The Native Difficulty.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume 30, Issue 30, 30 March 1880, Page 2

The Native Difficulty.

To understand what has led to native complications on the West Coast, it is necessary to go back a few years, and give a brief summary of the principal events that have taken place. It should also be borne in mind that natives have their own law or customs that they have from infancy been brought up to, therefore to understand their actions it is necessary to view some of these questions &s the natives view them. They see in our race an over- whelming power, growing stronger as they grow weaker. They are fully convinced of our power, but are not so fully convinced of the justice of our intentions towards them, this feeling of distrust and opposition is instilled into them and augmented by that numerous and mischievous class known as the pakeha-maori, who have their own interests to serve by encouraging in the native mind a feeling of distrust and opposition to any Government that may be in office. When the lands of the natives who had been in rebellion were declared confiscated, those lands on the West Coast, in the provincial district of Taranaki, including the now famous Waimate Plains, were included in the confiscation. Of the lands in this provincial district, confiscated that portion of open coast land between White Cliffs and Stoney River also that portion of open land between the Patea and the Waingongoro rivers, was surveyed, and given to the various military settlers who had served, jn the northern and southern portions of the province. That portion of country, including the Waimate Plains, and extending from Waingongoro to Stoney River, a distance of GO miles, was not occupied, with the exception of a small block of 1500 acres known as Opunake, where in consequence of a small bay, it was thought desirable to lay off a township. There were two old chiefs residing with their people on the north and south of Opunake who had behaved in a surprisingly forbearing manner during the war, on the occasion of the Lord Worsley, mail steamer, being wrecked near Opunake in October, 1862. These chiefs A. Clark and W. King Matekatea, against the wishes of other natives (but with the assistance of Te Whiti, who was then a young chief of no distinction) sent all the passengers of the Lord Worsley to I New Plymouth in bullock carts. In consideration of this act of forbearance a portion of the confiscated land north and south of Opunake was given to these chiefs for the benefit of their people. About this time reserves were laid off by the Civil Commissioner (Mr. Parris) for the natives in those open coast lands given to the military settlers south of Waingongoro, and north of Stoney River. These surveys of reserves and military settlers' lands occupied the interval between the close of the rebellion in 1865, and commencement of Titokowaru's rebellion in 1868. When Titokowaru's commenced Hone Pihama was requested "by the Stafford Government to remove the Tangahoihapu, a section of his-tribe, who were then residing on a reserve awarded to them near Hawera. Honi Pihama removed these people to where he was himself residing, at a place culled Oeo, a diitance of twenty miles from Hawera. When these people were removed, at the request of the Government, it was on the understanding that they were to return to their reserve on the close of Titokowaru's rebellion. At the close of this rebellion the Stafford Government were out of office, and the Fox-Vogel Ministry succeeded. Immediately after their accession to office, Mr. Fox, the Premier, visited the Patea and Hawera districts, where he found the settlers very much incensed against the natives, in consequence of the heavy losses they had sustained. There was a strong feeling of animosity against the whole race, hostile or friendly, and they strongly urged on the Premier their desire that no natives be permitted to return to the district. It is doubtful if Sir William Fox was aware at tha time of the circumstances of the case ; certainly it would not have been politic to have allowed the friendly natives to return to the district while the feeling of the settlers who had lost so heavily was so strong and bitter against the whole race. Sir William Fox acceded to the wishes of the settlers, and told them no natives would be allowed to light their fires between Waitotara on the south and Waingongoro on the north. That section of Honi Pihama's people removed to Oeo had no ancestral lands north of Waingongoro, and they were not allowed to return to their reserve. When they heard of Sir William Fox's promise they became very discontented at being thus entirely deprived of land because other natives had rebelled. While matters were in this unsettled state, Titokowaru (who had at the close of his rebellion retired to a place on the banks of the Waitara, called Natimaru, several miles in the interior forest), returned to the coast, and settled at a place called Omuturangi, at the edge of the forest, 16 miles north of Hawera, and at this place they remained some two years. Shortly after his return to the coast, a native delegate was sent up the coast from Wellington, by two high chiefs, to call a meeting of the natives, for the purpose of petitioning Parliament to return them the confiscated lands. A very large meeting assembled, and a petition was signed. The natives were told and felt confident that the Government had wrongfully taken their land, and that the assembly would return it or compensate them. Their head chief, Honi Pihama, was away at New Plymouth at the time. The matter was reported to Mr. Parris, Civil Commissioner, and Honi, Pihama at once returned, and called upon the officer in charge at Opunake for particulars. On learning that the tribe had attached his name to the petition forwarded, he requested that officer to telegraph to Sir Donald Mclean to say that he had not authorised his people to attach his name, that he regarded the lands confiscated and eccupied as gone from his people ; but that he considered the Government were acting unjustly to that portion of his tribe who had been removed, and were not allowed to return to their reserve at the close of Titokowaru's rebellion. On this question he was firm and would insist. The question was a most difficult one to decide. The Government had to act with seeming injustice to this section

