TIKAO THE SAILOR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12203, 29 December 1917, Page 5

TIKAO THE SAILOR.

Tin's is tho story, from .Maori word of mouth, of an Old Canterbury man of uncommon parts, an Akaroa Native who made a name for himself in enter- | prise, coin-age and intelligence, and. ; who under the circumstances of a later generation might have assumed a p,o-i----r lion of high leadership among the •Ma- r:. people. A story that, has not- - hitherto been written by any oi our I New Zealand historians, and that. • slight as it is. is a contribution to ! our knowledge oi the days when these ; islands were ju K t emerging Irom the i cannibal age and. when '--Maori rights ' had not yet- been extinguished by tho ! joint- processes .oi honourable ; and t ]to huckster.ng tactics cf tho j official land-buyers. { Ninety years ago the head-man of ■a little Maori settlement of Ngai-Tahu j people on the western side ot Akaroa. 1 Harbour, mar v. ha:, is no v.* the .Native. I reserve, of Opukuiahi. was a giantlike j young warrior named Tikao. In those ■ wdd days helore tin.* British occup'a-' j lion there \. ere no ■ ( liris.t-'an names going, in tills part of New Zealand at- - least. ai:d it was not until long r.i'ter- ; wards that Tikao took Hone, or John. as the prefix to hi* anc-strrd name. He must have been a remarkable ligur". of a man, judgTg by the description handed down in hi* tribe. In his prum lie was a very tall, straight-1 mhed '.ellow ; hj" wa.- ah: nit lift. -li:i in height, and so poVv-er'.ul iha.t, ;t is na. rrated. he <■< i;ld swing t',\o men. supporting their or.fire woiaht, on his outs:retched right I arsn. His --emmanding height, his lunp j reach with the Maori taiaha raid spear. and his immense phvsical strength ! made him a mo.-r formidable antagonist•in battle; as v, ill be 'veil, h ; s mental. I eednwmenls Ijclitted Ids stalwart nobility of stature. A item in his faciil appearance was his ha'iI finislied tattoo; ho -was " moko'd in I the blue :-p : rals and wrink'e. fello wirir/ 1 lines on one check 'inly Iko old I J'Tanari'.o, of Tanpo, a still-liv.ing i veleran of the wars. TIIK CAPTI']?F AT KATAPOT. i In IH.SO, v. hen To l'auparaha made 1 his terriblo raid on tilio .Maori trilus ' in what is now C'anterbury. Tikao and 1 some of his family chanced to be on a visiL to Kaiapoi, the great headquarters pa. of Ngai-Tahn. ' When that, st rongl v-stocka.ded town fell to the Ngati-toa leader. Tikao and those, of his relatives who wen-, with him were- made prisoners, and were carried away up north m the conquerors war canoes up to Kapiti Island- In that fortress-isle of Katiparaha.'s Tikao appeal's to have, attracted gem ral attention because oi his uncommon physique and sLrengih, and he gamed the. r< speet thai, his ding even in exile, lrom his tribal enemies.

I TIKAO GOFS TO FBAXCE. Tikao, liku many another .Maori of those .savago early days, was attracted bv the sight of the irresistibly strange ships of the pakeha that anchored at. Kapiti on trade intent, and the craving j for travel seized him. Ho determined to ship aboard one of those wonderiul ; vessels, whero liis countrymen were- | welcomed as daring and vigorous ' .sailors, and see for himself the amazing countries that lay beyond tho far skyj line. So, in 18:'(2 or 1833, ho boarded ; a- French .ship which had at the i Waiorua anchorage at Kapiti, and ■ boldly offered himself to tho captain as a sailor. I Impressed by tho splendid athletic ' figure of tho Maori chief, as well as by his pleasant and intelligent features, the French captain consented to ship Tikao, and signed him on as one of his crew. Up came the anchor, with , the brown Hercules pushing a nimble ' capstan-bar with the white sailors, and ! it was not. long before Tikao was lend- | ing a hand out on the topsail yards jor tailing on to tho main-brace, j Everything came readily to his hand; !by heredity and instinct ho was a : sailor, and To delighted in gathering I in all ho could of tho pakeha science of ! seamanship. AT SCHOOL IN EUROPE. At last, after a long voyage, Tikao, tho tattooed sailortnan, found his ship sailing into his home-port of Bordeaux. Tliero ho left lier, for lie was resolved to see something of the " Whenua "Wiwi" —the "Land of the Oui-oui's/' What new friends ho mado his descendants do not know, but they know this, that i» -tether

