THE SOUTHERN MAORI

Otago Witness, Issue 4030, 9 June 1931, Page 5

THE SOUTHERN MAORI

STRAY PAPERS LIU.—ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. Having come to the last of the present series of articles I feel I cannot close without mentioning the kindness I received amongst the Maori people. They one and all deplored the fact that no collector had come to them 30 or 50 years earlier and taken down the placenames and history while the older generation was alive, but they did their best to remedy this defect and they certainly showed me courtesy and hospitality. These characteristic traits of the Maori were much in evidence during nay visits to them and remain a pleasant memory; so much so that it enhances the pleasure it has afforded me to give their traditional knowledge the publicity it deserves. It must not be thought that these stray papers at all nearly exhaust my manuscript notes about the southern Maori, as they have merely striven to record publicly Maori place-names not hitherto in print and to' give a brief intelligible outline of their warfare in Otago. I .wish to close with some personal details about my informants to demonstrate their standing and reliability, but as my notes run through 14 big notebooks. totalling 1200 pages of closelywritten information, it can be realised that this is no light task. Tohitohi Te-marama was born on Ruapuke Island in or about 1829, being a younger half-brother of the famous John Topi Patuki. When the missionaries came he was christened John Williams, but the whalers nicknamed him “ Buller.” When the Californian diggings broke out in 1849 he was “a man grown,” and was over.in Sydney on the schooner Amazon known to the Maoris as Kairari (eat ling). His son, Harry William, also followed the sea, becoming chief mate of the Hinemoa. Largely through the good offices of Mrs King (nee Meri Cameron) the old man gave me a long list of place names in the year 1915. Mrs Gilroy was born near Puysegur Point in 1831, her father being Captain Anglem, and her mother a Maori woman. Whose name is not among my'notes. Nera, or Ellen, Anglem married the famous Captain. “ Paddy ” Gilroy, and was a: resident of Bluff for many years, finally dying there when two or three years short of the century. She was blind the last few years of her life, and nothing pleased her more than to relate ancient things,: and to recite and sing the old Maori poems and songs.: I interviewed her twice, and she gave me a fine list of the. old place-names, particularly round the Bluff. / ’ Mrs Crane was born at Tautuku in or about 1836, being the eldest daughter of William Palmer, a whaler. Her mother, Titi, was largely of Katimamoe descent, her parents being Te-mau-kau-mai and. Te-rqjnii. Miss Palmer married Crape, a native of Wales, who, after being in Australia some time, came to OtagOj in the early, fifties. She sup-, plied me jwith place-names;

Tame Parata, M.P. for the Southern Maori electorate for many years, was. born on Ruapuke Island, in 1837, his mother being Korotiki, the eldest daughter of the chief Rimurapa. Most unfortunately I never met him until just before his death in 1916, but even then he gave me a number of placenames, and put me on the track of other information.

Eruete Kingi Kurupohatu was one of the best-known and most highly-respected Maoris in Otago between his birth at Ruapuke about 1839 and his death at Kaka Point in 1930. He was a boy of about five years of age when the Rev. J. F. H. Wohlers landed at Ruapuke in 1844, and he was present in March and April, 1848, when the “ two first ships ” sailed into Otago Harbour. He then went to live with his uncle, Taare Te-haere, at Henley, and here he remained some years. When Mr W. B. D. Mantell left Dunedin in January, 1854, to proceed to Southland to pay the Maoris the first instalment of the purchase money for Murihiku he was accompanied by five Maoris, Timoti Karetai, Korako Karetai, Wi Potiki, Hapa Paori Potiki and Wi Turora, and these were joined at Henley by Kurupohatu. The boy was standing on a rock by the wayside. waiting for the approaching party when Mantell spied him and jocularly exclaimed “Hullo! Is this the king of the Maoris! ” The Natives in the party with the Maori alacrity to seize a joke, laughingly exclaimed, “Yes! That’s our king,” and they banteringly chaffed the lad, nicknaming him King and the nickname stuck to him all his life. When I was speaking to him one time he received his mail consisting of five letters and he showed me the addresses, no two of which were alike. The three which I noted down were “ Edward King,” , “ King Ruru,” and “Kingi Ruru Kurupohatu,” the place being recorded as Maranuka or Kaka Point. The word “ Ruru ”. was no part of his name, but was his father’s name, his mother being called Hine-Wahia. A sister of Ruru named. Kinakina had a daughter, Te Uira, and she married the fambus Tuha•waikai, who was, moreover, related to King by another line. All students of the Maori lore of Otago must remain under a deep debt of gratitude to King. It gave him great pleasure to assist in the perpetuation of information about his race and he spared no pains in endeavouring to further that object. He gave me several hundred .place-names not previously recorded, and a really vast fund of general information which may

