THE ABORIGINES OF NEW ZEALAND:

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 3, Issue 78, 18 December 1851, Page 4

THE ABORIGINES OF NEW ZEALAND:

Two Lectures delivered by the Rev. Thos. UNKNOWN Westeyan Minister, at the Auckland Mechanics' Institute, on the evenings of the 25th March, and 12th May, 1851. LECTURE H. 'Uiey oftrn made war upon each oilier for the sukr of lenilory, li\mls, fishinp grounds, &<•., and the proprietors "ould delend thci properly to the l'isi, and pait with it only with lhc : r lives. Nor. has this Ifelins; hern extinguished ; ill.- Nov Zealand-r is as ten minus of his possessions as ever lie \v: s, ami ns much uKpnsd to defund his rights against uhi'tlur native Or fi'V iijncr. A woifinn nnrriing into n different trihe wilhout the consent of her h'tends, or a cise of adultery, frcqui-ntly rni->ed a war II a woman gives herself lo n man of another I ibe her (licnds po nn«l ilcmnnd her. Bhc is placrd between tlie panics nod after some torero n trial of strength takes place, first between ihe husbnnd and a ntnr relative of the female; perhaps Ik r biotlier goes to 'lr:i{i hi'.r away, mid the husband (irmly grasps his prize to retain her. II siifficieiuly brave nr.d strong lo throw his atitauonist, another ciincs mid he has lo encounter a second. Fiiei'idsoii boih sides look on f"r arthile, ull by and l.y a j;ci cr.il scnMe ensues j the poi r woman is most c-uclly tre.iicit, all but torn to pieces; perhaps blood is spilt; 'hey retire Hipster .their foic s, and war'is tin- result. To obtain s'avis they, ofien made win- on weiker tribes. 'I lie \Vuikat"S v<cre constantly returning to Tarannki for tliis purpose .until a most populous district became ail b..l Tor'sikrn, and stript of in inhabitnnis. Men wvte sbiin, vromcii and children ni.vl.ved. Chii'iiani.ty has produced its usiii.l results in reference to shivery. When the tribes eiifhrared theGrspel they pave their slaves leave lo return nud occupy their own lands. The crime of murder was generally the cause of extensive wars —il was a''lake nut'' (a great caose), and would enlist the sy input hies •il many tribes. Thofriends of the inurdeier never thought of giving him up to he punished; nor would the friends o' the murdered expect it. Their practice was to seek satis'aclion in a general war. The iMe.ttest nlr.ualilvr that ever bifel the Waiknto tribes originated in a murde'. A man called Kopeiu, of the Ngapuhi tubes was oh a vis ; t at Tanmki at »pu when; Paumure now stands. Tiniwui, fur sialic cause or another by singing a song indiiied Tc Paruoa-rnhi to kill Kopcru. They often conveyed their wishes in this Way. Paraon-rahi understood it and killed dim instantly. As soon as Hongi heard of ii ho bronchi duwit his army and cut them off. Some children belonging lo n Waikalo chitf Iruppned to be in the pa and were killed; this led the Waikatos lo seek utu, and they went to Wa'igaiei und destroyed tho principal chief?. This brought Hongi again to the south, just nfter his return from England whence he had brought so many; fire aims. The Waikatos hnd not received fire arms, and they assembled at Matakitnki, on the Wnipa, to die together. There Hongi slew many hundreds; as many as could escape to the mountains.' The event is iciordeu in several bongs, ..Tile. following is s specimen : "The raorninj; breaks. Tawera biles the mnon. A memento of tho (loath that lias befallen tho trilic3. Alasl my son of noble birth and grcutcr valour, With lits lathers nil are gone. P.-epare a canoe, let us embark To seek revenge, for the death of Whara-ate Ifin.i, And reap Eatisfnclion for the offspring of Kokaku'J heir death was noble— It w.i's'lhe end of the brave. By the tides dial flowed (ram Kaip.iro, And crossed the Manuknu in boats, -. We/clbey outnumbered' and slain. Ivoperu.died by the murderers band IJut'that sin was not ou/s. And the death of Tauhata Was just; -forTuhuehoe was slain, And Kaipiba; Ac and Taibeke Who was eaten as canoes paddled ofl~. And Uika and Hopo consumed ])y plebians r.f the Itarawa tribe. And thou. Iloulacwa. Hongihika «w thy gvW:* Alas ! tbe children of Wuikalo are fallen, They sleep in dcatb." The following was .composed by an old cl.jeltes* returning home after the slaughter of Alatakifaki. IE mo's rovn of home. " It is love for my grandchildren That draws me onward. In days gone by, my step was light, When in tbo bloom and vigour of my youth ; Koiv 1 perish, I am going to decay, I hasten to the laud of spirits. As nestling birds intensely listen for their dam's retain, That they may feed, i-o wait £ for thy voice, O I'ehirangi, that calls to fouil. That strengthened wo may swiftly tread Tho lengthy palb of Mawete; The path lliat Ilikalamure, Thy ancestor, so often trod, "When journeying to tho rising sun. To Nukutaurua and tbe coasts of Mam, To visit on tho eastern shore. O for the wings of a Matatakctakc* To speed us on our way, And swiftly bring us to the waves I That o'er tho Hooting rock of Tu I

