RATANA.

Otago Witness, Issue 3509, 14 June 1921, Page 20

RATANA.

VISIT TO AUCKLAND. TOUTING NATIVE CENTRES. AUCKLAND, June 8. An interesting arrival in Auckland today was Katana., the Maori faith healer. This remarkable Maori arrived by the Ngapulii from Tauranga, with a large number of followers win* had accompanied him on his tour right from the West Coast, where his home is situated. I hat it was quite a formidable party may be gauged from the fact that its expenses lor the overland journey by motor cars fiom Napier came to about £I3OO. Katana does not take any money from those he cures. Ho says—»o his followers report —that he knows the power would go out of him if lie wore to take money for what he does—or, rather, what the Almighty does through lii3 agency. Fortunately he is a man of means. lie was a farmer down Wanganui way and owns some property there. Just as Gliandi lias achieved such wonderful ascendancy over the natives of India by his self-denial" and aseetism, so the disinterestedness of Katana has a poweiiul effect on the Native mind. For the past few week* Katana and his following have been visiting the Hawke’s Kay, Gisborne, and K.iy of Plenty Natives in response to many invitations, as there were a lot of people anxious to sec hint who could not tint cl over to his part of the island. At each village or settlement he has been preaching tlm Gospel and healing. According to rep,;n s.niiie thousands of people have coil suited him on the present flip. . . K. tan.i lias a een-tary whose duty it is lo deal with correspondence from white people, and the necessity fur ■ uch an official } s obvious when it is known that thousands of letters have Peon received liv Inm in the last six months, and a large proportion of them oanie from the Auckland district. As manv as 140 letters a day are found m Katana’s post bag. and the postage on the return letters ran into pounds—in fact, the expense was so great that the healer had to “cut it out:.'’ as one of his staff put the matter. Asked whether many cures had been effected among white people, his followers say that quite a number of letters expressing thanks and telling of cures have been received. They all quote the case of •i lady at Nelson, which was prominent n the newspapers a few weeks ago and they sav she has so much recovered that she intends making a trip over to the North Island to see Katana personally and to thank him. , , After a stav of two or three days in Auckland. Katana and his party of followers will go north, and visit all tile Native centres a- far up as Pa re npa roll ga, preaching and calling on the sick to pray and have faith.