STORIES OF THE PENINSULA.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 682, 26 January 1883, Page 2

STORIES OF THE PENINSULA.

No. 35.—Maori History of Banks

Peninsula. (Contributed by the Rev. J. W. Stack.)

kaihuanga (continued). After the destruction of liipapa, the Otakou and Murihiku warriors returned home, carrying wit'i them the entire population of Tau mutu, for they feared to leave them bihind to encounter the vengeance of the survivors of the pas that had lately suffered co severely at their hands. But they were soon followed to Otakou by Tamai-hara-nui, who, with treacherous intent, employed every argument to induce the Tau mutu people to return home. He assured them that all angry feeling had now subsided, that his followers were appeased, satiated , with vengeance. " Return," he urged, " tq protect your rich preserves of flat fish at. Waihora." He was so pressing in his entreaties, and so positive in his assurances of friendship and security, that Tauha and the rest of the people consented to return, with the exception of Pokeka and Tihau, who were distrustful, and remained under the protection of their Southern friends. Having gained the object 6f his visit, Tamai-hara-nui did not wait to accompany Tauha, but hurried back in advance to complete his treacherous designs. In passing up the coast he spent a few days at Te Waiteruati (Teinuka), where he was hospitably entertained, and presented with a quantity of potted birds. Only having sufficient men with him to carry his baggage, he begged his entertainers to provide him porters to carry the pohas they had presented to him as far as Akaroa. His request was readily acceded to, and several men were ordered to accompany him. The party travelled amicably up the coast, but on reaching the head of the harbor, Tamai-hara-nui, without apparent cause or provocation, perpetrated one of the base and cruel deeds that have rendered his memory infamous. In spite of the remonstrances of his friends and followers, he fell upon the unfortunate carriers, and killed every one of them with his own hands ; then he cut up their bodies and sent portions to all the different pas and hamlets on the Peninsula. . Whtte this tragedy was being enacted in Akaroa!harbor, Tauha and hie people were journeying towards their home, and were already nearing the mouth of the Rakaia. On being apprised of the fact, Tamai-hara -nui despatched a messenger to Kaiapoi to order a detachment of warriors to come to Ins assistance. About two hundred obeyed the summons, without knowing, what their services were wanted for. The narrative of what followed, I give in the words of Ilakopate atao Tv, an.old Kaiapoi chief, still living. " On reaching Wairewa wo met Tamai-hara-nui and a large gathering of men. As soon as we were seated, the Ariki rose up and made a-speech- to qs ; then we learnt for the first time that we were meant to attack Tau mutu. We were ordered to commence our march at once, and Tamai-hara-nui kept in advance of everyone to prevent any of the chiefs who accompanied him from going forward to meet the returning refugees and t exuhang6 pledges of peace with them. It was on tins march down the Kaitorete spit that our old Kaiapoi wairiors first handled a musket. It was very amusing to watnh their efforts to conceal their nervons dread of the weapons ; their hands trembled and shook as tiey took hold of