(By COWAN.) (Written for the ''Star.")

ho contrived to go to school in FranceFor two or three years ho remained there, gaining, the sound groundwork of an education, learning French and mastering the mysteries of mathematics. Not only French but Gorman ! ho learned : then hp crossed to London | and went, to school there, determined j to acquire as much as possible -of 1 he ; wisdom which had mane rhe pakeha. I whether Kn'.rlisli or " \\ iwi. ' so po'-ver-j illl. lar-travelled and rich a tribe. I Hut inevitahlv there came a day | when the, Maori exile found the ''wa ] kainga," the |';«r-o!i' homeland in the | southern seas, tuning irresistibly at j his heart-strings- So off he set to sea | again. and 1 j \ - .about the end of 1839 he -.-.as boating gladiv ashore From a French whale.-hip. delighted beyond ox- ; pression at tho sight of his native .Micro-. j Tlli'i SIGNING OF 'IMF TRKATY. i ft i; apparent. from the tribal accounts, that I. In no Tikao had had something i<? do while in France with 111e expeditions lilted out for the occupation of those islands by " V\ iivi." lie helped the promoters with information and had promised them ids sympathy and assistance on their landing , her" when he returned. But. on reach- , iug New Zealand and tli'-'cns.sitho i coming of rh» two great pakeha nations with his feliow-Maoris, lie decided, to throw ki.s injlueKC' l on the side of tho British., who, he was convinced, -would b-- the, bolter lly. Then came tho sii)ii'u; of the Treaty, and the ship on which Tikao was making for j;,ho South called in at Cloudy Bay. wi;ero ho met Taiaron. tho Otssgo chief. A British warship was even then coming down the. coast, on the Treaty mission, and Tikao became convinced that bis I tribe would obtain a "spur:)" deal : and the blessings of peace if they coui seated to the terms upon which tho • W aiiangi compact, was based. Herald. Captain Xias, was the ship that cruised into Akaroa and C'oudy Hay on this signature-seeking ■ errand. At- Akaroa. Mono. Tikao went I aboard her will) aisolher chief, Iwikau, | the lirolher of the captured and slain I eh.of Tamaiharanui. They both signed | the copy of the treaty put before thorn | by Major IJuubtir., but Tikao's name i does not- appear in tho historic list- of j signatures. He had by this t:me taken j the Fnglish name of "John Love, - ' ! and (hat is tho name which went down I mi the parchment beside, Iwikau's. ! Major BunlairV; in his dispatch recordj 1 n■ t!ie v.'sit- to .\!-.aroa, described l.ove ! as " a. very intelligent-.. well-dressed Native. v, ho spoke Kmrhsh bet-tor than any I have met whh. ,r Tli 10 KEMP PnfCiIASM I'eaco by this time had become established over Tikao'.-; land; the iiueuI lent Bauparaha's wings wore, clipped, and Xgai-'jfahu v.vru in-o to cultivate the, friendship of tin; pakeha. "John Love " was so,on established in h's rightful place as a chieftain of his ; tnhe. Tlu> Governor mado him a ; .Native assessor, one of the, first in -New Zealand. Li 18-W H.-Yi.S. I'ly camp sailing into Akaroa, Harbour ironi Auckland and dropped anchor off Takapureke, near _tho s.outliern end of the present, town, i rikao was then living at Tikao Bay, on tho opposite- s,de of the harbour. He quickly discovered that the warship had eomo on a land-buying mission, and when be learned tho terms oli'ered his knowledge of matters European enabled him to form a, more accurate, estimate ot the justice of the bargain than his untravelled - tribesmen. Mr Kemp, tljo Government land purchase agent,_ was aboard the Fly. His buying mission "was a colossal one, in truth, he wanted the whole South .island. He summoned the Akaroa chiefs to a conference. The first meeting was held at Takapuneke. Taiaroa, of Otago, happened to bo there; he was a strong advocate of the proposed sale. Kemp offered, on behalf of the Government-, the sum of £2OOO for the whole of the east coast of the island f,r.om Ka'iapoi to Fbveaux Strait, and laiaroa urged that this remarkable offer should bo accepted. Hone Tikao indignantly opposed tho sale, contrasting the ridiculous amount offered with the enormous area sought to bo purchased. "Two thousand pounds," ho cried in disgust, as ha paced up and down, pistol in lj,and. " Rather should the Government" pay us five million' pounds! That is nearer tho value of our land I I will not conseat—l will nwm t# this

