A MAORI NAPOLEON

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7978, 8 December 1911, Page 5

A MAORI NAPOLEON

INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OP TE

RAUPARAHA.

FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. LONDON, October 26. Messrs Whitcombo and Tombs have just issued at half a guinea Mr T. Lindsay Buick’s "An Old. New Zealander. The work concerns the career, both violent and splendid, of the great Ngatitoan. cniet Te Rauparaha—"The Napoleon of the South," as the author calls his hero, whose father Werawora had the misiortuu© 'to provide a eubstantial meal tor a fellow-countryman. This grim old warrior who had tried his digestion with werawrera was heard to make a remark to the effect that if ever the latter b eon.fell into hia hands he would certainly follow m his father’s footsteps, as he would make a delicious relish for so great .a warrior s rauparaha. The rauparaha, is a juicy plant of tho convolvulus kind, eaten as a vegetable by tho Maoris; and hence the youngster got tho nr-nio of To R au P aa * a £ a ‘ —convolvulus leaf. The introductory chapters of the book are of singular interest; they attempt to trace oonjecturally. tno complicated history of Polynesian tlon. Mr Bulok believes that the ancestors of the Maoris were a fair Caucasian race living somewhere in tho vicinity or the Japanese archipelago, and driven southward by tho ‘Toe-sheet of l^-e olithic period. Going towards India, the fair men from the north fell in with At dark-skinned race; the two stocks were mingled and thus w© have the preeent Maoris, olive-skinned, but often with fine Caucasian, features. , . In his preface Mr Buiok suggests that there mav be amongst the reading-pubnc some who will- question the need, or the wisdom of recording the savage and sanguinary past of tho Maoris, but as he says "history is always history, if this conrtibution serves no other useful purpose, it may at least heb? to emphasise the marvellous transformation which has been worked in the natives of New Zealand since To . Rauparaha e time-a transformation which can be. accounted on© of the world’s greatest triumphs for missionary enterprise. It may ?i”T n mv that some critics will not subscribe to my estimate of the chief’s character, becausp it has been the conventional view that he who refused to part with his own riL'ople'H heritage "was destitute of a redeeming feature. Owing to the misrepresentation of tho early settlers and traders he has been greatly misunderstood by their successors; and they hay© further added to the injustice by sometimes socking to measure one who was steeped in heathen darkness, by the holy standard which was raised by the Founder of Christianity. Afl in, the carowfi of most conquerors, there, is much in the life of le Rauparaha that will not bear condonation? but in every British community there is a wholesome admiration tor resourcefulness, indomitable will, and spleit did courage; and. if the-succeeding,page© serve to balance these high qualities of the chief against his failings, they may assist in setting up a more standard whereby future generations will be able to Judge him.”, . , .. .v,,, Mr Buick expresses Ins . gratitude to tne authors of existing publications on Hew Zealand upon whoso works he has drawn, "d his thainks to Mr Percy South F R G.S. (to which ''well-deserving pHlar in the temple of Polynesian learning the work is dedicated), to Messrs H. M. Stow ell J. E. Russell, W. T. Downes, and J. Vf Joyst, M.A.. for the assistance they have given him in compiling his work. Mr Buiok’s volume, which contains a fair number of illustrations, makes most interesting reading, a”? should be a vain able addition to the historic literature ot 'New Zealand.