THE ANCIENT MAORI

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 151036, 30 July 1919, Page 6

THE ANCIENT MAORI

There was a large attendance "Sfc trie Methodist Schoolroom last night, when, under the auspices of the Wesley Guild, Mr F. V. Knapp a knrture on "The Social Customs of the Ancient Maori.-' The chair was occupied by the % licv. E. D. Patchett, who in his opening remarks, referred to the ciose study which Mr Knapp had devoted to his subject, as evidenced by Ms extensive private collection of Maori relics, especially those connected with the culture of the race. .. . Prayer was offered hy the Row G. H Gibb. ■■.' :' Mr Knapp prefaced his address- ?jy saying that, he intended to.speak cf'the Maori who lived in this country in the far away years. He gave n disquisition on '^the whence of the Maori," mentioning those who had investigated. this question, and.speaking 'especially of the greater migration' and of the evidences which enabled the ancestors cf 'die Maori ■to be traced to Northern India, Arabia, and Northern Africa, and some said oven to old Egypt. These- early navigators had no fear of sea travel, and tradition told that they had actually reached the South Polar regions of ~icc. and snow; Besides resemblances in Lmguage, there were other things which went to show that the ancient Maori came from the westward and rrom tropical regions. It was impossible to ignore Maori genealogies and traditions Jhey could very nearly bo depended on though it did not do to implicitly believe all the traditions or answers to .questions. In speaking cf Vn° aifferent canoes in which the #iva-;»r migration was made, the lecturer quoted a laudatory description given to him by Mr Elsdon Best of the progressive Maoris who now carried on up-to-date sheopfarming on communal Ivirs 01 +'*c Last Coast of the North IkLtikl." ' iNew Zealand was a kind of cv,\ do sac as far as Polynesian travel was and this accounted for' wHat » as'ti'i-jned the stratification in aneestrv n. d culture that was noticeable. After a casing reference to the earlier of these islands, and to Lhe new txtdnct Monoris of the Chatham flinch i\f r Knapp entered upon a description ~..f characteristics of teh Maori who farmed the subject of his address. He he was a very fine type . f man both physically and mentally. Coming irr-m a warmer climate, he had to wore v<-n hard here, m a temperate region, fco zat a subsistence. Some of the vegetables which he brought with Him did not thrive, but he retained tho kumars, acd for a lone time the taro an.l t't-j cslaLash. Without the calabash ue would not have been able to carry water about as he did. He also had to rr.ake n difference in his dress, but he iound the native tiax an excellent -fiilvsiitutj f(!>other fibres, and did excellent rearing with it. As regards the village fife of th c Maori,thQ lecturer spoke of the good judgment that was shown in the choice of pas ar>d the clever engineering that was displayed" in.tne arrangement of their defences. The houses were rather poor, but it had .to -be remembered that the Maori lived practically in the opor> air. The sanitary arrangements of the pas were.very good) and the Maori was very strict _in that part di village lire There was' a great force of public opinion /under the Maori pommunal system Matters .were .freely discussed, and every m.fj»n. was a patriot. Once a decision was come to, as in warfare, there ■was no hanging hack—there were no objectors:. When civilised man came to th<~ country,• however, tho mainspring was broken, and the Maori . system ' of life, which had a good deal of happiness in it, was materially weakened. Mr Knapp also' described in detail the Maori's methods of 'hunting. rnHi■vation and Cooking. At the conclusion of his address he exhibited a number of Maori weapons and implements. On the motion of the chairman, the lecturer" was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, and the meeting concluded with She Benediction. =«