PAI MARIRE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 250, 10 April 1865, Page 2

PAI MARIRE.

Its ELEMENTS, OBJECT, AND PROBABLE CONSEQUENCES.

(From the Hew Zealand Herald.) Having, unfortunately for myself, had a rare opportunity of examining in*o the sentiments of the adherents ot this superstition, an’d come to a conclusion differing materially from tile general impressions on this subject, I am tempted to give you the result of my observations. ° Ist. Pai Marire, as a faith, belief, and superstition, has the most flimsy texture ; that is, there is little or nothing in the shape of doctrine inculcated on neophytes. It is at least, as yet, altogether destructive rather than constructive, although, at the same time, the priests and those supposed to be whlim “ the veil” permit it to be whispered among the public that they Have large supernatural powers, they still are as'tute enough to avoid any assertion which can be brought to the proof. Their followers, however, are not so reticent, nor, as is manifest, would it serve the purpose of the high priests that they should 'He. Beyond a string of‘gibberish, unconnected meaningless words, which are supposed' to hare a meaning but which no one attempts to explain, there is no “ confession of faith.” So much for its constructive manifestation. In its destructive' development it is most seen. It commences bv inculcating that all Christian dortri.ie,'’ontological and dcontologioal, are cn e! delusions 'practised on the ignorance of the Mao i fpr the "temporal benefit of the white man generally and-the missionaries specially; that coVs qtiently all the hitherto tiught' con. ept ous of virtue and right and wrt rig (moral iuiprcs. ions) are erroneous, it teaches this n ■gi.tively, rather than positively, that advantage to the Maori race is the only test of right and wrong : murder, rapine, lying, deception, debauchery, becomes in. tins manner legalised, and by tins trait in Pai Marire, it appeals umst effectively to all the evil elements of savagery and Mtioristn. When we see it thus appealing, and hear in mind that the hidependemv, individuality, cruelty, absence of the amiable impressions, overwhelming vanity, and selfishness, which really are the exclusive traits of the Maori, and constitute his “sum total,” ail irresistibly and naturally impel the Maori in the same direction, it is mure remarkable that, any should refrain from adopting Pai Marire, than that all should adopt it. The reason, however, for the- isolated cases of incredulity is found in the local position of the unbelievers" It has been long believed that cruelty aud cowardice are inseparable, if they be not really one. I choose rather to consider them developments of an entity in the mind; but the Maori, from the extreme development of his individuality or selfishness, may really be brave, physically and morally (taking hi 3 moral guago), and yet exhibit savage cruelty to us without its having that aspect to him. A Maori with his property in danger will steal, rob, and murder, &c, r furtively, and abstain from open war; while yet were his property out of danger he would fight openly and boldly enough j this can scarcely be called cowardice, it is selfishness or individuality, the preeminent development of the Maori. All his training irony early childhood goes" to foster aud ■ develop this characteristic. Is it therefore exclusively personal considerations which restrain any tribes or portions of tribes from Pai Marire? So much for its elements.

2nd. Its objects maybe separated for investigation into two classes of primary and secondary, both in relation to time and purpose. First, in relation to time, the object of its propagandists is to enlist all the turbulent and erildispoSed into a fraternisation of passive resistance towards the Government, and active annoyance towards individual colonists, in fact, the old Maori policy of coercion by moral influence through our fears and apprehension. It is to this end that the* expression Pai Marire has such significance to them at present; the general meaning of Pai Marire is “qiiiet arrangement;” its present one comprises an injunction not to be hastj in renewing hostilities dr making concession to let their relations with the Government remain as they are, to benefit by any concession made by it without giving anything in return. For examgle, if desirable locations are offered in a safe place or places, from which they can keep the white population in uncertainty, .the offer if otherwise not objectionable ts to be accepted. The sale of land as contributing to their means of resistance is desirable as it can be re-occupied, and must be quietly surrendered back to them. There is no objection, therefore, to the sale. The secondary object involves the weakening of the natives-parties, whose position locally would induce ihem to refrain from committing their property to the risk of confiscation', and compel them

