MAORI MEMORIES

Taranaki Daily News, 2 December 1933, Page 1 (Supplement)

MAORI MEMORIES

TE WHITI OF PARIHAKA

(By

J.H.S.

—Coypright)

In striking contrast with the gentle religion of Te Whiti, that of Te Ko-oti (Coates), was extremely brutal. Te Kooti ruthlessly murdered his own people with the dual object of removing those of higher rank than his own, and of terrorising his followers into a superstitious obedience.

Te Whiti’s case was quite different, an entirely new and unexpected phase of Maori character, even to his own people. He prophesied many things which failed to materialise: but like our own seers of visions, he always had a veiled alternative. His self chosen title had many meanings—shine, cross over, awaken, alarm, passing, charm, recite, incantation. Similarly his pa, Pari-haka, had several mysterious translations. He was a common sense man, whose sole weakness was that he believed himself literally to be the Messiah. His tribe, the Taranaki, were our most active and bitter enemies in 1860-65; but as his mana increased the hostility of his people to the pakeha grew less. Thanks to his ascendancy over his tribe he kept peace to the end.

Te Whiti’s doctrine was one of patience, forbearance, and peace at any price, with the idea that God would revive the lost mana of the Maoris, redress their wrongs, and banish the pakeha to his own country, excepting always those bom in New Zealand. Of faith in Te Whiti by his followers there can be no doubt. He proclaimed that on a certain day the dead would arise at Parihaka, where all friends and relatives must meet them. Thousands flocked in, many carrying treasured garments of the dead, in comic remembrance of the fact that Spirits are unclothed. Their bitter disappointment when the dead refused to appear was met by Te Whiti’s stem reproof, “Oh ye of little Faith.”

Maori Treachery. There were some nice, or one should say nasty, distinctions between the various forms of killing.. Any suspicion of treachery in the act would, be universally condemned as kohuru, especially by. the Gods of the Maori, who are supposed to be vitally concerned in every act of those who court their favour. A kohuru must be attacked even- though his people are strong enough to eat the avengers. Mere consequences are not counted.

Readers may desire to knot. - what, in the .opinion of a Maori, constitutes kohuru. Elsdon Best says it is where any act intended to convey a sense of security is followed by an attempt upon his life. We may say treachery.. One of the worst cases on record was that where Charlie Broughton was lured to his death at Patea in 1865 by the Paka-kohi tribe. For Maoris it was almost unknown, and was universally condemned as deliberate and cold blooded kohuru. Broughton was induced by the tribe, through Onekura, to visit the pa on the pretext of accepting the Government offer of peace. A few minutes after entering the pa he was shot while lighting his pipe at the fire. Even our deadly enemies, among whom we must include Titoko-Waru and his tribe, were disgusted' with the deed.. A kohuru generally results in a tribal .endetta handed down from father to son for many generations. The desire for its revenge must be satified, even when the very existence of the tribe seeking to obtain it is imperilled. Because of a treacherous murder by the Maupoko of Horowhenua, the blood thirsty Rauparaha pursued them almost to their extinction, he being the sole survivor of the avenging tribe. Utu and Kohuru.

Elsdon Best tells, a striking story of the enduring influence of the law of utu, and shows wherein it differs frem kohuru. A tribe from Ohinemuri raided the Waikato, killed a noted chief, and captured his widow, who, shortly after the war party’s return, gave birth to a son. Later on, with or without consent, she became the wife of one of her, captors. In due time the captive son became a noted warrior. His name was Pirongia, and he was taught by the mother to always remember that it was the name of the. mountain where his father was slain. So soon as utu was obtained he must take his proper name, Rata. The two tribes had been at peace for many years, when the Ohinemuri people invited the Waikatos to a genuinely friendly feast, and they attended -with good feelings in large numbers. The captive woman saw that the time had come to obtain the vengeance for which she had secretly longed and patiently waited so many years. From harakeke (flax) leaves she wove many small baskets of a pattern known only to her own tribe, 'and filled each with certain foods cooked in-forms peculiar to them. When darkness hid her. movements from her prying master, the son carried them to the guest house. ■ With surprise the visitors saw in this /formality some grave omen. The mother stepped in, and seating herself said, “I was the wife of your chief. Thk is .Rata, his son.” Inspired by revenge, • Rata said, “Let us slaughter our enemies.” Few of the unsuspecting hosts escaped. . . Absence of premeditation and the right of a tribe to avenge their chief redeemed this otherwise sacreligious act of treachery toward the Manuhiri (their hosts). There never had been - truly national feeling among the Maori people. Whatever patriotism they had was purely tribal. More or less intently, they hated all tribes but their own. Consider Others.

It has been well said of the Maori that he was naturally ceremonious and courteous, and that he never failed to recognise superiority of rank. He secretly regard the theory that all men are bom equal'as an unqualified absurdity. The Arawa tribe had a form of aadress suitable to the renk or circumstances of every person. When a pakeha salutes a Maori man, not yet degraded by contact with civilisation, with “Tenakoe Jack,” the Maori feels that he has lost caste. Had it occurred in the good old days, resentment would have been shown with a club. It would be good for us if a Maori could be persuaded to stand up and tell us what he really things of us; but the strain upon his politeness would be too great. Could a rangatira only be induced to speak his mind to us, he would ask us to visualise the condition of our own home life if we utterly disregarded the susceptibilities of those near and dear to us, or those of hosts and guests. . In every Maori social circle the tohunga impresses upon the elders, and they upon their children for countless generations, what joys and consideration for the feelings of their companions will bring. We openly scorn or ridicule their cherished beliefs. To them, many of our most sacred ceremonies are even more absurd than.their karakia are to us, yet no Maori ever shows us that he thinks