POWER OF ''TAPU''

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 390, 26 November 1932, Page 5

POWER OF ''TAPU''

HISTORIC CARVINGS ACCIDENT TO LORRY CARRYING RELICS OF TE KOOTI'S HOUSE * REMOVAL TO MUSEUM " ' " ' Although with the passage of time, the power of the Maori "tapu" has to some extent departed, its inviolab'il- ■ f-.y, paiticularly with tribes in the mo: o i o-raote districts, still persists. There may have been no copnection betv/een the power of "tapu", and the serics of accidents which befell him,but an officer of the staff of the Do.minion Musem, Wellington, Mr. T. Heberlejq on Thursday, according to the native xnind, had dffiect evidence that the power of the old spirits over objects placed under "tapu," has not yet departed. ' Mr. Heberley recently proceeded ffiio the Urewera country wjth the in-t-rtion of negotiating for the remov- \ of ihe historie carvings which, or-. namented tlie original meeting Kouse. occupied by the famous Te? Kooti, during the time he was in hiding in the Urewera country. These carvings are of peculiar interest and in view of their historical associations were many years ago de-?. elared "tapu" by the natives. A number of efforts have been made to secure them for various museums, but without success, and the natives have even refused sightseers permission to photograph them. Mr. Herberley went to Matatua, where the meeting house was located, f acing- a peculiarly difficult mission in persuading the Maoris to relinquish their treasufes/ However, negotiations were - suecessful" and Tewhenuanua, paramount chief of the Ureweras; agreed to- allow the carvings to be removed and placed in the care of the Dominiori Museum. . As soon as the news of their proposed removal went abroad a-mong the hapus, however, many warnings were given that their removal would surely bring disaster to- the.persori carrying them out of the Urewera terrifcory- - . • • i Nevertheless, the work of removal proceeded and the carvings, weighing approximately a ton, were loaded"tip1 on a lorry procured from Te Whaiti. It was hoped that the aetual departure would proceed uneventfully, hut it had its dramatic moments, arid everi so early in- the proceedings the fdrebodirigs of the more superstitious appeared about to he fulfilled. • •

Almost Over Cliff The lorry was standing ready for departure and the driver was swinging the crank handle, when without warning, the vehicle suddenly commenced to slip backwards toward the iip of a steep drop near the village. Tha natives immediately raised i|ie cry that the spirits were about to take their vengeance, and for a moment it was feared that the heavy machine with its histoi-ic load, would topple over the brink of the drop. In the iick of time, however, the driver suceeeded in Teaching the cab and check7ng the machine, on the very lip of tlie bank. Topples Over Bank But the carvings were not .yet out of the Urewera territory, and according to the natives' suf erstition, ihe "tapu" still persisted. 'The jourley proceeded uneventfully y.nti'1 about six miles on the Ruatahuna side of Te Whaiti, the unexpected again occurred. According to the driver's statement, it was a defect iri the steering gear, but according to the natives, it was only another evidence of the reluctance of the spirits to relinquish their hold upon the his-" ' """ toyie carvings. Whatever the reaso'n, on a had bend the lorry suddeply swerved and plunged over a 50-foot bank at the side of the toad. The ... f,;. machine described three .coriipletd .b"'. k d somersaults, coming to res't upaide!f"R1'..' down at the foot of the ddclivity. . a miracle both the -driver . and.- MrLw ' Heberley escaped uninjured, although*, f'vA both' were' severely shaken, The eai'yings v/ere scattered far and wide*,' but f orturiately again, these were undamaged- 0 f Mp. Heberley and the driver had scarcely extricated themselves ,when . a service car, proeeeding in the direetion of their journey, arrived on the scene, and by this means Mr. Heberley was able to proceed on to Rotorua to make arrangements fbr salvaging the" carvings. These were later hauled Up the bank by means of ropes and brought to tlie Rotorda railway yards where they were loaded. into a truck for removal to "Wellington. The work of salvaging the lorry was an even more difficult task, as it was an almost complete wreck.

A Warning The riews of the accident qiiickly spread among the Maoris, and "after his arrival in Rotorua, Mr. Heberley received another warning that tfie ... force of the "tapu" would again make itself felt, and that an accident would befall the train before its arrival in Wellington. So far the removal of ,, , these historic carvings from their home among the Urewera tribes has certainly given evidence of some mai- • evolent influence, but it is to he Jioped for the salce of the train crew/and the New Zealand Government " • railways, that it has by now been' expended. The warning was appdrent- • ly conveyed to Mr. Heberley in the belief that he was travelling ori the same train as the* carvings, but he had already made arrangeihents to' leave hy this morning's express, while the carvings will travel by goods train to Frankton. " ■«r