in an amicable manner to make'common cause with, anti-civilisation through the large defection of their youiig and vicious men, and when the whole are thus muted in a manner not hitherto attained, and the military force is reduced or altogether withdrawn, as they calculate on, the strife of extermination is to be entered on with far greater prospects of success, which is the secondary object. The murder and savagery •practised on the late Mr Volkuer must.be referred to several motives, more and less immediate, and. C may be excused for referring- to them digressively, and one of these motives is'" one which arises from the all absorbing element of Maorism, not generally

understood. ' We have olaeady stated that, the pre-eminent characteristic of the Maori is his vanity, chiefly his for notoriety. . Ceteris paribus, of any given number of Maoris, say at Upotiki Mr Voikner’s.,Monitor maybe assumed to have received most benefit from Mr Volkner. He may thus be assumed to have, of all the natives there, been under most obligation to him; this granted, it is clear that the Monitor would deserve and receive the greatest amount of applause if he murdered Mr Volkner on patriotic ground as being the man who would lose most by Mr Voikner’s destruction. , In any other native to murder Mr Volkner might be patriotic (I of course use patriotism here from a iative rebel view), but in the Monitor to do this, it would be viewed as a. very conspicuous amount of disinterestedness and personal sacrifice for the good Maori cause. The gratification of vanity, so conspicuously, is beyond any Maori to resist, and we may rest assured that by conferring benefits on them until there is a .considerable revolution in their minds, we offer the greatest incitement to aggression upon ourselves; our own high civilisation has not quite removed the idea, “ that to confer a favor is to make an enemy,” and this without the sour of . vanity. I have acted on this theory (if you will)-, and engaged a nascent (Maori) personal enemy, who remained an active friend during the wap. 1 watchfully prevented his receiving any great favors from him but could not avoid his being fed by him when quite destitute of resources. I know, or say believed, all along that if I should fall under Maori violence, that would be the hand to inflict it, but .trusted to his ability to watch the signs of the times, and "avoid the concluding proof of the theory. The time has arrived when this Maori would acquire all the glory of the act, and the executioner is manfully ready for his part, but the proofs we heed not say, is incomplete, for the, ■ fact is 1 skedaddled—and trust to make this a drawn game between us, and in a short time probably commence a new one. Poor Volkner was not so fortunate, the mischief lay in his way, and he found it taken. The inherent individuality, of the Maori, the thoroughness with which their minds are embued with it, the energy of their characters we can realise, as also the difficulty' which repelled ail the labor of the missionaries, aud rendered it quite fruitless. For it must be admittsd by all rational honesty that missions to savages have no other fruits than in thj mission' reports ; and therp.is.good . reason a priori .why it should bo so; a savage Christian and a Christian savage are the same and impossible beings, a contradiction in terms, ' lie missionaries have not succeeded .because they could not-suc-ceed. The recognition of this principle is one of the first consequences of pai-umpire.. The nex* should, be, and is derived from a proper appreciation of the former, that Maoris cannot, as no men ever have, become civilised until they have been enslaved. Holy Writ substantiates this. Ethnic eistory tells the same as far as it is to be relied on, ■ and later times, besides other examples, show that good old England itself was once inhabited by a horde of savages until subjected to the iron hand of Borne; ror was it.one subjugation, but three which, by compelling obedience, taught Englishmen to estimate order and true liberty. The process seems startling no, doubt to many, but is a constant one in all things nevertheless. Let us - hope that we shall now at length see t hat submission must precede order and civilisation, blit this, however, is conjectural. The fraternization of a large body of the natives is one certain consequence of pai marirism. and whether they shall now or at some future time be directed against the whites, is an alternative depending 011 our own acts. That is, if we attempt to reduce them to order, they will resist; if we do not they will institute and prosecute a system of constant aggressions and incessant alarms to render the country uninhabit-, able, or compel us to destroy them. To Mr Voikner’s murder this was one of the impelling motives. Open hostilities is the very last card they wish to play in this provinoe’at present—for ' they, besides other reasons, require this season to reorganise resources in provisioning, &c. Were there any great delusion taught which could be tested, however remote the time for the proof were placed, we might expect a (reaction, from hopes excited but not realised ; but when it only teaches savagery to debauched brutalised savages, there will be no reaction. Their state now, and that of

any body of white felons, may be equal in atrocity, but in the latter there is always some sentiment, or feeling, or aspiration .in soma one of them which can be cultured to improvement; but in the pai marire proselyte there is not one. P. C.