THE ABORIGINES OF NEW ZEALAND.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 4, Issue 85, 25 March 1852, Page 3

THE ABORIGINES OF NEW ZEALAND.

Two Lectures delivered by the Rev. Thos. Buddle, Wesleyan Minister, at the Auckland Mechanics' Institute, on the evenings of the 25th March, and 12th May, 1851.

The manner of lieating their yount; females on these subjects was cruel, and often led to muoh sin, to infanticide, and suicide, and even murder. Instead of allowing her to consult her own wishes on the choice of a husband, the woman was often compelled to unite herself with one twice or thrice her own age, and for whom she had neither a/lection nor respect. Hut Clirisiianily is gradually breaking down the custom. Polygamy was a frightful source of domestic misery, and a gro.it hindrance to social improvement. Where this prevails, the order of nature and the institution of heaven are violated. Nothing but wretchedness can result from it. It lias been the custom of all barbarous nniioiis ; and the New Zealander looked on numerous wives as among his greatest n'ehes. He generally had one principal wife, and chielU'Es; and a number of inferior or slave wives. These he loved lo multiply, that he 'night the better gratify his lusts and have numbers to attend the wishes of his bar harian luidship. Polygamy has been one of the greatest hindrances to the spread of Christianity ; perhaps uo other native custom has impeded the truth to an equal extent. That real vital piety has spread so slowly is in soma measure attributable tu tltw custom. " J wont embrace your religion. I shall have to give up* my wives," was often the reply we met with. Infantieide was practised among them to a fearful extent. The causes assigned by them for this unnatural practice were numerous. War o/tcn led to it. " We shall have raruraru (double) with this child in fleeing before | our enemies ; its cries will expose our retreat," n woman would say lo her husband, " Let us! strangle it." "Very well, do so," the inhuman hither would coolly reply. Conjugal quarrels sometimes induced the mother to put artiiy the child of her bosom as punishment lo an olleuding husband. Illegitimate children were gcneiaMy sacrificed, ns they could not endure the epithet "poriro" (bastard). Polygamy was a frightful source of this horrible crime. Perhaps tlic wife least loved is the nucher, anil from disappointment and ill-re-tpiitcd direction she destroys her offspring. Perhaps tin; lather and mother belong to clifCerent tribes, —tribes which either are or have been at variance ; ami the cruel molho'r will forget her sucking cliild and s.iy, " I will not rear successors for such an one—his fathers ate mine. 1 ' Perhaps old feuds between the tribes have broken out afresh, and the wife sympathises with her friends, and kills her children. Such n custom of course told fearfully against the increase of population. And I fear it has not entirely censed. Children were sadlv neglected among them. Many hwa perished for want <rf proper attention. The small proportion of children is rem irkable, and forms a great contrast to the European families. In some places it will be found that there i< not an average of one child to every married couple One small river where the census was tak'-n, there were found 280 adults and 80 children. Deduct say 80 as aged people, 200 are left, suppose 100 married couples. To these 100 couples you have 80 children, n very small proportion —forcing upon us the m'uirnful conclusion that their numbers must dwindle. On this subject 1 may also remark that by a census taken along the liiistern Coast, where population has been considered mo*t numerous, the rroportio i of men to women i< live lo three. Three fern des to live males. What but rapid decrease can result from such proportions r Rdiicatinn was totally neglected. Youth were' allowed to stray where they pleased,

thov might he ulisent from home jor d.iys or woi ks anil no ;m<" " ■ fell about tlicm. They did in mo.st j>-»jh ..s what .ras right in their own eyfs, Tii ■ only subject on which the least solicitude w.-i.i felt was to train them for war; to fostrr Oio spirit of revenge; to keep up the rcme.Tibra'ica of insult received, or in-jurii-inflicted by hostile tr.lir.i, to be avenged at n li'ting opportunity. How much then is education ■u-.-'Vd! In connection with the Gospel ii:i- ; i; the only lever that will raise them to position they are qualified by intelliclii.il endowments to occupy among the nations of the earth. And the riForU of the Government to supply the nicrssary r.gcucy, and aid rxistir.g establishments in this work of philanthropy, are beyond nil praise. Mourning i-ou thv. Dead.

