A VALUABLE ANCIENT PATAKA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1140, 30 May 1911, Page 4

A VALUABLE ANCIENT PATAKA.

j FOR THE DOMINION MUSEUM. The Dominion Museum has at last been fortunate enough to obtain a specimen of a pataka, or storehouse, in tho finest stylo of old Maori carving. This is tho pataka called Pukehiua, which formerly stood in the pa at MaKetu, JJay of Plenty —a district noted for fine Maori carving. Parts of it are considerably decayed from exposure, but after some slight restoration it will be an extremely nue exhibit. It is about tho last-carved pataka known to exist in a Native settlement.

Tho history of this valuable relic, according to tne old chief To Otimi, Mihi lu Ratonua, is as follows:—In 1823, Hongi lfika, the redoubtable Ngapuhi warrior, over-ran the liay of Plenty district, and in March of that year ho captured Mokoia Island, in liotorua Lake, slaughtering and enslaving a great number of tho Arawn tribe. Hongi took his war canoes into the W'aihi Estuary, near Maketu, and up tho -Pougakawa Stream to the nearest point on Kotoehu Lake, drawing them some miles to that lake, and then through the Tahuna Porest, by what is now known as Hongi's track, to fiotoiti Lake, and so to, liotorua and Mokoia. On the way inland, in endeavouring to turn a sharp bend in the Pongakawa Stream, ono of the canoes was seriously damaged, and had to be abandoned. It was afterwards partly destroyed by fire, lu 1839, the Arawa tribe permanently reoccupied their ancestral homo at MaKetu, and one of their hapus, Ngatiwhakahemo, under To Metara and other chiefs, went and fetched tho slabs of thp abandoned canoe, and built this pataka, which was named Pukehina after their famous pa near Otamarakau. It was the only pataka erected in Maketu until Tc Pokiha faranm built the famous one now in Auckland Museum. When tho Pukehiua pataka was moved in 190\ to make room for the new mcet-iu."-houso called To A who, the pacpae, or Ion" board which crosses (he iront, was abandoned, as it had become 100 rotten for rebuilding, and it will have to bo replaced. The Director »f the Museum (Mr Hamilton) is of opinion that it can be r'ecarved from tho photographs he has of the pataka as it existed in its perfect state many years ago. Unfortunately, it is not likely that tho pataka will bo visible to the public for sumo time, at any rate, as thorc is no space in tho present museum building to erect it. Tho valuablo national collections stored there have long outgrown the limited accommodation available, and Mr. Hamilton greatly regrets that ho is unable to put the Pukehiua pataka on exhibition. It will remain slacked in pnrts, but a photograph of it hangs in the museum, and other photographs of details aro being prepared. Mr. Hamilton lias had his eye upon this valuablo and ■indent specimen of Maori art for many vears, and its final acquisition is tho out. 'come of a good deal of forethought and clfort. .