THE MAORI PROPHET.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 14061, 16 May 1906, Page 7

THE MAORI PROPHET.

[Per Press Association.] WAISOA, May 15. The Maori prophet was disappointed vith his reception. The Waikarcmoo.na Natives have returned to Rua-tahuna. how the new msssiah”came to, WHAKATANE. , (From, a Correspondent.) _ ] Behold! A new prophet has arisen m the land. / The new Messiah lias appeared unto us ; and has been seenor many men. His touch has healed die sick, the maimed, the halt, the hhnd, and now he has passed on to bear the clad tidings of great joy to brown-ski nnod children of Toi who- dwell in other districts. , . But a few weeks have passed pnnee word came down from the wilds o. Maunga-pohatu, twenty , miles from Rua-tahuna, that a resident ot that place, one Rua, or Ruatapunui, had commenced in business as tohunga, a shaman of great power, v,mo healed the sick simply by touch, the laying on of hands, and all for the absurdly low fee of ninenence. . The great object of_ the new Messiah arrived at Ruatoki, sixteen miles from Whakatane. Hera he commenced to 'reveal some very singular items or news. Rua claims to_ be a younger brother (taina) of Christ, and also of divine origin. His mother was one Ngahiwi, a woman of the Tama-kai-mcana section of the Tuhoe tribe, living at Maungapohatu, but his father was the Almighty. The great object of the Ivew Messiah is to announce the important fact that during this vear ell Europeans will be driven out of New Zealand. The whole country is to revert to the Natives, the original owners. _ Rua sees one difficulty in the way, via., the “ mortgage,” or Rational debt, of New Zealand, but this difficulty will he got over in the following way. The Almighty has revealed to him tho_ existence of a diamond of enormous size, which lies at a place named Pavac-roa (ten miles inland of Ruhtoki). This jewel he will himself procure, and with, it pay off the debt of New Zealand, thus leaving the country free to he over by the Maoris. Rna is now visiting Ruatahuna, W'aikare-moana, etc., and will return via To 'Wliaiti, Galatea and Te Houhi to Ruatoki. In June, he says, he will go to Poverty Bay, there to meet King Edward VII., who will arrive from England on June 25, in order to expel all white people from New Zealand. All whites will he swept out of the land except a few storekeepers, who will be allowed to remain. Before leaving their homes, all Europeans will be compelled to sell their portable property tO/Maoris, but all houses will be taken over by the new lords of the soil free of charge. The Government, says Rua, cannot arrest him,-even if they wish to do so. ' Anyone sent ‘to arrest him would he powerless to do so. Local Natives firmly believe in the new Messiah, and some are selling standing crops of maize to settlers, believing that, ere the crops can he gathered and removed, all Europeans will have been swept out of the laud. "When Rua'came from Ruatoki to Whakatane on April 23, some 300 Natives were with him, and a largo number are following him on his tour at present. The Urewera Natives are solid for the Messiah, and also many of Ngati-Awa and the V/hakatohea tribes. They firmly believe in his void statements,' and are much offended if laughed at.