PAKEHA AND MAORI.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14842, 6 December 1913, Page 8

PAKEHA AND MAORI.

■ - . ■ _—*~ • , . : REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY DAYS. By W. 8., Tβ Kuiti.) VI. Whom do tho terms, "ancient times," "olden days," not move to a wistful awe, a wondering reverence, as at a monumental inscription in. the graveyaxd of Time? Forgetful that their own, too, will bo to posterity "olden days," "dark ages," or whatever then the sentiment for antiquity will be. Forgetful that the sun shone, the rains fell, the winds toyed with maiden hair, and piped flageolet odes and dirges in worm-holes of dead trees. Forgetful that shame, sorrow, and happiness were as bitter and sweet then as now. Forgetful, till one reads, say, ''Plutarch's Lives, ,, that women and men were lovers, and heroines, and heroes, ambitious and cowards, and all utterly human as w© know humanity today, and by that standard meted, always will be.

I see through the haze —as I was bid to —a red finger, as from a lake of blood beneath the aureole arc of the setting sun, point to the sky, as who should say: "Seek there, sick heart, for comfort; seek there!" And the emblem would have been true. For that finger was the Helen; not worthless Helen, cause of the Trojan war, but another Helen —whaler, sealer, eiayer of Nature's eoa-cniklren; bearing away in the forced embraces of a villain whito captain, Hera, daughter of Itakaumii, a "minor Ngatimamoe chief of Moerangi —for which, if you think I lie, see map. And this is her history, and its torriblo sequel, as given ■to my keeping by a fine old nephew of tho kidnapped maid, with all the minutue beloved ot tho race, which to cut out, cute out much that is not known yet ought to be. "When you whito men came our dTy foods were mamaku (tree fern), taiva and karaka nuts, a largo maikaika (Orthocerao Solandri), pigs have long destroyed, and a small crooked kumara,. few under a hill, but bequeathing an excellent taste, of which we ate only the smallest, that the larger might be traded for the-whito man's goods. But best, because abundant, übiquitous arid requiring neither care nor backache to rear, fernroot, whoso meal, enriched with pigeon fat, and clapped into patties between a maid's palms . . . ! Mc, patu to hoa kai! (Slay the trencher mate!— Proverb). To share with us these $ative simples; to mend sails on our level shores; to get wood and water; to collect herbs for men with sores and swollen gums, with looso teoth and hairless polls, your whalipa ,apd sealing ships anchored; and.provided you came with intentions for peace, peace there was and welcome. The peace of a rude people knowing no customs but thoso their gods taught them. Why, then, if all your tales'of 'murder , and 'massacre' be true, did these ships come to us? So sharp were our teeth set for ships and the goods that might be traded for, that our eyes never swerved from the soa, lest some pass by unnoted. ' And when we saw one head our way, at once feuds were laid on the sinister hand; and, •as is the way of our folk wishful for friendship, all things to scare and-give offence were pushed from sight, and the thoughts £et actively guessing, what things might be begged for and not, likely to be withheld.

