TE WHITI'S BURIAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 51, 23 November 1907, Page 6

TE WHITI'S BURIAL.

/PiE: : CONCLUDINQ -CEREMONIES. . ■ :eXCITEMENT/AMONG THE MAORIS.'''-.' \ i7":FUTUREOF PARIKAKA; : :;; ■■{■:■ 7 ;'JBT:-.TEL£GHAIH—MESS ASSOCIATION.) f , :. ! New.Plymouth, November 22. : -.• There ;is a large gathering at Parihaka for l -fl?o Whiti-'s burial ceremony. The Mapris mclodo Julia (Now. Zealand's Grace Darling). **A party of-whites, including' Messrs. VV. H. Skinner, W.J.'Gray, Jack (Reserves Agent);Wiev,: J. B. Brocklehurst, Captain Young (Deypartmbirt ef Agriculture), Captain Hood S(Harbonrmaster), arid others, bxpresseb' grief jn.seini-Maori custom.. The Natives expressed {their gratitude for this display of sympathy,, and said" such kindness; wiped away tho last Jdram of ill-feeling between the races. The Tsone of contention-'was buried for .over. -iThe jfuneral was delayed on account of tho gravo . being unfinished.'""

.. '(BJ TELEGBAriI— SrECIA.Ii 'CORRESFOKIiENT.) ~"'■!■ T'■'.'• New Plymouth, November:22. .." after''.'noon ' preparations '•• comtaenced. for. the' final scene.' -' The bottom: of'Vfcbe']grave •was'lined with mats, • on- top ,of ''-.which','.was laid' a. feather, mattress ..covered •iflvith','white : sheets.' Two pillows : were -placed, ''atthe'head of the'grave, and on them wore' ; tho/, words ''To;l'Whiti, Orongomai." ",Tho '/sides .oftho toriib'"were.draped with valuable /opossum, andfeather mats. Suddenly from ;tne back of'the "big house appeared. Ckarlio ;iWaitara at the head of . a band of;.sixty idancers. Slowly' they marched to the end pf the grave, where they divided into two ■ranks,-, leaving ,(in avenue 'fr6m?the dead chamber to the'tomb. A great wail went up as 'th"o;;body was raised from its, .couch;, and. 'transferred to tho'grave. •' Ere the b'ody-.was ■' lowered into the grave, Charlie ■:■ Waitara. •called of, talk. "Let 1 peace be upon .all' people." Tho- request was;in- • stantly respected, and amid perfect silence tho body was lowered into the masonry ;tomb ; Tlion Charlie -Waitara stepped into- the open and spoke as follows: — ■'.'Lot it,.bo clearly* understood' Te. Whiti- had only one word •'Peace.' • He said.that one word in one way, and his badge was a white feather only. 'All those who;never wore tho feather when Te'Whiti was alive are not his." . At this wero great outcries of dissont from the Tohu-itcs and aon-followors 0f..T0 Whiti.x ' . . Continuing, v/Waitara-. said: —" I; : sh'all ~reY peatdt 'over again so that Pakcha, .Maori, ' and-.-all (other colours present here • to-day, may clearly understand: all thoso,who, did not wear'Te Whiti's white featheriwheniip ; ; was; alive are/not: his people. -He that, was, not .for him was against him.''; (Dissent). "Now,", he concluded, "Te Whiti is going" to .'his-rest. ■ I,.havo in' my hand some earth, which belongs-.to: God, as does all land." Ad--'dressing the .dead., and sprinkling, earth ...on the body, ho continued:" Now I commit you this, day ..to ..the earth. • You shall return, to the earth".from: which you camo. All

Tiations,:;present\here to-day- in this, court;, \ yard. may. hear, and. seo..-It is finished." Ho then announced.that the grave bo loft open half an hour so ithat allPakchas and 'Maoris might get a last look at Te Whiti i' at rest. ' •'. . j Amidst great lamenting, relatives and 'dancers'filed round the gravo, and then tho Pakehas approached, and -looked.'.-into..the. open tomb. ..< ■ -;. ■•• ~. ■ ■ TherNative : band thon struck,up..a lively ■ air,-.hundreds of \ guns were fired, • arid ,whilo , the oldor.women continued their weird, grief cries,, the younger people commenced, to. i. danco a lively haka, and the whole ceremony. 5 was.i.oyer punctually at.two o'clock.; ■ , It .was soon .evident, however, that-Wai- •, tara's, pronouncement of the, exclusion, of all hut To Whiti's .chosen followers from within -"the fold was deeply fesented. -A-well-known. X Nativo. named Kupo bounded fiercely into ■tho-open space,, and, in.an angry oration, ...expressed his disappointment with, .-what . AWaitara. said. Jf that wore to bo so, then. ( the chosen. should follow closely To Whiti's '-. doctrino, which was that the white,feather forbado any transactions with the Pakeha, and any adoption of his ways and customs. I jLot them prove their, isiucerity,.by .refusing ' <to accept any.'more rents, from tho.Public "■Trustee. . ~ ,■■■.., '' -'-,- .'.... This speech: met with apparently' almost- * universal approval, and. other impassioned speakers delivered- themselves in -like, rhan- ' ner.-'v --■"-••■ "-. -■ ■- . ■-.-'•: .■-,••' Opinions differ as to what the outcome of it all, may be,-and whether Waitara's speech, . was not a diplomatic one, to shatter ;'{qr,., -tho belief- in prophots. Tho Rev. Mr. Haddon •inclines to tho belief that ..there may. bca smash-up. in the near future-that will . blo't-Parihaka completely, out. . He, believes that'.while few of the-old .Maoris may stjll, hold : :to the communistic hospitality, tho. ris-ing-generation, which is oven now strongly i advocating indiyidualisation of the •- whole block, that-.thoy may cultivate it;, may, succeed in their ondeavours, and ,thp-,. housor holders—"interlopers," some Maoris, .term are, only in Parihaka, on suffcrr ance, may bo incontinently.evicted from their Parihaka houses. "Then," concluded. Mr. Haddon, "we. may yet see ructions on this historic spot."-,■■ ' ■---.■.. The celebrations in connection .with . tho ~v tangi -still continue, and may go on for , many days. - ' ' :•