THE SOUTHERN MAORI

Otago Witness, Issue 4029, 2 June 1931, Page 69

THE SOUTHERN MAORI

STRAY PAPERS

By

H. Beattie.

LIL—CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED. During the publication of these articles many letters have been received, and some of these will now receive attention Article No. XIV drew from Mr E. G. Wilson, surveyor, Gore, the following mformative letter:—“ Regarding the route taken by Te Puaho between Wanaka and luturau, I have made inquiries from time to time, and think the following is generally conceded to be correct —viz., from Wanaka to a point above the junction of the Kawarau and Clutha Rivers, thence up the Kawarau to the natural bridge, then up the Nevis to the saddle lying between it and the Nokomai. and then down the Nokomai, From here there is a choice of two routes —down the Mataura Gorge and out at Cattle Flat, °. r hy Parawa (and thence down the Waimea Plain in either case). This is the Maori track as known to the diggers and runholders, and ■is generally recognised as the real old Wanaka-Tutu-rau route.

“ I think it extremely unlikely that the Cardrona V alley was used, as this involved difficult country up to 4009 ft and 5, between Cardrona and the Natural Bridge. which was the crossing place over the Kawarau for the Maori, as it was tor the early digger. Te Puaho was a stranger, and would not be conversant with the country, but he had people io his party’ who were, and it woutcl be unreasonable to assume that he in any way departed from the usual track, which had, no douot, been used for centuries previous to the raid. Another route from the Clutha River to the Waikaia was over ?7, an Range, approximately’ from Coal Creek to Piano Flat, several miles übove where Glenaray Station is now. There appears to be no very strong argument- against the possibility of this route having been used. “When in New Plymouth in 1910 1 had several chats with (the late) Mr S Percy Smith, and he was keenly interested in Otago. When Surveyor-general he had made an extensive trip through the Catlins district, with the idea, 1 of inspecting the area with a Being cut up for settlement. (I his must have been in the late eighties.) He had, as usual, an eye for everything in connection with the Maori and collected some information. One of the events _ that he was particularly interested in was the Tuturau raid and the course adopted by Te Puaho not only from Wanaka to Tuturau, but his whole route throughout the South Island. In ai.d round Kaka Point Mr Smith made certain investigations, and he quoted an old Maori several times—l think it must have been old Rakitapu, who was then alive. Mr Smith said that this aged man outlined the route that Te Puaho took, and he had it drawn on an Otago map. He asked me if I was familiar with the country, and :f it was at all a practicable route. It practically corresponded in every detail with the route I have given.

“ Old King, who died at Kaka Point about a year ago, drew for me a plan on the sand one day of the route as he understood it to be. King was a very’ intelligent Maori, and I always found his facts to be wonderfully accurate. His route also corresponded. He did not consider either the Switzers or the Tapanui tracks to l>e extensively used except for purposes of peace; the Kawarau track be considered the one used where a hurried trip was required.” I thank Mr Wilson for his very interesting letter, although I cannot agree with him as to the Cardrona part of the route. At one time I held the opinion he does, but further investigation proved I was wrong according to the best available information. An altitude of 5000 feet would not deter a Maori from crossing a range. A white man usually looks for a valley to traverse, but in many cases the Maori travelled along heights. Probably he found the valleys and lower levels too obstructed with rank vegetation, prickly growths, or sticky swamps to be desirable as pathways, and sought the less impeded “ highways.” The valley of the Kawarau would in all probability be much more difficult to traverse than over the Crown range.

Let us appeal to history. A war party left Temuka under a chief named Te Mahika. its objective being the Tititea pa at Kawarau Falls, and it proceeded up the Waitaki River to near Omarama. crossed the Tatara-kai-moko range to Omako (Lindis). crossed the Clutha River near Albertown. followed up the Oran (Cardrona). went over the Hafi-matike-tike (Crown ra’we). descended to Hanhaenui (Arrow River), and on to Ohinerotu or O-te-rotu (Kawarau Falls). Here the party was warned that its 280 warriors were insufficient to attack the pa successfully, and. leaving numerous fires burning that night. it slipped away Next morning the Katimamoe discovered the ruse and followed hotfoot almost overtaking the fast retreating Kai tabu on the Crown Terraces A wind was blowing down towards the pursuers, and the pursued set alight th» dry vegetation, the fire and smoke hinder irg the chase by causing a detour, and on the ton of the range a fog ended the pursuit. The Crown Range, where the Maori track ran over it. in the vicinity pf the present road, was thereafter call’d Tititea in memory of the attempt to bum the mon of that na there. Tn. 1867 Mills. Dick, and Co.. Dunedin published a hook. “Ramifies With a Philospher.” by “An Otaconj.an.” which was reviewed in the Otago ‘ailv Times of October 8. 1867. It is an open secret that the writer was Me J. T. Thomson,

the chief surveyor of Otago. In it we read:—“He (Reko) showed how he had travelled from Kaipoi (Kaiapoi) through the interior till he came to Tuturau. It is evident that 40 or 50 years ago no had passed through the Mackenzie Country, thence over the Lindis Pass to Lake Wanaka, thence up the Cardrona and down the Roaring Meg, where he described the existence of a natural bridge, over which he crossed, and made his way southward by the Nevis and Nokomai Rivers, till he struck the banks of the Mataura; crossing this, he had gone over the Dome Pass, and arrived at the old Native settlement of Tomogalak, whence he had but two days’ journey along the Wakaia Plains to his present location at luturau.”

