DISCORD AT PARIHAKA.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 June 1926, Page 15

DISCORD AT PARIHAKA.

MAORIS AT LOGGERHEADS. INSULTS AND RECRIMINATIONS. ALLEGED INDECENCY AND ASSAULT The pot of discord between two antagonistic Maori factions at the native settlement of Parihaka has frequently boiled over of late, with the consequence that the court at New Plymouth has been much in demand for sniaotuing matters over or administering reproof. For many days at the first 1926 quarterly sessions the Supreme Court was occupied with the hearing of a claim by the members of the Raukura, or followers of Te Whiti, against Pereni Tc Whiti, daughter of the prophet, for breach of trust with regard to a general fund, and for recovery of the fund. The receipt of the news that judgment had been given against Pereni set the pot simmering again, and again it boiled over when certain members of the Raukura faction visited the pa a few days after the announcement. Insults led to recriminations, and the result was that on June 2 five Maoris appeared before Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M, to answer a variety of charges. Pereni Te Whiti and Ngapiri Wharepouri were charged with indecently exposing themselves. Noho Te Whiti was charged with assaulting his sister, Tito Perini, the complainant praying that he be bound over to keep the peace. He was also charged with behaving in a riotous, offensive, threatening, insulting and disorderly manner. Roka Wehi was charged with assaulting Ngapiri Wharepouri, who prayed that she be bound over to keep the -peace, and similarly Roka Wehi prayed that Wharepouri be bound over to keep the peace on account of an alleged assault.

NO DECISION REACHED. No finality was reached at the end of the day's hearing, and the ease was adjourned" until yesterday, when the court was occupied another full day without a decision being reached on any of the charges. The hearing will be continued this morning. Senior-Sergeant MeCrorie conducted the prosecution on behalf of the police. Mr. P, O’Dea appeared for Wharepouri and Pereni, and Mr. R. H. Quilliam for Roka Wehi and Noho Te Whiti. At the conclusion of the previous day’s hearing it had been established by the magistrate that Parihaka was a public place, and Mr. O’Dea had intimated that for his defence on the charges of indecency he would rely on the submission that the alleged offences were not, according to Maori ethics, indecent acts, but merely reprisals for insults. When the hearing resumed yesterday Roka Wehi described how the two defendants had disarranged their clothing in front of the assembled Maoris, including children. The women then camo further forward towards the monument and exposed themselves again. Ngapini said, “All you people can do is to pay the money you owe to me and the Raukura.”

Thomas W. Brenchley said that on April 18 a boy came to him from Mrs. Wharepouri. Witness saw her and she complained to him that she had been assaulted and part of her clothes taken off her. He visited the house of Noho Te Whiti and of the previous witness at Parihaka, and found them both sober. On the 19th he interviewed Mrs. Wharepouri and Perini about the charge of indecent exposure. The exposure was admitted and the explanation given that it was a well-known form of insult among Maoris. Witness had never heard of this being done before among the natives.

CELEBRATION OF “PUKANA.” Ngapiri Wharepouri, one of the defendants, said she only acted as Perini’s interpreter during the Supreme Court case. Otherwise she had nothing to do with it.. On the 17th they had been at the beach. On their return to Parihaka a car came up and Atiria got out. When she saw witness approach, she began to “pukana” and sing. Witness said nothing and went on towards the ear. Atiria continued to pukana and sing. Kumata said: “Good job, good. We have won the case.” Atiria said: “Where is my money ?” .and was most insulting. Witness turned round and raised her clothes and eaid: “There is is your money.” This was a common custom showing contempt among the Maoris and she had seen it done many times.

Perini Te Whiti and Edna Graham corroborated what the previous witness had said regarding the “pukana” demonstration ami subsequent “tupo-tupo,” or reprisal. Samuel Jackson, Maori interpreter, stated that the Maori curses addressed to the defendants were the worst insults that Maoris-could be offered. The tupo-tupo custom was a recognised Maori reprisal for such insults. The custom had been a very common one, though it was not so common now. Evidence to the same effect was given by M. R. Jones, the interpreter who acted throughout the hearing of the ease. This concluded the case against Pereni Te Whiti and Ngapiri Wharepouri on the indecent assault charges, and the magistrate intimated that he would offer no comment until he had heard all the other charges.

CHARGES OF ASSAULT.

Giving evidence on the assault charges, Atiria "Te Whiti described what took place at the pah on April 18, when vio, lence had occurred following upon the events of the previous day. She did not know anything about Noho Te Whiti or Roka Wehi doing any alleged hitting as she had not seen anything of that nature.. She considered that the one who commenced the assaulting was Ngapiri Wharepouri. Cross-examined by Mr. O’Dea, witness stated that she returned to the pah on the 18th in order to take back some elderly women. She had no desire to stir up any more trouble, and only entered the meeting house (in which Pereni lived) to put out a light she saw burning. She denied having seen Noho draw a knife and utter threats to kill, and that she knew that Pereni had sustained a broken rib as a result of receiving a dig from the elbow of Noho. Describing what he found at the pan when he went there, in answer to o summons, on the evening of April 18. Constable Brenchley, of Rahotu, said that he saw evidences of a scuffle as soon as he arrived. Ngapiri Wharepouri had her clothes off down to her waist. It was explained to him that the clothes had been torn, off during the trouble in the meeting-house. Witness accosted Noho Te Whiti, who denied having assaulted any of the others. He said the summoning of witness to the pa was merely part of a plan to get him

into trouble because he had won the big court case. Noho was very upset because Wharepouri had accused his daughter of having stolen a tiki during the disturbance in the meeting-house. Dr. J. S. Church stated that he had attended Pereni Te Whiti to treat for a broken rib, which might reasonably have been caused through a dig from an elbow. Further evidence was taken on the matter of what took place at the pa on April 18, and the court rose at 5 p.m. until 9 o’clock this morning.