TAWHIAO'S TANGI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9624, 24 September 1894, Page 5

TAWHIAO'S TANGI.

A VISIT TO TAUPIRI. [BY our special REPORTER.] If anyone thought, when the news Of Tawhio's death was published, that the Maori "kingibe" sentiment was dead, they would be undeceived by a visit to Taupiri, where the tangi over the late king's remains is in progress. It may be, as was said to me, with sorrowful intonation of voice, on Saturday, that the king is now so only in name. But that a strong feeling, which in the case of white men would be called a national sentiment, exists, there can bo no doubt, and those who know the Maori nature aver that that feeling has been considerably strengthened since Tawhiao died, now nearly a month ago, Representatives of all the principal aboriginal tribes are now gathered at the tangi. And though the principal business, of course, is sorrowing, politics are nob lost sight of, while the person of the new king, Mahuta, is apparently, if ignorantly, regarded in a manner that could nob for devotion, be exceeded by the most zealous Conservative for Queen Victoria. The political significance of the fact may nob be a thousandth part as important—the feeling is there nevertheless.

The spot where the Maoris are at present encamped, and are proceeding with the tangi, is within "easy distance' of Auckland, being 69 miles by rail, and 6i hours as measured by time. Close to the Taupiri Railway Station is a level stretch of meadow land, triangular in shape. The apex of this triangle is the railway station it6elf. One side of the geometrical figure is formed by the railway line; the other by the high road and the broad waters of the Waikato, where the swell caused by the coal steamer of civilization now rocks the canoe of the Maori—for more than one of these are there. On the river side of the triangular enclosure are the whares of the Waikatos, mostly low tents of canvas intermingled with ( tea-tree # houses of, to look at, the flimsiest possible construction. On the further side of the enclosure the natives from further inland have located themselves, some in complete terraces of tea-tree whares, roofed with the leaves of the nikau ; palm, and some in military bell-shaped ; bents. Beyond these is the meeting-house, where the "talks" take place, and the store-houses, buildings of lightest brushwood, about 25 feet by 12 feet, filled with stores of potatoes, kumeras, flour, and suchlike in great abundance; and away up ab tho far end are the pig and poultry houses, In the centre of the enclosure is a long low tenb where lies the body, in state, of Tawhiao, guarded night and day by the gunbearers who are so jealous of their duty thab they will allow no unauthorised person near. Almosb from the tenb door rises a tall flagstaff untrimmed, in fact, a tree scarcely touched by tool. And from this, up to Saturday mid-day, floated, ab half-mast, four flags. The uppermost, an historic relic, a blue pendant with red devices, and pierced through and through with the bullets fired at Rangiriri. The next, the dead " king's" own ensign. The third, of blue cloth, with an inscription in white, said to mean •'' Rest"—a similar one being affixed to Tawhiao's mortuary tenb itself. The fourth flag is reported to have belonged to Tawhiao's father. Here were placed the dead " king's" remains on Thursday last; here they are bo remain until the funeral takes place—on Wednesday probably. RECEPTION OF THE REMAINS!. Eyewitnesses of the reception of the body on Thursday speak of ib as a most impressive sight. Nearly a thousand natives escorted the coffin from the interior of the King Country. When within about a mile of Taupiri they alighted from their horses and vehicles, and the gun bearers, about 300 in number, divested themselves of what European clothes they had and assumed war costume—just a cloth aboub the loins. Then, amid songs of lamentation and with dancing and the firing of guns, the body was handed over to the Vaikatos, who had already located themselves on the banks of the Waikato River. NUMBERS PRESENT. To give, with any degree of correctness, the number of Maoris encamped at Taupiri is impossible. No one appears to have but the vaguest idea. The whares and tents are as irregular almosb as they are numerous. Hore some score of small tents not more than five feet high, are hidden bidden behind high hedges like wind-guards. There, a long row of temporary dwellings, beautifully and neatly, though hastily constructed of lighb bruswood, thatched with nikau, conceal dozens of less pretentious structures. This alone would nob make an approximation of those present so difficult