BAPTISM OF TE NGAHUE, AN AGED NEW ZEALAND CHIEF.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XXI, Issue 14, 1 October 1931, Page 1

BAPTISM OF TE NGAHUE, AN AGED NEW ZEALAND CHIEF.

Both tbe narrative and sketch above were forwarded to the Church Missionary Intelligencer for March, 1851, by the Governor of New Zealand, . Sir George Grey, he himself having witnessed .the scene on his journey from Auckland overland to Ta.ranaki, via Rotorua, Taupo and Waipa, m the summer of 1849-50. The account is contained m an extract from the Journal of the Governor's Assistant Private Secretary. "Saturday, Dec. 29, 1849— At Te Ariki, or Piripai (Philippi), on the Lake of Tarawera. "In the course of this morning we

witnessed a most solemn and imposing ceremony— the baptism of a very old Chief named Te Ngahue. This man must have been nearly eighty years of age, and was so broken down and feeble that he had the appearance of a dying man; and such was indeed the case, as the poor old fellow was completely worn out, and could not be expected to live much longer. He had for a long time been an anxious candidate for admission into the Church, and had worked hard, with the assistance of the native teacher, to acquire the necessary knowledge; but age and sickness had prevented him from making much progress. He had learned to read a little and knew and believed m all the fundamental and absolutely necessary points of our

creed; but the Catechism and other elementary books which are required to be learned by heart as a preliminary to baptism, were completely beyond his powers; m fact, the poor old man's mind was not sufficiently strong to enable him to retain anything new m his memory. Under these circumstances, and as it could not be doubted that the old Chief's career m this world was nearly brought to a close, Mr. Chapman yielded to the earnest desire of himself and his friends, ahd consented to perform the ceremony atonce. Te Ngahue was brought into the Chapel, borne on an amo, or native litter, and deposited, with the greatest solicitude and care, by his relatives on the ground, upon a spot at the upper end of the building pointed but

to them by Mr. Chapman. He was a fine, dignified-looking old man, and had evidently, m spite of his now bowed-down and decrepit appearance, been m his youth a tall and vigorous man. It was a truly impressive and touching sight to see the old savage — one of the Maori Chiefs of the old school, who had often led his tribe to deeds of blood and savage warfare, and had feasted, time after time, upon the flesh of his enemies, now meekly offering himself as a candidate for admission into the Church of Christ. Surrounded by a few friends and the European visitors, and assiduously attended by his wife, a person much younger than himself, he lay on his litter, the centre of a small knot of persons m a corner of the spacious ■chapel, while the clergyman performed the baptismal ceremony, which was preceded and finished by a short and touching exortation to the old man, and to the rest of the little congregation. He was baptised by the name •of Hori (George), and, the ceremony •ended, he was taken up again m his litter — after having shaken hands with the Governor, Mr. Chapman, and the other visitors — carefully wrapped up m his handsome dogskin and kaitaka mats, and borne back to his house m the same way m which he had been brought into the Chapel." l[We are indebted to Archdeacon Chatterton for the above block. In 1831 Mr. Chapman, who had not then been ordained, volunteered to go with the Rev. Henry Williams to Rotorua They were accompanied by Rawiri Taiwhanga, a famous warrior and friend of Hongi, who had been baptised at Paihia m 1829. They met the Maoris for the first time at Ohinemutu on October 28th, 1831 — just a hundred years ago.— Ed.]