THE MAORIS OF SOUTH OTAGO

Otago Witness, Issue 3567, 25 July 1922, Page 30

THE MAORIS OF SOUTH OTAGO

I.— THE OLD-TIME POPULATION OF PORT MOLYNEUX.

By

Feed Waite.

There is a -widespread idea that at one time New Zealand was occurred by a very considerable Maori population. That it was much greater before the advent of the white man cafmot be denied. But every now and again we get somewhat large estimates that should be accepted with reserve. Out of a study of these old-time populations arise a set of problems that must be solved while there is yet time. The evidence is fragmentary, and is rapidly passing away. Thi* series of three articles will deal with (1) The old time population of Port Molvneux; (2) the evidence of Maori ovens; (3) the old Maori tracks in South Otago. I. Perhaps the first record we have of the Maoris living at Port Modyneux is contained in “The Narrative of Four Voyages,” written by Captain Benjamin Morrell, and printed in New York in 1832. The following entry is dated January 1850: Molyn-eux’s Harbour: Instead of a deep and spacious harbour, as reported by its discoverer, we found nothing but a small bend in the land, between two low points, -about three miles across, and one mile deep. We soon had a friendly visit from about 50 Natives. They gave me a pressing invitation to visit their little village, at the foot of a valley near the head of the bay. ... The village at the head of Molvneux s Harbour, which is called by the Natives Tavaimoo, contains 28 huts of/miserable accommodations. The best among them are shaped like our barns, being about 10ft high, 30ft in length, and 12 or 15ft in breadth. The inside is strongly constructed, and well fastened together with osiers or supple vines. They are painted generally, with red sides and black roofs, using the same kind of material as that with which the;/ daub their faces. At one end is a small hole, just large enough to admit one person, stooping low; this serves as a door, while another hole, considerably smaller, answers the double pr.r- , pose of chimney and window. \ Few of their habitations, however, are constructed in this laborious manner. The most of them are leas than half this size, and are seldom more than four feet or five feet in height. They are framed of young trees and thatched with long coarse grass. Their household furniture consists of a few small bags, in which they, deposit their fishing gear and other tvifle3. This is a deiilrito statement of the number of houses in Port Molyneux in 1850. If we estimate the floor space available for sleeping on, we may arrive at the maximum sleeping place in the Molyneux houses. Assuming that, a pterson needs six feet, by two feet to lie down on, we find that the bigger houses mentioned by Morrell, having a floor space of 30 feet by 12 feet, would accommodate 30 people lying down. Eight such as these would hold 240 people. Then on the assumption that eaoh of the 20 huts, “less than half this size,” would hold 15 people, the whole number would hold 300. This gives us approximately—--240 in the eight large houses; and 300 in the 20 smaller ones. 540 in all. % But this is a maximum estimate All the houses would not be occupied; certainly all would not be uncomfortably crowded; there must be deducted from the floor space room for fires, etc. From these figures we may conclude that not more than 400 Maoris were living at Port Molyneux in 1830. Of this number, 50 went out in their canoes to visit the ship. We see from this that there was not a considerable Maori population at Port Molyneux in 1830. But tribal wars, massacres by Natives from the north, the introduction of infectious diseases and strong drink by the whalers, all had a devastating effect on the local Maori population. Dr Shortland, who, as sub-protector of the aborigines, visited these southern districts in 1843. visited nearly every Maori kianga, making a. census of the inhabitants, but, for reasons we may examine later, did not visit Molyneux. It is worthy of note, however, that this able man. one of the first to understand rightly things Maori, refused to accept, the very large estimates of the old Maori population which were \o widely held. The Maori himself has left little definite record. All we get is vagueness, such as "the Waiiaha covered the ground like ants,’' and such 1 ko. It is reasonable to suppose that when the old-time Maori realised 'he value of iron; when he found that the possession of iron tomahawks and plane-irons, shot-guns (“tupara” and single), gave him an immerse advantage over men armed ijvith only stone weapons, he would naturally resort to those places where the pakeha’s great canoes called for refitting and whaling. The able-bodied warriors would flock to these harbours where the white men made their headquarters. .So these early sailormen would form very exaggerated estimates of the population. In any case, the average untrained eye cannot correctly estimate either the number of people in a crowd or the number of dried peas in a pickle bottle. About this date —1831 —the old sealing ships ceased to operate, and the bay Whaling stations were established in the south. Trouble came to the Maori in many forms. A few miles north of Goal Point, Molyneux Bay. there is a well known beach called Measley Beach. There are numerous stones about this place. The. “Reminiscences”

