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Waka Maori, Volume 11, Issue 8, 20 April 1875, Page 84

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European correspondents who have a knowledge of Maori are requested to be good enough to forward their communications in both languages. To the Editor of the Waka Maori. Waikouaiti, 22nd March, 1575. Friend, —Greeting. I thankfully acknowledge the work which you are quietly performing for the weal of this country ; that is to say, for the promotion of virtue, peace, and love among the two races, Maori and Pakeha, which inhabit these our two islands. If you think proper, take these my words on board of our Wulict; .if not, you may cast them away, lest they weary you. I write in reference to the proposition of Hamiora Mangakahia, who says, in WaJca No. 4 of this year, that we should abandon the customs of our forefathers, that is to say, their love, greeting, and welcome, extended to their relations, and that we should heedlessly rush to lay open the womb of the experience ancl knowledge of the Pakeha (i.e., hidden springs of action, latent source). Probably Hamiora has been led to this conclusion by reading the discursive effusions of certain tribes, forwarded to the Editor of the Wain 'Maori for publication with a view to the abandonment of ancient Maori practices and customs. It is right and proper to abandon those which produced evil and confusion; but love and charity we must not abandon. Charity is not a small virtue; it is a great one, and has been ever of old—we cannot by any means give it up. All good in man is wrought in him by God, and charity is a feeling implanted in his breast by God—it must not be driven out. "We see and know that there is very much charity among the Pakehas—very much indeed. Although they do not give indiscriminate invitations to enter their houses, yet their great love and charity is shown in the collections which, they make for people and nations which are in a state of destitution and suffering from hunger, and for widows and orphans—these are objects of the charity of the Pakeha. "We, the Maoris, cannot attain to so large hearted a charity as the Pakehas possess. All we can do is to welcome the traveller, show affection to our kindred, and sympathy to all. These things all emanate from love and charity. "Were there no love and charity in the world, men would soon be slaying each other, and there would be no happiness for tire human race. Therefore, my friends, let us hold fast to charity, which the Apostle Paul says is the greatest of all things. Erom our forefathers we have learnt the virtue of

hospitality, and to be kind to all, whether old or young. Prom them we have learnt to offer a generous welcome to the traveller; let us not, therefore, depart from that good old custom which has given the Maori race a name in the world for hospitality. From your friend, Te Wehi. [Our friend Te "W chi writes so intelligently that we should be glad to receive more letters from him. Could he not supply us with a few traditions bearing upon the migration of the Maori race from ITawaiki ? No doubt he could obtain plenty of information of this kind from the old men, which he could transmit to us in an intelligible form.]

To the Editor of the J Vale a Maori. _ AVelltn-gto>-, April 9, 1575. PiiiEKD, Greeting. lam a Pakkka Maori—one of the olden time. Many years have passed away since I came to this country. Those good old chiefs of a past generation, who have gone down to the " Heinga," were all companions and friends of mine. Te Eauparaha, Te llangihaeata, Eawiri Puaha, Te YVhata IN*ui, Taratoa, To Aim Karamu. and a host of others on the Ivapiti side. Then among the Ngatikahiingunu of AVairarapa there was Tutepakihirangi, wlw sang the following lament for his gun, called " Ilikaiti," which was maliciously broken, and by means of which he had been dreaded in battle above all other warriors of his tribe, it being the only gun they then posscsssed:— I am sad for thee, Ilikaiti, In thy useless state now placed Against yon wall—thou'rt broken, shattered. • ~\Vhen tlioa vert perfect, and thy hammer liaised, would fall with swift precision Into its place—then loud resounded The report. None dare approach me. "iou who wronged me ! W hat goods have you To replace this gun you've broken P Hence, away ! Go to Port. Jackson— Goto Cooper I —go to Europe— Seek King George—but get my gun-lock Made anew, made strong, that 1 may Once more be in battle fearless. I'd pursue the man who broke it, And obtain revenge upon him ; Isut who may repair its damage If I venture on the journey ?" Xarihi and Tawhaki's- offspring— These are brambles, thorns intricate— These deter me from pursuing. tiie srr.ix. ;i " Secure the prize ! The rod let fall ! Let the breaker and his helpmate Ample restitution make me, And let them ivctil in accents loud." lie that broke my giin was hoping To escape a just detection ; Thinking that my ears were deafened, As the cars of ancient Toro Were when struck by Rakeiora. Perc saw him break my gun-lock. Pere told me of the action. Honey buys all Pake!:a treasures ; But this gun was fitting tribute To my own acknowledged greatness. Then there was Te Ivai-o-tc-kokopu, and very many others —all friends of long ago. The jNgatiraukawa have a saying : —" The sap has fallen off, but

