With MUCH Protesting.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 698, 24 December 1909, Page 11

With MUCH Protesting.

. (BY "JENNY WREN.") ' • p

; Korneno, Weaver of flax baskets and strangelooking but beautifully woven mats, squatted in a sunny corner of the verandah, the slim, nervous fingers working with a" cunning and dexterity few pakehas could hope ,to possess. Ifivo or six little brown balls of children, black haired," black eyed, • chubby lolls of impisliness, tumbled and, played on 1 thb; ground in front of her, :while- two or three big-boned 'hens,, in company with a-few stray puppies, wandered in and out of the open doorway. In a. paddock at the side of tli'e whare several Maori women in bright-coloured dresses were hard, at work digging: potatoes and occasionally "varying tho monotony of their occupation' bygathering together and holding an animated korero, . broken by frequent bui-sts of laughter. • , Hearing .' approaching footsteps, ■ Komene looked. up, and ' with a smile that lent a singular sweetness to her face,'. greeted the in -Maori, fashion. I was. her- friend, and had been her pupil, and many were the times when' wo had'laughed together over the wild blunders that had been: made in-learning her language. . '/Drawing' over a ; somewhat ricketty .looking chair,' one with whose peculiarities I was .well acquainted/and knew how-to circumvent, she told me .to sit down, and,, with a long, deep sigh,; let her work fall unheeded upon lier lap, and fumbled for that deepest; joy'of : all her days—a most disreputable dirty black pipe. Carefully she iilled-it with the tobacco I had."brought her, and lit it, -then leaned against - the ■ verandah post, and gave herself .up'-to the first few moments of an absorption too solemn and too blissful to bo lightly broken into by anyone. -' /-- . :As she sat there, bent anil drooping with, tlic. burden of; her many years, how many no one knew, .the .dim- dark eyes, .deeply :sUnlcenUnder the: overhanging eyebrows, seemed ; tohold/'the patience, the sorrow, and the wis-; dom of all the l ages. ..So forlorn, so helpless : and: frail a .'figure she; looked, memory, incar-nate,that-I suddenly felt, troubled . and; uneasy - about, her. Something .was verj;: wrong jin her, world, it was plain. • Touching , her, 'gently, 1-asked: ' . , ; "What-^tro'ubles' you, '.IComene?" .'l'or a space she gazed ;in: front of her; no Vword, no.-moveinent.-to show that she, heard. Then, turning slowly so that her wrinkled, tattooed, face looked-.into mine, she; spoke v wearily-in her-own tongue. ; . "Aio, Meri, • "old;': friend. • ' You have read truly. The tears are running down my . cheeks and there is a heaviness- upon :liy spirit these . days., The; shadows •; are ■ coming nearer and. nearer, and . soon old IComene will have gonehencq. One by one wo of - the old faith-' of .the.Maori-pass and are. seen.no-more.;by men; and our children and bur grandchildren know, riot, or scorn, ithe wistlom and 1 the old ways of . oUr ,ancestors: What have they in their place? - What has .become of the courage, the. strength, the 'scorn. of death, the running, the handicraft/ and the skill that was once outs?. The children and the young men : and maiden's -to-dayshow signs of hone of .these things.-No wonder : my' heart is . sad when T think of all that is lost. to us,: and: how, we ' are, melting a;way like, the early-'mist on the'mountains, when the sun bursts forth." ,-

