MEMORABLE DAY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21991, 24 December 1934, Page 11

MEMORABLE DAY

ANCIENT CUSTOMS GREETINGS OF WARRIORS NATIVE ENTERTAINMENT CHARM OF THE SINGING CEREMONIAL DANCES [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] ROTORUA, Saturday For the fourth time since the beginning of the century, representatives of the .whole Maori race welcomed with ancient ceremony at Rotorua to-day a member of the British Royal House. The gathering to meet the Duke of Gloucester was not as large as some of its predecessors, but the loyalty and affection for the Throne 'which is conveyed were, if possible, even more cordial than ever. On the Arawa Park racecourse were assembled chosen chiefs and leading men from every tribe in New Zealand, even to the far south, together with o\er 2000 people of the Bay of Plenty and Taupo tribes, upon whom was the responsibility of acting as hosts and providing the entertainment of songs and dances for the Royal guest. Government's Representatives The Government of New Zealand was represented by the Prime Minister, tbe Rt. Hon. G. AV. Forbes, in his capacity of Minister of Native Affairs, the Hon. J. A. Young, Minister accompanying the Royal party, and the Hon. C. E. Macmillan, Minister of Agriculture. Three of the four Maori members of Parliament took part—Sir Apirana Ngata, Mr. Tau Henare, and Mr. Taite- te Tomo. The lawn of the racecourse had been enclosed with a picket fence to serve as a marae, or village courtyard, for the purpose of the welcome. Several thousand European spectators were accommodated on stands, and the native people were seated on the ground round .tie edge of the green. As he appeared at the entrance of the marae, his staff following, the Duke Was challenged by an armed warrior, Who stooped and laid upon the ground two pieces of green flax and then, retreating, began a dance of warlike defiance, grimacing and swinging his taiahaOld Sea-Imagery A party of Arawa men and women, drawn across the Royal visitor's path, uttered cries of welcome and began an ancient song or ngeri, with outstretched arms waving rhythmically. The words were full of the old sea-imagery which Maori song has never lost. They assumed that a canoe had brought the guest and that his craft had jusit .touched the shore. Pull hither! Drag hither! Draw him to the brink! Draw him to the edge! The kokako birds are crowinc Their raucous chants At Wuikurekure. Ha! Beside the singers a handsome young Warrior, garbed in a mat, carried the tattered silk Union Jack presented to the Arawiis by Queen Victoria in acknowledgment of their loyalty. This Was held aloft before the dais throughput the ceremony. The Arawas having drawn to one side, Mr. Forbes and his entourage came forward to greet the Duke. The Ngatituwharetoa, of Taupo, then in turn made a challenge. Hoani Te Heuhau, their paramount chief, advanced from the ranks of a war party and threw down a slender reed, which the Duke picked up as a sign that his mission Was one of peace! Immediately the warriors broke into a perupern, or wardance, waving their tewhatewhas, or Wooden battle-axes, leaping into the air and contorting their faces as they ■houted the ancient war-song:

Gird yourself in the dogskin cloak And leap into the fray! The battle, what of it? "Warrior meets warrior, man to man. Ha! The battle is joined! This was followed by a famous haka of the Ngati-raukawa people, telling of old battles. The Duke ascended to the dais, and tribes chanted the well-known "Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora!" followed by the National Anthem. Then came the presentation of the address of welcome from the whole Maori people. It was accompanied by an ancient patere, or chant, performed by a large party of elderly men and women, who in this way had their only opportunity of taking an active part in the ceremonies upon the field. They sang the strange old song with the greatest vigour, accompanying it with grotesque and apparently random gestures and movements of the face and thp ! eyes. The whole party undoubtedly enjoyed themselves immensely, and at the close they were heartily applauded by the younger generation and by the pakehas as well. The address, in a frame carved with 1 Maori designs, was carried up to the dais appropriately by two members of I the race who had served the Empire upon foreign battlefields. They were Captain W. T. Pitt, a veteran of the South African War and the Great War, and Lieutenant Harding Leaf, a Great War officer. Both wore their medals, and Lieutenant Leaf the Military Cross. Accompanying them was the Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett, Bishop of Ao-tea-roa. The Maori text of the address was read by Bishop Bennett, and the English translation, which has already been published, was read by Mr. Forbes. Reply by Royal Guest The Duke of Gloucester read his reply in a clear voice, which the amplifiers made audible in all parts of the ground. At the beginning and the end lie was heartily applauded, and again when the interpretation into Maori had been completed. Mita Taupopoki, the aged chief of the Arawas, garbed in a mat of kiwi feathers, then mounted the dais and presented to the Duke an ancient toki, or greenstone adze, mounted in a wooden haft of old workmanship, carved, inlaid with paua shell, and decorated with a fringe of dog's hair. This ceremony over, there began the entertainment which it has always been the custom to provide for distinguished visitors to a tribal marae. It opened with a song of welcome by the Arawa women. It had been written for the occasion and was sot to u lovely lilting tune. The power and softness of the voices and the graceful gestures of the women singers made the effect altogether charming. The English translation, in part, ran: — Bring, Son, your message of Aroha To ease our minds and soothe our sorrows. Renew in us the faith of long ago. Only by love shall faith be fostered, And man shall strive to reach tile goal Of happineswto all who live upon the earth. Ceremonial Dances This was followed by a poi, in which some half-dozen rows of women and girls took part, the front row lying upon the ground and the others kneeling or standing. The whirling flax balls were like nothing so much as hailstones rebounding from a pavement. After the action song, "The Coming of the Arawa Canoe," cairfe a dance with spears by men of Matatua (eastern Bay of Plenty), and in quick succession hakas, ceremonial dances and pois ! by Ngati-te-rangi (Tauranga), Ngatituwharetoa, and again the Arawa. Sir Apirftna Ngata acted as master of ceremonies, not, as on former occasions, upon the field, but behind the microphone. Now and then he would join in a song for a few bars, and his running fire of directions and comments caused many chuckles among the native onlookers and the groups of performers seated upon the greensward. Although his words could not be understood by the pakehas, they were a constant reminder of the play spirit of tlui ancient Maori. Once Sir Apirana made use of English to introduce the leader of a men's haka party from the Tuhoe people of .

the Urewera. "The gentleman leading this dance is a diploma man from Lincoln College," lie said. "He is well civilised, for lie comes from the same place as the Prime Minister." Both races seemed equally to appreciate the little joke. At the end of the last dance, the Duke descended into a large circle formed by over 100 chiefs and leading men of all the tribes. He passed round the ring, escorted by the Parliamentary party, and shook hands with each. Some leading Maori women were also presented. A lane was made, and, as the Royal party made its way to the waiting cars, songs of farewell were sung, concluding with "Ka mate! Ka mate I" It was a memorable day in Maori annals, and undoubtedly it was enjoyed as much by all the participants as by the Roval visitor.