TO SIR DONALD M'LEAN NATIVE MINISTER.

Wananga, Volume 4, Issue 7, 24 February 1877, Page 70

TO SIR DONALD M'LEAN NATIVE MINISTER.

Per favour of the Thames Advertiser. O Parent: Salutations to you. —This is a notification of ours to you in order that you may know the system UNKNOWN.

longing to us as payment for debts for goods a:i<l umtK'V that he and his Europeans have advanced to trib. s who have no titl« or ancestral claim to tiro Aroha Block. Th'; reason he does this is that he may acquire the laud for the Government. It is on account of this that %ve write to v.,;:. so thai you may know, that we intend to retain posses'sion ( ,f <,inland, and that we will not give it up in payment for the debts of those other tribes. We are satisfied in our minds, and it is for that reason that we write this letter to you, that when the time arrives, and we hold fast to our land, the land of outforefathers, and which is not the land of the tribes whose debts Mr. SJackay wants to charge against it. Then. perhaps, when we persist in retaining possession of it. you, " the Government," will be unjustly angrv with t-.s. because we hold back the land that belonged, "to our ancestors, rather than it should go to pny the debts of tribes who have no claim to it. The only reason that Mr. Mackay has for setting up claims for those tribes to Te Aroha is.'that the Native Land Court said in its judgment, that the Aroha Block was owned by one ancestor —" Maruluahu :"" but wo wish you to understand what that means. The Court was correct and perfectly right in giving judgment in favour of "Marutuahu" in connection with Te Aroha, and we (the people) who now complain agaiust other tribes of Ilattraki (having ownership), are the direct descendants of "Marutuahu," viz.. those of us whose names are appended to this letter. But with regard to the Aroha Block, we do not base our claim to it through " Marutuahu." We cultivated on it and did everything which, according to Maori cu>tt :n. gives personal titles to ownership of lands. We will explain to you. The Aroha Block belonged to our ancestor only, that is the ancestor of the people who cultivated on it, commencing from the time of our ancestor down to us. the people, who stiil reside en Te Aroha. and arc known by the name of Ngatitumutnmu. Ngatitumutumu owned this laud originally, and. .still do so. Our ancestors and our tribe were not destroyed er conquered by Marutuahu or his descendant.-, but we- became one people (afterwards) by the intermixing of the descendants of Ngatitumutumu with the descendants of Marutuahu ; that is, those of us only wh<> wrote this letter to vou, and whose names appear below. We will return now to what we were saying ..bout tue Native Lands Court giving judgment in favour i f Maruatuhu. Tho Court evidently thought that the dispute about the ownership of the Aroha Block was not a dispute between separate families of one tnbe. but it was a dispute between two totally different tribes—vi.:., .-, dispute between "Maruatuhu and. Waikalo." Ibid the Court found that Waikato were in the right. it would have iudgrncnt in favour of Waikato : but that won.d beno rea'son why all the Waikato tribes_ si.ouid set up a claim to the laud that belonged, to. ■• ', i ;:•■ Waikato tribes that principally . ppesed the i":.au- - natives in the Court.) For instance, the Court says. ;:i giving mugim:.; :; : favour of " Marutuahu " —see New Zealand <:xtra '/■•-.. ••• of Friday, 4th April. I*7l. at the fourth part of the fourth section —" But it is a dispute between a.; 'Marutuahu' and all the Waikato tribe-. Ihe iuapus_.r sectious of tribes) who are strongest v''-' ; - l . v ntost <-•;..:::. < are the Ngatihau for Waikato. and Ngaiimaru and. Nga: :- tumutumu for ' Marutuahu." " The Court did not say that all the t;-i-- \- "M.ou tuahu " were strong in claiming ownership to m- A;--:. .. neither did the Court say that all the Waikato ;:;a- w r ■ strone in opposing their claims to the Arena. Therefore it is that we say to you that tor t..e vadgajent of the Court was both correct aui well uud^r-

