MAORI ORIGIN.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 October 1924, Page 4

MAORI ORIGIN.

FURTHER INTERESTING RESEARCH.

PROFESSOR 51AC.MIU.AX RJiOW.VS TOUR. WELLINGTON, Sept. 29. Or .Macmillan Rrmvn, Chancellor of the University of New Zealand, was n passenger by the Tahiti, which arrived from San Francisco to-day. Fur some twenty years past Professor . Rrown has been studying tlie Pacific Ocean and its people, and especially the problem how it has been peopled, in pursuance of that research work he has just completed several months’ visit to the north-west coast of America.

“I have visited nearly till the other groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean, also the coasts of China and Japan, and 1 have gone all through South and Central America,” said Dr I’.rown, "I have made these visits with a view of seeing what could be made out id these lands as to the peopling of the Pacific Ocean. This trip to the nol'th-wost coast of America was to see whether there was any warrant for thinking that there is ait affinity between those peoples and Polynesians. The voyagers Cook, Vancouver, Portlock and Aleut's seemed all to report a likeness between the culture of these north-west coastal Indians and Polynesians and also indicated that, they were, when their faces were washed, white (It alnlost. while. AI.ONCOI.Ori) ELEMENT.

“I went to see them personally, ami was disappointed to find that they wore almost as .Mongoloid as the Indians of the interior, broad and high cheekbones and black, lank hair. These were especially marked in the Mniilas and Queen Charlotte group (ol Prince Rupert, Rritish Columbia). I made two visits to them, and the natives undoubtedly have much more of a European look in their laces than those to the north in Alaska. ’I he Ihlinkeets extend all along the coast of United .States .Alaska. ‘Then again there arc on Vancouver island another sootioli cbinlilonly culled Xovtkas, although timt was a mere mistake of Cook calling thorn Nontkns. They are intermediate between the llaidas and Tlilinkeets in their features. Rut there is a reason for all these coastal Indians being .Mongoloid. Defeated tribes fro in tlie interior broke through frequently to the coast. It was a great refuge of defeated tribes, hence there are ail immense number ol dialects and languages amrngst the coastal peoples. SOME CUSTOMS LIKE THOSE OF MAORIS.

‘‘.Secondly there was a custom of slave tradio from south to north. Those in Vancouver Island and on the adjoining coast, alter delentiug the less warlike Indians inland, sold their captives in the north-west to the llaidas and Tlilinkeets. It would, of course, he the chiefs that would get captive women into their households, hence there would he a .M.ongolisiiig ol the posterity of those chiefs. I lound a great deal of culture very much akin to Polynesian culture. As voyagers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries pointed out, there we're ‘pas’ or villages all along the coast, gelinally on precipices and in defensible situations, lienee there is one island called ‘ llippnsh’ Island, and early voyagers noted that it was like the New /.calami 'pas’ oil the roast. I saw a goo:! inaov weapons and implements that were very like Ihe .Maori. One especially, a elnh of bone, was quite the same shape as a Maori mere. '| here was one curious phenomenon all along the coast. Whenever I brought iiiv camera to hear the natives hid their faces or vvc’il olf. Two experts in Alaska, the Rev. Mr Corse, in Wrangell, and Father Kashevaroll. a Russian hern in Alaska, and now curator of .1 uilcail museum, held that this timidity towards tin- camera was (Into fear of being l."c:h-d at or an ex pn lalion ol niiiuev. 1 nllcicd them money, yet they relused In stand to the camera, and 1 do not think they were especially sensitive to criticism or laughter. My explanation is that the shadow, like the name, is considered part of life, and that h.v taking of photographs vou take the shadow from them. This is confirmed by a sentence in "Kane’s’ Discoveries. ITo was along that coast in the last century, and says: "I took a portrait of a chief and olfered him a plug of tobacco. lie said, •* Is this all you give me for risking mv lilc.” ’

“ I inlly In-Id ii'.y enmern heliiml mo mill hrounliL it lonvard,” said Professor lirown. “ ll was exactly as ir I had taken a revolver from my hippocket. Tin* result is I hal I have not very many photographs ol iliatives. The host I took were snapshots during a ceremony in Mootke Sound, on the north-west roust of Vancouver Island. The Lieutenant-Governor and a judge were unveiling a memorial to Cook and Vancouver in commemoration of their striking the north-west coast there

more than a eentrury ago. Whilst the chief, Napoleon Jluoimpnrte Alaqttinali, was replying to the LieutenantGovernor and having 1 1 is speech translated by a missionary, I held iiiv camera above a group of listeners and snapshotted him with some success. If he had been conscious of it he doubtless would have taken drastic action.”