NATIVE ITEMS

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 39, 23 September 1867, Page 235

NATIVE ITEMS

[Daily Southern Cross, 12th. September.}

We are glad to find that there is a speedy prospect of the interior of the country being opened by the natives to European enterprise. Within the past few days the well-known Hauhau laader Hakaraia has intimated to the Europeans that be is willing to open the country j and has promised to go to the king at Tokongamutu, between Hangatiki and the head of the Mokau, and endeavor to induce him to’ remove the aulcati , and enable the Europeans to travel safely throughout the interior, between Waikato and Napier. There is every reason to believe that he will succeed, the king having already shown a conciliatory spirit to Europeans who suffered loss at the hands of his adkerants. The noted Hau-hau, Kereopa, whose connection with the murder of Mr Volkner will not have been forgotten, is with the king. The domination of the refugee Ngatiporous, in the district between Waikato and the Thames having become intolerable to the resident natives, they have been ordered away, and have crossed over to their former location at Whangamata, on the Tauranga side. This step bodes well for the peaceful opening of the Thames district, which would be most advantageous to both races. Tho late chief Tioriori was buried without any attempt at secrecy (as we had been wrongly informed) close to tho spot at Maungatautari where he died. . His tribe, the Ngatikoroki, elected Tarika, his nephew, to the chiefianship of the tribe. Bis elevation has been assented to by the Ngatikauas, to whom they are nearly related. This young chief bears an excellent character, and is more of a European in thought and habit than most of the interior natives. This fact was somewhat against his elec* tion, but it is satisfactory to ns to know it. The report, which came from a correspondent at Harapipi, and was published in our last summary edition, to the effect that an aulcati had been drawn close to Alexandra, turns out to have been a mistake. We are extremely glad of this, aud hope that the natives and Europeans may hereafter live in amity together. r i he recall of Sir George Grey does not seem to have caused m uch regrot amongst the natives. On the contrary, they regard it as of little account, except in so tar as they construe it into a censure for the part his Excellency took in suppr*. ssing the rebellion.