THE HOROWHENUA LAKE.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 31 January 1911, Page 2

THE HOROWHENUA LAKE.

; TE R ATIPAH AHA'S REVEXGE. TJIiJ CPUSUES THE MAUOPOKOS Xo. 111. \Yo now (>OlllO to the .story of To P>auparaha's revenue upon the . Mauopoko tribe, for their treachery ' in inviting his people* to a feast, with every show of friendship, and then i falling upon them unawares as they slept.' He had lost many of his host fighters, for he had sent them to protect .his daughter, but their loss was, we may be sure, not felt near .so keenly as the loss of liis ' daughter, and the whole tribe felt that as long as her death was unavenged their fighting name was tarnished. This would _ never do! To Hauparaha felt this—so did every male and female member of the tribe, and when a council of war wa sheld, all wore for giving no quarter to the offenders, hut to 1 wipe the tribe out of existence. ; SI j A V EM. Xo. not all, for one influential ' man proposed that the Mauopokos 1 should be overcome, and alter pnt- ■ ling the men to death, the women ' and children should be taken and 1 made to serve as slaves for ever ; afterwards. ft was not from any ■ sense of mercy that he made the proposal, but that this tribe should he made to fool fmm generation to generation the punishment for its 1 treachery. To make slaves of the remnant would humiliate them be- | fore the whole native race in this land, and they would be known as slaves for nil time. Although this proposal was not accepted, yet it is common to-day to hear the word 1 "slave" applied by other natives to members of this tribe when a drunken quarre;! occurs in the street for 1 a. remnant was spared and kept as slaves. - TK BAUPAHAHA'S I'LAXS. To Bauparaha did not hurry to make reprisals. To have _ acted " 'hastily would have courted disaster. ' lie knew that the Mauopokos would: make every preparation for a siege and a. prolonged fight, and that, as they had not proved oasy-to conquer in the. past, they would tight to the ~ death to hold their lands, knowing that no merc.v would be extended to them bv such an angry foe. The 1 ono thought of this great warrior chief Avas to exterminate the Mauopoko tribe, and to take them unawares would be the best way to this end. Ilow this was to be accomplished was the question debated around the ni'jcht fires on Kapiti I Island. • THOSFi LITTLE'TSLAXtDS. ' The Mauopokos had spies out - around Oban and along the sea. • coast, and to inarch against the i tribe in hot haste meant heavy loss should tiiey meet on open ground. ' To Bauparaha knew also that their enemy, fearing invasion in the past, ' had built places of retreat in the 1 Worowhenua Lake, and these could < not be reached by a land force. 1 Here was the great difficulty that baffled all attempts at solution. - The Mauopokos took to these arti- ■ ficial islands at night and slept in. ' peace. The water 'between them I and the lake shore was too deeo to wade, and the wisdom of the Ngati--1 toas was surely taxed to know how ; to dislodge tho wily foe from their r retreats. ; THE FTOKTO STREAM. * After long koreros, or discussion, I Te I'auparaha decided upon a most . laborious exploit—to ascend tho Hokio stream from the coast with ; war canoes and attack the Mauo- . pokos on his island, resting place. ; Hut -lie was not injudicious enough fo do so soon after the massacre of his daughter and men. Oh, no. Ho made no attempt at reprisals for a long time—some say years—until , lie ihad procured more firearms. And ; here it is well to say that the ac- ■ counts which have come down to us are con dieting. Both tribes tell their own story of how Te .Raupar- • aha pounced upon his enemies at the mouth of the Hokio stream. Those who know the stream as it is at , present will wonder how canoes of , any size could bo brought up by such a, serpentine course. Probab- ; ly. in days gone by it was not as ■ it is to-dav. However, it is said ! that the great chief did come up , flu's stream from the coast. In tho darkness of early night the canoes were paddled along the coast , and. when the stream was entered scouts were sent ahead to give an alarm if needed. THE MAUOPOKO'S OFF GUARD Tho length of time which had elapsed since the massacre of Te Bauparaha.'s c.hosen visitors probab- , ly led the .Mauopokos. to think he was afraid to attack them, and they 'became unwatehful. Months and months had passed and all was peaceful; vigilance was relaxed, and scouts to reconnoitre at night were dispensed with. They had not learned that "eternal vigilaneo is the price of liberty." WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. A different tale would have been told to-day bad the MaiiQpokos been informed of Te Raupara.ha's proposed raid. Thev would have lain, in ambush on the banks of the Hokio, and after getting the foe well in land thev would have fallen upon them suddenly. A -bloody

