THE NATIVE POSITION ON THE WEST COAST.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 1419, 8 April 1879, Page 2

THE NATIVE POSITION ON THE WEST COAST.

[Bx TKLKGBiPII.] New Plymouth, April 7. The Taranahi Herald this evening gives the following description of Mr Mackay's visit to Panhaka. — Mr Mackay and Captain Blake on Thursday last paid' a viait to Parihaka, with the view of talking over tho difficulty that haH arisen reßp.-e.ting thn Waimate Plaius with To Whiti, as tlioy had done the previous day with go;;d effect with Tito Kowaru at his settlement. This was the firi>t time Mr Mackay hud visited Parihaka, and although Te Whiti had n'>t semi him before, ■till M'ickay was known to several Maoris present, who had been on the West Const goldficld*, and m Nelson, muny years since. Parihaka is situat"d about 25 miles west of New Plymouth, at the baso of Mount Egmont, betweou Stoney river and Opunake. It li s inland some five miles from the. beach, and is surrounded with heavy bush. After leaving the beach, the traveller, after riding a milo or more over open land, enters tho bush by a dray rond, cut by the Natives, to tho village. It is a tortuous road, crossing many ravines and small streams. Two niilon bi?for>' reaching the village, cultivated ground appears, adjoiniig the road on either side. They arc eleare I and fenced m wilh pig proof fences. Wheat, umizi', kumaras, tomatoes, and tobacco are tho principal products hero cultivated. Winding and turning about m almost every direction, it appears a long time before the settlement is reached, but on turning for tho last time, the traveller suddenly finds tlie village fenced m immediately before him. A small river flows through its midat, dividing it into two almost equal parts. It contains about two hundred houses or wharea, and nn adult populai ion of romo four hundred inhabitants, and about double that number of chiUren. In tho centre of the Pariliaka village is a fenced m space, measurine about two hundred by two hundred and fifty feet. Here To Whiti's monthly meetings are held, an I it is here that the chiif declaims for five or six hours sometimes without intermission. The houses m the village are detached from each other, and doited about at uneven distances, according to the pleasure or caprice of the builders. The whares are built of wood; enclo'ed a^d thatched with toitoi or long grass. On the outßide of the village, on a hill, is the urupa or burying-ground. Te Whiti is a man of about 50 year* ; is of medium height ; ascetic m appearance, with clean cut -almost European — features. His voice is sonorous, and when he addresses an assemblage from the riting ground m the enclosure, which forms a sort of dais, and where on important occasions he invites vieitora of distinction to sit with him, he looks like some orator of old haranguing his fallow citizens. When speaking he stands erect, bare-headed, and with his right arm free for gesticulation ; leaving his mat to full around him like a toga. His voice, i-i powerful and clear, and can be heard all through the vilbige — now thrilling with passion, and now replete, with senrn — then plaintive m its winning entreaty. He revels m mysticism ; and for copiousnnss of language and imagery ; for gracefulness of action and modulation of voice ; for -elf-pos-session and command over his audience ; Te Whiti certainly ranks high as an orator. To the usual metaphors adopted by the Natives m sneaking, Te Whiti adds all that can be gleaned from the Scriptures, so that hia public utterances have a prophetic and, at limes, supernatural construction put upon them by his Maori auditory. He has a retentive memory, and m private conversation with his viiitors, he shows that he is wellinformed on both ancient and modern history. In visiting To Whiti, it will be seen that Mr Mackay hud no ordinary man to deal with, and therefore it behoved him to be cautious as to what he said or did. Mr Mackay and Captain Blike, on reaching the village, found about four hundred Natives there. Te Whiti, with some chiefs, were sitting on the high uromid referred to above. Both wero welcomed by the Natives m a very friendly manner. Mr Mackay saluted the chiefs, and having heard that Te Whiti was fond of metaphors, commenced to address him m metaphorical language. He said he was sorry to find that Te Whiti's house was on fire ; that he had launched his canoe m stormy waters ; and that its stern had parted fi\>m the fore part. Here Te Whiti requested Mr Mbckay to leave the Maoris, and to sit with him on the platform. Te Whiti asked Mr Mackay if he was a Government officer, and Mr Mackay said he was not a Government officer, but had come up tn see him so a* ti talk the matter over respecting the surveyors being turned off the. Wnimate Plains. Te Whiti said the Government wanted to tear the blanket off his back and leave him with none. Mr Mackay said he was mistaken m that. The Government merely wanted him to lay his blankot on the ground that both might sit on it. Te Whiti »iid the Government would cut it m two, and after taking away half would then require the whole. Mr Mackay replied that nil ths Government wanted was to occupy the blanket with the Maoris. Te Whiti taid that Mr MacVsy had a pair of troupers on him, and he might as well ask for them or one of bis legs, as ask him to let the Government hare one of his blankets. Mr Mackuy replied that it was not. eo. If Te Whiti had one of his leg* m his trousers he would be disgraced, because he would be called a one legged man by his people. He had another pair of trousers at home, and it would b» better th-it he should have them that they might both walk about comfortably. There was another dilEcu'ty about their having only one pair of trousers between them. Supposing »ne wanted to go one way aid the other the other way, they could not do bo without destroying the garment. It was so with the blanket. Te Whiti said : If a hen is sitting on her eggi and a man attempts to rob her she will prck at his hand. You surely do not blame her for protecting her offfiprin.;. The eggs are our land, and we naturally uphold our right to it. Mr Maekay : That is very well, but the Governor claims the land. He says the eggs are his property. If the hen continues lo p.-ck at the man's hind he may become vexe t and pick up a Btick and knock her on the head. The;i there will be no further difficulty about the ownership of the epga. You and the Governor had better let the hen hatch her brood and then appropriate the chickens. Te White made no answer to this, but was silent for a Bhort time. He tbea told Mr Mackay to drop his metaphorical way of talking, and say plainly what he wanted to say. A long discussion then took place, m which Te Whiti asserted that the reason why the surveyors had been turned off the Plain*, wa* btcause the Government promised that the Native cultivations should not bs touched,

