"LOST TRIBE" OF THE WEST COAST.

Shannon News, 24 June 1927, Page 2

"LOST TRIBE" OF THE WEST COAST.

PROFESSOR INTERESTED. While on his botanic expedition to the West Coast and Nelson, an account <>f which he gave to members of the Philosophical Institute at Christchurch, Professor A. Wall interested himself in* the reputed existence in the Maruia country of a strange people known through a fixed but unaccountable tradition as "the lost tribe." Professor Wall confessed that, in common with many who have investigate d th 2 reports about these people, he had been unable to locate them or to secure any accurate account of their history. "Much has been said about them, and what we nave heard would lead to the belief that these people must have been ( ? hard cases,''' remarked the Professor. He was told that a good many yeais ago a certain number of families went to the, district and became isolated. "The theories of the cause of this isolation vary " said the Professor. "One is that thu roads leading to their habitation became blocked and that all Communication with the outside world was cut off. Another is that the families did not bother to break their isolation. Many queer tales are told, and they are not fit for publication." He said that the subject was one of historical interest and worth investigation. He had obtained the addresses of people who were supposed to be acquainted with the subject, and the historical students of Canterbury College were going to inquire.