CEREMONIAL BURIAL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19625, 9 May 1938, Page 6

CEREMONIAL BURIAL

NOTED MAORI FIGURE LAST .JOURNEY BY CANOE NG ARI : AW A I’ll A OBSEQUIES ( Per Press Association.) HAMILTON, this day. The burial of Tumate Mahutu Te Wherowhero, an uncle of King Koroki, who died at Ngaruawahia on April 29. took place at the Maori burial ground at Taupiri yesterday, in the presence of 4000 people.

A unique feature of the funeral was that the body was conveyed from Ngaruawahia down the Waikato River to the foot of the burial ground by canoe. Maoris and Europeans from till parts of the Auckland province assembled at Ngaruawahia pa for the funeral. Among those present were the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates and Judge F. O. V. Acheson, Native Land Court, the Mayor of Ngaruawahia, Mr. R. Ever, the Mayor of Huntly, Mr. E. George, the chairman of the Raglan County Council, Mr. LI. W. Wilson, the Rev. G. L. Laurenson, acting superintendent of the Methodist Maori Mission, officers of the first composite mounted rifles. King Koroki and Princess Te Puea Herangi were also present.

Over 1500 people assembled in the marae for the funeral service. The body lay in a shelter surrounded by photographs, mats and wreaths, while a number of women relatives, attired in black and wearing fronds of greenery on their heads, sat round the coffin.

The coffin was carried by six Maori pall-bearers wearing mats. They carried the coffin through the pa with a band leading and a muffled drum beating slow time. A group of women preceded the band waving branches of willow and expressing their sympathy with cries. The coffin was then placed in a large, magnificently carved . war canoe. The widow. Pirihiria Tumate Mahutu and a friend, Mrs. Peter Barton, sat behind the coffin, while the pall-bearers assisted by 20 rowers, paddled into the stream. Two other canoes, with 22 and 14 paddlers respectively, took their places on either side as the funeral left the pa, and as the canoes were propelled toward Ngaruawahia Point, cries of lamentation were exchanged between the occupants.