MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 July 1939, Page 4

MAORI MEMORIES

PRESERVED HEAD AND VENTRILOQUISM. (Recorded by J.H.S. for “Times-Age.”) In the early years prior to 1840, the Maori priests, by some still unknown means, had a secret process of preserving the heads of their enemies showing a repulsive feature, and of their friends a smile by which they were remembered. When the Hauhau “religion,” true to its meaning (active, cool, brisk) was first introduced as a strange admixture of Maor ifanaticism and Old Testament history, Captain Lloyd of the Imperial Army was killed by a Maori tohunga, who preserved the head and used it as his “medium” of prophecy in a marvellous way. Two strange arts, the exclusive secrets of the high priests (ariki), this preservation of human features fupoko ora) and ventriloquism (irirangi), coupled with other arts and knowledge, prove the descent of the Maori from some very ancient highly civilised race. By this mysterious means the lifelike face of the dead officer, Captain Lloyd, was made to speak in the name of the Hauhau god, saying: “I will deliver you from your Pakeha enemies by driving them into the sea from whence they came. Henceforth Aotearoa wil be restored to its people, the Maori.”

Then Kereopa (said to be identical with Te Kooti) killed the Rev. Volkner, saying God had directed him to swallow the missionary’s eyeballs, and thus endow himself with supernatural power. This was done in full view of his admiring followers.

Under Governor Weld’s policy of self reliance, the Imperial troops were withdrawn; the settlers, in a minority, were surrounded by Maoris, some of whom, though loyal, were “sitting on a rail,” awaiting further directions from the Prophet Panapa through the “upoko mea ngaro” (voice of the dead man’s head).

The natural state of apprehension by the white folks brought about the very thing they feared.