"In those days of mnch war with tribo and' tribe, unenslaved women "were honourably wedded to their conquerors, and, according to custom, when children were born, these wpre betrothed to those distant alien kin, and thus the Maori was related everywhere. For instance: Hera's mother and mine werq sisters, whose mother was a capture -from a tribe two. days away, and married to a minor chief here. After Hera was born, she was bespoken to her mother's kinsboy, and became his? 'pulu' (betrothed); a bond with us to break was a sacrilege only to he atoned for, in the case of a commoner with iriuru (raid), and in a chief with war. Is this, eloar to you? Of course it is. Why. then, we turn upon our path.- . "Hero was the last creation of a woman by the gods; the women you see to-day. .... . What can one say without offence? Silence then on that. Let her but look into the eyes of any man;.at once his body. clamoured to possess her. Two youths of note destroyed themselves because of her bond. Her betrothed came hither to verify her fame, but was killed upon the way. Instantly she was betrothed to his brother, lest the prize be snatched from the family. Being then this wonder thing, why beat the.head this side and that, .to discover why a ship captain, new to our bay, when Hera looked" into his,eyes, went drunken in the brain, and harried her mother with tears to grant his will to wed her honourably. But her mother - remembered how pakeha honour tasted when laid upon th,e tongue; how others of his race mado similar protests, but sailed away, and ended a- to them '. playful intermedium, and left a soiled rag behind. . "Hera was no idler;, her ekill of fingers at matters suspended between weaving poles belittled conception. There that wretched captain would sit and yammer in hi 3 language till his presence became . public property; at doors and window screen, at come' and go; a.crowd beset his heels. When he landed with a package,-the call was hard!.' What ho, here; the mad captain again with gifts-for No!' What we blamed her-for was that she looke3 at his eyes. Had she looked past, and pushed his gifts away, 'kua hoha' (he would have . tired). But such is the uppish woman's way; she took them, and looked at his eyes, and bade him cease; knowing, none better, that tomorrow he would bring again. Till.ono day her.mother met him in the door with arms outspread: 'Mc mutu tenei hanga ou' (this foolery of yours must" end). Not understanding, he flung her aside. But the Maori woman is strong; so she grabbed him fore and aft, and dropped him outside the village stile. This mischance had done well to end hero. It did. For he dusted himself, pushed off tn his ship, arid at morning's dawn was gone. ■ "The Maori does not forgive till he has paid in kind When: he retires, without giving blow for Wow, : t is not I cowardice; some deeper plpn is hung thereat. Of course, we thought the white man' is the same, and oast our brain this way and that for samples how he might repay, keeping a brilliant eye abroad, and defensive eye ah home. But 'man's emotions are like the come and go of the moon—less, lees,, till, Aia! ( — J) So with us a moon goes threatless by: 'The pakeha is a coward after all! . The edge of vigilance is dulled. It'is remembered that putangitangi (Paradise duck) moulting is overdue, waiting to be snared uDon tho inland lakes. - Divide, then, brothers, into those to go, and these to stay. Hera has a love robe for her puhi incomplete; 6o she, too, decides to stay. Barely are those a day's journey on their way, than -these cry: TSEe Kaipuke!'. And the guessing gets busy • Tes, , 'No. , But the first have it. As she comes nearer, all know. It is the mad cantain come again!" ' "While, the ship is failing Tip our bay, there is time to talk of ancient Maori hunting law. From our fathers down, it was recognised good policy not to distract harvest and birding times with r"V* -/ or the Maori thought rt best to let those of the other fellow do tho work, and these gather in its fruite— if they could! If not, and the other w stronger to resist, or strongest to «milarly raid, what is there to ifc but go* home again, satisfied that sacred custom had its w;iy. If TO u were puccessful you had the other fellow's kai, all no.-itly packaged and preserved.-nh'i the glory that your name is heard. The breaker of this law bore the ignominy of 'Kai tangata! , (marauders

