THE SIEGE OF ORAKAU PA

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 61, 13 September 1939, Page 3

THE SIEGE OF ORAKAU PA

TUHOE WARRIORS ENGAGED

AIDING THE WAIKATOS Tuhoe was never so happy as when it was at war, and parties of the tribe fought in many places far distant from their -Urewera home. With the coming of war against the Europeans in the Sixties it was not to be expected that the turbulent bushmen would sit at home and allow the fight to come on - them, and parties fcught in a number cf engagements outside the Bay of Plenty. A Tuhoe detachment of about 50 men was engaged in the fighting in the Waikato against the Europeans, taking part in the engagements at Rangi-aohia,' Hae-rini and the celebrated battle of Orakau. In the 'first fight the Waikatos lost about 12 men and they had 30 killed in the second. Many, Stay at Home. The Tuhoe party came from Ruatahuna and Te W T haiti, for the Ruatoki and Waimana clans declined to join in. The idea was that the encroaching Europeans should be met and fought before they got unpleasantly near to the tribal lands of Tuhoe, or, as their orators put it: "Let Matatua be sheltered." The story of this Waikato expedition, as given to Elsdon, Best by Paitini Wi Tapeka, of Ruatahuna, was as follows: "We heard of the fighting in the north, of how the tribes of Waikato were trying to beat back the pakeha soldiers. Then a meeting of the Tuhoe tribe, was discussed by all. Piripiri Te Heuheu, one of our leading chiefs, and the last survivor of the adepts of the wl'j.re maire (school of occult and priestly lore), proposed that the men of Tuhoe should march rorth. He said "Listen to my word, 0 Tuhoe! The island is in anguish. 1 propose that. Tuhoe here assembled to greet the land, that the men be in advance while the land lies behind." Shelter Matatua. "Hereupon another chief, Te Ahoaho arose and said: "My idea is this —give heed to it —let Matatua be sheltered. Leave it, secure from home, in the shed."' Here the speaker spoke of our tribal lands as the ancestral canoe Matatua on, which our ancestors came from far land. He objected to going afar off to fight, but wished to see the tribe stay at home to protect their lands only if attacked by them. "The chief Te Whenua-nui agreed to the last plan and remarked: "I agree that Matatua shall be sheltered, for the fighting is coming near to us.'' Thus the bulk of the tribe agreed to remain and guard the tribal lands. Change of Mind. "Then Piripi stood up and said: "I agree to your remaining here but I and my people will march to show my sympathy for the island in trouble. ' Hereupon Tuhoe separated into two parties, the majority remaining, the few went forth to fight. After those people had goae then Te Whenua-nui regretted that he had not joined them, even so he also went north, thus abandoning the resolution that Matatua should be sheltered. The reason why he ehanged his mind and followed the war trail was that he feared that Piripiri -would jeer at him and make some taunting remarks., such as "Some stayed at home as women, while others went as men to Avar." "The tohunga of our force wa>Penetiti and his assistant was Tnpikisaid the narrator. "Penetiti was the human medium of the god Po-tuatini. The tohunga spoke to us, saying: "When you reach the land °f Waikato, should you find those people fighting the white men, do you also fight them, but if peace has been -made do not persist in lighting or you will surely fall." Bullet Proofed. Then Penetiti gave us some small bottles containing a medicine he had made from various herbs and the bark of trees. He told us that, when going into battle, we must drink the mixture in the bottles, and then no weapon could harm u t; , the bullets of the enemy would be turned aside. Friend! When the white men rolled down on us like a Hood at Orakau, when we charged out of our fort and through their ranks, then I drank of that priest's medicine. O son! The deceitful

