THE PASSING OF KOHERE

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1668, 30 January 1917, Page 4

THE PASSING OF KOHERE

A RANGATIRA’S WISH.

Old Kohere was the chief of Ngatiporou. He named Ropata te Wahavvaha to lead his tana for his prowess; and he himself sat in council in the New Zealand Parliament in his ripe years, says the London correspondent or the Wellington Post, writing under date December 19th.

Lieut. Kohere lay on a stretcher in the dug-out on the Somme. He was quite confortable and happy. Two of his pioneers were with him. In one hand he held a lighted cigarette. The other was smashed by a high explosive shell. He was grieviously wounded, too, in the groin. Kohere was a chief, and he was paying his small debts —his trilling mess accounts and so on. because he expected to die. The Major (Te Rangihiroa) thrust his bend and shoulders in at the door, darkening the dug-out. “How is it, Kohere?" he asked in Maori.

“Kanui te kino," was the quiet reply. The tohunga might not know. But Kohere knew it was very had; and he was squaring up with life like a chief.

Kohere’s grandfather had named Ropcta for the war captain, . because a chief always wishes well for the tribe. Was there anything Kohere. wanted?

“There is only one thing," whispered the dying rangatira. “I want the platoon to go to Carr. It was the old tribal mana. Ngatiporon had a full platoon of their own. and yet another platoon was chiefly Nga tiporou, with a Ngat.iporou leader, Lieut, Carr, The rangatira wished to hand over his tribesmen to their own chief.

Kohere went down the line and died and was buried, and tar away at the Antipodes the greatest tangi of Nga toporou mourned'his passing. “What is to he done?" said the Colonel to (he Major when they talked of consequent appointments, “Well, the first thing to do is to ho square with Kohere. Can - must have the plat mm.*'

And Carr leads the Ngatiporou’s to-da v.