iijjiit would have ensued, hut le Bauparaha's contingent would have kid no advantage, and probably the tlniililg chief himself would have been murdered with the slain. One little friendly whisper would have changed the fate of the Mauopoko tribe. To Rauparaha'.s plan of action was to send on some scouts, while die and the others camo up the stream. No doubt there were places where the canoes hud to be lifted from the water and carried through tihe brushwood. Among so many strong men this would not be very hard work. The journey wa.s accomplished without any alarm being raided. The entrance to the stream was reached, where the water was wider and deeper. And now every precaution was taken to make the onslaught effectual. A FRIGHTFUL MASSACRE. Te Rauparalia sent several men ashore to work round lo the south of the. island which lies about 100 yards from the Hokio stream. They were to kill any who might seek to escnpo by swimming ashore. At early.dawn the canoes glided towards the first island: every fighter had his finger on the trigger of his "flintlock." Then arose from the canoes and from the shore fierce war cries, which brought the Mauopokos out of tlhcir whares in such a. dazed slate that they were at n double disadvantage. Xuinhers fell where they stood ; others plunged into the lake, hoping to reach the shore and escape, but as they landed a merciless foe met them and they were tomahawked. WOMEX PLSEMBCFWELLEP. Each island was visited and blood shed freely until, as an old chief said, "the lake was all blood." At the islands at the northern end of the lake—those near the Kawin stream—Te Rauparalia found many women. There was no mercy ; they were tomahawked one after the other, and when the dav's bloody work was drawing to a close prenarntions wtc made for a feast thai riicrht. Some of the women on the- rt islands were disembowelled and their bodies drawn through the water at the stern of canoes to demise them previous to cooking. And the fenst that night took idace near where Mrs Hector McDonald's residence now stands. COXCLUSfOX. Tho "niana" of the Mauopokos was at an end. Hundreds fell that day, and but few escaped to tell the tale. Those who were .wed from massacre were made slaves of. The Maoris say that near the islands will yet be found the mere and tomahawks of the vanquished tribe. which were thrown into the water, so that their enemies should not possess them. Yet how peaceful these islands seem to-day, with their rich growth of foliage, resting in the quiet waters of Lake Ilorowhelura. 'Who can imagine ihe awful scene, the heartrending shrieks of the victims, the angry war-cries of the attacking party, and the cannibal feast at" nigiht around blazing fires, where the visitors danced and made speeches glorifying their dead. and recounting all that their tribe bad accomplished in days gone by

"We need not follow up the history of the Mauopokos since those <lays. As years passed they increased in numbers and sought to regain possession of the lake, hut the ydid not get it in warfare. A Xative Land Court gave its decision •in favour of the lake being restored to this tribe, and, ~thoy once more settled upon its shores. lint they were crushed and dispirited, and those who live anionirst the Europeans of the present time live from •hand to mouth, with little desire to improve their condition. LET t'.S BE FIRM rTURNDS. Let us, as Europeans, give the hand of sincere friend.-hip to this vanquished people. They settled by the lake in days so far hack thai history gives us no record. They were peaceful, yet brave. Having found such a deligtful place to dwell—lake and hush and ocean on every hand -they made no raids ■upon other tribes as far as we can learn. It was only when the notorious Te Rauparaha sought a quarrel to dispossess them that t'hey foti<rht: and again and again they held their own. Had it not been for European firearms, which Te "Rauparaha procured because he feared that without them he would not conquer, the Mauopokos would have been a different people to-day. Thov dcseive our sympathy, for they were provoked into a warfare which ended disastrously for them. Some o. the old people are prejudiced agaiat •us. They say we want to rob them of their treasure—-the lake—where they get their eels. AVe wish they could get rid of this prejudice and meet us in a friendly way. We cuuld unite with them in beautifying the shore and making the lake a popular resort—a place in which tfheir rising generation would feel a pride. "We recognise the Mauopoko as one of the bravest tribes in New Zealand, dispirited, no doubt, because of past disasters; but Ave want them iiow to lift up their heads, to give us their in true friendship, and say, "You know that is our water, but we will share it with you. "We are weak- you are strong. Moke it a delight- for vour children and ours."