PAI MARIRE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 255, 21 April 1865, Page 2

PAI MARIRE.

(From the Taranaki Herald, April S.) It is hardly possible, at the present time, to take up a newspaper in any part of this island without finding the words Pni Marire, or some mention of the doi.igs of the Pai Marire natives, but no one takes the trouble to tel! us what the thine signified by these words really is. Mr Fitz Gerald might do this if he chose, because he knows every event of importance before it happens—at least the Press says so for him after it has happened, which we suppose is the same thing: for instance, the murder of the Rev. Mr Yolkner is, the Press says, “ a literal fulfilment” of one of his prophecies—and this foreknowledge implies a much deeper insight into the causes and real meaning of an event that any subsequent examination of the event itself can give. Perhaps he may do it hereafter : but in the meantime wo have put down a few particulars concerning this strange phenomenon from information supplied by professors of tbe faith who have come over from the enemy, and some of whom, as at Tubitukipopa, are still practising its rites. But before speaking of the main subject it will be convenient to refer briefly to the religions state of the Maoris before the introduction of Christianity. Their religion, or rather that which among them was most analogous to religion, was prompted by fear or the lowest self-interest—the chief object it aimed at was to avert some threatened evil, and the chief part of their so-called prayer was therefore, properly, deprecation. To them the unseen world was filled with spirits or powers chiefly mischievous. There was supposed to he a fond of active hostility towards men in their divinities, which, however, a skilful man might turn from himself, and, when occasion required, upon his enemy. These divinities wore always watching jealously any infringement of the arbitrary law of tapu to punish or destroy the offender, the infliction of pain and death bem® what alone they delighted in ; but the man was quite safe who was properly versed in enchantment, or who hod a private divinity of his own that was stronger than that of (ho man imposing the tapu. Some of the powers, such as Tane, Tangaroa, and Kongo, having control of the forests and waters and the various products of the earth, might be compelled to listen and to help the man who knew the proper form of incantation, as in fishing or growing food ; their gods inflicted punishment of their own free will,' hut helped only under compulsion. The efficacy of the prayer in all cases depends not in the least on the moral state or frame of mind of the man who used it, or the moral fitness of the thing asked for. but. solely on the right use of certain words, and the due performance of the required rites. Maori prayers, therefore, was as much a mechanical operation as cookery. And their morality was in accordance with the state of their theology—if that can be called morality which, having no other sanction than the very narrowest utility, prescribed to each man little else than what seemed good in his own eyes. Even from this bare outline it may be judged what probability there was of such a people suddenly becoming Christians in reality, and whether it ought to surprise us if we find that they subsequently revert to their old heathen practices. As wc related ssme months ago, the founder or prophet of the Pai Marire faith was a Taranaki native, Horopapera Tuwhakararo, otherwise called Te Ua. In the year 1563 he became slightly insane, and when the Lord Worsley was wrecked he wished the passengers and crew and all the goods to be sent into town untouched, and the refusal of the tribe to consent to this increased his

disorder. Shortly afterwards he saw the angel Gabriel, who instructed him to preach a new gospel. His first injunction to his tribe was to leave off fighting and live peaceably—hence th» term Pai Marire, which as far as it means anything, means “be peaceable,” or “ quiet.” Subsequently he enjoined that bibles and prayer books, churches, the institution of marriage send of the sabbath—in short, all that the missionaries had taught them—and the missionaries themselves should be put aside. The only pakehas to be tolerated .among them were the Jews as being with them the common descendants of Shorn, wild was now declared to be their progenitor, and it appears that they have adopted the word Jew (Tin) as a designation for their priests. The origin and progress of the faith, hare not been wanting in miraculous attestations. Te Ua having 1 iii his madness attacked and beaten the wife of Te Meiha or Big Jack, the latter retaliated by beating the prophet severely, finally tying him up lest he should do further mischief. The ropes, however, according to the report, unloosed themselves without human intervention, and set Te Ua free. He was then bound with a chain, which was padlocked, but the chain parted asunder in every link. His child was a cripple, having a twisted foot; he pulled this violently, or struck it with an axe, for accounts vary, breaking the bone, and ultimately killing the child. His wife told this to the tribe, who sent a party to capture him, but when they got near there was the child alive and sound. At the taking of Kaitake one man, whose name we have forgotten, caught a bullet in his hand which was coming straight to his chest, and threw it aside ; this gift, however, seems to have been neglected a few weeks later at Sentry Hill. The wildest cattle will obey the call of true believers ; and a dog at Te Kopua, which had not sufficiently respected the sanctity of the tiu, was observed suddenly to raise a great outcry, and fall dead in the midst of the worshippers. The evidence for these miracles would probably not be such as to convince a sceptic, but seems’to be quite satisfactory to those who see the spiritual fitness of the doctrines they goto establish. The new prophet, however, made but little progress until some time after (he war had begun in 1863 ; then the divine afflatus or prophetic power was communicated to Hoard Arawhititaua (or Tuhutahi) by smoking Te Fa’s pipe, and subsequently to Hepanaia and Wi Porana. It was the two former who prompted the journey to Ahuahu. prophesying that some pakehas woidd be delivered into their hands, and it was they who, after the death of Captain Lloyd and others, licked the blood from the axes winch had been used to cut off the dead men’s heads. Hepanaia wa* killed three weeks after at Sentry Hill, but if the victory had occurred on the fith instead of on the 30 April, as it might if our men had been true to themselves, the history of this pernicious fanaticism would have been materially, perhaps totally changed. The first uiu, or* worshipping post, was set up at at. Kaitake, and was used also as the flagstaff standing on rbe flat below behind (he palisading. These posts are now all over this side of the island, in the interior, the East Cape, and elsewhere, but (ho Kaitake flagstaff, it appears, was the first. Some friendly natives only last week were about setting one up at Bell Block, but were stopped by Mr. Parris. The believers we have consulted, though well acquainted with all the rites and the history of it from the beggiuning, are not able to explain why the post holds such and important place in their ceremonies, nor why thev go round it—probably the originator of the custom could give no intelligible reason himself any more for (he gibberish equally unintelligible to Maori and pakeha, which constitutes the greater part of their so-called prayers. A rationalising native has suggested that the object of the going round was to make those being initiated giddy and confused as being a more favourable state of mind to receive the faith; but if we reflect that the founder was a madman we shall not look too narrowly for a reasonable explanation, or expect much logical coherence in the svstem.

The question, why such a system has spread so rapidly among the natives is an exceedingly interesting inquiry, but we do not think the answer is far to seek. People wonder thal men who were Christians should follow such unchristian courses, and the thing would be wonderful if true. The Maoris took up Christianity lightly, professed a belief in it without understanding what it meant, and have as lightly cast it aside. Before Te Da and iiis doctrines were heard of beyond bis own immediate neighbourhood, and long before bis madness was thought to be inspiration, natives of other districts bad begun to mingle their old heathen incantations with the church service, as at the raising of the new king’s flag atMataitawa on September 10, 1862. The difficulty was that they could not altogether throw aside the Christian teaching without denying the Christian God, and this they dare not do. But when Te Da’s message was understood, it was seen that, without setting up another god, he had got over the difficulty by declaring himself the recipient of a new revelation, annulling the old religion and its rules of life, and leaving every one as free as in ancient times to follow his own devices. This is the secret of the success of the Pai Marire, that it removes the restrictions on free action imposed by Christianity, and gives a divine sanction to whatever they may choose to do.