tyiem, and at the sound of the report that followed a pull at the trigger, they dropped the guns upon the ground, exclaiming, ' Eh, he! how wonderful are the works of th<3 pakeha!' But they soon got over their fears, and learnt to use muskets with deadly effect. We camped the first night at the spring midway down the spit, and the next morning rose early and marched past Tautnutu before breaking our fast. On the march Tamai-hara-nui caught sight of Tβ Rehe, a Waiteruati chief who accompanied the Kaiapoi contingent, and made a rush at him with the avowed in tention of taking his life, but my eldest brother, Te Whakatuka, came to his rescue, and an angry dispute followed. Both were armed with muskets, which they pointed at each other, and dared each other to ire. The quarrel caused intense excitement, and there is no knowing what the result might have been, but for the interference of some old chiefs, who came up and parted the combatants. Te Whakatuka was so offended with Tamai-hfira-nui that he went to the rear with his followers, and threatened to return home, but was dissuaded from his purpose, and shortly caught up to the army at Orehu, where they stopped to cook food. The place chosen for the camping ground was a hollow overgrown with tall rushes between a range of low sand hills. Sentinels were stationed on the high ground towards the South, and laying bur weapons aside, we all busied ouselveß preparing food. Before our meal was over, we noticed the sentinels making signs, and thinking they were hungry and asking to be relieved, some one called out, ' Come and get something to eat.' ( How can we eat? , was the reply, 'Here they all are close at hand.' ' Who ?'' Why, the enemy.' We no sooner heard this, than forsaking our food, each one picked up his belt, and fastened it round his waist and seized his weapons, and stood ready to meat the .foe. Our leaders held a ehorl consultation respecting the orders of a battle. Tau nunu cried, • I will command the coast side. , Whakauira said, ' I will command the lake side.' Tamai-hara-nui said, 'Then I will command the centre.' All the warriors then ranged themselves under their respective leaders, and were ordered to lie flat on the ground. Wo were not kept long in suspense. A number of men clad in red shirts, and armed with guns, soon appeared on a tidge at a short distance in front of us, coming towards us. At the sight, of such foroiicjable antagonists, T.amai-hara-nui's Courage completely forsook him. He bfecame very excited, and cried out, • Who can overcome them,? Can these youths inexperienced in trfe, use of firearms cope with those veterans 1' Then he got up quickly from the with the intention of running away, but Whakatuka, who was sitting by him, seized him by the legs and pulled him down again. ' Bit still, , he said, • and keep quiet; wait till I stamp ray foot, and then rise. , Tamai-hara-nui's teeth chattered with fright as he sat cowering in the rushes, and being forcibly restrained from pub licly exhibiting his cowardice. A great crowd of men, women and children shortly appeared following their advanced armed guard. As soon as the latter caught sight of us they uttered a warning cry and fired. Then we all sprang to our feet and rushed forward. TLose who had guns single , ! out the noted chiefs whom they recog - nised, and continued to fire till they fell. Tauha was the first who was shot. H0 was claimed by Tanawhara. When th© Tau mutu people snw that their leader was killed they took to flight, and all we had to do was to follow and kill as fast as we could. As I ran along I saw in front of mo old Qpokohina, a first cousin of Tamai-h'ira-nui, trying to escape. He was carrying one little child oh'his back and leading two others by the hand.** He called out to the man who was pursuing him, 'Do not kill me.' Te Whakatuka, who was at a little distance, heard him beg for his life, and asked who it was. When he knew that it was Upokohinj*, he called out, * keep him till I come up and take him as payment for Tokomaru,' for he wanted to avenge the insult offered to his friend Tβ Rehe and himself a few hours before ; but Tamai-hara-nui, who chanced to be close by, defeated his purpose, for hearing Te WhaKatuka's words he ran forward crying out in a loud voice, 1 Spare my cousin !' Upokohina sat down and his pursuers stood round him. When Tamai-hara-nui came up, he at once rubbed noses with his relative, and with each of the children, then without a moment's warning he buried his hatchet in the side of the old man's head, who fell with a groan, then withdrawing the hatchet he struck each of the children on the head, cracking their skulls like birds eggs. Then turning to Tβ Whakatuke he -said, ' but for your exclamation I should have spared my cousin and his children, but I could not permit you to boast hereafter that you had either slain or spared any of my family. Our honor demanded their death at my hands.' The slaughter at Orehu was very great, [ and the cannibal feasts that followed lasted several days. It was the last great encounter connected with the Kaihuanga feud, but the last yictitn was the chief Tau nunu, who was killed by Kaiwhata and Kaurehe at Otokitoki (close to the spring on the small promontory at the mouth of Lake Forsyth). These two persons were accompanying Taiaroa on one occasion to the south, and finding Tau nunu alone, they tomahawked him, together with a woman named Takapau - bikihiki. This murder wars never avenged. The appearance of Rauparaha at Kaiapoi put a stop for a time to these internal quarrels, and forced Ngai Tahu to combine together to resist the common foe, and so ended the disgraceful Kaihuanga feud. ( To be continued.)