Satan and the Judge.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIV, Issue 21, 25 May 1910, Page 45

Satan and the Judge.

Tothe first land court at wai-o-matatini.

By

JAMES COWAN.

IREMU KAIHA’S previous f/ I inearnation must have been IIL that of an Irishman. For 3* JViremu has two true Irish jjra’ts—a love of fighting for fighting’s a stout aversion to the “KaSsiftlnatanga,” that is to all lawfully instituted authority. In other lands and other environments he Seould have made an excellent pirate, |h,fi energetic Fenian agitator or a successful.) eader of a South American revolution. it. is, lie is a Maori of the Maoris, -lie is old and grey now; his shaking Jiand no longer grips the mere or the Jojmaliawk; and of his olden tribal foljio'U’ing of a couple of hundred shawlIkilted brown warriors, he could hardly Command one now. But his eye has not Jost the ancient flash, and his choice S’ocaibulary of vituperation in the NgatiiPorou vernacular remains as copious as fcver.

Wiremu Keiha had another name (given him in his rowdy youth by some ot»f the unco’ guid of Bast Coast Maori'<lom. This name was Hatana. It is jfclmply Bible-Maori for Satan. Quite a Mot of his acquaintances think it fitted Jiira right well. But Wiremu’s face, in ijrepose, has nothing of the Satanic or in it. On the -contrary' it is like Julius Caesar’s as the Caesarean face is shown on old coins and Mn pictures; -and the powerful nose is {finely Roman.

■ Wiremu, surnamed Satan, shouldered i'lfie and flourished an active tomahawk in the Hauhau Wars of 1865-1871 on the East Coast and up in the wild Urewera Country. He fought on the Government Bide—not because of any particular affection for the Government, mind, because no man had less love for the jpakeha rule than Wiremu. But it suited him well enough to join the Kawanatajliga because it gave him an excellent jphanee of squaring account; with some ibf his best enemies who happened to .have turned Hauhau and were fighting OH the other side. He shot and tomahawked his old hereditary foemen with Exceeding glee, and moreover got paid by Jho White G overnnient for doing so, ijvhich was a most satisfactory arrange.jnen't for Wiremu and those of his tribe svho had had the foresight to remain £‘loyal.” For six solid years Wiremu liad as much hard fighting as the heart ibf any savage could desire. Only once yiid he receive a wound. This was at the Bight of Waerenga-a-Hika, the old mis-sion-station near Gisborne. A Hauhau Ibullet caught him fair in the forehead tind Wiremu was laid low. He was J-hought to be dead by the white volunteers who saw him fall, but they had ilnderrated the aboriginal thickness of ktfanium.- A young officer, who happened Io he Lieutenant Tom Porter—now Jt’olonel—seeing him move, raised him X ] p and gave him a drink of water. Wiri'mu was soon thereafter able to use volJible language concerning the pigs of llauhaus and the bad headache they had feiven him. The ball had ploughed its ava o y up over his forehead and along his Kcalp, but did no further damage. ttViremu survived to fight many another nay, and to take substantial utu out of ahe llauhauts; and he and young Porter Hvere fated to have a good deal to do with each other in a more or less friendly ftiishion in the years that lay before. Wiremu followed Major Ropata and (Porter on many a daring march in the Jvild T T rewera country, where for weeks together the Government expeditions iruversed the dense and gloomy forests Ihnd terrible ravines and precipitous Ganges, constantly skirmishing and often Jhalf-starving. And Wiremu was a very Henion in action. Ills great delight was *2 Join in the kokiri or charge when a picked party was told off to take the rncrnj 8 pa, by assault. Town ha wk in ? ani • eyes rolling, teeth gnashing, ho would dash like a tiger on his foe. No Hauhau cared to be in the way when

Wiremu, surnamed Satan, was out headhunting with his brightly polished little bone-handled tomahawk.

The war was over, and Wiremu had retired to his kainga, a beautiful little spot in the Waiapu Valley, not far from where Major Ropata Wahawaha, his old war-chieftain, had his home, at Wai-o-Matatini. Ropata by this time, by virtue of his forceful character and his fine war record, was the leading chief of Ngati-Porou, but Wiremu Keiha was head-man of his own particular little clan, all good fighting-men and as sturdily independent as their rangatira Wiremu.

It was the year 1873, and a new diversion had come to Waiapu Valley. This was the Native Land Court, the first Land Court that had ever ventured into the territory of the Ngati-Porou. The Government, with Ropata’s consent, was going to investigate the titles to the East Cape lands, with a view to making large purchases, and the first Court to undertake this duty was to sit at Wai-o-Matatini. Great preparations were made by the Maoris of Ropata’s tribe. A large house was built to be used as a

court-house, and immense quantities of food were collected to feed the hungry multitude of people who would gather and remain for the many weeks the Land Court was expected to sit.

At last the opening day arrived. It was a great day for Wai-o-Matatini, a

very great day. iSo said Ropata, and all his tribe agreed with him. The Government officials arrived, and were welcomed with a tremendous powhiri of greeting, the women singing and dancing and waving their shawls and blankets, guns firing, dogs barking, babies yelling. It was glorious. All Ngati-Porou wore there, hundreds of them. Old Major Ropata was in full regimentals, his sword by his side, pride in his fierce dark old eyes. Bis tribe danced their great perupem, their terrifying war-dance, all stripped to the waist, painted as for war, battle-feathers in their hair. Wiremu Keiha was there, too, with his hapu, all equally warlike, plumed and scantily costumed for the fray. Wiremu was a bold figure, tall, straight and athletic, his nose more Caesar like than ever, his long thin face streaked with red ochre, and a huia, feather stuck horizontally through his short crisp beard. He wore a finely ■woven flax mat round his waist; his tonso and his legs were hare; in his hand ho carried a long hardwood taiaha, richly plumed, its point carved into the shape of a sharp protruding tongue. Wiremil nnd his clan, too, danced their war dance, but in a more bellicose spirit than Ropata’s men, for Wiremu was opposed on principle to pakeha Court*, and in fact