were ib nob for the fact thab the whares, from morning till night, are never perhaps more than half empty. When Tawhiao's body arrived all except the youngest came forth to bake parb in the reception, the weeping, ana the lamentation ; bub even then to count, with anything like certainty, such a moving mass of humanity, crowded close together in half-a-dozen places, loosely disposed in others, would have puzzled the quickest and most acute. Since then the many fires and earth; ovens that honeycomb the ground have never, at one and the same time, been left by their attending women, and though matters of import and interest may have been proceeding in other parts of the enclosure the whares have never wanted for occupants. The figures given as representing those present vary from 1500 to 4000. One young Maori, indeed, who spoke very good English, pub ib as high as 4500. Bub as he afterwards went on to speak of the wonderful fertility of the soil at Matamata, his home, where forty bullocks to the acre could be carried with ease; ib would appear as though he conceived the pakeha countenance was remarkable for a characteristic of juvenility, or that his own knowledge of '■ numerals was somewhat limited. Most probably, if it were ascertainable, the number of Maoris taking parb in the tangi would be about two thousand—if anything, there may be a few more. The tribes addressed by name by King Mahnba, a,a given in the " Official Gazette," and who, with the Waikatos and their sub-bribes, may be taken to be represented at the gathering, are as follows :Ngatimaniapoto, Ngatiraukawa, Ngatimaru, Ngatihaua, Ngatimahuta, Ngaiterangi, INgatipaoa, lMgatikahungunu, Ngatiawa, Whanganui, Ngapahi, JNgatitamabera, Ngatiwhabua.etc. Amongst the principai chiefs, etc., presenb were: Major Te Vvheoro (who is in command of the encampment), Henare Kaihau, Hori Knkutai, of the Waikatos, Taomui te Naunau, Tawhana, Aporo te Taratutu, Paku, Kohatu, Hotutana, Te Wetini, John Ormsby, John Hebbib, of the Ngatimaniapotoß; Ngatai.Taiaho, Hone Makarooti, Te Waru, Rewi teNgatai, of theNgaiterangas; Arapatone Rongowhitiao, Te Rangi Tutua, Whiti Patato, and Paora, o» the Ngatiraukawas; Heuheu Tukiuo, of the Ngatituwharetoas; Taingakawa te Wahuroa (the Maori Premier), Hote Tamenana, Tutua te Ngakau, and Mahuba and Te Wherowhero (Tawhiao's sons), of the Ngatihaua; Taipari and Totorewa, of the Ngabipaoas; Tu Te Aoa, To Uria, Ngakete, To Puhi, Tihurahi, Te Aka Wharakura, of the Ngatimahuta (the bearers of the body. INSIDE THE ENCLOSURE. The seenelnside the enclosure, toEuropean eyes, is as novel asit is picturesque, the only drawback to the picturesqueness, perhaps, being the Maoris themselves. A New Zealand aboriginal may be physically a fine being, and his tatooed face artistic. But when that physical franw is clad in nondescript European garb, innocent of everything pertaining to cub, fit, or fashion, and never complete, except in incompleteness ; and that tatooed face is surmounted oy a " shocking bad hat" of the " chimney-pot' or "wideawake" orders, picturesqueness has to suffer, though comedy may gain. This evidently has struck Major Te Wheoro, who combines the offices of commandant of the forces, chief of police, and magistrate, for when anything unusual is in progress in the way of a pageanb, he makes his force discord Pakeha garments and be " the noble savage " once more. Strictest order is kept within the bounds of the enclosure. The gun-bearers guard the body of the dead potentate and the new king, while some 200 native " police," known by badges of red ribbon on the breast, look after the lower orders. No intoxicants are allowed in the enclosure, any Maori guilty of drunkenness, or of getting into the paddock except by the recognised gateways is fined. Owners of stray dogs too, are fined or senb bo the " labour gang " to cut a load of wood. And they are fortunate if they do nob find their canine pets shot. Into the enclosure the pakeha may not enter though into ib

