MUTTON BIRDERS

Southland Times, Issue 20499, 30 May 1928, Page 9

MUTTON BIRDERS

RETURN FROM ISLANDS. SUCCESSFUL SEASON EXPERIENCED. All the mutton birders have now returned from the islands south of Stewart Island and are able to report that a successful season has been experienced. The parties left about March 15 for their respective islands and have thus spent just over two months in quest of the birds. The mutton birds were plentiful and in good condition and it has been estimated that over 200,000 birds were taken by the 300 birders who visited the islands. The season is divided into two parts. The first part commences about April 1 when the natives start to dig the young birds from their burrows. From about April 25 to April 28 the Maoris block up all these burrows that need attention to preserve them for the following season as the birds will not return to those which have been destroyed. A different method of taking the birds is adopted during the second part of the season. By this time the young birds have grown sufficiently to come out of the holes to stretch their wings. Torches are used at night and by this means the birds are easily caught and killed. There are various methods of killing the birds, but it is common to use clubs or sticks or even bite their necks with the teeth.

The landing places on the islands vary in character. Some are on sandy beaches while others are on steep unsheltered cliffs which make them very difficult to negotiate during the strong winds and heavy seas which are frequently experienced. Birds called “passage birds” are collected as payment for the transport of the natives to and from the islands, the fare being 250 birds for each passenger.

The habits of the mutton birds are remarkable. The female lays only one egg each year. All the birds arrive on the islands about the end of October when they clean out the holes or burrows for the ensuing season. The eggs are hatched about Christmas and the male bird then sets to work and hunts up food for his mate and the young one. Later the female also assists in feeding the young bird until it becomes a ball of fat and has sufficient nourishment to sustain life until it matures and attains the use of its wings.. The parent birds then take their departure to unknown lands while the young bird is not able to follow until about the second week in May. It is remarkable to find that the young birds which escape capture are able to rejoin the older birds which left some time before them. On the return journey the following season the younger birds precede the older ones, thus showing that they possess an unerring instinct for locality and direction. The birds almost invariably return to the same burrows each season.

The Mautere Titi, or muttonbird islands, have an interesting history. When the Native customary owners by deed of cession (in 1864) ceded Stewart Island with all the large and small adjacent islands to the Crown certain small islands were reserved under the protection of Government for mutton-birding purposes for the Native vendors and their successors.

Each island has a history of its own and much excitement prevails when the rights of Natives to take muttonbirds are in dispute. The parties argue over feuds, chiefs and relationships dating back over 300 years. Many Natives visited these islands for a long time without ancestral right and many have been trespassing on the rights of others from time to time. This has been the cause of much quarrelling and many grievances. In February’, 1910, a special Native Land Court sat at Invercargill for the purpose of deciding who were the rightful beneficial owners, and again in 1922 another special sitting at Invercargill was held to determine the interests of those who w r ere not satisfied with the decisions given. The latter Court gave certain rights to those Natives who could prove both ancestral right and right by long occupation.

The houses, whares and other buildings on the island are mostly in a good state of repair. They are kept very clean. The Natives throw all refuse and offal from the muttonbirds into the sea and do not allow rubbish of any kind, w’hich would become a nuisance and a menace to health, to accumulate. The Health Department has been making some inquiries in respect of the housing of the Natives, but reports show that it is practically impossible to enforce those regulations which are applicable in towns of any importance. The Natives are not expected to build bungalows on isolated rocks and small islands, nor are they expected to instal sanitary and drainage systems as effective as in towns. They are on the islands for only two months of the year, so that most of their arrangements are of a temporary nature.

The weather on the islands is more congenial than on the mainland. There are no frosts and the warm currents which flow in the vicinity of Stewart Island tend to make the climate sub-tropical. The mutton birding industry flourished long before the advent of Europeans to New Zealand. The southern Maoris used to bar-

ter mutton birds for articles from the North Island, and in later times they were exchanged for goods carried on the whaling and sealing ships. At the present time the Natives derive a substantial income from mutton birds. They receive prices ranging from 8d to lOd per bird. The number engaged in the pursuit of these birds this season is nearly 300. It is possible for an active Native to earn as much as £4 or £5 in one day. The cost of living on the islands is not great. The Natives start out with a reasonable supply of flour, sugar, condensed milk, etc., from the local stores and rely upon fishing and mutton birds for the balance of their sustenance. Their equipment resembles that of ordinary campers. When the birds are caught they are plucked. The down on the young birds comes off readily when scalded with hot water. Some of the Natives save the feathers and find a ready market for them. The feathers are ideally suited for making Maori mats. The birds are preserved and placed in kelp bags in numbers varying from 10 to 100. The majority of the bags contain between 30 and 60 birds. The bags are made by blowing up kelp with an air pump and leaving it out to dry. The kelp bags are airtight, and are thus considered by the Natives to be the best receptacles for the purpose. The process is known to keep the birds fit for consumption for a number of years. The kelp bags are protected by means of strips of bark from trees. They are placed in flax bags and tied up with flax or twine and are then ready for the market. The Natives also cook the birds on the islands and send them in this condition on to the market. They save the oil and fat and find a ready market for the by-pro-ducts. The oil is said to be a good cure for rheumatism. On the island of Poutama some mechanical contrivances are used for carrying the birds to a central depot. Wire ropes are fixed on the steep sides of the island and the birds are sent down by the dozen tied to hooks or rings which slide easily. This method saves a good deal of time for the birders, thus enabling them to catch an extra 50 or 60 birds a day. The wires are easily accessible from any point on the island. They are often used as party wires.