GREAT NATIVE MEETING IN TARANAKI PROVINCE.

Colonist, Volume XII, Issue 1169, 8 December 1868, Page 4

GREAT NATIVE MEETING IN TARANAKI PROVINCE.

{From the TarnnaJci Herald, Dec. 4.)

A section of a liapu of the Ngainahanga tribe, numbering, some twenty men, of whom the chief .'are;. Birini, Patara, Matena Pufotava, and Kbpona,' having lately arrived from Upper Taranaki to join their tribe at Tailiua, have giren much uneasiness to the settlers of the Okato and Tataraimaka districts, by their talk about the confiscated lands. The natives who gave rise to these feai's complain of having been' unjustly accused of evil intentions towards the settlers, and expressed a desire that Mr. Parn's should go down and meet them face to face to talk over matters affecting the general good of both races. Monday last being the clay appointed for the meeting, the Superintendent, accompanied by Mr. Parn's, and about twenty of the principal friendly chiefs, among whom were Mahau, Poharama, Ihnia, Tahana, Hoera Tiwa (son of Nikorima), Tiera, Tewaka, Pukitaura, and Ropata Ngarongoinute, proceeded to the settlement of Taihua, pome live miles south of the Stoney River. Several of the settlers of the Okato block and other persons were present at the meeting, being naturally anxious to have the earliest intimation of the result, involving as it did (he quiet possession of their homes, or a retreat from them, which would be little less than ruinous. The natives had not been unmindful of their duties as hosts, food having been provided by them for both European and Maori guosts. The Europeans being served first was a courteous defence, indicative of the state of their feelings towards us. The conversation during Mon<!;iv was what may be termed unofficial. Pata-a, who took the lead, quietly chafFed the settlers on the unreasonable distrust, which they appeared to entertain towards them, as evidenced in the fortifying the block-house, holding public meetings, and wiiitinu on the Superintendent Ivy deputation, all of which ho seemed to be acquainted with. It was explained to him that this aroso chiofly from the horror and indignation caused by the news of the maseacre at Poverty Bay, and from the settlors generally not being able to understand the real meaning of the Maoris' talk regarding I lie confiscated lands. Hairini did not put in an appearance that evening, probably he considered that he would be making himself rather too common by doing so, for ho is a prophet of his tribe, and a man of an ambitious turn of mind ; or perchance he was concocting the scheme

of nction for the talk which was to take place on the ~,. follywiiigiUioraiiig. The morning came, aridno'tiine ■vvas lost in commencing operations. At 5 a.m., before (lie guests had arisen, the preliminaries of a portion of the encounter had been arranged. Hairini had arranged twenty pieces of stick on the ground to illustrate his argument. ■Mr. Parris stated that he had come there at invitation, that lie had little to say himself, but had • come to hear what they had to say to him. Hairini then commenced to talk on the injustice of.the confiscation of their lands, and entered on a discussion with Mr. Parrig and the friendly chiefs, ■which lasted (with little intermission) for six hours. It would be simply wearisome to give a tithe of his talk, which was chiefly scriptural questions dexterously used to back his assertions regarding the views ho advocated. He pointed to the sticks, and nsked Mr. Parris what they meant. Mr. Parris said lie cnuhl not tell, and asked him to explain their incMiiin^. Ilairini explained that the seven meant Vac ruvr-> mid streams between tho Stoney River jind tin; Katikara. The prostrate sticks represented the l.mds acquired before the war; and the eleven sticks represented those between the Una Block and the White Cliffs ; they were also typical of the confiscated lands and the settlers on them. During this animated and apparently violent discussior., ]ie pulled up the sticks. Mr. Parris replaced them, and said that they represented Ilairini (the Maori people), and Parris (the Europeans). He then named them alternately, from that representing the White Cliffs, Parris, and Hairini; those which represented Hairini he pulled up, thereby intimating that Hairini had forfeited all right byrebellion toany claim hemight have had on lands north of the Waitara. When lie arrived at the stick which indicated Kaihihi, he called in a loud voice as if Hairini were in the bush some distance off, to come in and put himself under the feet of his rriki (chief) Porikapa, and to Honi to come in, so that he could place him on the land reserved for him at Katikara. Ihaia of Waitara then called for a bowl of water and went through the ceremony of baptising the sticks which represented the rivers from the White Cliffs to the Bell Block. Eopata of Poutoko performed tho same ceremony for those which represent from the Tapuae to the Stoney River ; which figuratively illustrated the acquiesence of those chiefs in tho terms of tho confiscation, and to maintain the subsequent arrangement made under that policy. Ihaia stated that Waikato had confiscated the lands of the Ngatiawas after they had conquered them. Hairini asked who was tho nriki (lord or chief) ■who had taltenthe land ?. Mr. Parris replied, the right of all ariki's, the Bword. It was not the first time that land had been forfeited by tho natives for going to war or doing evil deeds. Waikato had taken land from Ngatiawa by conquest, ejected the owners, and afterwards sold it to tho Government and received the payment. This is one of the cases in which Waikato had done wrong ; having taken the land and sold it, and years afterwards made war on the Government on the same land; and although tho Ngatiawas had continually asked for poutama (the land taken), Ngatimaniopoto refuses up to the present day to surrender it. Mr. Parris asked whether they wished tho arrangement which had been entered into in 1864, ■when the majority of the hapu came in under the proclamation, to be broken. If they did he warned them that the block of land agreed to at that time, to be surrendered to them, would bo open to further adjustment. They_ stated that they did not wish that agreement to be broken. Minarapa expressed in a Bhorfc Bpeech his entire concurrence in and acceptance of the proposals then made to his tribe as regards the land. The friendly chiefs generally spoke in strong terms in condemnation of any attempt being made to sever ~ the present arrangements with regard to the land. s"s Hairini stated that he found that he had not only to contend with Mr. Parris, but also with the chiefs of the Ngatiawas. Porikapa, of Kaihihi, who is the head chief of the Ngamahanga tribe, was so indignant at the conduct of that portion of the hapii still standing aloof, that he refused to countenance their proceedings by attending the meeting.. The whole, turn of the meeting was* favourable,

some speakers -were apparently violent in their discourse; and Mr. Parris, in defence, was obliged to hax;e recourse to the same energetic language and action; yet it was ; all done without exciting any angry feeling, and the logical blows were taken in good part. , • - ■■■ Mr. Parris is of opinion that their is not the least danger to the settlers likely to arise from the natives at Taihua, and in this opinion the friendly chiefs who accompanied him entirely concur.