TE KOOTI RIKIRANGI.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16484, 25 February 1914, Page 4

TE KOOTI RIKIRANGI.

THE REAL STORY OF THE REBEL LEADER. WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE MAORI FANATIC RELIGIONS, PAI-MARIRE, RINGA-TU AND WAIRUA TAPU. (By Colonel Pobtkb, C. 8., T.D.) (Written for the “Lyttelton Times.”) [All Rights Reserved.] CHAPTER IV. THE I-lAUHAUS AND THE PAIMARIRE RELIGION. The origin of the -worship which causfid the outbreak of what is known as the “ Hauhau ” war, 1864-1871, need only lie briefly referred to here for the purpose ol' illustrating the difference between the strange cults of the Pai-Marire (“ Good and Peaceful”) and the Ringa-Tu (“The Upraised Hand”). Te Ua, an eccentric of Taranaki was the founder of the new worship. He set himself up as the prophet of God, declaring that the Angel Gabriel had appeared, directing him to set up a “ Niu,” or pole of worship, with yards crossed, representing the stages of ascent to God in the heavens. He prophesied that the Maori people by true faith and worship would become all powerful and emancipated from Pakeha. rulers, who would all be driven back into the sea—a figurative expression meaning they would 6ail away on the ocean again and abandon New Zealand. The worship was to be the “ Pai-Marire,” meaning good and peaceful. They were not to do any fighting themselves, for the angel Gabriel would send his legions to fight for them, if necessary, against their enemies. Then solemnly Te Ua arose and clianted the words of the peaceful worship that the Angel had imparted, which he .said was all English. This was the karakia: “ Porini hoia, Tu raiti, Tiemana Teiliana! Ta te mirau, tana Niu, winiki. Teiliana, Pilci rori, Ronga rori, Teihana 1 Ta te munu, tana Niu, winiki, Teihana 1 Piki mautene Bongo mautene Teihana 1 Ta te munu, tana Niu, winiki. Teihana 1 Piki riw'a Rongo riwa Teihana Ta te munu. tana Niu, winiki. Teihana! Anglicised, this curious karakia is as follows; the Maori is really only pidgin English:— Fall in, soldiers! To your right! Gentlemen, Attention! Of the moon is his Niu Twinkling Attention! Big Road Long Road Attention! Of the moon is his Niu Twinkling Attention! Big mountain, Long mountain, Attention! Of the moon is his Niu, Twinkling Attention! It seems almost incredible that such gibberish could seriously be accepted by any sane beings and eventually become the slogan of a Holy War and the instrument of long years’ strife and bloodshed. No doubt Te Ua had. gathered his English while watching the British soldiers parade in Taranaki and hearing the preliminary words of command, the nearest approach to which he gave in the Mao rifled form.