tricks of the Maori! For it did not prevent the pakeha bullet from passing through me, nor did it save my father and many others from being slain. Such foolish things did we in the days of darkness! "So we marched northwards under Te Heuheu, Te Waru, Pae-rau and Pareihe. Tama-rau Waiari went with us, as also his wife and other, women. of Ngati-Manunui, and Hamiora Po-takuru, of NgatiWhare, were with our party. A daughter of Te Whenua-nui accompanied her father and was among the slain. Rewi's Advice. "When we were encamped Te WhenuHnui and his party joined us. There were about 50 fighting men of Tuhoe, of Ngati-Whare there were about 20. Piripiri proposed that a messenger be sent to Rewi Maniapoto (the celebrated fighting chief) asking him to come to our camp and discuss matters. Wh?n Rewi arrived, then, Tuhoe showed themselves to him that is to say they performed a war dance. Then Te Whenua-nui rose and said "Listen, O Rewi! The reason of our j sending for you is, that you give us O-trakau as a place for us to use our guns and ammunition. They are too heavy to carry all this way for nothing.'' Rewi told Tuhoe that he had had a vision of ill-fortune for Tuhoe if they fought at Orakau. He recited the omens: he had seeri and told Tuhoe to fight at Maungatautari, not at Orakau. Undoubtedly the practiced soldier realised the weakness of the position at Orakau, and in the Maori way endeavoured to persuade Tuhoe not to fight there. Tuhoe persisted, and at last Rewi agreed and joined Tuhoe. But very few_ of his people went with him. and those who did join him did not do much fighting. They remained on that side of the pa where the fight ing was not severe, said Paitini. Building the Pa. "Even so, when Venus was flashing above the horizon, we marched to Orakau. All that night we toiled at building that fort, men and women working hard. \\ e erected two lines of earthworks. At grey dawn we went and pulled down, some fences, using the timber as palisades which we erected before the outer earthwork. There was no entrance way in the outer line of defence, but there Avere four such in the inner one. A low wall, a platform was built inside the earthworks, on which we knelt when firing oyer the defences. We also built a small earthwork defence outside the main one, with which it was connected by means of an excavated way. Four men occupied the small defence throughout the fighting. We took no rest until these works were finished. Our numbers within Orakau amounted to about 400 gn.ee told, 200 brace of men. "Now, I have already told you that if the crescent moon encloses a star that is a war sign," said the old warrior. "The moon represents a fort, the star is a war party attacking that fort. If the star passes behind the moon and reappears il is a sign that the fort will fall.. We saw such a sign just before the fight at Orakau and as we were a war party, we thought it a good omen. But we built a fort and so turned the omen, against ourselves. The fort did fall, but then it was our own fort. / Pumpkins to Eat. "We did not have time to finish that fort in a proper manner, and provision it, when the European soldiers surrounded us. We of Tuhoe had no food except pumpkins, which we ate raw as we had no fuel It was iu the morning that we saw the- hosts of the white soldiers advancing to attack Orakau. They were very numerous. I then saw what a numberless people are the pakeha. They covered the land. "Then, arose Hapurona Kohi, a fam cd fighting man of Tuhoe. He had a gun in each hand, one a tupara (double barrel shotgun) the other a hakimana (flint-lock musket). -He said "O Tuhoe! Be stouthearted in the fmy. Let the enemy approach close before you fire on him. Whon his hand is about to grasp you then let the guns resound.'' Rewi's Advice. "But Rewi said "Not so. If .vou allow the soldiers to come up to the defences you will pcri'jh. They will not retire. Keen them at a distance You would kill the but others would still come on,"

"Hapurona bounded on to the earthworks. The soldiers were now quite close. We were armed with double barrelled fowling pieces and flint-loclc muskets. Each man had two bandoleer cartridge belts, and some wore three, full of cartridges. Just then Hapurona cried "Puhia" (fire) and we fired on, the soldiers. Then we heard the cries of the soldier chiefs to their men, and the applauding shouts of our women. Do not say that it is wrong to aL low women to accompany a wa; party, for they encourage us and urge us on in fine style. Attackers Driven Off. "About that time Piki mounted the defences and five soldiers iell to him before he himself was killed. The soldiers were driven- back. We fired as fast as we could load. Some, men had two guns and a person told off to load them. The cartridge makers worked in an underground chamber. They worked incessantly at niaking cartridges. When a man's cartridge box was empty he ran to the place to refill it, or the women carried them to us. There were six men who remained in that underground place making cartridges. They were Te Whenua-nui, Rewi Maniapoto, Te Waru. Te Heuheu, Top a top a and Paora. The Second Day. "Wc fought that soldiers all that day until night fell. Many paKeha

fell on that first day. The fighting continued for two days and a night. On the second da}' a great force of soldiers assaulted Orakau. Hapurona proposed that we . should leave the pa and charge the soldiers but Rewi said: "Do not leave the pa. The soldiers have now sat firmly down. They will not retire. We, cannot drive them off, but during the coming night (of the third day) then; it will be well to charge out of our fort.'' And all the chiefs assented. "We slew many soldiers during; those first two days. We had no food for two days and two nights. Fighting was our only food. What helped Tuhoe wa s the way ill which they tightly clin.ched their cartridge belts so as to compress the stomach. This prevented the feeling of faintness caused by hunger. I tell you that fighting was our food, but we ate some raw pumpkins as a relish for that diet. Some of our young men stole out of the fort and proceeded' to where some white pine trees were seen. They climbed up into the tops of those trees to gather the berries, [but the soldiers saw them and shot them." The next article will continue- • Paitinfs decription of the siege of Orakau. He does not mention the* incident that appeals most to the European reader—the demand for the surrender of the pa, and Rewi's- ! heroic defiance». v . .i i • < '■ - ■•'•••• =