pakeha ayes may look, and in fact get a better view from the raised roadway than from inside. Two European* who had business there wero on Saturday admitted, bub that was only after a couple of days ' unsuccessful effort and several ejectments. On Friday a " meeting of Parliament" was j held to consider the matter and eventually they were allowed in, bub as at every turn they were challenged by one or i other of f the many " police," who either would nob or did not understand ; the exception thinb had been made, the " special order" they had received was nob an unmixed blessing. I myself managed to get in for a little while, and only had time to take a hasty look around, before I was, very courteously I must admit, requested bo withdraw. On ascertaining that the instructions were that no Europeans were to be admitted, I saw Major To Wheoro. who informed me, through a wabine, presumably Mrs. Te Wheoro, thab,ib was impossible for me to stay, thab if I had been up on the Friday I might have had my name bracketed with the others, but that ib was then altogether too late. And with bhab the Major resumed his seat upon the ground in his own particular little plot, roped around, into which I had been warned nob to enter, and would say no more. There was then nothing for ib bub to leave, though everything going on oould be seen to far better advantage from the outside. The great aversion to Europeans, ib is said, arises from the fear of photographers taking pictures of the dead king. One reason for this is said to be that his followers are afraid, if a portrait is taken of Tawhiao, as he lies in his glass-covered cabin, witchcraft may ensue. Another reason given is that a camera somewhat resembles a dumpy level, being both mounted on a tripod, and thinking thab the sight of a surveyor, with his instruments, means the taking away of their lands, so they imagine the objecb of the photographer is to take away from them Tawhiao's body. TAWHIAO'S RESTING PLACE. Overlooking the townships of Taupiri is a high bush-crowned hill, the Taupiri Mountain. Half-way down there has been at some time an outburst which has formed a hill of lesser height. At the base of this flows tho Wnikato. The top of the smaller hill is to be the grave of Tawhiao. To this, in Maori eyes, sacred spot, were carried some three years ago the bones of his father, the first "king," Potatau le Wherowhera, who died some 37 years ago, and whose remains, for 34 years, lay in the hearb of the King Country. Here also lie the bones of some of Tawhiao's own family, and to here have been brought recently the bones of many of the tribe. The enclosure is now guarded night and day by the young men gun bearers, whra will not relax their vigilance until the remains are actually interred, if they will then, as by some it is supposed a watch will be kept for an entire year. HOISTING THE NEW KING'S FLAG. The now king Mahuta was chosen and declared Tawhiao's successor before the proceedings at Taupiri commenced, but up to Saturday afternoon the old king's flag had been flying at the encampment. Mahuta's own flag, however, arrived from Auckland by the early train on Saturday morning, and was at once inspected by the head men. The new ensign proved to be a far bigger and mora elaborate affair than was Tawhiao's. About 17 feet long by eighb feet wide, ib bears on a white ground a picture of a large war canoe, painted in the orthodox Maori brown, and sundry astronomical emblems. The recipients of the flag seemed somewhat disappointed thab their instructions had been misunderstood, and thab the artist had confined his efforts to one side of the ensign only. That, however, was not allowed to interfere with the formal hoisting of Mahuta's colours. Ab the conclusion of the morning's korero, or talk, the Rangiriri relic, Tawhiao's flag, and the others were hauled down lrom half-mast, and a red flag bearing a cross, three stars, and "Kowaikato," wan hoisted to the masthead. This was said to be in welcome of Archdeacon Clarke, who arrived by the midday train, to be mob and escorted by the Otaki band. And, by the way, this band gave huge delight to the natives, many of whom seemed to think they were now in everything abreasb of, if nob ahead of, the Europeans. "Ah pakeha " was said proudly on Saturday half-a-dozen times in a few minutes—" Ah pakeha ; whab think you of Maori now ; got band himself." The arrival of the band and the Archdeacon briefly delayed the usual presentation of food by the VVaikatos as hosts to the visiting natives. Scarce had the drum ceased to beat when the Waikato women, each carrying in her hand a green flax "kit" of cooked potatoes or kumeras, and wearing their headdresses of green leaves in token of their grief, massed in the centre of the enclosure, and then proceeded to place the "kai" in rows before the whares of their guests, who, when the women had retired, came and took ib up. Meals over the afternoon became more eventful than had been the morning. Hundreds of adult natives ranged themselves and sat or crouched in semicircular form, the centre of the circumference being the flagstaff. The other half of the circle was composed of the young men with the guns, whose nondescript appearance, in all kinds of European garb, did nob apparently suit the eye of their commandant, for, at) a word, all the gun-bsarers skurried