I'urther, when Rawiri Te Maire gave the route of Te Puaho’s party to Mr Justice Chapman be said it was via the Cardrona. The weight of evidence is so much in favour of thio track that 1 have no doubt of its being the right one. The unanswered question about this famous raid is which. route the raiders followed from Nokomai down. - Opinion appears to be fairly evenly divided whether it was through the Dome Pass or down the great Mataura River gorge. Article No. XXVIII elicited an interesting letter (Daily T'mes. December 18, 1930) from Mr G. M. Moir, on the Great Southern Lakes. The word “Ma yora ” has caused students much perplexity, but the available evidence disposes of any claim to its being a corruption of Manapore.” If there was no lake of this name in Australia then the possibility of the name Mavora being a perven ion of a Maori n me would have to be admitted.

the Daily Times of February 6, 1931, ‘ Southerner ” wrote correcting me regard to the names Reomoana and le Harua, and about Makariri’s swim. As my knowledge is usually more of the wide, general type than of the close, local order, I am always pleased to receive and carefully consider criticisms of what 1 have written. What “ Southerner ” says of the history of the Reomoana School is news to me, and I thank him for the information. My point was that a made-up Maori name should not have been given to the school when so many genuine place-names existed within a short distance of it. My information was that the Maori reserve dated from 1844, and that Matiaha later got the two blocks i res erve named Te Karoro and Whawhapo. In 18G8 the reserve was cut up into 16 sections, and allotted to various families. I tried to get the Maori names of the sections or of any portions of the wliolc reserve but without success, except the name Tc Harua. This was said to be the Potiki family’s section, but no details were given as to its location or history. In addition to the garden called Omarama I was also told of a cultivation in the early whaling days which belonged to Merehau, a tohuka and magician, who ironically called it Te-au-o-hetane (the gall of Satan). With respect to Makariri Rock, now known as Queen Rock, my information was definite that Makariri swam out to it on a number of occasions. This fact was so well known in the early days that I thought it had become an established district tradition. In the Otago Daily Times of May 11, 1931, the Rev. H. <J. Fletcher writes about the name Ma-kotukutuku. Strange ?? *1 seem I was aware of all that Mr rletc-her states, and I thank him for his letter, as it shows an interest m this subject, and prepares the way for an explanation from me. When I had been collecting Maori place-names for some time Mr S. Percy Smith wrote giving n ?e a “St of recognised Maori vowelchanges and some good advice. He advised me never to prompt a Maori, but to let his answers be solely the product of his own unaided knowledge, and whereever possible to get what he considered to be the meaning of a name or word ii prove useful. This advice 1 followed, but m the majority of cases the meaning was unknown to my informants. In the case under review when the old man mentioned Makotukutuku I asked its meaning, and he replied: “I do not know any meaning for this name, unless it is white fuchsia tree.” He did not say it was its meaning, but that it was the only one he could suggest Similarly in South Canterbury I was void that Ma-kibikihi meant “ a white cricket, showing that the Southern Maori seemed to hold that on rare occasions an adjective could precede the noun. That this was so might be argued from the wellknown case of Rua-puke (two mounds). All th rough these articles I have endeavored to let the x)ld people speak for themselves—it would have taken up far too much space for me to add my own opinions.

In addition to the letters which appeared in the press, I received a large number privately from Dunedin. Stirling, Invercargill, Gore, Waikoikoi. Onehunga, Nokomai. Otokia, Anderson’s Bay, BaL clutha. Kaikoura, Bluff, Ravensbourne, and Wellington. These letters ranged over a wide field, and were answered as received, but one or two of the subjects may appositely be mentioned here. One correspondent mentioned that he had seen it stated, apparently on good authority, that Mono-wai was named by Mr Janies MKerrow from the Greek word mono,’’ meaning single and the Maori word “ wai.” the combination meaning “ one water.” This myth has been repeated so often that it seems probable, from his remarks many years later than the recording of the name in 1863, that Mr M'Kerrow was even beginning to bclieve.it himself. It would be interesting and instructive to know’ the exact origin of this fanciful fairy tale. An esteemed correspondent sent me a newspaper cutting which referred to an old Maori brought back to Riverton from the Fiords as “one of the-lost tribe.” This old man. Abraham Hutoitoi, was really a native of Westland, and married a daughter of Te-mate-ahuriri, of Jackson’s Bay. He lived in Southland some years, but when his wife died he returned overland, via the Lake Wanaka route, to his old home.

My thanks are due to Mr B. H. Howard for sending me two more Maori names, both at Stewart Island, these being Tatapoto, a small bay between Lee Bay and Port William, and Tatakainga. Garden Point.

I was pleased to read in the Daily Times of May 23, 1931. an instructive letter signed “ Oka,” dealing with the name Otokia. My information was

mainly verbal, and I understood the spelling of the name had been changed in the order, Otakaia, Otakia, Otokia, but am prepared to accept “Oka’s” order, Otakia, Otakaia, Otokia, in view of the evidence adduced. I made a mistake in the exact location of Chittock’-i Creek, and have received three corrections of this error. Mr William Adam opened an accommodation house in November, 1860, at Moeraki Bush. Who changed the name to Otokia, when, and for what reason? Those three queries are still unanswered! As far as I am aware I have now dealt with all the correspondence relative to these Stray Papers.