MEN OF MARK AMONG THE MAORIS

NZ Truth, Issue 78, 15 December 1906, Page 7

MEN OF MARK AMONG THE MAORIS

TE RAUPARAHA. ♦- "The Cleverest of all Maori Statesmen." — .+. — (BY " OLD CHUM.")

About the time Parson Marsdon and other missionaries were preaching their' first sermons m New Zealand, Hongi, a powerful chief, went to England, where he was laden with presents, SUPPLIED HIMSELF WITH FIREARMS, and returned to settle a little family dispute which he had with the natives

iii the Kaipara district. The powerful , chief, whose name heads this column, retreated before him, but when opportunity offered ho also purchased weapons |of war, and while Hongi ravaged the ! Thames, Waipa and Waikato districts, , Te Rauparaha devastated the East and West Coasts, "building up a reputation for himself which he made use of ' m a few years to the great dismay of the early colonists." Hongi's "tracks" are still landmarks m New Zealand and objects of "interest to visitors. ■ ' • . * * *.. Let us commence the history of this' "MAN OF MARK" with Mr. E. J. Wakefield's personal description of him :— "His features are aqu'ii line and striking, but an overhanging ; upper lip otad a retr&ating forehead, on which his eyebrows wrinkled back when he lifted his deep-sunk eyelids and penetrating eyes, produced a fatal effect on ! the good prestige arising from his first appearance. The great chieftain, the. man able to lead others, and habituated .to wield' authority, Was. clear at first sight; but the savage ferocity of the tig-er, who would not scruple to use means for the attainment of that power, the destructive ambition of a selfish despot, wero plainly discernible on a nearer [ view. The life of this remarkable savage forms an era m the history of New Zealand." At the interview which caused this description both the Wafcefields thought that lOaiiparaha showed "fear and distrust" of them and of the New Zealand Company."' They did not know that Te Rauparaha possessed rare power of action as well as speech. Colonel Mundy, who saw him some years after the Wakefields, thus describes Rauparaha : — "The famous warrior-chief, famous for his successes and his. cruelties — Te Rauparaha ia short, of stature, with the remains of great personal strength, - ,;jhtf :-saw&a'isi?J?«i o *» • 'bowed by"*'age;""' : 'His •countenance is '.'' REPULSIVE BEYOND DESCRIPTION, and his long yellow teeth look as if they had torn many a butchered -prisoner.- It would not be easy to give $n outline of the eventful career of this hero of a hundred flesh feasts, even if it were perfectly known. He appears to be upwards of 70 years old at present (1847)." Belonging to the Ngatitoa- tribe, seated m the North, he was driven with his aliies, Te Pehi and Rangibaieta, the latter then a mere lad, from their hereditary territory towards the South by Hongi, the Waikato chief, armed with his newly-purchased "fire engine6S," m the shape of muskets dbltained from dishonest traders m Sydney, who cared little as to what uses the weapons were put. The trio located themselves on the southern shore of Cook's Straits, upon a tract of country, the> original inhabitants of which they slaughtered and devoured. Amongst a long list of atrocities, Te lUauparaha was accused of having killed and eaten one of his own "slaves, and with having thrown another overboard to lighten his canoe while flying from his foes. The Maoris themselves regarded his character with aversion, however much they admired his ability as a general, and his great capacity for accumulating property. Towards the English he was always suspected of duplicity, at one time threatening, again cringing, and '.'always an impudent beggar" who generally gained his end. It was said that Te Waharoa's schemes and alliances . with the Ngatimaniapoto branch of the Waikato people drove Te Rauparaha from the lands of his ancestors. 'It is more than probable, according to all who have written on the subject, that Rauparaha selected his new career because of the traffic m arras in' the. North, aDd m which he had, as yet, no share. He Had blood relations among the Ngatiraukaw;a tribe, whose headquar^ ters were at Maurigatautari , a range on. the west bank of the .Waikato River, above (the now) Cambridge. Rauparaha had ' visited and won the favor of THE GREAT TAUPO CHIEF, TE HEU HEU. He had sounded the Ngatimaru about alliances, and it was suspected that with the help of * the Ngatiraukawa and the Ngatimaru he hoped to conquer the Waikato tribes, who under Te Whero Wbero held the valley of the Waikato from Pirongia to the sea. About the year 1812, when, say, 35 years of age, Rauparaha visited the Ngatiwhatu tribe, the much-harassed ;owners or holders of the land near the now city of Auckland. Up to this date, however, firearms, and of the old flintlock type at that, were held only m the districts frequented by whalers, and their visits were chiefly confined to the Bay of Islands and the North-East Coast. Though he "held the belt," so to say, for raids, Rauparaha felt his position very insecure. The territory of his tribe was small j from Eawhia to Mokau, and was open TO Ii'AIDS FROM THE WAIKATOS, with whom Rauparaha was anything but friendly. Waka Nene and his brother-, Patuone, great Ngapuhi chiefs, and then m the prime of manhood, visited Kawhia m the year 1817, and proposed that Rauparaha should join them, m a slaughtering and devouring war party. They had with them the much-coveted firearms, and a fighting force of 200 men. Sparing the Ngatiawa. who were friend- i ly to Rauparaha, the allies successfully ! assailed several coast tribes, until they ! paused at the island of Kapiti. Here the tribe was spared, but a tribute of ' cherished greenstone implements was m- , sisted upon/ ' Again the war party proceeded to Cape! Terawiti, where the Ngatikahungunu had ' fled, warned by the rumors of ! THE SLAYING AND EATING ! which marked the path of the invaders. Pursued to their pah at TawJinre Ni!:uu.

