CONTACTS with the PAKEHA

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 53, 23 August 1939, Page 6

CONTACTS with the PAKEHA

EUROPEAN FOOD AND GOODS

MEMORIES OF CAPTAIN COOK It is apparently unknown when the natives in the Whakatane district first heard of white mcn t says Elsdon Best but doubtless the news of Captain Cook's sojourn on the East Coast and at Mercury Bay would soon reach other districts. The first Europeans who visited Whakatane and adjacent places may have been the early whalers. When' Cook landed in Poverty Bay in 1769 the natives thought that the white men were supernatural beings. One native said ''1 will see if they are Atua or not" and rushed to .attack them, when he was shot dead. Cook, as he passed the body, laid his cloak over it. About 60 years after the occurrence one Ben, Harris, a very early white resident of the Ray, endeavoured to buy that cloak but the natives would not sell it. A quotation from the Auckland Herald of 1901 says that Thomas U'ren, of Poverty Bay, one of the oldest residents, stated that the story of the landing of Cook, as he heard it when a boy from one of tlie oldest natives, was that when Cook's vessel came into the Bay the natives thought it was a floating island. Three boats landed at the boat harbour, and the Maoris, astonished at the wonderful sight, mustered at Kai.iti, and began to oppose the land ing, wading into the waters weapons in hand, led by a chief Tc Rakau 'TIRE." Cook, to frighten them away, ordered his men to load with blank cartridges, and then called out "Fire!'" The volley checked them but, nobody being hurt agaia advanced and threatened the invaders. Cook then ordered his men to load ball cartridges, and again, cried ''Fire!'' when Te Rakau fell dead and the natives dispersed. Thus U was that Cook became known as Te Paia, the word ''fire'' when it w.l'll He red twice by him having so caught the Maori ear. Cook was always handy with his firearms an 1 seems never to have needed a great deal of provocation to use them. Of course he was dealing with a wild people who threatened violence on many occasions, and -were usua'lv ready to lift any portable property. In an age when an Englishman could be hanged for stealing a sheep or a few shillings worth of goods it was logical enough to shoot a Maori who was making off with a piece of ship's property. The missionary schooner ''Herald'' visited Whakatane in 1828. This was a year before the brig "Haweis" was cut out by the natives off Whale Island. EUROPEAN FOOD. The potato and the pig were two of the first items obtained by Tuhoe, and probably the Whakatane natives acquired them a little earlier. Maize was introduced about 182'! and about the same time fowls weio brought back from the Bay of Islands by Tuhoe people who visited Nga-puhi there. The Tuhoe tribe say that the first kora (? cabbage) seed was obtained by them from some introduced long ago bv a white man named Te Pat a or Paia, who came in a ship. Ngati. awa said that the Pohata, or wild turnip was called Paca because the seed was first procured from a white man who was known by that name. This may be so, says Best, but the name closely resembles that of Tupaea, the Tahitian who Avas on board Cook's ''Endeavour. CANOES FOR GOODS. With tlie exception of arms and ammunition most of the foreign articles obtained in tlie early days by the Tuhoe people came by barter through Ngati-.awa. Tuhoe held no seaboard and hence were cut off from communication with sailing A'essels and Hans TapselPs trading station at Maketn. Goods were also obtained from Poveitv Bay. Tuhoe usually exchanged canoes for European goods when dealing Avith Ngati.awa as the lands occupied by the latter tribe were mostly open country, and contained but little timber suitable tor canoe-making. Tuhoe would link;' a canoe vt Ri:atahuna, take it down tile Whakatane liver to the eoist ard exchange it for the desired Pak. eha good-: such as iron cooking pots, axes blankets, etc. One of these canoes, a small totara. craft, still lies on the banks of the Orini. It wn--a year or two ago bv num.

bers of the historical society, and tlie late Dr J. C. Wadmore planned to bring it to Whakatane for preservation,. * "GO ASHORE'" POTS. Elsdon Best states that one of the first canocs so bartered Avas taken to Te Teko by way of the Whakatane Orini and Rangitaiki rivers, and there the product of months of labour was exchanged for one cook, ing pot (a go-ashore) and one axe (a titaha the old fashioned longbladed English type). These pots were termor! kohua by the natives and go-ashore by the settlers. It is commonly explained that they received their name from an incident which occurred on one of the earlywhalers when the natives pestered the captain for such a pot and, pick ing it up, attempted to take it with them. The skipper held on to the pot and said "Go ashore, go ashore.'' Hence it is said the natives thought the name was a go.ashore. It is prob able, however, that go-asliore is a corruption of kohua, in the . same class as biddy.bid for piripiri. These go-ashore are the old-fash-ioned, three.lcgged iron pot, now not much in use, though many of them were brought out of retirement at Matahi, two or three years ago, on the occasion of the tangi for Rua, the prophet < when a savoury stew of pipi and cabbage and pork bubbled in them. Some of those pots were probably 80 to 100 years old--so old that the iron legs had been burnt off. IRON IN DEMAND. A brisk trade with visiting ships sprang up, the natives bartering pigs and flax fibre for European goods. Iron Avas much sought after, iron spikes being ground down to form chisels and other implements. Pieces of hoop iron were used for knives, one edge being ground down by rub- j bing on wet sandstone, as on the whakakoainga (sharpening stones) at The Heads, Whakatane, near the cave of Wairaka. Such knives were cairicd about attached to the neckband of the shoulder cape. Gridirons were eagerly acquired and the bars broken out and ground down to barbed points for bird spears. Heavier pieces were formed into patu or spear.heads. Maitai is the local name for iron. MAORI BLUNDERS. Amusing stories are told concerning the ignorance of the Maori with regard to European, products. A present of flour sent to Waiman'< wi;, thrown away as useless, the Maoris mistaking it for ashes. As for bar so*!p the natives first tried to eat it raw ; end, not finding it palatable that way, they proceeded to "cook it it: a steam oven with even worse re.s.lts. The introduction of European clothing also had its funny side. An old woman at Ruatahuna told Best that her father brought from Gis_ borne the first crinoline ever seen tlie realm of Tuhoc. She did no'; know how, or where, to fasten this wondrous garment of the pakcha. but she managed to climb into it, then drew it up and fastened it round her neck. She found it somewhat embarrassing, and complained of a lack of sleeves or armholes. The wily pakeha often deceive.! the simple Maori in the early day?. Thus dock seed was sold to thern fo< tobacco .seed, and old-timers related: how the promissory notes (to pav one cent for returning the bottle) affixed to Painkiller bottles in yea's gone by were palmed off on Opotiki natives as bank notes.

DRYING GUNPOWDER. "The first white, men who settled 5 at Whakatane were Waeroa, Te Katii :1 and Te Ra, while T e Waitj (?White?. 1 Ifvecl at Matata" Pio of Ngati-awai - told Best. ''Te Tapihana (Hans Tap-* sell) lived at Maketu. He married Hnie_i-turama of Te Arawa. One of his vessels was wrecked and some e kegs of powder floated ashore. These 1 were seized by the Maoris who car. r _ ritvj them to Roto-iti, opened the kegs zasll -y*9ceeded to dry the pow-* f der. They heated pieces of fern stalls at the fire and stirred the 0 therewith. Then things and those people were seen no more s in, the world of life. This act was s equal to that of some Maoris whol s sowed gunpowder, thinking it was i_ cabbage seed."