The custom of mourning for the dead was similar to what has prevailed among most barbarous nations. Cannibalism greatly tends to destroy the natural repugnance felt at handling the dead. Nature would V.iry h-'r dead out of her sight, and religion li'jtrr-i the feeling ; but heathenism and cannibalism familiarize men with scenes of blood and death ; mid hence the New Zcnlnnders, with other savage nations, hud such singular customs connected with the dead. They were accustomed to dres3 the corpse, paint the face, decorate the head with feathers, place it in a sitting posture to Teccive the last honours, and have die ceremony performed which was to secure the spirit n safe and speedy passago to the other world. Ten men were Sent to catch and kill a certain bird which was presented as an offering to the gods ; a line of the grass exiled toiloi was placed in the hand of the corpse ; the relatives nil holding the other end, and each saying "Climb to the first heavens!" then "Climb to the second." They were accustomed to preserve their heads that they might mourn over them, and frequently placed Ihem before visitors and relatives for this purpose: but the shameful practice introduced by some European sea captains of making them an article of traflic, led to the discontinuance of the custom* This custom is referred to in I lie fo)lowi:i< lament. It was uttered with the head of the deceased friend in view, placed on the "ala mira," or stage erected for the purpose : LJ.MENT OF TUPAEA rOR II[S lIROTHEn KOnOUIKO, KILLEDAT THE PA OF TVUV, NEAn MAKHIT. The morning stars appear Merpmcre nnd Kopu twinlclo above me, Harbinger:! of returning day. Symbols of a brother he-loved, Who comes again to comfort me. He was to me as a celestial companion, Sow I am left aiiiie. Our hearts were dark ami gloomy When we parted on tho mountain side. And ho passed the lands of Talma. Hut he went to rarry forth our wrath; And nobly ho stood in front of battle, Cheering on to glorious victory Tho trembling host* of Ngntilahi. Till, stretched on the ensanguined plain. My tire which demons kindled, And wrapt in flame by a powder from afiir. Proverb.* shall hand thy famu to generations. Alas! my heart Meeds, it breaks for thee. With tho fc.iifc thiit tortured, thou Wert slaughter.!!; by tho late of Kailuuu Thy vurv a'c.-h ran dowu like oil. .Sit theru'my friend, upon the "ala mira." Speak my beluvrd, salulo my ears again, / llt'fure tho morning breaks. Or nighi'a shadows th.-c away. f.ct mc bear thee to tho Iraine of thy fathers, Jtv tin' muddy shoaUof Tnuianga, Oil which we fished together. That thy children may seo thee, And lcok on this side ami on that, As by conoe they carry thto { From place to place, That friends may mourn thy fate. I-et me gaze upon thy features, >'rom which the bloom of youth Had not yet passed away. 'I hat face marked so beautifully AVith the bono of albatross, Tho great sea-bird from Karowa, Tho ocean rock.

The custom of the micinuts wailing over their departed friends, so often refened to io scripture, prevailed omougst ilium. It was considered in olden tinus a f;ie.it discredit out to bo wept. Job aays, "His widows shall not weep." The Psalmist says of Hophni and I'hiueas, "The priest lull by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation." Women and men made it n profession, and were hired for the purpose nmong the Hebrews ; and the New Zealandcr planted large quantities of food, and called his friends from distant places to come and weep with him over the departed. The weeping was oltea without sincerity. I have heard of instances where the weeping puny have taken moss out of a swamp, mid leaning on their sppais pressed the water out of the nii)£j to supply tears for the occasion. In tbc case of near relatives', howcvci, the

