PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1851, 29 January 1902, Page 69

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

THE HAU HAUS

La<-t week I promised you a chat op the Hau H.uis and the Battle of Moutoa. In Buller' <s 'Foity Years in New Zealand." ! oi;d in ''The War m New Zealand," by | WiDiam Fov. once Lolonni Secietaiy and i N.iti\e M.'M-ier vi thp er.iony, accounts ! aie given ol the tx'iaoiduiary Hau Hau : movement ; and these v, ill be my mam authorities, though I have al^o used "Murray's Guide Book"' and Willis's booklets. Fox says that the attachment of the southern natives to the King movement was f-isfc weakening, and that this superstition was the work of some designing Maoii {to strengthen the connection. Buller says, • It was first known as the Pai-Marire (good and peaceful) movement, but it soon took the name of Hau Hau (to deal blows to), from an exhaustive process of bellowing as they danced round a pole called Niu." The i organisation came to a head in the followi ing manner. In 1864 Captain Lloyd, while I >• cowing the hills near New Plymouth, j with a detachment of the 57th Regiment, j was, with others, killed. "The rebels drank the blood of those who fell, and cut off their heads, burying for ihe time the heads and bodies in separate place*. A few days iiftcr the angel Gabriel appeared to those who had quaffed the blood, and, by the medium of Captain Lloyd's spiiit, oidered his head to be exhumed, cuied in their own w ay, and taken throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand. From that time the heod of Captain Lloyd was to be the medium of man's communication with Jehovah. Thc-e institutions were carefully obeyed, and, immediately the head was tkken up, it appointed Te L T a to be high piiest, and Hepnniah and Rangitauira to be assistants, and communicated to them in the ino l t solemn manner the tenets of tins new religion, which is summarised by Buller as follows . — 1 All its follower to be called "Paillarire " 2. Uabiiel with his legions will protect them 3, The Virgin Mary will always be with them. i 4. The religion of England, as taught in the Bible, is faUc. 5. The Sciiptures must all be burnt. 6. No notice must be taken of the Christian Sabbath. 7. Men and women were to live together promiscuously. «o that their children might be <is thousands on the sea-'-hoie for multitude. 8 The prirst.s h:>ve supeihuman power, .iiid can obtain foi tlie-u full iw era complete \icloii<'s by uctemi_c \ i^oiow-iy the «o;d • Hau" ! 9 Thp European population to be diiven out of N(-w Zealand, and legions of angels wtre waiting the bidding of the pne-ts to come and assist. 10. This will bo done when the head lias made it* chant of the land. 11. Men will then come from heaven to teach them all the aits, and sciences known to European';. 12. Tlu pne«l« ha\c the power to teach Ihe Miions the English language in one lc«--o!i. pi<-vid'ii« cc-ilnn stipulations were obsei-vtd -jvhh ly, the people to assemble at ,-i (.Lit.iMi time, m a c itain position, near a ilagstaff of a certain height, beating a tlag of a certain colour. Fox describes their creed in these words: ''It contains a large infusion of Judaism, some leading featuies of Monnomsni, a little me«merNm, occasional vonti iioquism, and a huge amount of ojinvbah^m. Its rit«-s are bloody, sensual, foul, and devilish, the least rppiehfUMblo and most ouUily (onsistnii: in l mining lound a pole stuck in the ground, howling and uttering giMxi i^h. till catalepsy pi opiate* the worshipped, who sometimes lie "senseless on the giour.d for hours.'' The Hau Haus mot with leveises licrht from the outset ; but their prie-ts gave sufficient leasons why the angel Ciabi lei had been angeied, and snid that he had promised to support them in their futuie career. Their initiative disasters only made them more famtic, and their ere. d spread like wildfiiv. A number of the^. as in;>d as followers of the Mahdi in the Soudan. determined to attack Wanganui, <n.<l lmvc origin to the battle of Moutoa. But that must come in my next. THE BATTLE OF MOUTOA. So, after their defeat at Sentiy Hill, near New Plymouth, a party of the H.ui Haus coisted down to the \Vaitotaia, and then, slrikinir in, readied the Upper Wairranui, where they found a large party of warlike nativc-s ju^t loturning fiom the Waikuto. , Ihey peituaded many of the&e to come over

to the new religion, and to assist in the attempt "to drive the Pakehas into the *en from whence they had come." The descent of the river was commenced, and Tawhitinui, a Kainga on the right bank and about 50 miles above Wanganui, was reached. Just below and near the left bank is the island of Moutoa, diamond shaped, about half a mile long, covered with manuka scrub and fern, irregular in formation, surrounded by a shingly beach, with a strong deep rapid between the upper end of it and the right bank, and a shallower rnpid bftween it and Ranana (London), a laige and interesting Kainga on the left bank, and a. little below the island.