1 Cooper.—Name of a trader well known in former years. 2 Kaeiiii and Taythaki.—These were the sylvan deities of tlic Native mythology, 3 The Spell.—When a covetous person wished to obtain possession of any article which did not belong to him, he would, according to custom observed in such instances, set out on liis visit to his victim ; furnishing himself with a or rod, over which he uttered a magic spell, this he would lay before the threshold of the whare, so that when the owner of the coveted treasure came out to sec his inquiring friend, lie would inevitably tread upon the magician's wand—this would give the covetous fellow full power over the will of his easy-minded prey, and tho article, no matter how valuable it was, would bo given up on demand, although not always without expressions of unavailing regret.

the heart still endures." But in my case those great chiefs (the heart) are gone, but I, who am as nothing (the sap), still remain. But my time is approaching • ere very many years, I too must be gone. The chiefs ox the present day will not bear comparison with those of the olden times for their generosity and true kindliness of heart to all. When a majestic and time-worn tree of the forest falls to the ground, a n^i?- 0r °*i sa P lin S s immediately spring up, ambitious or. filling the space vacated by the fallen giant; but alas ! no man can find shelter and rest beneath their puny branches. My friend, I am desirous of relating to you a short story of one of my early experiences in this country, which.l beg of you to publish in the Waka Maori and circulate among the people of Aotearoa. When I was a mere stripling I set out upon a tramp to take a. look at the country and its inhabitants, the Maoris. I travelled without means of any kind, for 1 had no money; and, never having been taught how to labour at any thing, I knew not how to earn any—l was therefore dependent upon the the kindness and hospitality of others for my support. Travelling one day along a dreary and interminable sandy beach, I came at length to a river—a river deep and wide. While considering how I should manage to cross it, X observed a Maori paddling in a canoe, and called out to him to give me a passage r^ver then acquired a considerable knowledge of the Maori language. The fellow shouted to me in answer—" What " utu " will you give ? Here was a dilemma—X had nothing to give him. In vain I besought him to have pity on me in my destitute condition ; nothing would satisfy liiin but the "utu." At length, coming on shore, he seized my bundle, from which he took an old shirt the only spare one I possessed. I entreated him to persisted in retaining it as the price of conveying me over the river—so I had to submit. "We then started off to cross the river, but when we reached the centre of the stream he ce'ased paddling, declaring that he had earned the shirt by taking me thus far, and that I must give him an old pair of trowsers which I had in my bundle (which by the way were much too small for him) before he would land me on the opposite side. ' This lof course refused to do, and he threatened to return and land me on the side from whence we had started. At length, finding I would not yield to his extortionate demand, he paddled across and landed me, and I again pursued my lonely way along the beach. I had not proceeded far when I saw a number of Maoris on the beach gathering "pipis." When I got up to them, a little girl called out, "Halloo l here is a Pakeha!" Upon this they all, old and young, thronged around me, and stood observing me with great interest depicted in their countenances. Some examined my hands, some felt my arms and ribs, while others handled my hair, which was so x°ng at that time that it almost reached my shoulders. Had we been in a wilder and less frequented part of the country, I should have been apprehensive that they intended to cook and eat me; though I doubt whether they would have found me as fat as the " pipis " which they were gathering. Among them X observed one who, from his appearance, I judged to be a chief. He was rather taller than common, and slightly tatooed. This man, addressing me with a kindly look, said, " Where are you going?" I answered that I did not know, informing him at the same time that I was hungry, and should be glad of something to eat. He then said, " Come and eat with me ; " and I followed him to a spot a short distance inland, where his party was temporarily encamped among the sandhills, for the purpose of gathering " pipis." Here the women soon provided us with a plentiful

