Population of Three Thousand

Te Ao Hou, March 1965, Page 37

Population of Three Thousand It is said that during these years, Papawai had a population of as much as 3,000. It had its own bakery and stores, and as it was the home of the ‘Maori Parliament’, it was known to its supporters as the ‘Maori capital’. But the land on which the settlement's prosperity depended was gradually sold. After the death of Hoani Rangitakaiwaho in 1909, the greatness of Papawai began to fade. Tamahau Mahupuku, who for 20 years had been the most influential chief in the Wairarapa, died in 1904. Seven years later a handsome memorial to him was unveiled. Nearly 20 feet high, it has a massive dome and a heavy cornice supported by four corinthian columns. Between the columns were bronze panels depicting symbolic scenes, and a marble slab with a funeral inscription. The monument is still there today, but it is stripped of its glamorous facade. The main meeting-house blew down in a gale in 1934, and only Hikurangi and the carved figures remain today. If they are to be preserved, both the house and the figures urgently need to be repaired. This question has been much discussed, but opinions were divided as to what should be done. However there are now signs of a new interest in the matter, and Papawai's historic remains may yet be preserved to speak of the past to a new generation.

N.M. 46 Ka Eke Ki Wairaka

N.M. 46 Ka Eke Ki Wairaka

identical. The first beat of the bar is throughout placed on the same words and the ‘drags’ are placed at identical points, so that there is complete agreement on line division. As with most other waiata transcriptions in this series, the notation has been arranged so that each repetition of the melody fills one line of manuscript with the ‘drag’ figure at the end of the line. The text and translation of the song can be found as Song 46 in Part One of ‘Nga Moteatea’ edited by Apirana Ngata and Pei Te Hurinui; on p. 8 of ‘Puhiwahine’ by Pei Te Hurinui (Pegasus Press) Christchurch 1961; in ‘Te Ao Hou’ 29, p. 18 where the above originally appeared; and in Barry Mitcalfe's ‘Poetry of the Maori’ (Pauls) Hamilton and Auckland 1961, on pp. 39–40. The text also appears in McGregor's ‘Popular Maori Songs’ Supplement No. 2 (1903) p. 43.