back to their whares, to emerge a few minutes later in full fighting costume —a feather stuck in the hair and a cloth around the loins. Then, the fine muscular development of these young fellows was clearly seen, beneath their swarthy skins, smooth, and shining like smokes ivory. Piclsuresque looked they in the highest degree, as they marched back to bheir places, with their guns passed over their heads, gripped with both hands and carried transversely across their shoulders. Ab the flagstaff, they executed a war dance, and Mahuta's ensign was hoisted amid salutes of blank cartridge. SUPPLIES. The supply of food upon the ground is something astounding. Potatoes are there by the hundred tons, with huge piles of bags of flour and other provender. There are also large quantities of shell fish and some 40 or 50 pigs, together with poultry, etc. Many of the Waikato natives have, ib is stated, given practically their all, and they have very largely been helped by many of their half-caste friends living in the town. THE NEW KING. The new " king," Mahuta, a young man said to be about 32 years of age, temporarily resides in a tent placed close to that in which the body of Tawhiao lies, he too being closely guarded by the gun bearers. As to his " policy," it is taken for granted by the chiefs thab it will be upon the lines followed by the late king, and the trend of all their adjurations to him is in this direction. In his speech bo his people, published in his official Gazette on the 15th insb., he states that his mission is bo consolidate tho ' kingdom of his ancestors, and that he will speak more " words" at the general meeting of the tribes in May next. TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. THE RECEPTION OF EUROPEANS. To-day has been seb aparb to receive anfs welcome European visitors. Mr. Hudsojfc manager of districb railways, has arranged for a special brain to leave Auckland this morning ab eighb o'clock, stopping where required up to Otahuhu, reaching Taupiri at half paßb eleven, returning from Taupiri ab quarter past five p.m., stopping where required to pub down passengers, and reaching Auokland at half-past eight tonight. A special car will bo reserved for ladies. The return fare from Auckland is 13s; from other stations the usual secondclass return fare irrespective of class. It is understood thab a large number of our representative citizens have intimated their intention of going up to this historical gathering, and witnessing the ceremonies in connection with ib. Mr. James Mackay, writing on the subject of " Maori Etiquette ab Large Meetings," says :— As a number of persons unacquainted with the correct form of proceedings at native meetings may go by the special train to Taupiri, on Monday next, to see the Maori gathering at that place, in consequence of the death of King Tawhiao, it may not be out of place to make a few suggestions to the visitors, the observance of which will ensure their comfort, and enable them to see and understand the proceedings. Ist. The Europeans on leaving the train ought to advance in a compact body to the place set apart for them. I have written to the Maoris, requesting them to make some rough stools for the convenience of their visitors. If tho strangers go up to the meeting in twos or threes and mingle with the natives, they will "noil the whole performance.

2nd. The Maoris will commence by welcoming their European guests. After this, a suitable reply will be made by me on behalf of the Europeans present, Then other speeches will be made by the natives. These I will explain in English as each is finished.

3rd. If any of the European visitors desire to speak publicly to the natives, I shall be happy to assist by interpreting for them. 4th. If the Maoris execute any war dances or give any hakas, it is requested that the Europeans present do not crowd on to the performers. By retaining their positions as first taken up, they will get an uninterrupted view of everything, and will not cause confusion among the natives. sth. On the completion of the talk, there is little doubt but the principal chiefs will advance to the visitors to shake hands, etc. Nothing can be more outre at a Maori meeting than the guests commencing the korero, or going indiscriminately among the assembled natives. After the completion of the speeches then everyone can do as he pleases. I feel convinced, from my experience at some hundreds of native meetings, that a strict adherence to what I have herein suggested will conduce to the enjoyment ot all present at the meeting (both Europeans and Maoris), and that it is the only way to conduct the business satisfactory to all.