TRIBUTE TO RATANA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3645, 31 May 1927, Page 3

TRIBUTE TO RATANA.

TOHUNGAISM DESTROYED,

A MISSIONARY’S TESTIMONY. , Dunedin, May 27. To-day the Rev. A. J. Seamer, general superintendent of the Methodist Home and Maori Missions, defended the Ratana movement among the Maori trilies of New Zealand. “Any reform movement among semi-educated peoples must have its tragedies,” he said, “but I can assert positively that Ratana saved hundreds of lives by his campaign against Tohungaisnp as a result of which many of the worst Tohungas in certain districts will never again have any influence. I don’t want to give the impression that I support everything that has been done in the name of Ratana and his movement, but, judging it as a Maori movement, I have little to say other than that I would like to see it have fair play until it finds its own level, whatever that level may be.” In stressing the need for uplift work among the Maoris, the Rev. Mr. Seamer said that some tribes were decreasing in number in the North Island, but others were illcreasing with rapidity that one would deem impossible. In most of the Methodist mission districts it was calculated that there were nearly twice as many Maori children as there were 25 years ago. MAORI SUPERSTITIONS. . To-day he went on, thousands of Maoris were meeting- morning and night to chant their heathen incantations, and they were still wrapped up in superstitions of an undesirable nature. This had led to the birth of the Ratana movement. “Although the Ratana movement lias been coupled with that of Rim, no one could ever speak of them as parallel movements,” he said. “Their principals are as tar apart as the Poles. Rua is anti-cverv-thing that stands for progress.” The Ratana movement was started as a reform directed against Maori superstitions. The curse ol Maori life in later days has always been in spurious tohungas, or medicine men, of the tribes. In bis deepest troubles of mind or of body, the Maori’s tendency bad always been to turn to the tohungas and, although medial men may have thought that the treatments they were giving their patients were being carried out, in almost every case the tobunga’s advice was taken when the doctor’s back was turned. KATANA'S GOSPEL. Katana’s faith-healing was a means to an end. He set put to demonstrate in every Maori settlement to which he was invited that, even in matters of bodily health, faith in the true God could do more good than the most potent spells of the greatest witch doctors. For four or live years his success was outstanding. There lmd never been any ' clash between the Ratana movement and the Methodist mission work. There were many things that had been done in Ratana’s name and by bis committees which were very rjiiestionable, but it must be remembered that the movement was a Maori movement among people many of whom were not very far advanced in modes of thought. “It would be absurd to judge such a movement by English standards,” said Mr. Seamer. “I have never known of a proved case where Ratana has opposed the work of the medical fraternity. Certainly, his emphasis of faith-healing has led to some followers going to absurd extremes and deaths have occurred which might possibly have been prevented bad a doctor been called in. I do not think that Ratana is out. to make a financial success of the movement. He is constantly spending his own money and is not such a wealthy man as he was when his campaign began. He is a descendant of some of the most loyal supporters of the British during the Maori war and they were fortunate enough to hold lands which became exceedingly valuable.”