THE NATIVE FEUD AT TARANAKI.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume I, Issue 6, 1 July 1855, Page 7

THE NATIVE FEUD AT TARANAKI.

Continued. Hone Rophia then spoke,-Mr. Halse did you send for the Governor, good is evident, evil is known, there is one food, potatoes, another is the Kumera. I see the Governor is here, Governor! nonce the evil, you were not ignorant of it. I: say there are now two things to take up, good and evil. Weeds are taken up from the Kumera to let it grow, even so evil is taken up to allow j

good to grow. Evil was drawn up by the root and died, it was lost: but there was one root good. (Rawiri grew, and so it went on. No one allows the Taro to grow with potatoes, nor do they let the corn grow with potatoes, were it bo this would be a wonder. The Word of God gave good, our old ways did not give peace. soling came together, this is the good and the evil. We lived in religion and selling land; we gave one part of the land to you, the other ive retained. Religion came with the laws of the Queen. The laws and religion go together. Where there is evil, the laws of the Queen are spoken of. Our clothing and our cattle are the fruits of the Queen. Religion and its good things we retain. This our quarrel is no ordinary evil, it did not come at once. He sold land and thereby quarrelled, some sold, and others went to keep it back, some went to let it loose, others came to retain it, hence our evil Now I come to the origin of this evil which will not end, we asked for something to get satisfaction for Rawiri, and received nothing : then was the evil begun. Hapurona and Wiremu Kingi wished to retain the land. I went to the evil; Mr. McLean said the evil should cease. Fla<! we got payment on the day Rawiri was killed, peace would have beon made. We waited for death, they met but did not kill each other. We went to Wiremu Kingi, and Hapurona, but they did not appear ; had they done so, we should have fought, and then all would have been finished. Rawiri's death has not been paid for. They said, let it thus the quarrel be the only men to fight." This is also what I say. Ihara said, had he but taught one man thus it would have been right. We (Tamata Waka and Raniera) are the men who hold death from us, we consent to what the Governor says, if the two consent, we will ; if these two consent for peane, (pointing to two natives,) and the two in the pah (Karipa and Haeana) all will be done. There is 110 payment, hence the consent being withheld. You the Governor, go aud speak with Wiremu King, lest he make the death more, go and ask all tinmen to make peace, and let all unconcerned sil still, and not meddle with the quarrel. If tin Ngatiruanui are on the road, go you O Governor and tell them to make peace ; I do not say our quarrel is great, the great quarrel is for the adultery. I will not allow any strangers to drink the water of the Waiwakaeho River uutil I cease to bo. : Now shall we come into day light. I see the Governor, he is here. Let him go to all men and make them sit still, and leave me alone to my evil ; if this had been done before, then evil would have ceased, how can peace be made; there may be in future an evil, and we shall be cut off. Canoes are not saved by themselves ; vessels the same. Man is not kept from cold but by & break wind ; we asked fo>

something to save us brfore llawiri was dead, but you did not give it. The evil is not with us. if the others who are in the pah consent, well, peace will then be made. I consent to peace b.'ing made, but lam only one ; if the Ngatiruanui stay away, then peace will be made, but it' they come, evil will be, if they come, and we go out to meet them, evil will be. This is all I have to say. The Governor in continuation, repeated his concern that the blessings surrounding the inhabitants of i cirauaki should be jeopardised by this unhappy strife. Asa father uses his lovV and influence to correct aud guide his chfldren, 1 so he would use his influence (he trusted suc'i to briug about a happier state ot things here. The Natives may have oxen in plenty, they may have ploughs, and as thev imagine every want may be supplied. The sun may shine, the rain may fall ; but if the land was neglected in order to follow strife, barrenness must ensue, and great would be their sorrow when too late. In days long gone by, th« English were like them, but as such darknes> leads to coufusion, the necessity of laws wen formed to maintain good order aud unanimity, this they must adopt, if they want to flourish and prosper as the English have done. They ffoL-iu anxious to live in peace with the whit* i people, aud the whits people are disposed to encourage • them so to do. This quarrel is witl t-ie Natives, and if persevered in may (and no doubt will) end in serious evil, and being the case, each good man (he repeated) should join with the Government in this good work of reconciliation. v To put an end to this strife, the} should leave it in the* hands of the Government as good children would, in the bauds of their father. Their honour would there bo safe, and by adhering to his recommendation for the general good, they would not only bo acting as good children, but as good christians. If peace (said the Governor) can be made, let it ba made at once, before the evil grows worse, and before others can come from afar, so that when they come, they may find amongst the Taranaki people, peace and feasting, not strife and fights ing. As regards the supply of arms, the Queen encourages no quarrels but with Foreign foes. She sanctions no internal feuds amongst her children, these she assists to plough s, horses, mills. &c., and only to the soldiers, and those employed au such, does she furnish powder, baljs, and guns. The conference here ended. On Wednesday, the 28th March, His Excel lency had an interview with Tahana, (an assessor), who stated that one cause of the present quarrel arose from native disputes about land ; from this camo the loss of life. Since then Katatore has given up the point, that is as far as allawing the boundary lines to be cut to a certain spot, which, however, appear not to be

