BODY OF A CHIEF EATEN BY DOGS AT HOKIANGA.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 177, 20 December 1876, Page 2 (Supplement)

BODY OF A CHIEF EATEN BY DOGS AT HOKIANGA.

Tun following extract from a letter from Hokianga, published in the Auckland Evening Star, is sufficiently startling : '• Wireinu Hopihona Tahuaj who died the other day at Utakura, Hokianga, was so neglected after death that his body has been entirely eaten by dogs. Only the top part of the skull remained. Such a thing never before occurred I believe in New Zealand. A chief of high rank, and one of the few remaining of the old war-' riors to be thus eaten by dogs, shows how, low the natives have fallen, and the fruitlessness of mission labour, and the flour and sugar policy. I myself felt utterly disgusted and horrified, when I heard of his fate. I lemember him in Hekc’s war, a powerful chief petted by Governors, and ■ whose-word-to his own tribe was law.” Wi Hopihona was one of three chiefs of whom Tamati Waki, and Aperahama Taonui were the other two, who were in the van on the side of the Government in Heke’s war. . He received a medal from the Government for his sendees on that, and other occasions, and was a man of generous and noble disposition. He was always anxious to use his influence with a view to preventing quarrels between the Native race and Europeans. The circumstances of his death are briefly, as follows : —The old nian was quite seventy years of age, and had become very feeble. About eight weeks ago, while sitting in his whare alone, he fell into the fife, and before assistance could arrive was severely burnt about the body. Mr Von Sturmer, and Mr-William Webster gave him every attention, but the old fellow succumbed to his injuries and died on the 2nd November. When he was dead the natives buried him, by placing his body, uucoffined, in a hole about two feet deep, which they had lately dug, and covered with only a few pieces of board, which the dogs had no difficulty in removing. They thus obtained access to the corpse, and did not leave off till they had entirely demolished it. According to latest reports from Hokianga, the relatives of the deceased were holding large meetings with a view to getting utu from the persons who are responsible for the neglect. ■ 1