grief was real, expicssed by cutting the face uml breast and body with ;t slurp stone till bntlicil in blood —another relic of ancient limes. It was. generally accompanied villi poetry ; n dirge in which the viitnes and valour of the dead were set forth. It was so in days of old. " Jeremiah lamented for Josinli, and nil the singing men and singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations." David, 100, composed a dirjie on the death of Absa'oiu, and one on the death of his friend Jonathan. A specimen will illustrate the subject. A LAMSNr FOII A CUtEr or NOATOIANtArOTO, BV Sorrow Lit,.-, keen within ma for my Moved. Tliou ban left thv noMe friends; 'llie "rent as.-cmbly of chiefs Tliou hast forsaken. Tliv Irib.s. the thousands of 'limaiii ll.iio lo.it their friend. Go, l'ango, by (he path that's free from storm. Thou wert dear ns my life. War iras tliv food, Sought where tho south wind blows. Thy eloi|iienee was music. As rare ns talking birds, When great men met for council. Thy movement* on iho battle lielil Were graceful as a hovering bird. Knfold my heloved in attire Hcaiitcous as the setting sun. Let him he enshrouded In a garment hri;;ht as flame. Let mv heautiful Toi' Ho suspended from his car, Ily Itewa his friend, My bird that ao sweetly lias fallen off the cliff. Tiie rock of our defence, That broko the foico of ocean waves, lias taken bis departure to llie heavens. Come to me in the vision.? of the night J Stand again on the prow of thy canoo, And listen to the sounds of (he tides 'that flow on Wnitalo's hanks, That come in huniuing waves When Iho north wind blows. Whero, Ngoi, is tho power of thy prayer I Let it inspire him. That he may arrive as one triumphant. Since lie has laid liiin in the dust, And to this world is for over lost. Other subjects might be introduced, but our lime is gone, and we mutt draw to a conclusion—which is tliH, that the New Zenlander needed Clirfctianit) >'"id I he, blessings i'f civilization. The idea has sometime* been entertained that snvajjc life supplies greater happiness than civilized Hut do.s a candid investigation of the f.icts establish litis conclusion ? To draw a popular picture of savage life is one tiling; to see the ravage in his spiritual datkness nud social misery is another. It were easy to speak of roaming over woods nud mountains, free as beasts or winds, in happy communion with nature, now bathing in the lake, or skimming over lite sea, or wandering in shady grovts, and at eV'iiing joining in the village dance nud song. This is the poetry of savage life, but has it a reality ? As we have viewed if, it presents man in the lowest wretchedness, worse than brutilicd. It is unnatural : (iod never intended man to exist a savage ; he formed him a social I'cinjr, for intelligent nnd i-ocial joys. And to rest tie him from barbarism in the Gospel's djsign. It bus often been asserted I li.it lit tic has been clncled among iho New Zenlanders ; but we demur to this. Let calm and unprejudiced enquiry be made, comparing their condition thirty years ago with their present stale, and the conclusion must be, that a mighty change has taken place. It was tint to be expected thnt the land would emerge from barbarism to a high state of civilization in a day. To ch?nge a nation's laws, and uproot u nation's customs, nnd banish established prejudices, is a work of time. The Gospel, followed by the schoolmaster and the useful arts, will do its work. We have but to do our duty—to Christianize and educate—.toshow by our convention and example the Value of our religion and our laws; and the remnant of these tribes may grow with us side by side, worshipping the God we worship, and honouring tho truth, by obeying its precepts ; acknowledging the Sovereign wo delight to honour, yielding obedience lo the laws of our glorious constitution, and mingling in our commercial pursuits with equal success. The old system is passing away ; Iho country's regeneration is in progress; and we may adopt tho sentiment* of Cowper, and express his wish—■ "That heavenward all things tend. I'or all were once Perfect, and all must bo at length restored. So God hath greatly purposed ; who would else In his dishonoured works himself enduro Dishonour, nnd ho wronged without redress. Haste, then, nnd wheel away a shattered world, Ye slow revolving- seasons ! Wo would see A sight to which ouruyes are strangers yet— A world that does not hate and dread His lawa And suffer for its crime ; would learn how fair The creature is that Clod pronounces good, How pleasant in itself what pleases Him."

• Aft eardrop of green stone. I