satisfactory the aggrieved natives requiring blood for blood. Subsequ- ntly a fight took place, where six of Karatore's people wer< woundol. Katatore was tol-.I that *if they had been killed peace would have been made, 01 which lie replied. I am ready for peace, it i.for you the aggrieved party to propose it, and I will agree. At first it was proposed that Katatore should retire from the neighbourhood altogether t< Kuwl.ia : this he replied, was al] very well if Ik himself r.nly concerned, but be would not carry his people from this land of plants to a place where ho and thoy would bo as slaves. -As it now stand.-, the natives who are her* (at the I-lua) sliruM they not ngree to act as the Governor wishes, will ds'fer to the will of. Adam Karaka, who is expected 011 Tuesday. Ills wishes, if they agree with the Governor's, will be acted upon readily and at once. Tahana agreed to all that had b -en said, and added that should the Natives not accede at once to tin proposal of the Governor, he was not to be cast down, hut to persevere in his good work, and in the end nil would be right. On the afternoon of the same day, His Excellency held an interview with William Kincr at the Waitaha, he opened the meeting by cbserv ing that he came in consequence of havinc heard in Auckland of the evil which existed°in the Taranaki district, and hearing much of the good thoughts of William King, and his good feeling towards the Europeans, he rode over to the Wietaha to hear what he might have to say. William King observed, that it is good foi peace to be made. He had no particular remark to offer, it is not for him to offer terms o' peace ; it must come from Tamata Waka and others of that tribe. Peace is good and cultiva tion is good ; he does not wish to live in strife ; his only war is cultivation as much as the Europeans can consume. The European may cultivate the land he has got, and he would cultivate the land he has not sold. I would not, ho said, dictate to you O Governor, nor would I wish to be disobedient, for the Scriptures say " obey the Governor, Magistrates and Ministers," and he added " ] will obey them all." [ have no wish to be heard or make myself great before you, O Governor. He then wished to know how many months tht Governor would remain, because lie wished for the peace to be made for ever, and if required, ho would go with the Governor and send th< s back ; that would be good, and morr i be would lav down his gun, it would be put in his house, and he would go to work without it. Governor ask the other Natives to do the same, and this will be good for all ; his word he said was the word of Katatore, and Katatore's word was his—tfiej had met in the morning, i

Kutatore would obey the good word of the Governor and have peace. taha visited the widow of Rawiri at the Hua Pah, whom he requested to wait on him at Taranaki oil the 80th ; lie held a further conference with Tamati Waka and other chiefs there present, when on the morning of the 29th a young chief belonging to Rawiri's people called upon LIU Excellency and said, he was for peace, and suggested that Katatore should be induced to sell the block of land about which the dispute arose, (which, was the cause of Rawiri's death) and the proceeds given to Rawiri's people. Another young chief of W. King's pah stated to His Excellency that on passing through Rawiri's Pah on the evening of the 28th the people there informed him that they had seat the Governor away, at the same time giving the Governor to understand that they would not make peace. Tab, an a also oil the 2Sth informed the Governor that tfee deatli of Rawiri was occasioned as follows :—Rawiri set some wheat on laud belonging to Katatore's tribe, who burnt the wheat. Rawiri was so incensed with this, that they went to cut the line across the Mangoraks creek. Katatore not allowing the land to be sold, being an equal claimant with Rawiri. Rawiri persisting in his determination, was shot. The Government and Mr. Cooper hid nothing to do with Rawiri's death; further he s:;id, that the tribes and natives round this district wished to preserve peace, save four Chiefs of Rawiri's Pah :—Karipa, Haena, Ihairara, Reihana, and that this statement he wa> prepared to sign, when Tamata Waka teemed disposed to object, to the peaceable settlement of the existing feud, and Kan pa and Haeana strongly opposed all arrangements proposed by His Excellency. On Friday the 30th inst., Roka, the widovv of Rawiri waited on His Excellency, when baring ascertained that her distress at having to pay the funeral expenses of her husband, had been - r :r --f the amount, hej : should appear i " - ' ■ : ■ : : i:;jt bo willed to hear j _ / Iv S-.j". _ j RoKa replied, great is my love for Rawiri ; I wish to die after him; I do not wish for myself or children to live: who shall keep them?. Rawiri is calling us to follow him. | I am urging the men to seek payment. Ii cannot consent to peace, because I shall be called j wrong. Rawiri, before he died said, do not seek for payment for my death ; but in the Hospital! requested guns to be given to his children. Ktsta-! t>re must die, for his is the crime. I know how; to think for myself, as well as Rawiri thought fur; himself. I have heard manj r speeches. j His Excellency rep'i'd—My object in speak-: ing to you now is to lift you up. I cannot re-[