meal of potatoes, roasted in the ashes, and boiled pipis, upon which he and I regaled ourselves to our hearts content. He told me that he aud his paity intended to return inland in the morning, and he asked mc to accompany them and remain with hem as "his pakclia friend." I agreed, and accordingly at daybreak we commenced to ascend the river m canoes. I, as his " pakeha friend," was honoured v* it h a seat in the canoe which he occupied. A few miles up the river we stopped at the house of an -European trader, which stood upon the right bank, ilcrc my chief purchased a new shirt, which he presented to me m place of the one which had been •.riven from me by the fellow in the canoe down the river. I shall never forget the warm-hearted charity ot that good man—which, by the way. was not the only act of charity which I experienced in my early among the tribes. I remember one bitterly cold evening in the heart of winter, I was overtaken by a fearful storm ; the rain poured down 111 torrents wetting mc to the skin; the piercing wind seemed to cut into my bones and marrow ; tho vivid lightning flashed into my dazed and startled eyes ; whilst heaven's artillery rolled forth its heavies - peals of thunder, as if roused into sudden activity by the rus.i ot this ponderous elobe into the unexplored regions of quiescent electricity. Pushing on with all the energy I possessed, I soon came to a white man's house (not 30 miles from Wellington), at the door of which I knocked. A woman opened the f'Oor, and I stood before her a miserable, x.nvoring, pitiable,_ storm-beaten object; my teeth chattering audibly in my head, and rny body so chilled and benumbed that I could hardly utter forth my wants. I begged or! her to allow mc to sit by the in e for a time, and to give me shelter from the weather any where for the night. She looked for a moment at me aud the howling storm around, and then, telling mc she could not let mc in "as there was no man in tlie house," she coolly shut the door in mv face ! About a mile further on X came to a swollen stream, on the opposite side of which stood a solitary Maori house, which, from the smoke, I perceived was occupied by some one. I doubt whether I could have made myself heard, but, fortunately, a native came out, and, seeing me, he jumped into a canoe and came and took mc over. Ready hands assisted me into the house, my wet clothes were taken off, I was wrapped up in a pair of new blankets which had never before been used, and which were taken from a box where they had been > as too good for common use, the fire was replenished with dry wood to make a cheerful blaze to warm mc, and food was placed before me. I enjoyed a sound sleep that night, and went 011 my way in the morning like a giant refreshed—and all this without ' utu ' being asked. Comment is needless. But to return to my story. I accompanied my chief, whom I called my father, up tho river to the settlement where he resided. It was not his permanent place of abode, for he belonged to a place situate in the north of this island. The object which brought him and his attendants to this place was to receive two large canoes which were being constructed for him by the Eangitaue tribes. They were lar<'e carved war canoes, adorned with feathers in the usual 1 way. "Whilst the workmen were engaged upon these 1 canoes, A\e, the lads aud striplings of the settlement, amused ourselves in various ways swimming,

