THE PASSING OF A CHIEF.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 6025, 9 October 1906, Page 6

THE PASSING OF A CHIEF.

Ti l l'- BURIAL OF AVI PARATA. NOTABLE GATHERING OF THE TRIBES. AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE. "Wi Parata, cliiof of tho Ngatitoa and Ngati'na.ukawa, and one of Uio most 'respected of Maori personages on tho Font Coast, who died last Saturday ‘week, wan interred at AVaikaiuio yesterday afternoon with all tho quaintly tiiipreteivo native pomp and ceremony befitting one of his rank and otation. .For tho past week a “tangi” has I,eon in progress in honour of the dead. During that time the array of natives, from all parts of tho North Island—■ and ovou a fow from tho South —hod boon arriving, and wlion tho sun ohed its first radianco over the verdant marao yesterday morning there wore between twelve and thirteen hundred Maoris—men, women, and children— OfßOinbled to pay tribute to tho dead chief. A fall from a horse n fortnight ago • was tho immediate l cause of Wi Parata’s death, a fact that mut given a special s.guifioaric'o at one portion of yesterday’s ceremonial. This great, gathering was camped in a lir-enoircletl paddock a humlrctl yards from tho Parata accommodation hoiifie, mid was housed iu bell-tents (supplied by tho Government) and great mari(iioci-', stretched over rough timber Iraiiim, mnl, thanks to the beautiful weather Unit bad prevailed, no inconvenience nr discomfort was experienced. Before tho meeting-house if Jargo space (thi) nniniie) find men loft clear of encumbrance, and there lengthy korcros have heen lioltl daily, laments have gone up to tho bush-clad hilly, pic■Lurciqim apowli opiie.s have been declaimed, while tho relatives kept watch and ward beside tbo dead in the. whareinato (hone© of death) —a, marquee set up next tho mooting-house. On tho apposite side of the* meeting-house was tho wlnwekai, wlmro a couple of hundred native*) were accommodated at a sitting under canvas. The touts of the representatives of tho different tr'ibeo wore allotted particular positions surrounding the marao, and it -says a, goad deal for tho management that almost perfect order has been maintained throughout, which also applies in a marked degree to the conduct of tho final obloquies. Every native maid and mother, and even the tiny brown toddlers in grotesque clothing, wore tho parepare—the grr u wreath of mourning round tho head, a,.., those actually engaged iu tho funeral formalities were swathed iu greenery, consisting in tho main of koho and maorocarpa (used instead of the traditional kawa), and tho male mourners, tho pail-bearers in particular—a swarthy team of Ngatiapas and Taranakis—were decked extravagantly with green flora ■of tho bush. Sobbing women mingled with laughing children; minor chiefs made side-speeches to anyone who cared to listen; wahinos perspired over the smoky hanghj, and tho entire eire semblo was at once animating and weirdly picturesque. This was before the funeral started. When tho hour oamo for tho door of tho house to bo opened for the exit of tho body, tho crowd formed in a great erosoont before the meeting-houso, leaving only a wide lane of spectators, Maori and pakoha, down which the cortege was to pass. A queer-faced individual craoked his whip with harmless ferocity at tho small boys who would gambol inside the circle, whilst down tho lane came tho Otaki native brass band playing a solemn march. It halted in mid-marne, the pali-bearers jmliod a buggy-truck along and backed it close into tho door of thq wharomato, and, to tho pathetic wailing and sobbing of tho deceased's womonkind, 'tho coffin, enwrapped in beautiful kiwi and other mats, was raised on to tho truck, while a squad of women, lod by a whito-whiskerod old follow brandishing a mono, sang with tremulous shrillness tho haka-ory—-“Hero, oh father, are all the tribe assembled on the marae.” Then followed a fioroo demand, in admirable rhythm—- " Eipihia, hao hae 1 Tuakino haparangitia; Te Upoko ote hoiho Patutangata, Hu—ee ! ” Which was really a fierce denunciation ■cl tho horse that brought about the death of the chief, hinting at the awful fate that awaited it. Then a lament went up— T, “Lataka, hue"ha 1 t Katika, to llaukura, ote motu—nei 1 dike feather of the Island is lost), and “I pupuru—oo I Kataka—huo—ha 1” (Tho feathef of the Island has fallen.) Following in dirge-like cadence came the formal question—“Ho aha te tohu oto ringaringa?” and the reply—“To kawa kawa, tuku ki rare kia koho ra, o hara Ido he to whakatau o te mate—hoal” Signifying that tho sign of mourning is the kawa kawa, whim the mourners were wearing down to their waists in honour - of tho dead chief. By this time tho coffin had been carefully adjusted for tho lost journey, tho native Churoh of England clergy took up their positions on each side of the impromptu hearso, and tho choir—a woll-balanoed body of male and female voices—sang in harmony tne hymn (“Bend ye your heads”) — "Piko uei ta matenga. Tan mai ko te poori nni, B to Tama a t* Atua, Tonoi arohaina mai." This was followed by a short service, through the whole of which tho low quivering wails of the women—still in “the house of death’’-—formed an uncanny running accompaniment. The whole service—lesson, prayer, responses and all—was gone through deliberately, tho voice of tho clergymen and the occasional outburst of some passionate soul unable to control its emotions being tho only break in tho stillness of tho summer’s afternoon. Tho final response being given, tho procession farmed up with the band at its head, followed by the surplioed clergy, tho hearse drawn by tho be-matted pallbearers; then the widow and family of Wi Parata, and, finally, a crowd of perhaps fifteen hundred natives and pakehas moving in orderly disorder. Oho crying and wailing grew painful in its intensity as the cortege moved towards tho cemetery, only a few hundred yards away, and the solemn music of tho funeral march was quit© subsidiary to the clamour of grief on every hand. Arrived at tho grave, the coffin ■was placed on cross-bars. The relatives of the deceased squatted in a group near tho edge of the open grave, and gave way to uncontrolled grief of a heart-rending description. The’ pakoha in the centre of it all began to realise what actual contact with a great grief meant, and to marvel at tho littleness of white men’s outward signs of sorrow

