A MAORI WEDDING.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9088, 6 March 1908, Page 5

A MAORI WEDDING.

From Our Halcombe Correspondent. Yes, I shall be delighted. This in reply to a cordial invitation to be present at “my wedding on the 2nd iust.” Though I have always regarded the original possessors of “God’s Own Country’’ as the finest of the aboriginal races, Lhave had little opportunity of studying them at home, and therefore decided to have a day of it and in spite of intermittent showers, a most enjoyable and instructive day ic proved. I was met at the Kakariki station and escorted to Karaka. As we approached the Pah I heard the welcoming words “Haeri Mai, Haere Mai, Katoa Katoa,’’ and at once felt myself an esteemed and privileged guest. But this same wann welcome was repeated rhauy . times as the day advanced and the many friends arrived from Hawke’s Bay, Nelson, Bulls, Parawhenui, and Onepuhi. It was evident by the work being done and suppressed excitement which broke .out into one horse bakas that this was not an ordinary day at Karaka. Plucked fowls, carcases of sheep and pigs, huge kits of potatoes, cob corn, pumpkins, and kumeras, besides smoked eels and other delicacies,, were there in profusion waiting the attention of the cooks who were now busy preparing coppers for their reception. By the way the construction of these coppers is an art and different from what my reading had led mo to imagine. Instead of a heap of stones being put in the hole, and the wood fired on top of them the reverse is the method, the result being that the fire gets in and about the stones and every’one is made equally hot. As the carefully arranged timber burns away and the ton or more of “large metal” falls down, the smoking and nnconsnmed wood is carefully cleared off, the stones levelled, then two or three buckets of water sprinkled over and the operations are enveloped in a cloud of vapour. Then the . sheep and pigs, cut in quarters, are carefully placed ou the stones and stones are put upon the thicker joints, the whole is then carefully covered with freshly cut fern and sacks laid over these, and sods of earth heaped ou, and thus the heat, moisture aud meat sealed up tightly; The vegetables are cooked in another “copper,” fern being first placed on the stones, then a bottomless basket or band of woven flax, a foot deep, is put round to hold the potatoes, etc., in position, then more water is sprinkled, ferns and sack being the only covering. The time required to cook the meat was about one hour aud a half, and in the meantime the Kakariki hand, cake walks, hakas, aud speeches enlivened the proceedings. The speeches were an especial feature aud though I couldunderstand only a few of the words spoken, the manner in which they were uttered, with emphatic pauses and gesture, particularly interested me, and in my opinion the general style of the Maori speaker is much more impressive than that of [the ordinary pakeha. There is none of the washing of hands, shuffling of feet and I hope you’ll excuse my presumptionmanner about those “born orators.” No they take the stage, an acre of it, and fill their dignified presence. It was now the time appointed for the interesting ceremony, the principal event of the day’s programme and the Rev. Temuera, of Parawhenui, took charge, aud the “band,” is seen aud heard escorting the bride and bridegroom and their attendants to the altar in the open. The ser-? vice was Anglican and full choral and as it proceeded I had time to notice the appearance of the bride and concluded that I had seen few of her pakeha sisters that surpassed her in attractiveness. Nora is the second daughter of Patene and was being united to Watene, the only son of Watene Poaueki Te Momo. The bride was most becomingly dressed in cream silk, trimmed with ribbon and lace, and upon her shapely head and beautiful hair appeared the regulation veil an orange blossoms. She was given away by her father and was attended by “Pollie” sister of the bridegroom, the groomsman being Hekenui Rauhiki, cousin of the bridegroom. As the ceremony was nearing the end I saw the braves armed with rice and flour creeping stealthily up to the unsuspecting couple. The admonitory “speech concluded and the pair were stormed, the bride escaping and the groom was cheered aud carried shoulder high round the enclosure, and when at last he was put down he looked as if he had been rolled in ‘ a flour sack, and when I claimed tribute from the bride aud it was | graciously paid, her beautiful laughing eyes were fringed with white. The cloth was now laid, close upon a hundred feet of it, and the food placed upon it in great variety and profusion. To say the table groaned with the weight of good things would he misleading as the damask was laid upon the impressiouless earth. The handsome N wedding cake was given an elevated position at one end. Grace having been said the feast began. Some one has said or written that you can tell what manner of people you are with by the way iu which they eat, but that test would not apply to the hundreds of guests at this feast, each of whom was thoughtful of the wants of the others, and especially attentive to their pakeha friends. Never in my life have I met so many of natures gentlemen and’ ladies, and I only wish"l could have had with me, those friends I have met of my own race, who think they are gentle folk and invariably behave like cads, but am afraid they would be so dreadfully dense that they would neither perceive nor profit by the lesson.