PAKEHA AND MAORI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13744, 8 May 1908, Page 3

PAKEHA AND MAORI.

-. » —•■—■'■ ■-''.'. natives for decorative *!" ! TOBIASES. . j 'I'ni.Rr, is much good 'reuse in'the opinion*! ] expressed by » leading Auckland Maori .'". i upon the proposal to luiikfi-iiiffe of -the pa* i tirc« ■■!,"( a, kind of decorative appendage' of 1 the fesiiviticH to bo held in honour of th«« visit of the American licet, (says a Welling- , lon paper). One passage in particular, . .should he commended to the reflection of » public which is never allowed to forget for 24 'hours that this country is " Maojiland." ' .This.loading Maori gave, an " the real rest' • son" why his fellow nationals are disin- , clined .organise a combined demonstralion tire fact that " the Maori has Seething more to think of at the present time 'v :' than lending himVeJi ti> show purpose?." "You know," he continued,".■■'' that ;Clio .Maori is now busily engaged trying to rfihe ! the more serious probkim* affecting Ids «w» I welfare arid the bellennant of his people. The Maori is constantly being told that <•■■"-? lie is' a useless member ul society, tnat-'n-j dec-- ■■nothing with -hi* la ml,."and makes .1.0 I effort towards his own betterment, and yet people want him to gather. to. make. a din- ■ play just at tho worst lime of the year lor dim to be away from his land." It can hardly be denied that the attitude of .the pakeha towards the Maori race has been very largely responsible ,for tome of tho»e weaknesses which stand in the way', of Maori progress. We are inclined to regard the Mvtori race as one of the local curio*)"ticK, and by, the-.. medium of postcards and advertisement we have created a species of Maori craze. To the visitor from abroad wo' talk chiefly of Rotonia and the quaint customs and accomplishments of the -natives. In short, v.v have omitted nothing to impress both pakeh.i and Mkhi with tho notion that the. native inhabit nw 'a collection of animated curios.

The effects of this attitude cannot but by harmful, to the native ■ race. There" J* good for both raws in a reconsideration of the attitude, of the European towards the Maori, ' The .ending.of " the Maori craze," as v.c must, cult it, \ \-\ lie hailed with delight by .those people—and- they are "very many—who are weary of the Maori post- , card, the greenstone* trinket, the advertise- ■ Aleuts sent by Mr. Donne to foreign papers, t and the constant dragging: in of the MUori } and Maori things on every mutable and tin- ; suitable occasion. Nobody wishes to ma the Maori banished from our infant literature, _ but it. grows'wearisome when the Maori h given a place on tin; cover and in. the title, and front seat in the contents ; of almost every New Zealand book, or book ab'but New Zealand. We believe that item strange foreign riu'sconcejjtiinjs coneurajng this country which, we all chuckle over, or angrily resent, 1 are" mainly duo to the eon-, Ktaiit presentation of New Zealand as the ■..: home of the Maori and, moo. -

Mr. Donne is very successful in attracting tourists to Itotonii, but Mr. Donne .lias much to answer for in the way of leading the British public to belj'cve th&t this V,: country \» populated by a handful of whit" "colonists" in the midst of a huge iiativo population. Tim illusion in fostered by the general inability -of our people to think of ' '■ anything better its a "New Zealand souvenir" for friends abroad than something ' peculiarly Maori in character. There are several excellent : reason*' : why ' the public! 1 ■■■;''' should give up its habit of regarding A he Maori as mainly useful, like lycopodium, for decorative purposes. r