Throw their white foam. We ore on the mountains yet, Hut liome draws nigli. ' Alas I no friends are left to welcomo our return. ilut hark! tiio sea bints cries I hear— Tito Gull that hovers o'er tho river's mouth ; The Gannet, skimming ocean's waves ; These join the rippling tides thut wash tho shore To call us homo, And welcome us to the loved land Of our illustrious sires. The land of Kaupaca nml Parepare, Of Hua-to-mjhue and Tau-te-paoa, The men who were the terror of their day. O, Uurakau ! though potent is thine arm f Too late thou hast arisen to avenge our wrongs. Return thy weapon to thy bosom,— Kautatiti, who should feel its stroke, Xow dwells with death. He drove me to the mountains. For him we saw Maramataha, And stood unfed at Ohurabin, And sought repose on nogariro,* And shiveied with the cold of Kuapahut Till our limbs were blue. Say, was it in derision of the tatoo's hue Thy snows, O l'arctelaitonga,} aloinecl my limbs, That thus adorned, I might tread tho sands of Tapiu." Cursing was a great offence, and often llie cause iif war. Cuisine »n enemy was a very nncient custom. It consisted in dcvotinii llieni to destruction, and "as practised in farlv lira- s. The prophets or pueis were supposed t<i have the power of cursing persons and place?, so ns lo ronfotind all their design*, irmtmtu iheir councils, Bin! fill them with terror and dismay. Ilenc- (lie nt.einpts of lialuuin to cursn the Lord's people. We have many instances in history as at the desirttc'ion of (.nnhngc, when the Romans devoted the city to desiiuctiou with a l l its inhabitants and called upon the gods lo for-aki- them. Tacitus observes, that when Seutmiius Panlinus prepared his iiriny to truss over into Anrlesen, where the lint'lis ni'd Ornids niude their list stum), the priesit'sses, «i'h dishevelled huir, »hiio vestment", and torches in their hands ran about like fuiies devoting tlscir enemies lo destruction. The New /ealander generally connected his c.irsin!? with cannihaliini. lie look ell'i-nce, _ or liecune envioiisatid jeilons, and in laiuu.ijre that implied he wished his enemy kiil.-d mid cooked for food, (>.ive vent to the feeling. I'-tlm|h «iivi"if. "toil upnka" (thy head), " tipoto kohun " (he id omke I), "■ taluhai' (food lor me)''. Soineiiiues tho curses ivtre uttered in the firm of poetry : as T-ipeora'a ; Cltse—

"Oil my little (blighter, arc yon crying; are yon tereaimue; for jour food —here it is I'.ir you —(lie flesh ol' llekeiuami and Wrrata Although I am Mirliiteil with the soft brains of Ptim and of Kikiriki an<l of Itnuka'iri yet sncli if my haired tliut 1 will till myself fuller with those ol I'ati.of Ng irauiiira, oF Pipi, and with my most rfu/»/y morsel of the flesh of the hated 'i'e Ao. Leave as fund for me the ileshof my r-nenn Tiloko, I will shako with greedy (•■eth the bodies of Iliiliikuliu n"<l Ut-licka. My throat gapes eagcily for the hrains not yet taken from the skuil of l'olukcko. In my treat hatrid I will swalow raw the slinking brains of Taratikitiki. I'ill »|) mj distciKli'd stoinaeh with the fle.«h of Tiawha. anil Tntonna, &c. &*. Is the head of lluafcerepo indtcl loasidcrcd sacred r Why it shall lie given to me, as a vessel for boiling havos in at Kfiwau.'' A violation of the Tapu sometimes occasioned war. This singular custom was il< scribed in the In- 1 lecture. Its regu'ations were ri garded with the iiimosl strictness, and no one dared lo huak tlicm'with impunity. The penalty f»r a breach was geneially a robbery ; it' this wns resisicil, war followed' livervthing connected with the planting ami harvcs'iug of the ku-nera was tapu, and all llie path* leading to the plantations Were marked oft; if any stranger dared to travel over them, a war might be the consequence of his temerity. Such were some of the causes which led to their desolating H'ars. It has been said uud I have seen ii written too, that they love war. I question llii.*. I do nut think that love of it was a pa-sion among tluui, I should rather say they were iiii[ U ll.d by pride nud leveage. They are naturally p »uil n "d haughty; limy lave keen sense ol honor; pride would nut allow (lie n to brook an insult : llieir bouonr tramplr-d on, n degra ling epitbrt applied, a chief called' a laurekareka, or funiliaritii s with bis wives, were insults not to be passed over. The fueling ol revenge, 100, was deep. vl'e generally find however, if the New Zealaixler could honourably pass by an insult he would, so that no one thought him ba<e or caled him a coward. Smno of the Irib.s have embiaced Christianity (hat tiny might have a pretext For not |:oing to war. Hut when the demon was once aroused lie was not easily satiated.

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* The place where he fought. * A volcanic mountain. f A snow clad mounliiin a( Tanpo. \ A mountain.