Native Land Commission.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 25 August 1891, Page 3

Native Land Commission.

* LAND SELLING. Before Parliament worried the Natives with a" Land Court a much simpler and more just system of dealing for lands was in vogue. All our purchases were arranged by the chiefs, they only signing the deeds. When an oft'er to purchase a piece of land was received, meetings of the owners would be held ; the chief men and spokesmen would get up and address the assemblage, and express their views. Those, who had jthe right to speak would do so, and the meeting generally went by the voice of the majority. A general opinion was taken, and "it wp-s , decided that certain things should be done or agreed to. In every hapu and tribe there are head men, who are looked \ip to, who had more knowledge, even if they were not chiefs bybirth. They carried out whatever arrangement was agreed to by an interchange of commodities. Such transactions were .considered binding. SEVEN GENERATIONS. The love of argument is fairly instanced in the following, statement : Up in the 'north of the North Island four divisions of the Marutuahu tribe had holdings which . interlaced. Here a strip belonging to onei tUere another . strip, and then : , perhaps a long patch belonging to another tribe. The negotiator fbir the land walked the boundaries, but to a small piece of ground near the beach a dispute took place." Tlie Natives agreed as to the. boundary from the spur -to the main ridge. Then one party contended that the ridge was;, the boundary, while another held that a neighbouring ; stream was the bonndary, the distance between the two places being only 44 yawds. They admitted they had been disputing about this small piece of land for seven generations. The dispute arose shortly after the inter-marriage of a man and a woman, one each of the contending tribe,; and it seemed that the man had- gone upon the woman's land and the woman upon the man's land. After discussing the affair for half the day, the purchaser put his peg midway across the disputed portion, and this was [agreed to. . DISAGREEABLE OVER THE MATTEE. Judge Eogan stated, I had one difficulty in respect of a small block of land* Takerei found ten or fifteen young men to survey this block, which was called the Mokau Block, and the Mokau Natives who were non-settlers sent, messages to these to desist. Finally a party cf them, all armed with spears, came oh the ground. When I got. a certain distance the two parties closed together, Te Waru, the head, chief of the objecting Natives, being a well known fighting man. He was dressed' in a light costume, and had a spear in his hand. I said to him, "Is this land yours?" He said, "No," and, putting his spear into the soil, added, 41 This land is yours ?" and then, moving the spear about half an inch, " but this is mine. I am going to die here, and these people are prepared to do exactly as I tell them." I saw at once that it was a very serious matter. I said, " Now, you have come here at my request. The land is very valuable, but it is not nearly so valuable as the men who are upon it. You' are going to be disagreeable over this matter. Now stand on one side." And I then told the other chief to stand on the other side. I said, "We want the direction of that line. I have come here now "to mark off the boundaries." The direction of the boundary was then marked on the ground. I then said, " I may return in a week or a fortnight. I will give you fair notice when I am coming. The .survey will remain. ' ' The Natives left- and Te Waru informed the missionary that he had f made up his mind to fight if the other party went an inch further. -