TRADITIONAL HISTORY OF THE MAORIS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5495, 6 November 1878, Page 3

TRADITIONAL HISTORY OF THE MAORIS.

Dr. Hector, in his lecture on the exploration ot Otago, incidentally referred to the traditional history of tho Maoris in tho South Island. As his remarks were very interesting we append them. He said : The traditional history of the occupation of the southern country by the natives was collected by Mr. Shortland, the protector of aborigines, as early as 1844, but further details, have since been collected by several qualified persons, and are to be found collated in Mr. A. Maokay’s admirable compendium on “ Native Affairs in the South Island, ” published in 1872. The traditions wore reproduced last year in a paper by tho Rev. Mr. Stack, and he has been the first to venture to fix the dates for the principal events. It appears pretty certain that the Otago country was occupied by several successive tribes of Maoris. The earliest ot these, Ngatikura, is only known by vague traditions, but is considered to be an offshoot from the Ngapuhi tribe that still occupies the northern district of Auckland, where they first landed about twenty-seven generations ago. The Ngatikura became very numerous, and occupied tho whole island, and according to Mr. Mantell’s notes it was they who burnt off the bush and made the open grass land. (B. Waka-pakihi.) They were succeeded by the Waitaha tribe, who also came from the North Island, and according to Mr. Stack their migration took place in 1477, which is the earliest date he ventures on. The Waitaha, after 100 years, were in their turn attacked, and gradually displaced by the Ngatimanioe, but they were not exterminated until the year 1700; and shortly before this date a further tribe, the Ngaitahu, had commenced to displace the Ngaiimanioe, which was almost exterminated by 1827, only a few having families living survived terwithin less than 30 years back in the dense forests of the S.W. mountains. The Ngaitahu tribe is the one that now survives in Otago, and at one time must have been very numerous ; but about 45 years ago they were greatly reduced by an epidemic of measles, which disease appears to have been as fatal to them as to the natives of Fiji when it first broke out in that group about two years ago. The later history of the natives in Otago is a remarkable instance of rapid disappearance of an aboriginal raoo when brought in contact with civilisation, notwithstanding that they are carefully provided for. In 1844 there were 1200 Maoris in Otago ; in 1852, 709 ; in 1861, 612 ; and in 1869, 395. But in 1874 tho census shows an increase, the number being 310. Tho western side of tho island was inhabited by a separate tribe, having the same origin in tho North Island as the Ngaitahu, called tho Ngatiwaironga, having their head quarters at Arahura ;• and tradition states that the first knowledge of the greenstone or ponanmu which tho eastern natives acquired was from a woman of that tribo who crossed tho mountains to Kaiapoi. This has a most important bearing on the date up to which tho moa birds survived in numbers, as greenstone implements have been found in most of tho ancient cooking heaps along with moa bones, thus proving that the moa must have been used as food by tho Maori tribe that still survives.