MR.RUSDENS ACCOUNT OF THE RANGIAOHIA AFFAIR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6757, 14 July 1883, Page 6

MR.RUSDENS ACCOUNT OF THE RANGIAOHIA AFFAIR.

A MAORI CONTRADICTS IT AND NARRATES THE FACTS. The statements made in Rusden's " History of New Zealand" that women and children were wantonly shot and burned in their houses at Rangwohia when that place was surprised by the troops, having been told to the Kingites, cue of them, named Potatau, who i 3 at present residing at Korokonui, has sent us a statement of the facts as they came under bis own observation. He was a Utile boy at the time of the Rangiaohia atfiir. Toe statement, we may remark, was written down in the presence of Potatau, and the translation was made by a half-caste who lives with the natives. The translation is rough, but accurate, and we give it as it has reacacd us. First, we quote from the second volume of Rusden's history, page 199, his account of the RaDgiaohia atfair. He says :— At daybreak the general poshed on from Te Awamutu to Bangiaobia. " The few natives who were found in the place,'' he said, " were auickly dispersed, ind the greater part escaped, but a few of them taking shelter in a whare made a desperate resistance until the Forest Eangeis and a company of the 65th .Regiment surrounded the whare, whi:h was set on fire, and the defenders either killed or taken prisoners." This was the official method of telling, o- concealing, that women or children were burned 50 death. For the credit of General Cameron it may be hoped that ffhen he thus wrote, four days after thejoccurrence, he did cot know the truth, which was subsequently notorious. Of what a rail was it to preach jeace to the Maoris, and tell them to be merciful when a British I force, commanded by a general and accom- J panied by a bishop, burned women and children l in a Maori house 1 Was it to be wondered at I that a grief came upon the bishop when he heard that a plot was laid by the enemy to take his life* The successful general returned to Te Awamutu with twenty-one women and children, who were not burned. . . . The Maoris had not dreamed that heavy guoii and a large body of troops would be turned asi3e against women and children. Their rage at being outwitted by the fl»nk movement which left laem idle, and destroyed their food and plantations, was exaggerated by the burning of their wives and children. The affair at Rangiaohia is frequently referred to in Rusden's history, and always as " the burning of wives and children," as if that had been a deliberate intention and act. We give first the Maori, in order that the natives may read Potatau'a statement:—

Ko te Whakaekei Rangiaohia— No te ra tapu; ko nga mea tenei i kite ai au. Ite ata, ka puta ata au ki waho ote whare. Ki kite au i ng» turupa e rere ana i tua o to matou whare. Ka rere au kite whare o taku matua. Ka tae au i roa ki reira. Ka tae mai a Hoani no matou ano. He tupua ake tenei noku. No te kitenga mai i a matou i rere mai ai ki to matou whare kia mate tahi ia me matou me Ihiaia, me Kawiri, me taua tamaiti. I tenei takiwa ka puta atu mana ko taku whaea kite whatitoka o te whare Doha ai, Ka rongo au ite kupu a toku mataa e ki atu aca ki taku tapuna, me whakerere te pu, me tuku atu rana hei herehere. Katahi ka j utua taku tapuna, Hira ake ranei au i o matUi kua riro atu i Kangiriri. Ka ki atu ano taku papa ki taku tupuna, me haere pai t.ma i runga i te tore. Kaore taku tupuna i whakaae. I tenei takiwa ka puta mai nga hoia, ka mea ma", kia mana ko toku whaea, kaore te Maori ki row te whare. Ka mea atu toku whaea. Kaore, ka karanga mai toku matua i roto i te whare, kaore he Maori ano. Ka haere mai tana pakeha reo Maori, kite whatitoka ote whare, ka mau nga ringarioga ki taku matna, ka riro i nga hoia. Ka tono atu tana pakeha reo Maori kite whare. Ka tahi ka pubia. e taku tupuna, ka mate te pakeha. Ka rere mai etahi o matou ka toia atu tana pakeha ki roto ite whare. I tenei takiwa ka whakatika mana whakatika mana ko toku whaea, ka haere. I haere no atu mana ko toku whaea i wkenganui o nga hoia o nga turupa. Kihai ratou ipa mai kia mana. I taku noitu i a mana; a haere ana mana kite whare o tetahi pakeha he wahine Maori tana, ko Tame Paoa te ingoa o tana pakeha. No muri ia mana ka rongo mai mana e pupuhi ana nga nga hoia. I a maua e noho ana i te whare o T-me Paoa, ka tae mai te kai-whakamaori. Ka mea mai ia kia matou, Tera ka tae mai etahi atu wahine tamariki hoki kite kainga o Tame Paoa. Ko te kupu tenei ote kai-whaka-maoii matou, Ma te Tianara te tikanga no matou. Kite mea ia me tuku matou, e pai ana, me haere matou, kite mea ate Tianara me kawe matou kite Awamutu koia tera te tikaoga no matou, engari me noho matou i te whare o Tame Paoa i tenei takiwa. Ka mutu tenei, ka hoki a te kai-whakamaori i tenei takiwa, kua mutate pupuhi a nga hoia. X muri tonu i tenei ka puta katoa matou .'<a oma atu matou kite Maunga, ara ki Kangitoto.

It took place on Sunday morning. Eirly in tin morning I had reason to go outside the house. I then saw saw some troopers pisaing behind the house. lat once ran to my father's house. I had not been long there when my grandfather came to the same house. His name ■was Hoani. It was because he knew we were there that he came, so that he might die with us—lhaia, Uawiri, and his son. At this time myself and my mother went outßide the house, and sat at the door of the house. I heard my father say to my grandfather : " Let us lay down our gucs and give ourselves up as prisoners." My grandfather said: "Am I greater than your uncle* who were taken at Eangiriri ?" My father a»ain Btid to my grandfather: "Let us go in peace, and according to law." My grandfather would not agree. At this time the soldiers came to us, and asked my mother in Maori: " Aro there any Maoris in the house ?" She replied : *' No, there are no Maoris in the house." My father at once Baid : '* Yes, there are Maoris here." The European who spoke Maori came to the door of the house, and canght hold of my father, and handed him over to the soldiers. The European went inside of the house. My grandfather shot him and killed him. Some of the others dragged the body in the houae. At this time my mother and Belf arose and went through the soldiers and between the troopers. They did not interfere with us, but allowed os to pass. We went to the house of Thomas Power, who had a Masri vromin to wife. After we left we heard the soldiers firin?. Whilst we were at the house of Thomas Power, the Government interpreter came there. I may nay that by this time a lar'e number of women and ohildren of our rrtoplo had come to Thomas Power's house. What the interpreter said to dj was that the generil would have to deal with us. If he would allow us to take our departure it would be veil ; re could do so; il he Hint us to To Awamutu it would have to be so ; but he told us to remain at this house. After this the interpreter left us. At this time the 6 ring bad ceased. We at once left the place and ran off to the bush, and made for Bangitoto. The object of the march to JRangiaohia vras to cutoff the supplies which maintained the natives in the great pa at Piiterangi. The a'-ove narrative (by one who was then a boy) ahowa that the Europeans desired to save all who were at Rangiaohia, and would have done bo, but that one of the Maoris shot a man who was endangering himself to save life. Not a shot was fired till this European was killed. The women and children were protected, as far a3 possible, and some of them, such as our correspondent and hi* mother, got away and rejoined their friends.