A DEPARTED BRAVE.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume II, Issue 202, 12 August 1874, Page 3

A DEPARTED BRAVE.

HONOUR TO WHOM HONOUR IS DUB. The following letter from Makelu has been kindly handed to us by Mr Warbriek for publication; " Makktit, August 8. ( ' To A. Warbriek, Ksq. " I have boon requested to inform von that the •it'u of this mouth was one of those for the future to bo marked with a red letter on account of taking up the bones of Wiuiata IVkatim, who wan killed attlie Ktukauroi in J 8(M by the followers of the Kin.-, who were endeavouring at that time to form h junction with the King's forces at Tauranga, but, were eo npehed to retreat by the Ariwas. The proceedings opened with the* usual hast and a salvo of artillery, after which the disinterment or tho bone*" took place. Your old friends Ngahuruhuru and Pokai Te Waiatua, two noted old i'ohungas, were the principal actors. The spectators comprised the whole of the Arawus resident at Makefii. There were also numerous visitor? from Tauranga, Taitpo, Matnta, Whakatune, and the Lake District. Two young'fellows, of Ng»tiwhakaue., after being tapu d incises tli ick , eommene d the digging up of tho bm-.c-s, which, as they were turned up, were received by the two Tohungas (pne-ts). the great anxietv "seemed to be to obtain possession of a small greenstone which bad been pl.ieed in LYkamu's mouth at- the time of his death, and which will be now passed down as an heirloom to the tribe. The bones, aft. r being cleaned, will be dressed up wii.h feathers of the albat.'-oss, .->u I wiil remain on exhibition for some Cays, after which they will be placed in a very tun '.some leather portmanteau, or something of the sort, which has been provided by the .Native Otlio, and will then be carried into Mokoia. ■Viinuteguna are t > bo tired from the time the bones leave here till they reach the hills. The kai consumed consisted of : 30 hogs, 100 kits potatoes, 200 kits kumeras, 50 kits taro, 20 bags dried whitebait, 20 kits dried koura, ha If a tot) dried eel, 10 barrels beer (Opotiki Brewery)."

ri Winiata Pekamu (Wvnyard Beckham), Tohi Te Urnrangi, was one of tile most renowned chiefs of the “ big mouthed ” A raw a, and was held in great repute by Sir George Grey when Governor of New Zealand, as a really “ friendly,’' loyal, and intelligent, native, far in advance of the rest of the chiefs of his important tribe. At. the commencement of hostilities in this district:, Winiata Pek-.mu was the first, man to declare the loyalty of the Anwaa by petitioning Government to assist him in stopping all intercourse with disaffected tribes, who were then continually sending help in various ways to the Wnikatos. * Major ?iav was at once desp it-hed to Winiata’s assistance. * For some time he stationed his forces at To Hotoiti, and much skirmishing with the enemy took -place there, in tact the “ first blood” of this district was shed rear Kotoiti's beautiful lake. This bloodshed aroused the spirit of Winiata Pckarnu. Bucked by Government he called for assistance from his tribe, and no less than 1,000 men and women responded to his cad, and assembled together at Mnketa in the month of June, 18GJ-, the enemy having in the meantime taken position within a mile of Mabetu pa. dhese rebels, dislodged from their post by H.M.S. Miranda, were driven along the coast, the whole force of the Arawas following them up, but were discovered one morning encamped , and asleep, at Te KauUauroa, the entrance to the Mat at a river. Winiata Pekamu was as merciful as ho was brave, and he advised the rebels to surrender that their lives might bo spared. While speaking to them in this strain a shot was fired, and lie fell mortally wounded. This sad circumstance created a momentary confusion, and, although a number of (he rebels escaped, it ia needless to say t hat the thirst for revenge was strum*, and the slaughter which followed terrible indeed.'

he place for miles round was covered long afterwards with bones of the dead. On the news of She death of Winiata reaching Auckland, the Government awarded a pension to his daughter, the wife of Retireti Tapseh. Tire present Ministry have detcrniin-*d upon ere ‘ting a lasting statue to the memory of this good old chief, an d the Luna on Sunday landed at Muketu an ornamental stone monument, weighing some two or three tons, which, doubtless, will have a powerful influenee ir. convincing the natives that the white man is not forgetful of noble and generous deeds performed in the hour of need.