THE UPPER WAIKATO NATIVES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 270, 25 March 1869, Page 3

THE UPPER WAIKATO NATIVES.

♦ The following is Mr Buckland's letter, referred to in our telegrams of yesterday. The letter is published in the New Zealand Herald: — The alarming and frequently contradictory reports which hare appeared in the Auckland papers for the last fortnight, relative to the objects and intentions of the Upper Waikato natives, make it very desirable that your readers should he placed in possession of the true state of affairs, and of the attitude at present assumed by what are called the King natives. Your readers are no doubt aware that one of the earliest acts of the present King was to declare a certain district in which he resided sacred from intrusion. The penalty for breaking this aukati was death. Minor chiefs all over the country, following the King's example, proclaimed an aukaiiiov their several districts, the penalty for breaking which was similar to that of breaking the King's. It was, in fact, re-establishing the long disused power of the chiefs to tapu. This led to the murders on the East Coast, where the victims broke Kereopa's aukati, and the destruction of a part of the herd of cattle, belonging to Mr Firth and myself ; although, in the latter instance I had taken the precaution to place the cattle entirely in the hands of Hori Tupeia, whose aukati was about to be broken, and who imagined that he had power to break, without penalties, the aukati which he had made. Hakaraia, however, who belongs to the same tribe as Kereopa, and who happened to be, with his people, staying in the neighbourhood at the time, thought differently ; and, assisted by a small number of the resident natives, seized the cattle, destroyed a number of them, and sent the remainder to the King, who at once returned them to us, at the same time issuing a proclamation that for the future when Europeans broke an aukati the natives were to content themselves with simply compelling them to return the way they came, and in the event of any stock being driven across an aukati, they were to be seized and driven back by the resident natives. This proclamation and the giving up the cattle was the immediate cause of a disunion of the King's party. The more violent were headed by Kereopa, who went so far as to accuse the King of cowardice, but who, at length, on account of his turbulent conduct and persistent endeavours to create disturbances between ourselves and the natives, was ordered to leave Tokangamutu. He then went to the Waatu, where similar conduct brought about similar results. At length he joined Hakaraia, at Tapapa where, for some months they have established something like a reign of terror. Their whole force does not exceed some fifty or sixty, but these are well armed and desperate men, strangers to the place — having no sort of interest in the soil — yet they have established their aukatis and declare their intention, in spite of the j King's law, strictly to enforce the penalty of death on all who break them. Most of the land thus locked up has passed through the ! Native Lands Court, and Crown grants in favour of the native owners have been issued, who have let the land for a term, and received rent for it during the past two years. Having occasion to stock a run abutting on Kercopa's aukati, I made arrangements with certain natives to take charge of the stock. These natives have no interest in the run on which the stock were placed, but are the principal owners of the land inside the aukati. This gave rise to a report which soon reached Tapapa, to the effect that the aukati was broken, and that my sheep were put upon the prohibited run A meetimof natives at Tapapa was immediately held, and active measures determined on. Hakaraia wished only to seize the sheep ; but Kereopa argued that taking the sheep would be of no service without killing the owners. William Haumu was for carrying out the King's proclamation, and simply driving the sheep back again. It was at length determined that Kereopa, and two other chiefs, who volunteered for the service, should do the killing, while Hakaraia drove oif the sheep. My son, who resides at the station — which is situated about five miles from Cambridge, inside the confiscated line —with Mr Walker, his wire, and children, were to be the victims, or, failing them, the people on Mr Firth's station, at Matamata. So soon as this decision became known, a friendly native called Huhira obtained from Hakaraia a promise that nothing should be done without first consulting the King natives at the Waatu. The Waatu natives not only discountenanced it, but sent us notice of Kereopa's intention. The morning after receiving the information my son left for Matamata to warn Mr Firth's people. The Native Lands Court was then being held at Matamata, and among the numerous natives collected were several who were known to be in the confidence of the King, more particularly Wiremu Hunia, a priest of the new religion and secretary to the King. He, on he i ring the report, at once despatched a messenger to Hakaraia, forbidding him in the King's name to interfere with either the settlers or their stock. Hakaraia, on the receipt of this letter, expressed his satisfaction at its contents, as it gave him authority to prevent Kereopa from carrying out his design; saying, at the same time, that it had arrived very opportunely, as Kereopa's plans were matured, and, without the receipt of this letter, would have been immediately carried into execution. At the request of Mr Walker, several chiefs, including Ihaia Te Oriori, of Maungatautari, went to Tapapa last week to endeavour to induce Kereopa to forego his murderous intentions. A large meeting was held, which ended very unsatisfactorily, Kereopa declaring that as his life was a living death, his law should be the law of blood, that he should set at naught the King's authority, and shortly commence killing all Europeans and friendly natives who fell into bis power. The Ngatiraukawa

natives present accepted this as a challenge, and defied him. On the following day they sent letters to the Waatu, Otearoa, and Wakamaru, inviting a general meeting oi their tribes, for the purpose of expelling ! Kereopa from amongst them. Notwithl standing our narrow escape, and present danger, I have much pleasure in informing your readers that the prospects of a perma- ■ nent peace with the natives of the Upper ! Waikato are greater now than I have known s them for some years — that there is a desire i on the part of the greater bulk of the natives (including the whole of the large tribe of the Ngatiraukawas) to bring themselves into closer business relations with us, and that those outrages either perpetrated or planned, which cause such uneasiness among us, are the work of but a small number of bad men, by whom a lasting peace would be considered the greatest of evils. The King's aukati has virtually been removed from the Waikato. It was broken on Tuesday last, when a King's native called Pupepuke drove some cattle down to Cambridge from Otearoa, for sale, in order to provide means for a feast shortly to be held, for the purpose of inaugurating a new era, and to which King's natives, Kupapa's and Europeans, have been invited.