This worship and its accompaniments spread with enormous rapidity among the superstitious people. Nius (sacred masts of worship) were erected in many pas. The head centre was- at Mo.nutahi, Taranaki, Te Ua’-s chief abode. Ho became the high priest, and llangitnuira and Hepanaia were his first disciples. The peaceful nature of the worship did not last long. It waß broken by the ambushing and slaughter of a detachment of the A7th Regiment (the “Old Die-Hards”), on the western side of Mt Egmont. Captain Lloyd and a number of soldiers were killed; the bodies were decapitated and the blood was drunk by the fanatics, Then To Ua announced that, the Angel Gabriel again had appeared and hnd directed that Captain Lloyd’s head and another head should he preserved and carried throughout all New Zealand to be the medium of communication with God and to teach the disciples English. The preserved head of the -private soldier (that of a man flamed Kelly) was to cure the maimed or deformed, if lain with in full faith. This head, well preserved and still bearing the tomahawk marks on the skull which had been inflicted after the soldier was shot down, was brought through by Kereopa to Waerenga-n-Hika, and it was recovered from the Natives by Sir George Whitmore, with whom was the present narrator, just prior to the outbreak of hostilities oh the .East Coast. Private Kelly was well known by the Taranaki settlers and distinguished by the number of medals that covered his breast; he* had served through several campaigns and fought In many battles. After this unprovoked outbreak in Taranaki, Te Ua propounded certain new tenets of his religion, making particular appeal to the warlike side of his follow ora. The new .worship was the invocation of the Trinity, signalised by the hoisting to the masthead of the red flag of war “Riki.” The whole of the pa occupants, men, women and grown children, assembled round the Niu, circling about it in labyrinthine movements, looking up to Riki, elevating the right hand, 'and chanting In wild harmony the following psalm of worship:—’ “Atua Han, pai marirw, Rire rire, Hau. Atua Tamaiti tapu, pai marire, Riri, riri, Hau. Atua, Wairua, Tamaiti tapu, pai marire, Riri, riri, Hau.” Of which the translation is 4 “ God, Hau, good and peaceful, Fight, fight, Haul God and divine' Son, good and peaceful, Fight, fight, Hau 1 God, Holy Spirit, and divine Son, good and peaceful, Fight, fight, Hau!” The final exclamation “Hau!” was used in the sense of an incentive or direction to action, “ Whaka-hau,” not as is generally supposed meaning the Atua or God. “At them!” or “light” was its broad meaning. The simultaneous loud cry of all the worshippers gave rise to the designation of the fanatics bv the loyal Maoris aa “Hau-Haus.” Previously to the teaching of the battle Trinity worship, the “Pai-Marire” faithful had not \ised the word.

On several occasions I had escepJ tional opportunities of seeing and hear-] ing both the peaceful and the battle] worship of the fanatics almost at the advent of the ■ teaching! and also of obtaining from; prisoners the words and intona-j tions of the chants. When advancing to! the siege of Waerenga-a-Hika in 1865,' twenty-five of us belonging to the D.a-J fence Force Cavalry charged and drove the rebels from the Mission College! buildings: they had destroyed all but the late Bishop Williams’s house, from: which they were stripping the lead and; srihe for bullets prior to setting fire to] it. Being surprised they all retreated! to the pa some ‘ tnreo hundred yards ! distant. There the Pai-Marire flag, a’ white ground dotted with mystic red designs, was flying and that worship ' was being chanted. The people wore marching round and round the Niu with their hands elevated; I watched them with uncommon interest from my post on the ridge of the Bishop’s two-! storeyed house looking down into the pa. when firing began from our side/ the white flag, was lowered as .an intimation that peace prevailed no longer. Tho blood-red “Riki” was hoisted to the Niu-head, and the Trinity battleworship was then hurriedly gone through. It was not till the third and last savage chorused shout of “Hau!” was given that the fighting men rushed to the trenches and opened fire, and th< women took to tho shelter of the houses, all holding their right hands aloft as they retired from the Niu-foot. The belief was that bv doing so and repeating “Pai-Marire!” they would be invulnerable to bulletß. •;»

It was a picturesque scene and thi rhythmic sound of the chants was harmonious though barbaric. What I have just written will suffice to describe the origin and development of the forms of Hauhauism or “ PaiMarire,” -which began in 1864 and practically ended in 1868. On both the west and east coasts new tenets of warship were by Titokowaru on the west and Te Kooti on the oast, in their wars of rebellion against us. Titokowaru’s was based upon (old Maori customs in warfare and was in a great part a reversion to ancient atrocities, including cannibalism. To Kooti’s religion was a medley, based upon the Pakeha’B Old Testament, bui including also some of the olden Maori wrtr customs. To Kooti, however, did not revive cannibalism; let that much at least, be set to his credit.- During my service in the west coast campaigns I saw ample proofs of this herbaria practice, for on more than one occasion Titokowaru’s savage warriors cooked and ate the bodies, or portions of the bodies, of white colonial soldiers and friendlies. No doubt some of Ta Kooti’s wild followers might have dons the same thing, but their loader, witt all Ms ferocity and pakeha-hatred, would have no such reversion to thf ways of primitive Maori warfare.. (To be continued on Saturday.)