will fulfil the highest traditions of their race.

The Maori of to-day, although endued "with all the courage of his forefathers, has certainly not the same hardships to endure." The advance of civilisation has left many of the old Maori customs in the rear, &hd it is the exception—not th& rule, as of yoi'e —to find a fully tatooed native (face and body). When it is considered that the process of taiooing adopted by the early Mapri chiefs was the work- of years, and that the operation was a most painful one, some idea can be gathered of the hardihood and pluck of the forbears of those natives who have been sent to Malta/and those who are to follow. In connection with tatooing, it is generally understood that the implement used, was a sharpened pawa shell, and real .gashes were mada in preparation foV the reception of the ingredient used for discoloration. Some Taranaki readers will recollect Porikapa with his remarkable tatooed face. What that man went through in order to comply with a custom can hardly be conceived. After every incision and the application of the dye his face must nave swelled up to almost double its natural size; yet Porikapa and thousands of other old-day Maoris underwent this torfrire to keep up the dignity of theii: stations.

Personally, I am a very great admirer of the Maori race, and I am convinced that bad the Huns taken it into their heads to annex New Zealand at tbe time the natives went to war against the British, they would' have immediately ceased their struggle with us aud devoted all their strength to keeping out the invader. It would have onened tbe eyes of the War Lord and, bis hosts had they come in contact with the Maori as he wp<? when the war. of 1860 broke out. The Maori pitted against him to-day is a trained soldier,. having put on one side those little devices of tbe tomahawk so dear to his ancient brethren : but brave, nevev+hele^, which Prussian, Austrian or Tnrk will find out to his sorrow when tho proper time arrives;