and the superstitious chiefs accepted the omen, and from that out Te Rauparaha Was the acknowledged chief and leader of the warlike Ngatiraukawa tribe. It was not unnatural, as both tribes traced their descent from, a common ancestor, and Rauparaha's mother, Parokowhatu, was a Ngatiraukawa chief tainess. • * » Strengthened by his new dignity, Rauparaha made frequent visits to the Ngatiraukawa tribe, and impressed upon them the necessity, of sending a part of the tribe to obtain new territory, with a coastline which would enable them to do \ business with ships, to procure the one thing needful — firearms — to protect them from the raids of the . well-armed men m the north. . By degrees he prevailed, and m the year 1828 (?) a large number of them joined him. In addition, the powerful Ngatiawa tribe, which held the land between Mokau and Mount Bgmont, was largely connected by marriage with the Ngatitoa. Many of these he also induced to follow him- ' .* * * RAUPARAHA WAS A BORN t DIPLOMAT. His chief successes m war m his youth had been against the Waikatp tribes. If the whole tribe of Ngatitoa should move, a war party from Waikato might wreak vengeance for past disgraces. The women and children could not escape the Waikato w"rath. * ■ • .'* * Through the agency of some friendly chiefs of Te Whero Whero's tribe, Rauparaha proposed a cessation of hostilities, and 'offered to cede on his departure to Kapiti, the Ngatitoa domains to the Waikato tribe; * « * All the arrangements were concluded before Hongi sailed for Europe to procure firearms. Provisions for the acred and infirm were stored, and m 1819 the farewell of the tribe was spoken. The great carved house was burnt, as it could not be carried away. From a neighboring eminence the people looked back upon their deserted homes and wept bitterly, "FAREWELL ICAWHIA I THE PEOPLE GO TO KAPYTI." On the way it was found necessary to leave a number of women with a. sruard at the Puohoki Pah, Rauparaha's own wife, then pregnant, being one of the number. • » • Rustlen says : — "Although these facts ha.ye been ascertained after full inquiry m courts of law, T observe that m 'Reminiscences' published m a New Zealand paper m 1882, Rauparaha's departure is I absurdly post-dated to a period long! ! subsequent to the time m which it oc- j ! curred. He migrated before the inva- | sion of Waikato by Hongi. But the ] author of the 'Reminiscences' attributes his flight to ii subsequent invasion of j Turanaki by Te Wliero Wnero." | The main body passed on to Taranaki. j In spile of eiurealii'S, ttuupnrahn refus- ' ed to take back more than 20 chosen warriors'' to escort the women who had been If ft bc'iind. He lost, no Mine, for ho shared the dread of his people. Tha

the fugitives saw If stormed with great slaughter, asd, scattering- m the hills, fled m terror irom the death-dealing firearms with which they could not cope. .slaying and capturing, Rauparaha and his friends chased the Qyers as far as Poraugahu, north of Cape Turn Again, "before they retraced their steps to gorge their warriors upon t the bodies left at Tawhare Nikau." As they departed homewards Waka Nene drew Rauparaha's attention to a ship m Cook's straits, saying, "Rauparaha, see you those people sailing on the sea ? They are a good people. If you subdue this land and traffic with them for firearms you will become very great." The chief did not need the hint. On his return, Te Rauparaha cultivated friendly relations with Ngatiapa. The chief of that tribe, a powerful one, had avoided the general slaughter- aa Raupar&na and his friends SCOURED AND SCOURGED THE COAST. He wisely led his people into the moun* tains, and the scourge, passed on, leaving his tribe untouched. A few scattered individuals were caught, but their capture was not considered serious. Amongst them, however^ was a .chjeftginess; . Pi- | kiriga, and ; Rauparaha, Instead of treat* ! ing hen Royal Highness with indignity, negotiated a marriage with her and his nephew, Rang-ihaeata, one of the most bloodthirsty warriors of the expedition. Thus were the powerful Ngatiapas mollified and made intp a friendly barrier between the new country, which Te Raupornha intended to occupy, and the Northern territories, where- the tribes possessing firearms were an object of fear. RauparaJ-ia could not rest easy. The power of firearms was proved m his recent campaign of blood, and the ambition of Hongi, whq did not conceal his intention of carrying fire and slaughter amongst the tribes south of the Manakau Harbor, foretold too correctly the probable fate of the small Ngatitoa tribe, which could be attacked by canoes "from the sea or by land. Yet Rauparaha had a conscience. The veneration of the Maori for -the homes and burial places of his forefathers was a serious obstacle; but this Rauparaha devoted all his energy to overcome. He visited his kindred at Maungatautari to induce them to join : m his migration south. The leader of this kindred tribej HAPE TAURANGI, the "Ariki" of the tribe, was at the point of death, and before the assembled people the dying man asked if his successor could walk m his steps, lead the tribe to victory, and thus keep up their honor. His sons were silent. After a pause, Rauparaha rose and said, "I am able to tread m your steps and do more even than you." No other chief spoke,

