THE CANNIBAL DAYS.

Colonist, Volume LXII, Issue 15345, 8 April 1920, Page 3

THE CANNIBAL DAYS.

EVIDENCESATKAIKOURA. ,

The old Kaikoura Maori rangatiras of three decades or thereabouts would, on

occasion, tell of the:famous—-or. rather, infamous-—raid, of Te liauparaha, the once noted crafty North Island chieftain, who, with his canoe loads of warriors, effected a landing on the coast in front of the present town. They spoke also of the local Maoris, who, misled by the apparently friendly overtures of the visitors, were taken by surprise", and a ruthless, cold-blooded slaughter and cannibal feast followed. Confirmation of the truth of their narratives was amply borne out when Takahanga Domain was being levelled some years ago, at which time many skulls and toones were brought to the surface by the ploughs and scoops. _ During the past few days further striking confirmatory evidence has been brought, to light. The Public Works men now engaged in laying the underground cables in connection with the metallic telephone system, who are trenching; to a depth of about 18 inchos under tho footway leading from'the Post Office to West End,! have already unearthed two skulls. In. addition to this, Mr L. Hainey and Mr ; Dennis "Sweeney, while ploughing and levelling the little hillocks on the re-i serve just opposite the Council Chambers, unearthed .more skulls and remains, apparently of adults. The teeth in each case' were in a splendid state of preservation, although the skulls, leg, jinn, and rib bones were very fragile i and'crumbly. Close by in the furrows, j abouti a foot down, iwere gruesome j traces of where a big cooking fire had' been—evidenced by \the burnt ground and ashes. xMter the feast'it appears as if the body bones had been collected ', and thrown haphazard into a shallow! hole, tho skulls placed on top, and then| lightly covered with loose sand and soil, .'fbe conquerors in those days troubled little ab.out fatigue parties or ceremonious burials of the inc&ible portions of their unfortunate victims. There were n oidentification discs to be collected, no moans of collecting information whereby anxious parents could :be notified of th<? worst. Sufficient that tho commissariat department was replenished and ;m easy task was ahead of the mess orderlies.'• Those were the bad old days for the Maoris. Probably before tlie small reserve is levelled there will be revealed additional testimonies to 'the truth of tlie tales of the old rnngatiras. The word Takahanga is interpreted by some Maoris as "The place where the 'mighty '((hiefs have trod," or something to that effect. A better interpretation would surely be "The place where the mighty chiefs have fed."—-Kaikoura "Star.""