CONCERNING PARIHAKA

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1613, 19 July 1887, Page 3

CONCERNING PARIHAKA

(Taranaki " Daily News.") What has lately been said and written about Te Wbiti and Paribaka "amounts to much news, but the discrimation of those disseminating the reports is deficient. The history of Paribaka agitation ia very interesting. Starting with a determination to establish the remnants of the Maori race as a nation whose laws should be entirely separate from those of the Europeans, Te Whiti, m 1869, first placed his propaganda before the tribes. His people were to live m amity with the Europeans, and to dwell Bide by side with them, " The lion was to lie down with the lamb." With a singular consistency, Te Whrti supplied his people with food every month of a purely Maori character, taro, kumera, hinau, paratawhiti, m fact every kind of old native food formed the provision of each monthly feast. Even the potato was excluded as not being strictly Maori. Sharks abounded at the feasts, and'-lampreya m winter were a standard delicacy; Eels were always there, tuis, pigeons, and mutton-birds. Te- Whiti scorned European ideas and European food; His fame amongst the natives increased, and m 1878, he thought himself sufficiently strong to turn five- parties of surveyors off the Waimate Plains, He did so, and after a period of inactionjjculpable on the Government side, Te Whiti pjaced a number of his men to plough the settlers land. The arrests whioh followed are a matter of history, and the return from imprisonment, and subsequent re-arreetfor fencing across the road at Pungarehu, are equally well known. The arrests for ploughing took place m June, the return from prison eventuated m June, the arrests for fencing were made m June, and the return was also m June. Therefore Te Whiti has made June a month marking events m the effluxion of time. Hence the large gathering at Parihaka this month, but the matter for consideration is whether or" no there is not evidence of re-agitation. Since Mr Bryce's advance on Paribaka no such gathering has taken place as that of the present month — no Buch quantity of food, and no suoh assembly of people. Again, we should consider that m the previous agitations the meetings and the speeches were esoterio, and now the deliberations are exoteric, m the extreme ; bo much bo that nothing can be discovered, and yet it is well known that meetings take place. Food m abundance is sent by the natives, and yet every native is expected to subscribe to the plate placed on the table when he is partaking of bis food. What becomes of this money ? The food placed on the tables m the two laige eating houseß— those of Te Whiti and Tohu respectively — is entirely European m character— tea, bread, butter, jam, cake, jelly; m fact, all which is distinctively European. And it is thought that Te Whiti supplies this food, giving the tea m gilt-edged oups and the food on giltedged plates, because he wishes to show that his people are open to the amenities of civilisation and are worthy to be treated as men and brethren. Possibly this is the last Btruggle for existence of a 'nave raoo of people, and is all the more dangerous should we allow them to yield to their despair. They wish to chow us that they are worthy to live side bj- side with us. But all are not like Te Whiti. There are many natives who visit Parjhaka fhq are still writhing under what they consider the Injustice- of their land being confiscated, and these are the people whom Te Whiti finds it difficult to control. It is a signifioanUaot that those who supplied the food m such Virgo quantities, this month are the most turbu'ent natives op the eoaet. The situation is at least worthy of attention.