The,-slightly husky-voice stopped short and; then broke intp .a little soft, wailing croon, to which , her .body rhythmically from aide,, to 'side.; Presently, it died. : away,', and TComone commenced again with a deep chuckle and: a . wicked glint: in her eyes.. . . ■ ''Yesterday,' Meri, : the -lady ..from the - mis-. ision, came-.to; see'me,. to : talk toime !of the pakeha religion.: ;She did ask me.;to' call her .■'Sisteri,May,\but I said ,'Np!' - I wiU 'call you •'May,' but not 'Sister ilay.' ' Sho n'anted to .- know why, but I. would not tell her. for' Some time. V However, she, would not be quieted,-, so by and by'l said that to call her .'Sister, May' was 1 a sign •-of equality; We .Maoris, .many of us,.trace our .'ancestry back.to the time of the great liekc, generation after generation," and our records,have been carefully handed down by word , pf -mouth". Pakehas dp not .know beyond their grandfathers; but,- theyf take, care to. know • all ; about tho genealogies pf.; their herses,' their;, sheep, their cattle, and :' their dogs. . How then, could I call' her 'Sister'? .Theyl teach us religion.; and in return take 'away., our " lands, and leave , us > 'waipiro' ; tp - make us-drunk, and, want to train our maidens 'to -be servants. : to - their women. -. Two for the pakeha and one for the. Maori always. ; "Listen, Meri; ' Since-you love us: and',have worked among us, learning our tongue and studying our customs, 'I can speak to, you of things'_tliat happened long ago, and wliat they have given rise tp now7-pf tho time when the country, was not overrun by the pakeha as it now'.is.,-, - .: . - ■■ - , "Away in tlio north, on tbe.banks„of,,a.river that rich ' the' lands' through winch it flowed, ; there'lived a great chief, Taipari' bj name, of; very. great mana . indeed;;; The tale 3 •of;.his:.: valour, , of. his. fierceness, and of, his strength ;liad travelled far " airidng the tribes, and ha'dv caused him-to, be/.held in, great respect, especially by. the young men, who were i to ; follow; in, his -footsteps.. "This: chief had a daughter-beautiful as the-kowhai when it .'has just burst'into the glory of its flowering . time, and with ' a: voice . like that; of the tui in the early morning "hours.. Kina was her name. . As -yeas' frequently our way- in" those .days,, she was betrothed a few' days after-'her, .birth to-.the pon of the chief of a very powerful and warlike tribe, and by 'this- arrangement much land and'great. fishing rights: would Im f 'seeur«d,later on to her people. . : : . : , "As the years grew, so-did her,beauty,-cour- . age,.; and, sweetness. -At. night-time .in the whare-matoro," the 1 young warriors .would - perfom all -, their greatest, feats, of strength" and » i, ■' > r ?] a H■ . th . eir ' drilling-. tales, ■' an'd tell of-the, loves'and deeds of-, the great'warriors of old-all t to gain thevsiniles of. Eina. i'uhara. -whom she was to marry, excelled in : all tho . ganjes, could .overcome the .strongest and most skilful in wrestling,' and had been : proved a brave and --crinning ' warrior.' Beyond all, things did he love Eina,: but 'a wayward thing is the heart of a woman Meri, be .she white brown. Eina would marry Puhara since their people so strongly wished it and ] since she liked hini, but that was/all. Al"P', l ' off the marria'go more than once till.Puhara began to get angryvand talked matters'.out with ;her parents. -■ . 'V, ia^ t tllo ti™?, wme ,when her' departuro for -tho , home of Puhara was , at :hand, and ovoryono- in tho/kainga- was working -busily Jaway at mats, collecting stores of food for •tho toast, and making great preparations for' tho' OVOIIt. : ."Twp nights be'fpre the day of the'marriage' a.great, gathering of the tribe fook place in the whare-matorp, as there were. to be, great' matches between,men renowned throughout tho for: their - wrestling. :'Like strong,' straight , kauris of the. bush' they: stood, and thon as they . strove with 'one another, the | great cords -of muscle would show liko-great ropes and, knots, on their bodies, their breath j would come in gasps,: their eyes gleam like fire, and then-one would prevail. Aie! :Even nowmy old blood - runs quicker to think of. those struggles and those' men, Meri. There are •none like thom (eft .now!" Overcome by sprrpw at tho thpught, Kpmene rocked herself from side to side with her mournful croon, beating her breast'with hei hands, and utterly oblivious of all around, •lor a long time she mourned while r possessed myself, in patience till she: gradually roused,herself and went on with her story. "As , Eina' entered the meeting-house that night, she noticed among the. crowd of