THE LAST RITES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23619, 1 April 1940, Page 11

THE LAST RITES

FORT BASTION SCENE ANCIENT MAORI LAMENT SERVICE BY BISHOP LISTON BEAUTY AND REVERENCE A silent cortege slowly moving down a grassy .slope, a great throng gathered upon a headland by the sea, a central dais upon which figures in white and purple, black and silver moved reverently beneath a cross, and a last journey through an avenue of flowers — those were the scenes when the final rites of burial were performed at Fort Bastion. Over a ridge that cut the azure skyline came the procession I*ll llie afternoon sunlight. Followed by a huge mass of mourners who walked 011 either side of the route, it came down to its crowded terminal, solemnly, sedately to the measured beat of the Dead March in "Saul." It came to a place where once a Maori fortress stood, where once a chieftain was vanquished in battle with his son, where later red-coated soldiers awaited a Russian foe that never sailed. It came to give new significance to a spot already rich in history. Sacred Mat on Gun Carriage A group of Samoans went first to meet the cortege. Chanting, thev approached it slowly, carrying in their hands branches and a sacred mat. Reverently they placed the mat upon the gun carriage. Shoulder to shoulder in close-drawn ranks, a group of Maori men and women waited on bended knee near the dais. Hailing from all parts of the North Island, and under Princess Te Puea, they had come to perform the powhiri ceremony, an ancient lament for a great rangitira. It had not been performed since the death of the great king To Rata Mahuta in IOM. The Last. Resting Place "Toia mai te waka!" they cried, as they saw the casket drawing near. "Oh, haul hither the war canoe." Green fronds slashed the air as they wailed

their lament. On their heads they wove circlets of willow, symbolic of Christ's crown of thorns, and about their bodies they wore green willow garlands, symbolic of tears. On their feet now, they stamped and gradually retreated, inviting the cortege to come forward to the resting place, to the sleeping place, "to the abiding place—our great canoe.'' * There was a hush as the casket was brought forward on sturdy shoulders. In silence it was placed on the dais, a simple wooden structure draped with black and white material and hung with a solitary crimson wreath. The lU. Rev. Dr. Listen. Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, in vestments of mourning, white mitre and silver embroidered black cope over purple soutane, mounted the platform, followed by attendants. Quietly the bareheaded crowd closed in and the ceremony began. That the body of the late Prime Minister might share with his soul

eternal life, the Bishop blessed the grave and made it hallowed ground. Sadly, a choir of priests chanted the Benedictus, tlie Canticle of Zachary, with its humble supplication at the close. "l}ef|iiiem aeternam dona ci, Domino," they said. "Eternal rest give unto him, o*Lord." With holy water the casket was sprinkled, and then it was girdled with incense. Solemnly as the throng stood hushed tlie casket was taken up once more on its last short journey. Down a pathway of heauty it was borne, with bright red petals underfoot and flowers

and greenery on either side. It was taken under an arch of crimson blooms surmounted by a floral cross of white and then through an avenue of wreaths mounted high on wooden frames. Tenderly and reverently, the casket was passed into the entrance of the vault through two black curtains 011 which were two white crosses. The chanting of the priests died away in the distance and the principal mourners dispersed to the side of the entrance to the vault. Then all eyes were upturned to a platform built upon the old fort's observation post. Through the clear air sounded the poignant notes of "The Last Post," played by a group of army buglers. Silently the gathering stood, and still. The salute ended, a. band struck up. In their thousands the crowd joined in the singing of "Abide "With Me," which i.s prayerful petition and acknowledgment that the grave is neither the goal nor the end of man.