of the natives, or risk a conflict by putting them back on their reserve in the midst of incensed settlers. How the Government would have ultimately decided this question it is difficult to say, but in ] 874 the natives (some of whom imagined that the Government meant to take away the reserve granted them by the previous one) decided the question by all returning in a body, and settling on the reserve, where they have ever since resided on the best terras with their European neighbors. According to Maori law or custom, a conquering tribe may confiscate, but they must follow confiscation by occupation. If not occupied the lands revert to the original owners, the conquered people. The natives are quite ready enough to apply their own laws to questions when it suits them to do so, and in doing this they have been materially assisted by European speculators, who recognised their rights by negotiating with them for the Waimate Plains. Most conspicuous among them were Dr. Curl and Mr. Worgan. Other Europeans led the natives to believe that confiscation was illegal. All these influences worked on Titokowaru and his people at Omuturangi, and as they also saw that Government made no efforts to occupy the Plains, these people gradually spread themselves along the edge of the forest towards Hawera, and soon occupied all the old bush clearings formerly owned by them. It may have been imagined by the Government that the occupation of Opuuake would be viewed by the natives as occupation, but the country round Opunake had been given to William King and Adam Clarke, therefore the natives simply viewed this as holding that 1500 acres isolated from the other confiscated lands. During this time Mr. Parria, Civil Commissioner, was engaged in getting the balance of confiscated bush principally belonging to the Ngatiawa tribe inland of New Plymouth and Waitara. In making reserves one of 700 acres was laid off on the Mountain-road, about half-way between Hawera and New Plymouth, and duly gazetted ; after completing this work in 1876, Mr. Parris retired j from office. There still remains some 150,000 aores inland of Patea and Hawera — forest land — that has not been taken possession of. Honi Pihama and his people objected to give this up on the plea that their open country had been taken for military settlements, and that it was not fair to require them to give up their back country until the Government had taken the open country from Titokowaru's people north of the Waingongoro River. When it was explained to Honi Pihama that it would greatly assist the Government in taking the lands north of the Waingongoro if his people would give up the balance of their land confiscated, he consented, but had a most difficult task to recon- ! cile his people to agree to it. They at last gave way, but stipulated that they should have a reserve made them, and they defined by certain points named, the boundary of the reserve ; this was assented to by the Civil Commissioner, who appeared to be under the impression- that it would oontain about 10,000 acres. A' Government surveyor was sent to cut the boundary under the direction of two natives who knew the points indicated. At the close of the aurveyit ws* found to contain 16,000 acres ; 5 dispttte arose between the Commissioner and the natives, the former stating that he had only intended to give them 10,000 acres — the latter stating that they had asked for the land within certain natural boundries, and the Commissioner consented. The surveyor bears out the natives, as he states his instructions were to cut from point to point under the guidance of the two natives sent with him. It is to be regrettted this misunderstanding should have taken place just at the time of the important work of taking possession of the Waimate Plains was to be tried.— N.Z. Herald.