appear in print at some future date. I could say much more about him, but merely mention the high esteem in which he was held by both races. Tieke Kana, better known as " Jack ” Connor, was born at Stewart Island on June 21, 1840, his mother’s name being Tarewa-ti. About this time Anglem, Gilroy, Stirling and others started a company to trade with Sydney. They got greenstone at Milford, took it to the North Island and exchanged it for dressed flax, which they sold in Sydney for big prices, bringing back a general cargo. Kana said to me, “ I was taken to Martin’s Bay when I was six months old. When the vessel got back from Sydney, it was blowing so hard she could not get it, but she got into another bay near the Cascades. My father and three more went round to hear the news and to get grog. They went on board and got pretty well filled up. Coming back to Martin’s Bay they were landing the boat when she capsized, and my father and Bell, who was a member of the company, too, were drowned. My mother stayed there for a while and then married a company man named Foster. My father had told Nicholas Robelia, a Frenchman, known as ‘ Guernsey Bob,’ to look after me, and he adopted me. Bob had married a North Island women of rank named Romatiki. who was christened by Bishop Williams (I think) the first year he came south. In 1851 1 was taken to the North Island, and in 1862 I was on board the brig Maria, Captain Brown, bound for the Chathams to get the oil out of a whaling ship, Captain M'Grath, which had been wrecked there. I rememhei I was very sick on my first voyage. A friend then coaxed me to join the ship Pacific, Captain Sherburd, out of Hobart whaling. I was on her for four years and tour months, and was third mate for the last 14 months of this tune. I could take the vessel, could harpoon, and do the other jobs required, but I could not navigate. The Pacific was wrecked on Carter’s Rocks at Stewart Island, and -her cargo was sold in Invercargill. I was in Riverton in 1864 when the Maoris sold Stewart Island to the Government, and about the end of 1865 I came to Henley, where I settled down for good.” In 1892 Kana was made a Maori J.P., and, although he was unable to read and write, his natural shrewdness stood him in good stead, and he wielded considerable influence. He could fluently recite numerous genealogies, and he supplied me with several, and with accounts of battles and quite a number of place names. Hori Mahure was born at Mason Bay, Stewart Island, in 1843. “There were no schools in my day, and I cannot read or write,” he said to me, “ but I am willing to help you to the best of my ability,” and help me he did, for, assisted by his wife Pohe, he gave me much information of olden things, some of which has been recorded in this series. Kohiku Titi, a respected half-caste, better known as Walter Douglas Joss was born at The Neck, Stewart Island, in 1842, his father being James Joss, a Scotchman from Banff, and his mother 1 uatiaha, a woman descended from Paikea and Kuri. He was reared on Ruapuke Island, and later spent some time at Kaiapoi. He regretfully confessed to me that he had never heard the “old people” talk much history or folklore, but he gave me 15 place names that were new to me, mostly round Stewart

Henare Te-maire was born at Waikouaiti, on June 15, 1844, and was of the usual mixed Waitaha, Katimamoe and Kaitahu descent. His father, Rawiri le Maire, was born at Punatarakao, near Kaiateatua (Willowbridge pa), and brought up at Lake Wanaka. The father was a man learned in the knowledge of Ins race, and some of this knowledge was transmitted to his son to whom I am indebted for much valuable information, some of which has apP ea . r^„ in tlles ? col umns. Henare died in 1928 at Waihao.

lr «™u Te-paro, better known at the Bluff as M illiam Spencer, is the youngest and only surviving son of the famous whaler, James Spencer. His mother's name was Tini-rau-waho. He was born at the Bluff on September 3, 1844, and was only two years old when his father died on a voyage from Sydney to the Bluff. Like many others of his day and generation he went sailing in the West Coast Sounds, which he first visited in August, 1864, and 50 years later, in August, 1914, he was there on the same errand. In between these two trips he visited the Sound on many occasions, but he never saw any traces of the wild Natives. The old Maori settlement at Martin’s Bay was deserted when he first visited it, Tutoko the chief having died some time before, but he met Tutoko’s family in Southland. He joined in th n gold rush to George’s River (now called George River, but the Maori name of which he could not recall) between Big Bay and Cascade Point, and thereafter prospected for the precious metal without success. He imbibed much of the lore of his mother’s people and is a reliable exponent of their maritime knowledge, of their battles in the south, and of many of their place names. Mrs Tanner, known as Kui among the Maoris, was born at Tautuku in 1844. but left that district when she was eight years old. Her father was William Palmer and her mother Titi, but on the death of the latter the former married again, and Mrs Tanner was brought up with Europeans, thus losing the opportunity of much contact with her mother’s people.. Nevertheless, she gave me a number of place names.

