CORRESPONDENCE.

Wananga, Volume 4, Issue 10, 17 March 1877, Page 103

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of The Wananga. Friend, salutations to you. Here is my word, do you send it to all the world, so that the Governors who have come to New Zealand, and also those Governors who may come hereafter may see it. Also that the tribes who live to the North Auckland may see it. And let the people of the two Islands of New Zealand decide, say. if my words are sweet or sour. Friends. I wish to throw some lierht on the words and the ro<\auir:«r of the Ma-.r: in those acts "which in the English lar.sua.Lrc are called •■ war dance.'" Then- is onlv one origin ' f the words, but there are four meanings (•■:■ 1 w.odd divid" my observations into four heads) : 1. the G"v..•;•::..r< w:i- have cutne to Xew Zealand. -. T.i the Governors who may cme here ::: future'. '■--. T<i the' Xtrapuhi tribes. -«. T.j the Ministers of the 1 nurche.-. I will new speak on :':■• ::;•>:. ;..,.;:::. (">. 1 i oVertior.s. wh... have Coine to New Zea'and. >a' -.tat iot:s t. . y .•;. This is :,, shew :,> y. a the ev ; .; of the Mauri dances which ar■• eua-ted !, y the Maori in your pr'S'e.oe when you r-'iuest to s-e such :•-rformed b«>:<•!••• %■■■:;. T!;e„ ; are the c!i::i:tx of evil, and are :rom the bottom ( ,f -hat place f-om wh'-n<v> ovil comes. Death "•v.i: not -nd'-ed Come to the l>„jy :".-.>m riiern. nor will evil a:-:-.. fr<un them to ear.se eonfu.— : o ; . in our land. N".>. but t:;.->e ari> s..me of the ;!::::•_-> >p".keu "i by Paul the Apot-ti-. 'Hat :s (Pan! say.-h they are- . .f the Devil. Xow. let me repeat the words of one of the dances which the Maoris *:3lt while they dance before ycu. 'A*e will not ,e;ive a trac-dati'm of the original Maori, because of its ex.v di.-.;r lewdness. but merely s'ate that it :s f sueh ar. obsc-no nature as fully to prove the justice of the rebuke given to us as a people who profess Christianity f-r allowiae; an.. 3 , encor. rat Tine; se.-l: D.:s snr.g (•'■? ''■'■ ' words suult to this war dance') Were composed ' >y a wh : ..w. \i:„ Are., .v.-. Second subject. O. Govrnors. w;-..> c :::■• - . Xew Z'-akind. ponder over the '■vo of these * hi :e;-. I>. ::•■: <.:■ eue and a«k »i;ch. things to ;...j enacted before y-'U. :• .: .et them cease for ever. Third O. Xgatiwhatua. and Xgapuhi. and the Karawa. —earicn. d~ n„t en any account enact these war dances in the

aavs .o come. Do not think there ia any good in «uch things, or that there is any meaning in the desire of the Gorernorfl asking io r these to be performed before them, only that they may see our stupidity in doing such war dances, and that T-ioy may laugh at u.s (the Maori people). O, friends, cease to '-.'ns back to that point from which we began to learn zo .1). So ends this. Fourth subject. O, Ministers of the church, are you not the Ministers for vour chief the Governor, and for other chiefs of the world." 1 know that you can seo the evil of these things. Then do not allow vour knowledge to be lost, but let it be heard by the ears of" those who ask. and those who work. Read Matthew, chapter 10. and 28 verse. " Do not fear those who can kill the bodv, but who have not the power to kill the soul, but fear him who can kill (or send) the soul and body into Hell. Enough. 0 friends. I will cease (to say any more) here. From your friend. Eenata Paraire Eaueatahu. Onaeawa:, P.av of Islands.