paddling-, eel-fishing, bird-snaring, &c. —and thus a few weeks passed pleasantly enough away. My chief was exceedingly kind to me, always calling me at meal times to eat with him out of his own particular "rourou " (a small "basket made of ti-tree leaves, and used as a plate or dish) ; indeed, my own father could not have shown me more kindness and attention. One day a number of roasted eels, set apart for the use of the men working at the canoes, were placed upon a stage for safe keeping. The next morning, when the women who were preparing breakfast for the workers, went to get them, they had disappeared —some one had taken them. The children, who had probably eaten them themselves, roundly asserted that the pakeha had taken them during the night—that is, that I, the friend of the chief, had stolen them ! —and in this they were of course supported by their mothers. ISTo one had seen me take them; but of course the pakeha must have done it. Their children were not thieves—O dear no! They were jealous of the attention my chief bestowed upon me, and they determined to ruin me in his estimation if they could. In vain I denied the charge; they vociferated, with, angry gesticulations, that I alone had committed the theft. I always had a horror of old Maori women, their power of scolding and volubility of tongue is extreme. In this case my shame and mortification was so great that it was with great difficulty I succeeded in repressing a flood of tears. _ My chief made me sit down beside him, and then kindly asked me, "Is this true P Have you taken the eels of these people?" I answered that I had not; that I knew nothing whatever about them; that I had never before been charged with stealing anything; that I was very much pained, and that I should leave him and go to a pakeha who had asked me to stay with him. He said, ""Well, this is not my home. "When my canoes are completed I and my friends will return to Kawhia, which is our home. Remain with the pakeha for a while, and I will call and take you with me to Kawhia when we go, and you shall be my pakeha." He called as he had promised, and urged me to go with him; but I did not accompany him, as I had made other arrangements. I have not seen him since, but I have often heard his name mentioned, and his fame has. spread far and wide among the tribes. Now, my.friend, your readers will probably be curious to know the name of this chief who, like the good Samaritan, had compassion on me. It was Rewi Manuhiri, of Ngatimaniapoto—the Rewi, then called Ngarima. Manawatu was the river; "Kapu" was the name of the smaller one of the large canoes, and " Kuruhaupo " the larger one ; and Rangitane was the tribe who them to him—the people who stole the eels and charged an innocent party with the theft. If Rewi should see this letter it will doubtless recall to his mind the circumstances I have related ; and, through the columns of the Wctlca Maori, I beg to assure him of the kindly feelings I entertain for his memory, and to express a hope that he audi may yet again cat together out of the same "rourou." f Prom A Pakeha Maoki.

To the JEditor of the Walca Jtfaori. Omatangi, Taupo, March 26,1575. I\riEjS'd,—Greeting. Publish the following account of the death of Ruihi, a woman of rank of the Ngatiterangiita tribe, and a grandchild of Te Poihipi Tukairangi. On the 21st of March, 1575, she left Omatangi on horseback, with the intention of proceeding to Pouarua, at the source of Rangitaiki, the place of

Tame Hareti, where her husband, Rawhira Te Aramoana, then was. On her way thither she crossed the ■Taharua stream and went on to Ohineriu, and then passed over to the plain of lioretoto on the other side. Here she fell from her horse and was killed. The horse ran on towards the place whither she had been going. Next morning one of Rawhira's mends went out to shoot birds: He proceeded down the Rangitaiki River, where he saw the horse of Ruihi wandering about with the saddle on. Then he thought some person had been hurt or killed befalling from the horse. He then caught it and led it to Hareti s place. When Rawhira saw it he said it was his horse; and he forthwith mounted it and came to Omatangi, where "he discovered that Ruihi, his wife, was the person who had ridden it away. He immediately turned his horse's head, and in a minute he had crossed Taharua. After lie had gone a short distance further he perceived a figure in the distance which he supposed was Ruihi. He then galloped madly forward, but when he reached the spot where he had seen the figure i£ had vanished, and he looked around for it in vain. He thought she might be hiding from him, so he called out, "O Ruihi! O Ruihi! Hero am I!" but there was no response. Then he knew that the figure which he had seen was her spirit, and that the body was dead. Then grief swelled up in his heart, and tears gushed in streams from his eyes. He thought the body was probably lying oil the Horetoto Plain. Their friends, who had followed Rawhira to search for Ruihi on the plain of Horetoto, then came up. They continued the search from 2 o clock till 6 o'clock in the evening, when the body was found by Rawhira, At his caU they all collected round the "body. When they had done crying they killed the horse, and left it 'lying there. Then they started on their return, carrying the body with them; and, owing to the bright light of the moon and the stars, they were enabled to reach Omatangi, where they arrived at 12 o'clock at night. From your friend, Paora. Toicoaiiu, of Ngatiterangiita.