and that reserTes should bo set apart for their use Mr Mucks? said the Government intended that thould be done. Te Whiti replied that he did not believe anything of the kind, or the Government would not have ordered the surveyors to cufc up their cultivations m the way they had ■ I, me. ETen Tito Kowaru's garden, h ■ said, the surveyors had been through, mid bad put pegs m close to the door of his liouso. Mr Mackay tried to explain that <hn survey of the Plnins did not mean that the Government intended to take and sell them, but it was necessary to murk the land off. so that •-ach person should know what portion belonged to him. IV Whiti said he could not credit that. They had not consulted him any way about tholnad or furveys, and he felt the Government wero going to leave them do.-titute. He added that McLean and Parris had made certain promises which hud not been carriod out, and that faith had been broken wilh them m every way, and therefore the Maoris could only come to the conclusion that the Government intondod to sell the whole of the land, without any portion of it being sot aside for the Natives. The Maoris did not wish to fight, but they wcro not going to bo robbed of their land. Mr Mackay argued that the land belonged to the GoTernment. It had been fought for and taken from them. It had been confiscated, and now belonged to the Government, but they no intention to leave the Maoris destitute, and I hut reserve! should be givon them. To Whiti replied that if that was so, -why had not the Government occupied it from Iha conquest until now? Instead of that tho Maoris 'had occupied it unmolested. They had constantly held it, and it was theirs to all intents and jpurpooes. After a considerable amount of argument to the same effect, the. discussion was postponed until Mr Mackay had had an opportunity of ascertaining whether or not there was any misapprehension on tin* part of tho Maoris as to tho promise which Te Whiti said had been made. Mr Mackay started tho next morning for New Plymouth with (Japlain Blake, and arrived m town on Friday nigbt, and lias been here ever since inquiring into tha matter. A private telegram from Hawea says : — "I don't anticipate Native troubles if the Go* vernment net diicreetly. The Natives are making no war preparations. " Th» Hintjmoa, with thirty of the Armed Constabulary for Opunake, arrived m the roadstead this morning. She was at Opunako, but she arrived too late to land the men there. Hawbba, April 7. Very laree numbers of Waimate natives arc m to-day, chiefly Tito Kowaru's men, including Te Ruma. They are suing Mr Samuel Taplin for a breach of agreement, m not purchasing the whole of their grass seed. Mr Taplin's set. off m that Borne Maoris sold seed to Mr Kiughy, and he onsidored the agreement was broken by the Natives. Te Kama cays that some young mon boasted to Te Whiti thiit they had used violence m removing the surveyors, upon which Ta Whiti was exceedingly angry, and severely lectured the lying boasters. Te Whiti also sent, for Kokiri, and investigated the matter, and To Kama says he was pleased when ho heard them had been no violence used by the native people, as everything must bo dona peacefully and m order.