young men ,onc who was a "stranger (o her—a.tall, cemmanding-lboking man with faco much tat-" tooed and a. greatscar across his'forehead. For one brief moment their: eyes met, but in that moment all else became as shadows. Ypupakehas are cold,' Meri, And know not love, as as. we know it. so that to you this may seem to be utter foolishness. We are different. Our blood;runs faster and fiercer; our spirit-knows its'mate, and then not even death nor tho Under; World can part: us. '.;• : . "In all: tho games that .night he;was the quickest and the, most skilful. No,one put such fire and passion into the hakns as he, and when it came to the wrestling, iio ono could stand against him, not even Pnliara, Never was there such a man, and aftor each victory, his oyes -would seek 'Eina's and tell hor all bis tonguo would gladly say. The hearts of allthe maidens were : taken by storm, so lost in admiration: were they, of his bearing and his prowess, and they could not' keep..their eyes from him, nor their .tongues' from praising Jiim. Eina alono was' quiet. v ."Blindly;, like';'one bewitched, sho left the meeting-house when the games and the merriment wero over, and tried to lose herself in slcop."Useless! Sleep would not come! Wide eyeil, -restless, slie lay. in - the darkness. The' deep-breathing of'her companions, and their uneasy tossings and; turnings, added to her un--quietue'ss.- Sho felt suffocated,- and longed for the 1 fresh night: air and the bright starlight—' .she'.would seo what.they counselled. Softly, co that: sho might not disturb tho sleepers, she. roso and crept outsido. Hardly, lppkiug, lost in a dream, eho took tho path that lea to "tha rlvor, and aat on tho bank. Weirdly, like tor-

niented ghosts,' tho toi-toi waved and whisperr ed above the backwater, and mournfully tho morepork's called to ono another as they flew heavily into tlio bush. Time passed by, ivhen all at once she saw a form move out from the nhatlows ti nd stride towards her, and then a voice softly called her by name. "Startled, she saw it . was the stranger wlio had so delighted them all that evening. He, too, had been restless, tormented by longing. The night air had breathed many things to him,many wild plans. -Ho thought of the love's of Hinempa and Tutanekai, of Ponga and Puhiliuia, of many others. They had conquered everything—why, not lie? And then Rina herself appeared before his .-dazed eyes. "Torea .was a man of action—whatover happened found lym ready to meet it, armed at all points. Like a fluttering bird, held by tho power of the man before her, Rina stood lis;tening to his words, unable to move from the spot. A poet, a famous orator, as well as a warrior, poured out his heart before her, and the tenderness and passion itith' which' he painted their lives together was like a'mighty flood that threatened to: siveep her from her feet. Well she knew what would befall them should they bo captured..'The anger of her people .and Puhara's' would be fierce and deadly, tho insult unforgivable, never to be wiped out.' The chase would be long and ilnrelenting. Brilliant indeed would be the sunshine, but tho. shadows deep and dark. And then she thought of PuhaTa, the man she did" not love, and of Torea; the man who held every thought, every breath of her being already. She'would go! "Early the next morning the pa was astir, The marriage ot the children of great chiefs, does not take place every day,'and from far and wide Natives began , to'appear. As time flew, by, signs of uneasiness became evident. People were asking: 'Where is Rina? Who has seen her?'. One'.looked to another for information, but in vain'. Uneasiness grew into alarm, and alarm into dark angry suspicion when it mas found that Torea was missing also. Search was made .that proved flip- two had undoubtedly fled together 'during the night. With fierce anger in his heart and an evergrowing sorrow, Puhara joined in the hunt for tho fugitives. . Taipari -burned, with rage over his broken, hopes, but in spite of the- keenness of their search no trace was found; of tho missing ones.. They had vanished completely and utterly, and many were to he found'who shook their, heads and whispered fearfully: of witchcraft. How . else could they have appeared like spirits? "Many, years , later, during one of the tribal wars of the Coast Maoris, a village was raided, the-chief and all the. inhabitants, save two' who made their escape, being massacred. 