THE PROPHET RUA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3776, 26 October 1907, Page 4

THE PROPHET RUA.

Rita, the last new Maori prophet, whose home is on the snore of Take Waikaremoana. which stands 2500 feet above the sea level in the Urewera country, is evidently one of the old sort that will not tolerate competition, or tellow labour with any other creed, for Mr Curran, who was established within the area of his influence as Maori missionary, and his daughter teaching a school of you ig Maoris, have had to leave the scene of their labours, and Mr Curran has commenced work among the Maoris about the Feilding district. Rua ordered that the children should cease attending school, and as Rua pretends to be nothing less than the Messiah, these superstitions people gave him their credence and Mr Curran found himself without a following. Mr Curran was the first missionary working in this district since about fifty'’ years ago, and as these Maoris, who are Hauhaus, have been, during the greater part of that time, comparatively isolated from Europeans, except of the lower grade, it is perhaps not surprising to learn from Mr Curran that they are extremely ignorant and superstitious. They all swear, and they have no belief in the saying that honesty is the best policy. Rua, who has a smattering of Biblical knowledge, tells his followers that they shall be as the Israelites entering Canaan, therefore they may freely sell their lands, for presently they will enter into possession of all the lands of this country. A short time ago Rua made a great impression on his followers by a pretended miracle on the Government oil launch crossing the lake. The engine had stopped and Rua claimed that it bad been effected by his power. As Christ in former days, he had power over the wind and the waves. And standing on the deck with full view of the engineman who was about to start the machinery he said, “ Now I will remove the spell and alllow the ship to proceed, ” and it proceeded. The lake has a depth of 500 feet and the mountains around it are from 1500 to 2000 feet above its surface. The climate is good but the land is poor in quality. Gold has been found in the locality, and shortly before Mr Curran left a Maori brought him a piece ol quartz containing gold, but would not tell whence it came.