RATANA IN THE NORTH.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16121, 9 May 1923, Page 4

RATANA IN THE NORTH.

THE ‘'COVENANT ’’ MOVEMENT. Katana ami party paid a visit to The Ear North last week, arriving at Kaikohe on Saturday afternoon; where there was a large gathering of Maoris to meet him (telegraphs the Auckland Herald’s Knikohc correspondent,). Meetings were held all day on Sunday, from which Europeans were rigidly excluded, but it was gathered that Katana's mission "was not so much to exercise his gift of healing as to advance his ‘‘ covenant ’' movement, to unify the Maori people for moral, social, and political purposes. On Monday ho left for Hokianga, returning to Kaikoho next day and leaving for the south on Thursday. Katana’s influence is undoubtedly growing in the North, where he has many enthusiastic followers. Some of the Maori clergy, however, view the “covenant’ 7 movement with somewhat mixed feelings, especially its tendency to develop the political side. So far Ihe infiueuco'Cf Katana’s followers* tn the North has been for the moral good of the Maori, and they thoroughly enjoy the-more than masonic secrecy with which the movement is conducted. *- , , . It is stated that Katana hoped in the future to be nble to treat Europeans personally instead of only through, correspondence, as at present. It mav be ■ significant of-a change of attitude on Katana’s part, that among the few sick people whom he ministered to during his Kaikoho visit was I a European married to a Maori woman.