turn to you your husband; yet on the part of the Queen, I can keep yoa from any subordinate position. If you have sufficient influence to urge the coutinuance of strife, that influence should be used to secure peace. I thought the word .of a dyingjjhief. was always 'iTelcf sacred, and Rawiri wished you not to seek revenge. I feel for you as a widow, and Mr. Symonds is instructed to furnish you with clothing for yourself and children. [lt appearing hopeless in her present state of mind to secure her support, she was allowed to depart and procure the clothes she might require for herself and children.] On the afternoon of the same day, his Excellency visited Katatore's pah, when his Excellency stated that he had heard of the evil existing in this Province, and which was the cause of his now coming here. His Excellency now expected Katatore to speak his mind, and to give his reasons, if any, why peace might not be established. Katatore replied— Go;id, O Governor, very good. You are coming to make peace. I have no terms of peace to offer. It is not for me to make terms of peace since I am the man of evil; I did the deed ; it is for Hacana and Karipa to make terms of peace. Mine is a great evil, but I think it was just. the land to Rawiri that he might go and get the money for it, but not to sell the land on the other side of Mangoraka. The land I gave him was not his alone, we had an equal share in it. I gave it to hin; to save us all from death. He would not hearken, but said, " Where is death to be seen, since Katatore has spoken of it for many years?'' iwiri went to the land, and would cut the line across the Mangaroka. I met him, and I shot him. I did not kill him without giving him previous warning. I sent him a gun of my own to shoot me with. He was my own brother. 1 do not wish all our land to be sold. His Excellency said—Can you see any reason why you should not give the land on which, and for which Rawiri fell, unconditionally to the Queen, to enable me to commence peace-making ? I ask this, because as long as you hold the laud, l you will always fight about it. ; Katatore replied—lf we give up this land to you, will you, or can you make peace ? His Excellency said—Leave that to me. If you give it up, I will try to make peace. You are the man who must first, give sometking upon which I may try to make peace. [Here Katatore with the end of his spear, marked out on the ground a sketch of the boundarys of the land, naming the line as he went on, for his peoples information ] He then put the question to his people, who were all assembled in the pah, "Do you consent

to give the land to the Governor on which Rawiri died ?" They, with one voice, said " Yes." Katatore— Do you give it unreservedly to the Governor ? They all replied, Yes Katatore—For ever and ever ? Yes. Katatore, addressing his Excellency, said— Governor, take your land : it is no longer mine, but yours. Now do what appears best, and I will listen and look on. His Excellency said—This is the first gift I ask from you, Do not be surprised when I come again and aslr. Your crop is not ripe—this I have got is only one of the potatoes takon from the ground, and it is small. I may ask some of the better potatoes when I have eaten this. Katatore then replied—Do your work, you know best. Then the conference ended.

On his Excellency's returning, be met Tahana, " an assessor," when Tahana said—Governor, have you heard that Arama Karaka is coming. Fie says he is coining to tell the people of the Hutt to sit still, and all other tribes to do the same; that he is only going to send some man to the spot where Rawiri was killed; that this man alone was to live there, and that for a time. Also, the Ngatiruanui are coming to fence in the graves of the dead, and then to return. This is very goodj I think this is for peace. I