1 For many weary days they wandered, a.ivoman almost out of,her mind, and a little girl of eight: Not an hour, not a minute "ttiat; might not. give, them into the hands of tlieir enemies, and the country in: which they;' wandered was weird, and wild beyond words. It was a land of demons and incantations, haunted by Ibsfc and wailing spirits, and was well named Taipos. At last, weary - and famished,, with life almost gone ( they fell into the hands of pitying. Natives, who carried them to their-kainga, and did all they could. to: restore .fresh life and: energy to: their' exhausted -todies. >

' "Curious to see theso two' wanderers, who, if . ruinour spoke correctly, had survived "all, sorts of' hardships and horrors,,;a chief, who .had, .'broken a long journey, bj*; calling in atXthe. kainga, walked without ceremony into the whare into 'which, 'they had been.carricd. As he gazed down- at. the .woman, who had lain there.,mo-tionless-and in a, stupor ever since, :.those about saw i him start suddenly,-bend down and examine li'er.face moro closely,:and then call 'Rina! Rina I' as though lie .v;ould .drag her' from the Spirit World itself. . "Slowly, unwillingly—life had done its worst— the eyelids, fluttered up, disclosing: eyes beautiful; still, but of, an . unearthly .brilliancy and sizeV It would have taken much to niako Rina, .for it was she, unrecognisable .to. this ,man.. Solemnly, blankly,: for.' the first ' few moments, she stared at him, then. whispered faintly 'Puhara!' Summoning all her energy, she raised-herself.upon:her elbow,-and looking wildly at her lover of years ago, iiaid rapidly, 'Puhara! ,They,have killed-.Torea; and now I, tbo;)am dying, so that' I niay beS with him.' Airihi'..will :be'left'alone!- : ':j,; "With that,all. life, all animation seenied to leave her, and at sunset, at tho moment a flock of-Jvild-swans flew northwards overhead, their •wildi'atfd'fnioui'nful. cry falling faintly earthwards, tho last breath fluttered on her lips and .Kina's .life-was over.:' The people .said afterwards that''a white swan, shining'like silver, with.the last gleams of the sun on its plumage, and coming'from they.knew.'not where, joined tho'flock as it: was disappearing from sight.'' It was the spirit of Rina making its way to the Spirits' Leap—far to the Xorth." \ . .Once moro silence fell between us—a silence I dared not Jjreak,' though I 1 longed to ask. her ' about.'Eina's dapghter." Almost'as though'readiiig riiy'.,thoughts,'lvomeno. mournfully: s 'Hava .I not 'said- how the-' Maoris of later generations aro forsaking the ways 'of their fathers. . Did not Rina's'daughtir Airiiii—my own grandchild, for I was: Kina's ' . mother—. marry a pakeha, a. soldier, it is, true,: but-still not one of us. And now," with a. comical mixture -of' pride and . anger, "her; daughter has learnt the ways of the pakeha in nursing tho sick, and is'going! about among us . teaching us to despise the' ways of the tohunga and to nurse as vomvpeople do, Meri. No wonder.my spirit is. full of sorrow and those of iiiy own blood.do. such' things." ■ 'vi , : Her story and her troubles told, Komene''rose from her lottly' seat, and, stpod. looking, with ■unseeing eyes across t)ie sunlit : valley to' tho purple shadow-chased mountains in the distance— ppo'r '.lonely relic;of the past,she had -told of.: Out in the-'fields the women still.chAtf tered and'worked, and the children tumbled and' played with one another, while two or three men ; strolled about, : smoking,' and laughing at them, all alike heedless of the problem their. destiny made for the juster ( minded, of tlicir conquerors._ -' : : "Farewell, - Meri!" i "Farewell,: Komene!"