Waika'to or Ngatimanlapoto might not be able to resist the temptation to deatroy the small Ngatitoa band. Rauparaha himself carried bis newborn son. Hia wife, Akau, a woman of commanding stature, arrayed like a chief with feathers m her hair, and wielding ft war club, walked m front with 20 other women similarly dressed. As the custom was for women to wear the upper mat over one shoulder and for men to wear it over the other, the deception was complete. The weaker people followed, and R&uparaha, with his CHOSEN WARRIORS, OCCUtPIED THF POST OF DANGER. These precautions were necessary. Somo Ngatimaniapoto had determined to des j troy the travellers ; but, deceived by th. j apparent number of the Ngatitoa warriors, decided not to attack. Uauparaha. however, dashed upon them and slaughtered five. Arrived at Mokau River, he found it swollen by rain and a hig) tide. He had to camp, and again hit cunning was employed against tin enemy. He caused many large fires t. be made, and at each were women dis guised as warriors. Only one man wa: at each. fire. The rest, with Rauiparahn acted as scouts throughout the night The men at the fires were ordered t call loudly to each other, saying, "Ii strong, ye people, to fight on the mor row, should the enemy return. Thin not of life ; consider tka valor of ou tribe." In that night, so awful for the women, a terrible incident occurred. Tangahoe, a chief's wife, had her infant at one of the fires. The child began to cry. Rauparaha saw that ?iis stratagem might be exposed. He said sternly to the mother, "I am that child." She understood, and, as the historian, saya, with Roman ., rigpr, -'.-). -v% -■-~.rh\y ? :;•■■■■ r STRANGLED HER BABE to save the lives of others. By these arts the Ngatimaniapoto were deceived, and before daylight Rauparaha had crossed the river, when the tide was low. Leaving the women m a friendly pah, he returned for the bodies of the fire slain, amongst whom was a notable chief, and t the orgies of pannibalism were indulged m by Rauparaha and Ms Ngatiawa friends. The enraged Maniapotos procured the help of 'Te Wfaero Whero, and brought a larger body into the field, accompanied, it was said, by Waharoa, the Ngatihaua chief. Raupara- ! ha's star, however, was m the ascendant, and, availing himself of a favorable JJosition, with the aid of the Ngatiawa warriors, he fell upon his assailants and slaughtered more than 100 men, who were COOKED AND EATEN WITH THE USUAL ATROCITIES;; Thus freed from danger, , Rauparaha travelled to' Tuhua, on the Wanganui River, where Te Heu Heu promised assistance m taking Kapiti, but no more. Confident m his own resources, Te Heu Heu required no more territory. From Tuhua, Rauparaha went to a gathering of- the x Ngatiraukawa, under the authority of the chief Whatanii'L. Eloquently Rauparaha pleaded that the only safety for • the Ngatiraukawa was through firearms, and that at Kapiti they could be ■ obtained. This tribe, however, would ! not be persuaded, and . Rauparaha passed on to Rotorua to obtain recruits, but failed. Months, even years, were consumed before he procured the aid he con-

sidered sufficient to ensure safe possession of the lands he had so easily overrun with Wak a Nene and Patuone. ♦ • • Generally speaking, this is what occurred : Rauparaha obtained come xNgapuhi auxiliaries from Pomare, a Ngapuhi chief; m 1827 he persuaded Te Rangitake, the Ngatiawa chief at Waitara, and a large body of Ngatiawa to ; follow him ; a band of Ngatiraukawa under Ahu Karamu joined him; Whatanui liimself, with Te Heu Heu, travelled • down the Rangatiki River to see the promised land ; the result was that m 1828 a large section of the powerful i Ngatiraukawa .tribe migrated to share the territory with the SUCCESSFUL RAUPARAHA. and his people.; * » ♦ The hairbreadth scrapes of Reuparaha, the ferocity, with which he pursued the remnants of the conquered tribes, the disputes .among the conquerors about the conquered land, it is needless to go into here. There were battles, m whicfi Rangihaeta was distinguished as a fighting chief. "There was no occasion on

! which, by guile, strategy or cruelty Rauparaha failed to be a gainer. Once ' while he was on the mainland, a combi- i nation of the Uangitane, the Muaupoko, the Ngatikahungunu and others attacked the Ngatitoa on Kapiti, and hemmed them m at Waiorua. A truce was agreed upon, but this was broken by^the - •arrival of Kauparuha and his warriors, i ' and 200 of the allied warriors wer<\ des- • ! troyed." j ' (To be Continued.) ' :