PETITION OF TE TEIRA MANUKA AND OTHER NATIVES OF WAITARA, PRAYING THAT THEIR TITLE TO WAITARA MAY BE INVESTIGATED.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1863 Session I, G-01

G.—No. 1.

PETITION OF TE TEIRA MANUKA AND OTHER NATIVES OF WAITARA, PRAYING THAT THEIR TITLE TO WAITARA MAY BE INVESTIGATED.

PRESENTED TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, OCTOBER 28th, 1863, AND ORDERED TO BE PRINTED OCTOBER 30th, 1863. (Mr, Atkinson.)

AUCKLAND. 1863.

G—No. 1

_ _ Waitara, Oketopa 21, 1863. _b XOA TIKO UPOKO O >"GA RvNANGA PaKEIIA,— Tena koutou te mahi ana i nga mahi ote raruraru o tenei motu o _N Tiu Tireni. E hoa ma, c kimi kau ana au i te take o Waitara i wetekia ai. He papaku pea no te wai, ma hoki ka tangohia nga tangata tiaki o te waka ; kahore au i te mohio. Ko tenei, ka noho tonu to matou kupu l raro l te mana of Kuini Wikitoria, tae noa kite tuturutanga o ta matou whakaetanga ki to matou whenua ki Waitara ki ate Kuini. Ko te Kuini hei tami i nga waka, kei pakaru ite ra; kia takoto ora ai i tona takotoranga. Ko ta matou kupu tena, etc Kunanga o nga Pakeha. E hoa ma, c nga tangata o te Runanga, ko ta matou i karanga ai, kia whakawakia a Waitara. I mea mai a Kawana Paraone, Me whakawa a Waitara. Pena tonu te kupu ate Pokiha, ate Pihopa, a Kawana Kerei hoki, i tana taenga mai ki konei. A, kahore matou i kite ite whakawakanga \ engari i whakahokia poupoureretia mai a Waitara kia matou. Kua kitea pea etc Kawana raua ko te Pere te he oTe Teira, me te tika o Wiremu Kingi; koia matou i pai ai kia kitea hoki etc tokomaha. Koia l mea ai matou, me whakawa a Waitara ; hauriga to whakawa i roto ite ruma o tetalu tangata, o te Pere ranei, o wai ranei, etoru pea nga tangata ki roto. He korero titaha tena kia maua. Engari te whakawa nui, kia rongo ai te tokomaha. E hoa ma, etc Kunanga nui o te Kumi, ma koutou c whakamana i a matou kupu nei, no te mea he tangata au no te Kuiui he tangata hoki koutou no te Kuini ano. Ko ta matou whakaaro ano tenei, kia whakawakia a Waitara. Otira, ehara hoki i a matou taua kupu kia whakawakia ; na Tamehana ke taua kupu ; he whakaae kau ta matou. Ka tatari nei matou i taua takiwa kia tae mai a Kawana Kerei ki konei, kia whakawakia ano a Waitara J\o te taenga mai o Kawana Kerei ki konei, kahore i whakawakia ; a ka rokohinanei c te matenga o nga Pakeha ki Wairau; na, ko te tukunga mai tena i Waitara ki a matou. Kaore matou i mohio fa te take l tukua mai ai j kaore matou i tono atu kia tukua mai; a c rapu nei ano matou kite take l tukua mai ai a Waitara. Otiia i rongo pu atu ano matou ki nga kupu ate Pere raua ko te Kawana, i mea, ko te take i mahue ai a Waitara, ekoi-e c tika kia pananga tangata kua noho fa runga kite oneone i runga ite rangi-marie, ara, a Wiremu Kingi. Ka mea atu matou ki ate Kawana, E hoa, c te Kawana, he hoiho noku te hoiho, ko tetahi tangata i peke mai ki runga, ehara i a ia taua hoiho. Ka kite au i taku hoiho me taua tangata ano i runga, ka mau taku ringa kite paraire, ka mea atu au ki taua tangata, E hoa, c rere ki raro, tukua mai taku hoiho kia hokona Aa, ko taua kupu nei mo Waitara. Ko taua hoiho ko Waitara ; ko Te Teira te taumata nona taua pihi; ko Wiremu Kingi, he pokanoa tana kite noho i runga. Koia i kore ai e'tika taua kupu a te Pere raua ko te Kawana. Ko tenei, c te Kunanga o nga Pakeha, kaore o matou whakaaro ke atu. Kotahi tonu to matou whakaaro, ko Waitara kia riro atu i te Pakeha. Ko o matou ingoa enei ka oti nei te tuhituhi :— *Te Teira, Karena, ♦Paranihi, Tipene Warihi, *Hemi, Hoera, *Tamati Raru, Hona • Wi Nga Waka, Matia'ha, *Kewiri, Haimona, *Eruera, Hori Taharoa, *Epiha, *Honiana, *Ropoama, Piripi, *Hita, Bona,' *Ropoama, Herewini,

PETITION OF TE TEIRA AND OTHER NATIVES RESPECTING THE RELINQUISHMENT OF WAITARA.

