THE GREAT CHIEFTENESS OF WANGANUI.

West Coast Times, 18 June 1912, Page 4

THE GREAT CHIEFTENESS OF WANGANUI.

(To the Editor). Sir,—lt may be interesting to your readers to know that Wicke, the name of the late Wicke Kempc, is an abreviation of Wicketoria. I knew the , Chiefteuess and her husband, Major Kemp, quite well, and passed their Pah many times in the coaching days and their settlement was situated on the banks of the celebrated Wanganui river in the Wangaheu Country, just opposite the town of Wanganui. At that time there were some hundreds of Maoris residing at the Pah. Wicketoria was a splendid type of the Maori woman. It was said that she held the highest position of any chief or chiefteness m Now Zealand, and that was tho reason her parents gave her the name of our beloved Queen, Victoria and sho was evidently a queenly woman and exercised a considerable influence, not only on her own people, but on the various tribes that w ere settled on the banks of the Wangaehu and Eangitikei rivers. Rumour had it that she exercised the same privilege as Queen Victoria did in tho , selection of a husband. Major Kemp was a splendid type of the Maori race and possessed of, a splendid physique, he was every inch a soldier, and a perfect gentleman in manners. It is w r ell known how-he and Wickotoria’s people fought on the side of tho Europeans during tho long-drawn out struggle between tho Maori and the white peoI pie in the Taranaki war. It was unfortunate for Wicke’s people that so . many of them—a fine race of people—. passed their time in idleness near whore spirituous liquors could be so easily I obtained. I presume that there would be about one-third of tho number living at the time of her death and the - time of which I write, i.c., thirty-five years ago.—Yours, etc., H. JOLLY. Hokitika, June 12th., 1912.