OHINEMURI.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 122, 31 May 1870, Page 2

OHINEMURI.

THE NATIVE LANDS COURT,

[FROH TIIE "THAMES AD VERTISFR'S."] Saturday. The claim to Owharo is still before the Court. The following is a report of the proceedings to-day : — John Woolner Thorpe, examined by Mr. Wilson, for the Ngatikoe claimants, deposed : I am a resident here since 1842. I know Ngatikoe; they were living here when I first came here. I understand the Maori language. I have seen Ngatikoe cultivating land at Ohinemuri. They told me that some of the land they cultivated was theirs. I have repeatedly bought produce from them. Ngatikoe informed mo that Owharo belonged to them. I saw a cultivation at Parirahi in 1864; it belonged "to Te Keepa. It is within Te Owharo block. I have not heard of Ngatikoe killing pigs- I have heard of their going to Owharo to kill pigs. I have heard Mr. MeCaskill's evidence in this case. I have heard him state that these natives were serfs. Ido not consider them as serfs. I have not seen any tribes treating them as serfs would be treated.

Cross-examined by Mr. Mackay : I never heard that Te Hira was here before I came to this district. I was 6 years old in 1842. The land I formerly owned at Te tsike was bought from the Maoris in 1841. My father bought it from Hakaraia, Mataia, Taraia, and Tukukino. They all belonged to Ngatitamatera. Ngatikoe did not get any money because thee did not claim the land. Ngatikoe told my some of the lands they cultivated belonged to them ; they did'not tell me who owned some of them. I did not hear they belonged to Ngatitamatera. Since the last four or five years I was offered a piece of land on the Ohinemuri river. I did not buy it; it was called Kaiwhakaeia. The reason I did not buy it was because Tareranui of Ngatitamatera said he owned it. Ngatitamatera were not present when Ngatikoe| told me they owned Owharo. My idea of a serf is a person who would cultivate land for his master, and would have no right to sell it without his master's consent. I never heard Ngatikoe ordered by Ngatitamatera to catch ells. I know the Te Whakatohea and Ngatikoe are of the same rank. lam not certain whether the Whakatohea ever caught eels for- Ngatitamatera. Parirahi is not inside the survey, but it is in the Owharo block. I have seen some of the boundaries of the Owharo block. One is a stone on the road to Katikati, and a stone in the fork of a tawa tree, which Te Keepa told mo his forefathers put there, and he told me that Te Moananui owned one side aud he owned the other. I never heard that Te Hira and Ngatitamatera owned Owharo. When I first came here chiefs had much more influence than they have now. If they ordered people to do things, they did them much more readily than they do now. I attribute this falling off of power to European influences. Owners of land would dispute Taraia's right to their land. Taraia frequently threatened to drive my father off, but it was all talk of his to make a show before the tribes. When I came here first the tribe that had the most influence was Te Awhe and Te Uriwha. They were living at Opita. I don't remember Tukukino living at Te Komata at that time—afterwards he settled there. He was one who sold the land at Te Puke. Paora Te Putu only came here at the great peace-

making meetings. He was a great chicE V his own district. When I first came W 1 Taraia was living down at Te Puru. I c^m IL shortly after the fighting at Onare. My father f came in 1839. I heard the Opita Pa was built through fear of Ngaterangi. Some of the Ngatikoe ' were living in that pa. I don't know whether that is the reason Taraia lived at Te Pun, . I first saw Taraia here when Tukukino settled at Te Komata. He has lived there continually since Wi Katene and Hunia were I living there. I recollect peace being made with Ngaitirangi in 1849. It was made in m y father's paddocks at Te Puke. The second peace was made when Te Hira came and set- L tied at this place—a little before the opening F of the Tokatea goldfield. After this peace wa. j made at Opukeko, a long house was built in- 1 side the pah. There was a feast at the first Jf peace-making. Wiremu Te Paoro brought M the eels. At the second peace-making I did not "see any eels. Hori Tupaea was at the 1 second meeting. The reason I say Ngatikoe I are not rabi is, they always sold their own Ir food and did not do the work of serfs. '' In my idea a serf lias to do everything his master tells him. I never saw Ngatikoe ! working for Taraia. If Taraia ordered them f > to do anything in or about 18421 don't think II they would have done it. Te Awhe. was I the head man of the Whakatohea and Ngatikoe f tribes. I did not hear that he was a chief of ! Ngatitamatera. The principal chief of Ngati- ! I [ tamatera in 1842 was Taraia—that is down ' f the coast. Ngatitamatera down the coast, and if Ngatitamatera here, are all the same. I don't recollect Ngatitamatera driving my father's ft cattle to Hikutaia, and Taraia fetching them back again. Re-examined by Mr. Wilson : I saw the stone in the fork of the tree three or four years ago. That is one of the main southern boundaries of the Owharo block. The natives I here have their lands divided by well defined I boundaries, by stones, posts, and trees. Te § Awhe was the head man of all the people here. • 1 I did not hear he was chief of Ngatikoe. L Te Wana Te Paura was examined by Mr. 1 Wilson, and cross-examined by Mr. Mackay, | but nothing of any importance was elicited, jf the evidence being nearly the same as that . jl given by previous witnesses. Hapi Rewi, a claimants, was next called.