THE STORY OF THE WAIRAU MASSACRE-NEW VERSION.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1925, 7 October 1874, Page 4

THE STORY OF THE WAIRAU MASSACRE-NEW VERSION.

[FROM THE MARYBOROUGH EXPRESS]

It has often occurred to us that there was a different version of the story of the Wairau massacre to that commonly circulated, and that Te Bauparaha was not quite so guilty as he has been usually represented. We have had his opinion confirmed by remarks made by the Natives still living in the Wairau, who assert that the great chief was not guilty in intention, but considered that he was defending his own lands from invasion. The difficulty, however, of properly comprehending the Maoris for want of intimacy with the Native tongue, has hitherto prevented us from attempting to get the tradition committed to paper as it exists orally among them, and we should be glad if we could induce any of our friends who possess the ability, to carry out the idea. Becently, while reading a paper read by Mr W. T. L. Travers before the Wellington Philosophical Society in 1872, entitled " Some Chapters in the Life and Times of Te Bauparaha, Chief of the Nagatitoa," we came across a passage which confirms the view expressed above, and we therefore place it on record as interesting to those now living in the Wairau. Mr Travers gives the following account, as he received it from the son of Te Rauparaha, and it is valuable as giving that warrior's personal view of the disastrous affair, which occurred on June 17th, 1843, as well as its results : —

" I will now," he says, " leave my account of the battle of Te Kauparaha at this end of the Island, and speak of the folly of the Europeans and Maoris at Wairau, •where Wakefield met his death. The fight, and death of Wakeiieldand the other European gentlemen in 1843, were caused by the deceit of Captain Piringatapu (anglice Blenkinsopp). He deceived Bauparaha, in giving him a big gun for the purchase of Wairau. He wrote some documents in English, which said that he bought that land. Bauparaha did not know what was in those documents, and signed his name in ignorance. Captain Piringatapu told Bauparaha that when he saw the captain of a man-of-war h.9 was to show him the documents that he might know that they were chiefs. Bauparaha thought that it was all correct. When Bauparaha returned from Cloudy Bay, near Wairau, he gave the documents to Hawea to read ; (Hawea, or Hawes, was a European trader residing at Kapitiat the time of the transaction) when he had read them, hetoldßauphara that all his land at Wairauhad passed away to Captain Piringatapu, and that he had received a big gun for it. Bauparaha was angry, and tore up the documents and threw them in the fire, also the documents held by the chiefs of Nagtitoaat Kapiti, and Nagatita of the other island. When Wakefield arrived, and the settlements of Nelson and Wellington were formed, he (Wakefield) went to Wairau for the purpose of surveying. Bauparaha did not consent, as he had not been paid for it, since he had been deceived by Captain Piringatapau. Bauparaha's thought was that the land ought not to be taken by Wakefield, but that they should consider the matter before the land was handed over. Trouble and wrong was caused by the hurried attack of Wakefield and party upon Bauparaha. Bauparaha had told me a good deal about this matter. It was not his desire that the Europeans should be killed ; his love to Wake£eld and party was very great. Ran#ihseata, Bauparaha's nephew, was mislead by his own foolish thought and want of attention to what Rauparaha had said. When Wakefield and party were dead, Bauparaha rose and said, "Hearken Te Bangihseata, I will now leave you as yon have set aside my tikanga, let those of the Europeans that have been killed suffice; let the others live, do not kill them.' Bangihseata replied, 'What about your daughter that has been killiedf Bauparaha replied, 'Why should not that daughter die.' Bauparaha also said, •Now I will embrace Christianity and turn to God, who has preserved me from the hands of the Europeans.' This was the time when he embraced Christianity. I was absent when the fight took place at Wairau, having gone to preach to Ngaitahu. I went as far as Bakaia. I was there one year, .and was the first person that went there to preach. It was on this account that my father did not go there to fight. When Bangihseata again occasioned trouble to the Europeans :at the Hutt, Bauparaha was sad at the folly of Bangihceata in witholding the land that had been purchased from him and Te Rangihaeata by the Europeans for L2OO. Bauparaha endeavored to persuade Bangihseata to cease causing trouble about that land, but he would not hearken.

"Bauparaha was afterwards taken priEoner by Governor Grey at Porirua without suflicient pretext. The following is the reason why he was taken : — A letter was written by some one, to which the name of Te Bauparaha was signed. It was then sent to the chiefs of Patutokotku atWanganui. It was said that Mamaku and Bangihseata wrotetheletteraudsigned the name of Bauparaha to give it force. I was at school at this time with Bishop Selwyn at Auckland, together with my wife Buth, and did not see the capture of my father. When -I returned and arrived in Wellington, I went on board the Calliope, the man-of-war in which my father was a prisoner, to see him. When I saw him we cried together; and when we finished he said to me, ' Son, go to your tribes, and tell them to remain in peace. Do not pay for my arrest with evil, only with that which is good. You must love the Europeans. There was no just cause for my having been arrested by Governor Grey. I have not murdered any Europeans, but I was arrested through the lies of the people. If I had been taken prisoner in battle it would have been well, but I was unjustly taken. ? I returned on Bhore with Matene and went to Porirua, and there saw Ngatitoa and Bawhiri Puaha. We told them the words of Bauparaha respecting good and our living at peace. We then went to Otaki and repeated the same words. At this time we (two) caused the town of Hadfield to be built, at Otaki. From tins time Ngatiraukawa and Ngatitoa commenced to do right. At this time a party, of Ngatiraukawa came to Ngatirwakatere at Manawau— this was the tribe that befriended Bangihseata— 200 of the tribe came on to Otaki, and when they arrived we assembled. Bangihseata invited these people that they might know the thoughts of Matene and myself respecting Bauparaha, who was held as a captive on board the vessel. He wished to destroy Wellington and kill the Europeans as a satisfaction, I told ; them the words of

Raui^araha "when we (two) went to see them (i.e., the chiefs) and the young men. I told them they must put an end to this foolish desire, andfnot hearken to the tikanga of Rangihseata, but they must live in peace and cease that bad desire. They consented. The Ngatiraukawa consented to build the town, that they might obtain a name. When Rauparahs. was liberated, in the year 1846, he urged Ngatiraukawa to build a large church in Hadfield. Town, in Otaki. Had he not returned, the church would not have been built. He had a great desire to worship the great God. He was continually worshipping until he died at Otaki on the 27th November, 1849."