by contrast with Ids Maori brother’s. By way of prelude to the deeply impressive burial service, tho choir —led by a sweet-faced pakoha maiden—sang in Maori tho hymn For ever with the Lord," from beginning to end, the gruff bassos of tho men making tuneful “seconds” to tho sopranos of tho choir-maids. Then came the Church of England burial service, conducted by tho Ilov. To Mnora Tokoaitna fof llungitikoi), tho lowering of tho coffin with its rich tribal trappings (all ot which were “ tapu,” and were buried with tho dead;, “ The Lord’s Prayor, repented by the whole assemblage, and Wi Parata—" tho feather of the island ” —was at rest. With the air full of lamentation, Hie hand—in imitation of pakoha methods —struck up u lively march tune, and strode off back to the camp, followed h.V tho hulk of the natives. Thereafter hakas of various significance, promiscuous wailing, mingled with vaudeville selections from tho band, and so affairs began to trend back to the normal. Tho “tangi” will officially end today. Tho death of AVI Parata was responsible for a notable gathering of the tribes. In company with Mr Hone Hoke, M.H.R., Mr P. Sheridan, of tho Native Office, and Ur Buck (Native Heal til Officer), a “Times” reporter strolled round the camp, and was pointed out the canvas wiiaros of the several tribes or sections of tribes represented. To gather the full significance of the honour done to tin* late lamented chi' I it must li« remembered that tile Gorernmont does not frank natives over tho railways when travelling to a “tangi.” The following is a rough lint oi file tribes ami their head., who were present:—

Rnugitano (Awaluiri), Chief Haremheua; Wanganui, Gbief Takarangi Meto King! and C’hicftiuneas Uil.i Ivccpa (daughter of Major Kemp); Muaupoko (Horowbenua), Chief Win Hiiniu: Ngntirmiiini (South Taranaki), Chief Ngnhina and others: Ngatirankawa (local). Chiefs Roputa te .to. Pupa 1;’. Ranapiri, and Taipnn: Ngaranrn (Waitotnra), Chief WTuikiiruu ; Waikato, Chiefs Hon. Mahuta Tawhiao te AVhorowhoro and Topara Haiindna ; Ngatikahnngnitn (Hawke’s Bay), Chief Pcnetawa; Masterton, Hori to lluki; Ngatiapa, Chiefs Marumaru, Te Rangitakorn, and Urn to’-Tlnnga; Ngatipibialiu (Upper RangilikeiVV Chief Hue to Hnri; Ngatitiiwhoretoa (Xanpo). Chief To Hen Hen Tnkino ; \Ngaitaliu (South Island), Chiefs To Mdti, AVhiua, and Tarotikao; Ngatitama (Marlborough and Nelson), Ngatitoa, Chicftainess Huria Matonga; Taranaki and To Aliawa, Chiefs Mahan and Mato Kino; Ngapnlii (north of Auckland), Chief Hone Hoke, M.H.R.; Ngatiporou and Ngatikahnngunu (East Coast), Chief Takaui Peru. The native clergymen present who took part in tho proceedings wero the Revs. To Iwiora Tevvaipares. (Waitotnra), To Ropere Tahuriorangi (Taranaki), Hone Thiipaeracta (AVairarapa), To Mucra Tokoaitna (Rangitikoi), and Aro Natehana (Otaki). Wi Parata was really a half-oasto, son of a, pakeha whaler named Stubbs, whoso happy hunting-ground was Kapiti Island and its vicinity, and it was on his mother’s side that ho inherited “blue blood.” Ho leaves a widow (Ids second wife), three sons, and four daughters. Naming tho members of the family in order, from tho eldest down, their names are Metapero Ropata, Whinara Parata, Hira Parata, Mahia Parata, Ngapero Parata, Utauta Parata, and Horomana Parata. The second, third, and seventh are tho sons, the remainder tho daughters. These, with Wi’s brother. Ilemi Matenga, wore the chief mourners at yesterday's function.

Much credit is due to Peter Taipna, tho president of the Rankawa Maori Council, and its members for tho admirable order kept throughout tho tangi. Not a sign of drink was noticed yesterday, and throughout the week tho only cases have been those who have obtained liquor in excess outsido tho camp, and those were dealt with in a firm manner. Dr Buck (Health Officer) attended to tho sanitary arrangements, which were excellent.

' During tho proceedings after the interment, Mr W. M. Donovan (of Ngatiawa) on request recited the following lines of his own composing:— AVI PARATA. Mourn, Maori, mourn.! A mighty chief Has passed for ever now from out your midst. AVail. Maori, wail ! True your belief—'Twas for your good he fought in all he did. Himself a relic of those days now gone, AVhon Pakeha and Maori stood at bay; The first to laugh that enmity to scorn. And strive to turn that bitter night to day. Mourn, Maori, mourn ! The green boughs swing And wave in token of your abject on of. AVail. Maori, wail I Your dirges . . • In mournful cadence for your accent chief. Steadfast and true he stood in all ho learned. His aim iu life his people to protect. Peace bo to him ! Full well we know ho earned. The Maori's love, the Pakeha’s respect.