At Towhitinui the H.ui Haus halted, and sent word to Ranana that they wanUd to go post to Wanganui. The Wanganui Maori-, some 500 in number, who had gone up the river to bar the advance of the Hau Haus, refused permission. At this time, says Fox, "Wanganui was feebly defended by a garison of 300 of the 57th Regiment and a few militia, who could have done little taevond protecting their own position, while the remoter hamlets and scattereel homesteads, over 50 miles in extent, would have been exposed to the ravages of the enemy." Some time was spent in negotiating for the pas-sage of the river, but all overtures were indignantly rejected, and the fanatics were told that any attempt to proceed would bs resisted, no matter at what sacntice of life.

At last the Wanganui natives made up their minds to bring the question to an issue, and sent word to the Han Hnus that there wou'd have to be a fight for i( , and that an attack would be made on them. The challenge vas accepted, and it was agreed on both <-ielc-s that the fight should start at daybreak on the following morning (May I*4, 1864). and that neither side shou'd surprise the other or break the conditioiis agreed upon. Before daybreak the loyalists landed and took up their position. The advance party consisted of three companies, one of Roman Catholics, led by Kereti te Hiwitahi, the second by Ilf-mi Nape and Rhvji, the third by Aperaniko and Haimona Hiroti ; and behind these were the reserves under Mete Kingi. The Hau Haus under the chief Matene, who was instructed by the prophet Te L r a, were allowed to land, and after they had completed their formation, "commenced their i incantation, shouting 'Hau. hau,' and using gestures not unlike the passes made by mesmerist*. They labourtd under the strange delusion tint while they themselves were invulnerable, their opponents would be forced by their incantations to approach close to them without power to offer any ie.->istance. For two hours were these incantations kept up, the advanced companies being not more than 20 yards from each other."' There are two widely divergent accounts of how the battle commenced. Fox says that, "as soon as the first shot was fired by one of the rebels (Hoani Wiir.hevp. of Pipniki). the oppo«iint; forces "-lowly advanced until they were within 30ft of cub other, wheii a volley was exf hanged. Several fell on both side. 1 -, and amongst them the chief Kereti, whose lc-s seems to have dispirited the loyal Natives, for they immediately began to retreat." Willis says : "The Wunganuls filed without result, winch made many of them believe that Te Ui's claim of invulnerability for his followers was tiue. The Hau Han* returned the fire, and the first volley killed Hemi and Kereti. The Hau Haus then chur^vd, shouting their war cry. ' Hau, hau ! I'ai inarire ! H-iu. hau !' The Wanganui men fled, many of them oio<-s-ins» the lower rapid in disorderly retie.it." One thing is clear, however : the Wangamiis dxl ictrcat. But. there are two account.*, perhaps complemc-ntai v. of how they recovered thenr-clve*. Willis says that there ■w.is a party belonging to the Kanaeroa RC. Mission Station (K.maerna is just above Tawhitinui) stationed in ambush on the left bmk ju<-t r ppuMte the upper end of the i-la'id and that the«p find into the ilrtiik find rr n of the pnrMiing Hau Haus and killed Te U.i. The Hau Haus. now hesitated in co'ifu-ion. Hv this time, savt f)iie iic iiuit, *"t lit? Hau Hhu«- were feai fully frightened and Iho Wdiii;,'iiiius frightfully a fid id ' .Ti'-t ,it tin<; p?v< bolo^ic-al moment ITainK.na Huoti excbimrd, "See! the H<ai H;iu« ( \s lie killed !'' and Mete Kingi (or Huimnn-t) added. "I will letieat no farther. "' The Hau Ha us \;eie tlien driven bae-k to the north ci"l of the island, wbeio they we) c again undei the fite of th» ambush as well a- of the overwhelming number* in fiont. All who survived took to the river, where iinny wcio f- 1 1 . < t d'v.n or tomahawked. Matf-pe. the Hau H.ui le.ulc-r, though bddlv wounded wlnle swininnn.'. Mieeeoil; rl in gaining the bank, but i"u«t ..s he was craw liii out of the watei. he w a.s caught by the clothes- by a Native po'keman, Te Moro, .'Mid tom.'ih.iwkcd ; for this act the Native recci\id the of 'IV Ruknw.ii (''The Divci") What 'in une of the Mir\ ivors perhaps I'll tell 1- ou ne\t week. The j.i'i- : soneis Mete Kingi handeel over to the British, with au earnest regue&t that they

miglit be set at liberty ; they were returned to Kingi, and lived with ' him on terms of friendship. The Hau Haus left 40 dead on the island, and many were killed in the river. The Wanganuis lo<-t 15, including two of their four leaders. Lav-brother Eulo&e was also killed.

My account lias been rather a long one ; but for two reasons : First, I think we fiiould become acquainted with the historic events of our own country ; secondly, if 1 am wrong in my information, I wish to be corrected.