published in 1912 about the settlement of South Otago contain the statement: “About 1838 a couple of war canoes, filled with a war party, landed there, the occupants suffering from measles, a new disease imported by ths Europeans, and very fatal to the Maoris. The party managed to draw up their canoes above high-water mark and camped, making temporary shelter whares. It is reported that every man died, and the remains of their bones and the canoes were seen as late as 1850 by some early European settlers.” There is no evidence that these people who died were a war party. Colonel Wakefield records: “Since the visits of whaling crews and shore parties, the mortality has continued more gradually, arid can only be accounted for by the introduction of new habits and formerly unknown diseases. At one place near Molyneux, of 300 people who lived in a email bay, none but two or three escaped death by the measles.” It is possible that the party that was blotted out by measles wae the large summer hunting and fishing party from Port Molyneux, who were caught by the white man’s scourge while on their ordinary annual fishing. This we do know, that in 1820, Morrell records a visit from 50 Natives, and there is house room for many more. In 1844, however, we shall see that there were only half a dozen Natives at the Molyneux. In 14 years they had disappeared—melted away like last year’s snow. Is it not reasonable to assume that the party carried off by measles was the original population of Molyneux ? In a letter to the Secretary of the Company, New Edinburgh, dated “31st August, 1844,” Colonel Wakefield says: “The population of the Southern Island has decreased with extraordinary rapidity since the establishment of whaling stations on its shores, and the visits of whaling ships to its fine harbours and bays; but previously the slaughters by the northern tribes had materially diminished its numbers. Since the commencement of this century, it is known that 2000 Natives were settled on Taiaroa’s Head in Otago. Now not more than 50 reside permanently in the whole district. At Molyneux, where now are only to be found 12 Natives, there was within the same period, a population of 2000. ...” So in 1844 we' find that there were only 12 left out of the original estimated 2000. This estimate requires a little examination. It cannot be accepted without reserve. Colonel Wakefield evidently got his information from the party consisting of Mr Tuokett, the surveyor, Dr Monro, and others, who walked tnrough Otago in March and April of 1844. But in Mr Tuokett’s report we yierceive a very substantial difference. He writes: “ . . . From Port Cooper to this place t.wo-thirds of the Native women, who are not aged, aro living with European men. No wonder, if, in addition to measles, other diseases, and ardent spirits, the aboriginal population is fast diminishing. At each place which I have visited, I have been assured that the Maoris are dying rapidly—‘perishing like rotten sheep,’ these people often say; thus at Kurreroo or Molineux, where there are now half a dozen Natives, they say that formerly, and at no remote period, about two generations previous to the present, there were above a thousand.” Here wo have a reduction — from two thousand to one thousand, and the survivors are said to be six in number instead of twelve—both sets of figures evidently being put forward by travellers in the same party. Tuokett wrote in 1844. Assuming that a Maori generation is 25 years, two generations back from 1844 will bring us to the year 1796. This is the year, then, in which there were “ above a thousand ” Natives at Port Molyneux; and this is well before the time that the sealers and whalers made themselves felt. Accepting Tuckett’s information as being near the truth, we find that the Maori population at Port Molyneux has been as follows: A*ear 1796 1000 (Tuokett) Year 1830 400 (Morrell) (estimated) Year 1844 6 (Tuokett) Truly a frightful commentary on our “civilisation” of the southern Maori! But this is the point with which we are chiefly concerned to day: Is there any existing evidence of an extensive Maori population having once occupied this Clutiia Valley Very little field work has been done in the Otago district to confirm or contradict the large-population theory. But the little that has cfSmo under notice points to the conclusion that, at some time or another during the Maori occupation of these parts, very large fishing parties frequented this territory. All the streams-even the most insignificant—that empty into the Clutha provide, on the most casual investigation, evidence of Maori ovens. Larger streams, the Waiwera, for instance, show near their rncuths great aggregations of these ovens. There is ample evidence that every gully in the Waiwera South district was fished and hunted in due season. One hundred years ago doubtless every ridge, every gully, every clump of bird-lmuiited bush, every poo! of eel-infested water had its recognised hunters and fishermen, and was as firmly secured to the tribe and family as if our regular title deeds had existed.