TIKITIKI HUI

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19028, 30 May 1936, Page 4

TIKITIKI HUI

BIG NATIVE ASSEMBLY DEDICATION CEREMONIES MEMORIAL AND GATES (Special to the Herald.) TIKITIKI, this day. Not since 1926, when the East Coast was visited by the then. Governor-General of New Zealand, Sir Charles , Fergnsson. has Tikitiki been the scene of such activity a 9 has been displayed for thq past week in preparation, for the hui which opened yesterday with the arrival from many parts of the North Island, of tribal delegations sent to take part in the dedication of the new dining-hall on the Tikitiki inarae, and to share in the ceremonies relating to the unveiling of memorials’ to two prominent Ngatiporou personalities, the late Lady Arihia Ngata, and the late chief ■ Rauhuia Tawhivvhi. Approximately 2000 people were gathered on the marae last evening, and a"further 1500 w r ere expected to-day. Weather conditions have not'been ideal during the last few days, but a tendency to rain has not damped the ardour with which preparations for ’ the ceremonies, and for the entertainment of the visiting Maoris, have bgen pushed forward. The marae has been surrounded with temporary accommodation for the visitors, ami the collection of comestibles, has been oho of the main duties ■of a committee of Ngatipdrou hosts, while other working bees nave carried out enthusiastically their respective' duties in connection with the hui. Yesterday the hosts turned out in their best tribal regalia to welcome their friends from other parts, and also to take'part with them in the customary mourning for those of the Tikitiki marae .who have passed away within the past year. CONSTRUCTION METHODS To hosts and visitors alike,’ the new dining-hall provided for the' settlementwas a centre of interest, the construe tion method's exciting a great deal of discussion and admiring comment. This hall represents a further step in combining the pakeha and Maori styles oi construction, having the more durable outer materials, borrowed from the European, lined • with- raupo and .reed-work. Tho raupo- lining of the ceiling is particularly effective-, and the older people present noted with appreciation how completely .the pakeha characteristics of (he outer building were masked by the interior decorations. The hall was opened to-day with appropriate ceremonies.

To-morrow further ceremonies are to be held. these including the unveiling of a stone commemorating a Ngatiporou chief, Rauhuia Tawjmyhi, and . the dedication of the memorial gates at the Tikitiki carved church, a tribute to the memory of the late Lady Arihia Ngata. The Rev. Mr. Pohipi will conduct the services, with the assistance of Maori clergymen from Rotorua, Wairoa, Gisborne, Tokomaru Bay and Hiriharama. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Social activities for the younger people are a feature of the hui, and dances and various competitions in singing and liakas are well provided' for. The sports side of the programme is not am extensive one, but the main feature, the trial match arranged as a preliminary to the selection of the Tamui Gup team, was expected to draw a large attendance of pakehas as well as of Maoris from the neighbouring coastal area. As the Tainui Cup is to be taken to Taranaki next month in connection with the unveiling of the I’oinare memorial, competition for places in the team has been keen, and the players have been, selected for to-day’s trial from all parts of the district in which the Ngatiporou tribal influence is found.

Among those for whom the incoming natives and their hosts mourned yesterday. during the customary exchange of greetings, was Koronehu Kopuka, the outstanding chief of the whole Ngatiporou tribe, whose death occurred recently. The late Koronehu Kopuka was of the old school, having lived to. a great ago and used his extensive influence for the preservation of all that was best, in the culture of the Maori. Though he had not appeared in public with any frequency in late years, he had retained in a peculiar degree the respect and authority attaching to his recognised paramountcy among his tribesmen, and moreover had represented to other tribes of the North Island the flower of the Ngatiporou people.