MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 August 1939, Page 4

MAORI MEMORIES

NGUTU O TE MANU. (Recorded by J.H.S. for “Times-Age. ) For about ten years the Maoris traded peacefully with our people by the unwritten and ever successful law of mutual goodwill. Encouraged by an unscrupulous minority of traders in the instruments of war and liquor, tney acquired guns, “for the oi shooting birds and wild pigs.” then came the Hau hau outbreak, and the protest against parting with the Waitara land, which was regarded as a heritage from their “God of Nature. This new religion was their translation of the Old Testament, unwittingly encouraged by some of our teachers, who mistakenly permitted these simpleminded folk to regard Bible parables and stories as literal. Fanatisism was induced by dancing round a tall flagpole where the carefully guarded secret of the ventriloquist would be used to make it appear that the severed heads of the enemy had prophecied success to the Maoris. Ngutu o te Mann (beak of the bird) in Taranaki where Von Tempsky, Buck, Hastings and other brave officers and men fell, was an outstanding instance of Maori secret information and skill in bush warfare.

Not a single person but the senior officers knew the purpose of destination of the midnight assembly of a strong force of soldiers under Von Tempsky. In pitch darkness and dead silence they arrived within 100 yards of the light palisades of Te Ngutu o te Mann pa. A cleared space of grass with a shelter of light shrubs as covei gave the troops an easy target at which several rounds were fired without any response. Then came round after round from the tree tops where 100 Maoris were hidden. Most of the officers and many men fell. Von Tempsky’s dying words were “Retire, save yourselves boys, 1 am done.” Yet every man, dead or wounded, was carried out of range.