all pakeha methods of procedure, and he had vehemently objected to the Land Court sitting at Wai-o Mattit ini. “Hu!” he cried. ‘‘What is this Land Court, indeed? What is it for? To steal our land, of course! Our fathers didn’t have Lind Courts, did they? Or our grandfathers? Then why should we have them? Send them away—let them go to Hell, the pakeha Hell! Best place for them! If the Judge comes here, I will cook mid eat him. Land Court, indeed! Hei aha te Kooti!” But the Court came and the Court sat. The President was Judge Rogan; with him were two assessors, native chiefs from other tribes, who wore se-

cretly a little dubious at venturing into the Ngati-Porou country. The Court interpreter was young Jimmy Carroll — now the Honourable James Carroll, Native Minister. Captain Porter attended in his capacity of Government Officer for the East Coast Maori district.

The powhiri speeches ended, the Court opened. The Judge sat on a bench at the far end of the big native house. In front of the bench was a long rail, a rough-hewn bar, stretching across the room. The Judge made a speech, explaining the wherefor of the Court’s presence in the Ngati-Porou country. Ropata made a complimentary speech in reply. Then up jumped our friend Wiremu, surnamed Satan. Furiously he leaped, his eyes glaring and rolling, his tongue darted out to its fullest extent, his feathered head shaking with rage, his taiaha quivering in his hand. One huge 'bound, then another, and he stood before the bar and faced the Judge.

Bang! came Wiremu’s hardwood taiaha on the railing. Then he poised it as if to cast it full at the Judge. His face was distorted with anger; it

was truly the face of a Satan. The calm, statuesque, hign-Caesar look his visage used to wear in repose was gone, and in its place was the mask of

a devil. Again (he taiaha rattled on the bar. Then Satan “loosed off.’’ “Come down from that bench!’’ he yelled at the Judge. “What are you "doing there? Going to steal my land, of course! I know, 1 know all about it! That’s what Land Courts are for; everyone knows that! And those Maoris with you. who are they, the tut uas (nobodies) ? Whose canoe did they come in? Not mine! Come off that bench, I say. and go home to your town! Como out of that, will you? The Judge sat apparently unmoved, except for a slight raising of his judicial eyebrows, which might denote amusement. But he si id not a word. Up and down bounded Wiremu, now and again furiously striking the rail with his taiaha, ami yelling defiance at the Law. At last, he subsided for a while, and thinking he had worked oil’ liis rage, the Crown got about its business. Wiremu only sat still for a minute or two. He rose from his mat ami walked outside. In a few moments he returned with something held tightly under a fold nf his flax garment. It was a big and heavy stone. Walking up Io the railing, he deliberately poised the

stone m his hand, and shouting: “Will you get off tliat seat?” he hurled it avtith nil his force at Judge Rogan. The boulder missed the Judge’s head by a few inches, and fell with a crash against the wall behind.

The Bench preserved its dignity with admirable coolness and impassivenesa* and didn’t even duck. But this attempt to remove the Judge by the primitive method of heaving a rock at him was too much for any pakeha Court. Wiremu had gone a little too far. Captain Porter was just too late to prevent the stone-throwing, but next instant he had jumped for Wiremu and grappled him. Then followed a pretty little rough-and-tumble. Porter was a

man of unusually fine physical proportions—six feet four in height—and in those days as strong as a professional athlete. He and Wiremu were pretty well matched. They fought their way out to the door of the house, the people clearing the course for them. Porter was determined to knock all the light out of Wiremu for that day, at any rate. He forced his antagonist out of the house on to the inarae, and dow n towards a little creek at the side, lip and down (hey went, one on top, then the other. Porter all the while gripping Wiremu’s hands to prevent his using a weapon. The people wore in a blaze of excitement. The* men of Ropata’s hapu crowded together on one side, Wiremu’s on the other. There was every material ready for a fine little faction fight. Some of Wiremu’s men were dashing in to attempt the rescue of their leader. “Keep off!” yelled Porter, in Maori. “Keep away.” And to Ropata’s men, who were rushing to his aid. he called: “Don’t interfere! This affair is for us two. Leave us alone.” A few moments more and Wiremu was vanquished. lie gave up his struggle. and lay there glaring, speechless. Porter rose dishevelled and muddy, but victorious. Wiremu presently got up. wild with rage and chagrin; bid all the fight had been knocked out of him for that day. “(!ome away!” he cried to his tribe. ‘•(!ouu* home. I sav, and leave this d n of robbers, this wicked thieving pakeha Court. Let us to our kainga!” Xnd off he led bis armed men. in sulky silence, descending the track from the village to the wide valley below. The Court, which had adjourned it self to see the fun. resumed in peace, and great was (he relief at \\ iremu’s downfall. For many weeks thereafter the Court sat at Wai-o-Matatini. W iremu and his num did. it is true, at first occasionally disturb the judicial labours by loosening heavy boulders on (he hill top just above the village, and rolling them down against tin* Courthouse v dl-. a companying this plea-ing performance by discharging their firearms mid dan • ing their war-dances, with much yelling of abusive songs. But Wiremu never again ventured into Court, and when tlie supply of boulders gave out he drew oil" his young bloods and retired to bis kumaras and his corn patch, and meditated regretfully on tin* .lays of old, when a whack with a to.uahawk would have effectually settled any pakeha Judge who dared to invade the home of the Maori. And that was the way they opened the first Lind Court at Wai o Matatini.