robbery this 'muni' of our land for ;i *nill try two thousand pounds of tiio pakeha !" Upon Taiaroa urging tho people- to take their share, of the ,C2(X)O and soli, Tikao grew so angry that he threatened thi? Olago chief with his pUtol. ••.I'll shoot veil for your treachery!''' he yrlhd. and had the people not interfered iho partisan of iho Government might have suffered J'or his over-z rt a!ous advocacy of the. Crown's spoliation scheme. Tll.fi MEETING OX THE FRIGATE. The next conference was held on board 11. M.S. Fly, at. Mr Kemp's request; there tho eh:-.ds would bo under armed, guard. Tikao's warnings had created it, strong feeling of distrust among the people, but there was ilio desire, on the other hand, to share in the bags of two thousand golden sovereign* that Kemp (Jangled before thornTikao still strenuously objecting to the bargain, the Government agent threatened that if the Maoris would, not agree to his terms he would return to Hlington and give the £L'OUO to Raitparaha, their ancient enemy. This . astounding declaration so angered Tikao that he l«ft the Fly's deck ni;'.l got. into hi-, whaleboat. which was lying alongside, with his num. intending to return to bis village and liavo nothing more to do wit.lt the negotiations. lint, Taiaroa. and others called after him. saying that, if the £'2ooo were given to Rauparaha it would give an "iwi rereke, ' an alien tribe, a. kind of " ma.ua.'' and authority over I.he Sou tit Island. So r l ikao reluctantly returned, realising that the unscrupulous strategy of tho Governments agent had won the position, but determined to protest to the Governor in Wellington. The purchase deed was signed, and this portion of tho. South Island, till except, a few "Native reserves, went to the pakeha for a few handful* ol sovereigns. I»ut Tikao interviewed Governor Grey in. the north, and told him all about .Mr Ivemp nnd his methods, and lly Governor was eo angry that he relieved Kemp of his oliiro and appointed Mr Vlanti"ll to iinteli the purchase work in the South Wand. Tikao ever did his best to safeguard the interest's of his people. Ho had. i'.niong other learned sova; thing of land surviving, and eon 1 .! us.' a. compass and chant, and whenever survey l ; ware mad" "by the pakeha. m connection with land purchases in his district, the big chief would painst-d-.-ingly check the men rarerneni. ; in order to make sure that his people were not being cheated! If one Tikao died in 18->). lie was a remarkable, man in his day and generation, an enlightened and patriotic: Maori. His memory is treasured by the Peninsula and Lyttclton llerbour folk to-day, the few remnants of a once numerous tribe, and by none n:cro proudly than his nephew. Hone, Taniv- Tikao, of Eapaki. who tells this storv of old-time.