G.—No. 1

*Hori, Paruka, *Harawira, Mangere, *Kupuha, *Te Wari, *Watene, Pirika, ♦Paranihi, Ihaia, *Pene, Taiti, *Hone Hira, *Otimi, *Tipene, *Matiu, Wi Te Arei, *Werahiko, Otene, Tamati, Hakaraia, *Wiari Heremaia, Erueti.' al iNa' ko. mat? u tenei c Piri nei ki a*e Kuini, kite ture kotahi, fa to matou matua kotahi. Ahakoa whakawaia matou etc kai whakawai, ahakoa whakawehiwehia matou, ekore matou c wehi. Ka manawanui matou ki to matou Kuini. Ka pena matou me te Tui i harihari nei ite kirikiri kohatu fa roto kite ipu wai, aka puta ake te wai, ka inu, ka makona. Ekore matou c rite kite heihei j na te parera nga hua, na te heihei i awhi. Waihoki, ekore matou c pai ma the Kin<'i matou c awhi, engari ma te Kuini matou c awhi. Waihoki, ekore matou c pai kite awhi i n"a ritenga ate Kingi, pena me te heihei c awhi nei i nga hua ate parera, ate kuihi, ate take. Kia kotahi ano ta matou c awhi ai, ko te Kuini anake. Heoi ano, ka mutu. E hoa ma, kua makatia c au te ingoa o nga tangata nona taua pihi whenua *. Engari ko Tipene ko Te Otimi, ko Paranihi Tiwana, ko Pene, na o ratou wahine i taki [take?] ai ratou ki taua whenua. Ko era atu, na to matou Runaiiga. Na Te Teira Manuka.

[translation*.] - „ _ _, Waitara, October 21, 1863. O Chief He.ujs of tiie Pakeha Kunanga,— ~ _ * I sal'.*2. y°u (assembled) there, engaged upon the duties appertaining to the work of adjusting the diflicultios of this Island, of New Zealand. Eriends, lam vainly searching for the cause which led to the unloosing of Waitara. It was perhaps the shallowness of the water inasmuch as the guardians of the canoe are being removed. I know not. Now, as to this our word sha 1 ever remain under the mana. of Queen Victoria, even until the fulfilment of our assent that our land Waitara (should be given) to the Queen. It is for the Queen to be a covering over the canoes, lest they should be split by the sun ; that they may lie sound in their lying-place This is our word, O Kunanga of the Pakehas. O friends, 0 men of the Kunanga,what we "desired (called for) was that (the title to) Waitara should be investigated. Governor Browne said Waitara must be investigated. Such also was the word of Mr. Fox, of the Bishop, aud of Governor (Trey also when he came here ; but we did not witness the investigation. Waitara was summarily given back to us p er h aps the Governor and Mr. Bell have seen the error of Te Teira and the right ot William king, and we desire that the many should see it also. Therefore we say Let Waitara be investigated j not in the room (office) of one man, whether of Mr Bell or of any other person, with perhaps three persons in it. That is a one-sided (lit. leaning) examination in our opinion. Bather let it be a public examination, that the many may hear. 0 friends 0 great Kunanga of the Queen do you attach weight to (cause to be mana) our words, because lam a Queen s man, and you also are Queen's men. _.i . '_ hi! ' . ,s *ill. our "Pinion, that Waitara should be investigated. But it was not our proposal that it should be investigated ; it was Tamihana's ;we only consented. Then we waited at that time tor the arrival here of Governor Grey that Waitara might be again investigated. But when Governor Grey arrived here it was not investigated ; then the death of the Pakehas at Wairau oocurred, whereupon .. aitara was returned to us. We knew not the cause of its being returned •we did not ask for it to be given to us, and we are still searching for the cause of Waitara being returned to us But we fully heard the words of Mr. Bell and the Governor, who said that the reason why VV aitara was abandoned was because it would not be right te expel the men who had lived upon the soil nii the time of peace—that is to say William King. I said to the Governor, 0 friend O (xovernor Ihe horse was mine ; another man leaped upon it; the horse was not his. When I saw my horse with that man on it, my hand grasped the bridle, and I said, Friend jump down ; let me have my horse that I may sell it. Now that expression had reference to Waitara. The horse is WaivPa Ait.- • i '_. he ma. to whom the land belon«s >as for William King, he is an intruder upon it. Ihis is why the word of Mr. Bell and the Governor does not apply to it / • 1 ?. 0I''-(_,r Eunang 1 a °!'. the Pakehas > we have no other thought. We have but one thought (wish) that Waitara should be taken (received) by the Pakehas. These are our names hereunto subscribed :— *Te Teira, Karena, *Paranihi, Tipene Warihi, *Hemi, Hoera,

2

PETITION OF NATIVES

G.—No. l

*Tamati Karu, Hona *Wi Nga Waka, Matiaha, ♦Kewiri, Haimona, *Eruera, Hori Taharoa, *Epiha, *Honiana, *Ropoama, Piripi, *Hita, Bona, *Ropoama, Herewini, *Hori, Paruka, *Harawira, Mangcrc. *Bupuha, *Te Wari, *Watene, Pirika, *Paranihi, Ihaia, *Pene, Taiti, *Hone Hira, *Otimi, *Tipene, *Matiu, Wi Te Arei, *Werahiko, Otene, Tamati, Hakaraia, *Wiari, Heremaia, Erueti.' Now we are the persons adhering to the Queen, to the one law, to our one parent. Though we be tempted by the tempter, though we be threatened, we will not fear. We will be faithful to our Queen. We will be like the Tui which conveyed pebbles into a calabash, water appeared it drank, aud was satisfied. We will not be like a hen; the eggs were a duck's, a hen hatched them So we do not approve of the King cherishing us, rather let the Queen cherish us. We do not wish to cherish the plans of the King, as a hen broods over the eggs of ducks, geese, and turkeys. One only will we embrace, the Queen only. No more. Friend, I have marked the names of the persons to whom that piece belonged *. As for Tipene, Otnm, Paranihi Tiwana, and Pene, their wives give them a claim to the land. The others belon.' to our Runanga. B Te Teira Manuka.

3

RESPECTING THE WAITARA.