—slayers without cause). And it was thought proper that those efc feud should, lay their ftuds aside, exterminate the impious, and resume, the feud again. Now that the ship k anchored we can lead on our history J— , "At birding times only cronks and crocks remain. Old -folk',-:veterans, wise for direction, splendid for short effort and defence, but wanting elau to drive charges* home. These, seeing the boat row shoreward, cast and recast their brains. For; no matter •when or "where, the-Maori must haxo argument, to hear tho other fellow give cause and reason why, that lie may smash in, but not obliterate, and so seep Jjharn the-edge of 'wit. Soirio said, messengers to recall our strength.' Others. 'Maybe he conies in peace.' Then the vUlago fool extolled the wisdom of his craft: 'Wait. If he bears a package all is well. If not, his anger is still hissing, and into the pa with you, the while I set out upon recall,' wise fcols, village butts. we chivy them for dolts, yet they see things and understand acts we deem unperceived. The captain leapt ashore —but no package in the hand! Instantly the old were in the pa, the cullis slid' to,' and the village fool set out upon hie route. "To make the best show of our poor strength our women lined the parapet as warriors, and jeered at the -white man returning to his boat, who, meeting a stupid slave, learnt that only Hi-ra and old folk were left to defend the pa, and sociably waving his hand pushed off'aboard his ship. Btit the Maori is. not' deceived; he, too, knows that straight trees have crooked roots. 'Let him.' we said, 'wave a friendly hand m despite of rofusai to an entrance to our pa, and tho 'laugh and scoff at his defeat.' With us retreat like that betokened cowardice, or a etingareo specr in the tail, and warned us to set double - watchmen on our towers at night. "That night was dark as to a blind man m a cave, .pressing down the ears of these flat to the earth; the cars of those up in the towers back, as a pig's that hears a. dog. Suddenly, ,'Poo!' a ! stream of flame, and that sentry falls I down. Instantly another Tboi' and | this tower is empty i Co-cqually there- j with a cry outside tears at the night. I 'HuakmaJ Kokiria-a-a!' (to the asi sault,!). Then each one knew these [ were enemies, .Maori enemies, the murderous white man had gone away to fetch. And that thing lolling so peacefully upon our bay was filled with warriors. And we not know. Even had we known, what then, but risky, random flight? Hei aha; kia manawanui (never mind; enlarge."the heart), and -die as our. fathers. Our folk will gather recompense. Presently a stringy clat- j ter chatters overhead. 'Ware rones!' A creaky, straining rasp of: cord on wood tells that the.bight has' caught. Someone climbs up, tomahawk in hand. ! One hears a chop, the rope is cut. and a hundred draggers squirm, as squirm a heap of eels shot" frcSm the pot! The heart beats easier, but not for long, for again the rope is thrown,,in two places now, protected by a stream , of lead which/tumbles cutter after cutter down, to which we cannot make reply! Presently the wall bends outward, and, I casting up a wave of earth inside, ] j 'Crash! , - the wall is down! The assault has;won. Suddenly, out of the hack and murk, three white, men grab Hera land disappear, The night's work is done! V "In the morning a child—-this childcreeps from a Kumara . pit, arid views ■—-,!■ ' Enough! Hera; ship, and Maori enemy are gone! And at sunset the child «ees a red-finger .pointing to the sky! . - .

"Two days later our people returned to mourn and cover up the dead. Yet we have ■ some, recompense, ■ foh' a i slave prowling round for. kindling wood comes UDon ; a stranger with broken, ihicchs. 'Ha!-And, who'may you be? What ho! Above there!;'A strange -Maori with broken thighs. Maybe ho has tho words we ask ourselves! Thereupon question here, 'and'ariswer there, fell in •this wiser 'Who are you?' 'Dead men have' no. call to speak. , ' 'Toll us, "and .-you. shs|l|: live/, 'Then we ■-learnt" that '■■ the white man had hired them'for seven' muskets, arid.all plunder but the iriaid Hera. That; when the- first rope was cut he fell; underneath j. and doubtless was -not missed. in ? their ■ haste' to . get away... . . Arid the minor-matters the Maori wants; to know, together with the tribe he : belonged to, and that the distance they came took them-two days 'to"sail. •''.'• ■■ '

"And .now that we. were". seized of all who, how, and wherefrom. word was passed along to adjacent blood tribes to join and gather'recompense! Haste, brothers, for never better provocation could war-heart, desire! but how' colJect it from tins' white marauder? .-'■Me aha' (never mind, some of. their tribe must ■•' ■;*■ ''■'■'■■. ■• ■''■■•:■■■ ■'■'-.'■, ■; "Strange are the pathways of -the gods Never opportunity and cause so prosperous; that something- intervenes! 'Harurn ana. te uruurn o Tawfeiri-ma-tea.' , (Crashed 1 land reverberated the go-1 of storms.) Threatening, to flood naths-and rivers, and thwart us of revenged .Jet Papa (Maori ancestor of Man) was planning for. h:e children. For on our-third day of travel in a bay for shelter, lay a ship. 4 .'Brothers, 4 "revenge on the.' white man first!'. But how to get at him without caroes? Wehave it: 'Pretend to be f riendlies from a near distance, seeking ..trade.' Suddenly someone cries': 'Hα, how.then, it is the ship we seek!.Thev will; know us ;and beware!' -Then s, fool among us gave birth,: Tledden. our faces- with raddle*, and streak' the -cheeks, .and trust VI else to chance.'/ Now. the Maori has noted that those fated -,fpr. death' meet tlioir doqm-'half-way. For no sooner had we crossed a small headland, unseen from the ship, than m a creek before us lay two watering boats. These men wo_ pounced upon nnd killed and hid, and waited.' : Towards night another boat coir.c.« to interrogate. These also we pounced upon and treated!. Now we had three boats and a propitiously blind night. So" we : got our, maiden .back good plunder, and atonement for ourdead!".. >