Mrs Hinchou Korako Matene was born at Moeraki in 1845 and at a comparatively early age was married to Matene Korako Tumeke, a descendant of Raki-ihia, the famous Katimamoe chief. Assisted by Henare Tumeho Matene and his wife (nee Ripeka Karetai), she gave me much valuable Maori information. Teone Kaiporohu, born at Stewart, Island on May 6, 1848, gave me many particulars of Maori seafaring pursuits, of mutton-birding, of southern fighting, genealogies, and a long list of place names. Tiaki Pukurakau was born in 1848, his father having been a Maori -sealer on the West Coast and also a warrior in the fights at Kaiapoi and elsewhere. Tiaki wrote me a long list of Waitaki place names. Wiremu Rawiri Te-awha was born in Southland in 1849. His father, Rawiri Te-awha, died in 1878. Wiremu was a dwarf and was affectionately called Kunu (short) by the Maoris. A pleasant, affable man, he gave me a number of place names.

Hori Pauley was born at Riverton in 1848. His father went with Captain Howell to California in 1849, and never returned. Hori gave me a fine list of Southland place-names. Tiemi Haereroa Kupa was born about 1849. his early years being spent at Temuka, hut since then has been a resident of Colac Bay. A mine of information on Southern Maori history and lore.

Rewheti Taare Te-maiharoa was a man steeped in Waitaha tradition, in ancient lore, and in genealogies, his father, who died about 1889, having been a recognised authority on these matters. Taare, who was born in 1849 and died in 1919, gave me much extremely valuable and hitherto unpublished information along those lines. Henare Te-kooti Rehu, born at Moeraki about 1850, gave me much information about North Otago, and many place-names. Hohepa Tunuku Karetai, born on Otago Peninsula in the early fifties, supplied me with particulars of various ancient activities, and with a number of place-names. Toki Reko, born at Tuturau about 1852, supplied me with district placenames. > ■.

Hoani Tamahika Matiu was born in the Waikouaiti district in November 1854 at Hau-te-kapakapa, where Watkins’s mission station had been located. A recognised authority on matters pertaining to the history of the fighting days, he gave me some vivid descriptions of the fighting and incidents connected therewith.

John Rakiraki (or as his name appears on Governor Bowen’s list of 1861 — Hoani Puao Rakiraki) is the eldest living son of Haimona Rakitapu (or Rakiraki, as his name is rightly given by Commissioner M‘Kay), and Wiki, his wife, and was born on May 25, 1855, at Marauuku, where he has resided ever since. A man well versed in Maori lore, he gave me a great fund of information along many lines as well as numerous place-names. In addition to the principal informants detailed above I am also indebted to a less degree to many others who also obligingly contributed to my collection of notes, and I enumerate their namfcs, and, where I possess the data, the years and places of their births.— Ratimira Te-au (a grandson of Te-wae-wae, born Colac Bay 1868, died 1918) ; Teone Antone (Waikouaiti, 1866) ; Mrs Clifford (Clutha) ; Mr and Mrs C. Goomes (he was born at Bravo, and his mother at Sealers’ Bay on Codfish Island) ; Mrs Hori (Colac Bay) ; Mrs Meri Harper (nee “Big Mary” Apes, born at Waikouaiti about 1839) , Kaitai (Colac Bay) ; Molli (Stewart Island) ; Taare Mawhi (Te Whin, Riverton, 1865; better known as “Oldham” Murphy because Rev. Oldham christened him); Epiha Maaka (Otago Heads 1850) ; Hone Te-Paina (Southland about 1835) ; Hamuera Kaitai Rakiraki (Maranuku about 1860) ; Mrs Neilsen (Stewart Island); Eripaheti Rita (Riverton 1848) ; Mrs Tupai (Colac Bay);- Hira Te-wahia (Waikouaiti 1870) ; Takai Whaitiri (Ruapuke 1848) ; Tame Winiata (Colac Bay about 1848) ; James Wybrow (Ruapuke about 1839). If anyone has been inadvertently omitted from this grateful acknowledgement I trust he will overlook the omission and accept my apology. My thanks are also due to Europeans who have assisted the quest.