s{:"c"-; But it is your Land Purchase Agent, Mr. Mackay, wlo, :s plundering or.r land. To Aroba, to pay for the dei'ts of tliG tribes who have no claims there, and it is he who wants to charge the debts of those tribes on our lands. It was heard stated during The meeting that took place con,.wr;::nijr the " Kaihaua" that, had been had by the tribes, whif-li mooting commenced <•:: tho 18th November, I s . <h that Mr. Mackay i;:\<l r..» right To charge some of the debts of the ilauraki tribes against Te Aroha, as these tribes had. net agreed with him that those debts were to be charged against Te Aroha. During that meeting Mr. Mackay persisted in charging the debts of the tribes against Te Aroha. and lie stated that all the tribes of Ilauraki had. a claim on Te Aroha through " Marutuahu. ' and according to European law. as Marutuahu was the name of all tlm tribes who lived at Hauraki, and it was through this saying of Mr. Mackay's that the tribes were glad to have their "debts paid in that way. But perhaps through this letter of ours you will understand that all the tribes of Hauraki have not a claim on le Aroha Block: and we wish you to notify to Mr. Mackay (that is if you take into consideration this application of ours to you) that he. Mr. Mackay, should not incite the tribes to lay claim to Te Aroha: and that he should not proceed, there merely for the sake of pointing out certain land* there, ns n,. p as I;r , knowledge of the boundaries of our lan.is. It is not land that was owned by his ancestors whereby he can have knowledge of the boundaries of more* owned by Marutuahu, by Ngat.itonamumga, by Xgatitarnatera and by Ngatipaoa, and other tribes whos: d.eus h- has charged against our land at Te Aroha. Bit rath' r let us Maoris dispute among ourselves, "we ask y ■;: ;. ,].< this because we are sure these tribes will never <:• •:<.'.* to. Te Aroha and dispute with us, that is, if Mr. Mackay does mi accompany them for the purpose < f making them strong (to contest with. us). If they were to conm up with Mr. Mackay they would remain silent, and. leave Mr. Mackay to be spokesmau for them, and conduct the discussion with us in order that they might become possessed of some land at Te Aroha. If Mr. Mackay does not go there, neither will those tribes go there, as they we'd know that they have no laud there, and they would: be ashamed and frightened lest they should Le held in derision by the eye of " Truth," which would ga?.e upon them in their foolishness should they iguor.u.tly proceed to Te Aroha, where they would be laughed at by the Ma-ata-ata. and started by the call of :'.;•• Puruwaiweto. (The Ma-ata-ata and Puiuwaiweto are birds inhabiting the swampy lauds of Te Aroha. and are distinguished by a peculiar note which sounds like the smacking or pouting of a person's lips.) But they would not be so foolish as to come to To Aroha. and our application to you now is that Mr. Mackay '."• not allowed, to lay off (or survey) our laud for tribes •a hose debts lie has clo -on to place against it, and that at the- pros Tit time h.e s'm -'d not go at all to Te Aroha. 1 ' : - To i Th.it vo. are refusing to give this land up to the ■'•■ ■>■•■:•;.:::•':;:. We are willing to give it m> to the Gov u'T.u'.o;.;, Put as payment for cur own debts only, and for no■■::y that we and our hanus have had. A -.real p:":;o :: le is involve ; ::; ; ; , : , app.;ca;:on of ours '. ■ y. ■; concerning To Aroha. as we apprehend that :.• ::.._■ \v:d :o. ';-;..y <r: g: ; .at c ;:. t..:s . i:-t ri.-t on account f ;'..•■ d' ' !.:,::.•- '. . p--:;;n. « f T.. : s European who seizes . u hi:.-: :■■ p..y :' ;■ Thohd- d hi- tribes. But rather e ave uiatt'-r* i < i.e. •'::;;:•; this . o. : ; ~.;.■': t:.l> trouble for ti'.e ilauraki trio-- •■ ■. s.-p... :i! :o :. g T '..■ uiselves, as the. ilauraki pei pi- or ■ t :■■ 1 .d .o\v ■• • * ' .■ r tribes of this i-1 ■ i:: ■ I th :'. r si; id in -op;- p,; ■.;■-'. and have been s ■ ::\ m the t i:;: •• thai :'.:■■ 'o-: ■ . w.- ::.tr'-uuced amongst them, dewu t • the ; :"■ -• ::T. Ido-y . ave m-ver had anv piarr.-.s citm. r | rgiC.igst t:.c::'.se.ve= or w;tu anv other tribec. - ' _^

Therefore it is that we wish to impress upon you the advisability of instructing Mr. Mackay not to proceed to Te Aroba, lest trouble should ensue and we have cause to blame one another in the future. It is well known that the member for the Northern Maori District applied in Parliament for a Commission to enquire into the cause of the troubles that arose at Taranaki and Waikato ; therefore we think that at some future time enquiries may be made concerning the trouble that arose in Hauraki : that is, should trouble arise. Be that as it may, our wit-h has been expressed to you, that you should order Mr. Mackay not to go to Te Aroha at present, so that should trouble afterwards arise, it will "be after our wishes in the matter have been made known to you. But we wish the i;i". .s themselves to go there, so that the Government may iiuu. oul who are the real owners of the land which is being takeu by Mr. Mackay, and this can be known by their being able to point out on the ground portions of Te Aroha owned by them. [Here follow the signatures as given in the Maori letter."