IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 28, 13 April 1878, Page 2

IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.

(From Auckland " Evening Star.") Judge Monro, who has just returned to Auckland from Ilokianga, has been kind enough to communicate to a reporter of the " Evening Star" some interesting particulars of an important arch«jolo"ieai discovery at Ilokianga, which, by comparing small things with the groat, may be called tho "Now Zealand Mycame." In the Hokianga district for many years past there has been u tradition amongst the natives that the place was the original landing-pl do of one of tho canoes which immigrated to Now Zealand from Ilawaiki, and it Was known that Ilokianga had originally been the dwelling-plane of the great Ngatiawa tritx>, hut no traces of tho original settlement were discovered until a°few days ago. The Ngatiawa tribo aro able to show by their genealogy that thev lived at Hokianga during seven generations, or about 230 veal's, during which period their numbers increased so rapidly, notwithstanding their frequent cannibal feasts, that tho wild birds ami fishes became scarce, and the whole tribe migrated southwards in search of fresh woods and pastures new. The settlements which they had occupied were then abandoned for a period of three generations, and were afterwardsoccupicd by the Teaupouri tribo for one generation, and were then again unoccupied for five generations. Thus iu all a period of sixteen generations had elapsed, or a period of. oVcr 500 years from the landing by tho chief Ngtikutawhiti, the original ancestor of tho Ngatiawa. TKo period has been computed with the greatest possiblo care, by gontlomen throughly conversant with the native languago and customs, from Maori genealogy. traces of tho old settlements cstablistforl bv the Ngatiawa were entirely oblitoratJd, and though frequent soarch was made for them by residents in Ilokianga, they wore unsuccessful. Opposite Mr. Wckstor's residence, on tho othor side of tho harbor there is a groat sand bank running out into a point, called OiOTongatoa. The wind-blown sands are constantly shifting, and so rapidly, that a European house erected on the spot many years ago has boon completely covered. It would appear that for manyyears, probably centuries, the prevailing winds hnd boon in a direction which caused tho sand to encroach on this point but latterly there has been n ohangi which has carried the Band in an opposite direction, rapidly uncovering the ancient beeoh and landmarks UetUfa, Wobitor

and Tiane were strolling over the place a few days ago, when they were surprised at discovering that the removal of the land had uncovered an immense quantity of human bones. They communicated their discovery to Judge Monro, of the Native Land's Court, whose intimate

knowledge of Maori history, traditions, language, and customs is probably surpassed by few, if any, in New Zealand. He assisted them in further researches, which led to the discovery of further immense quantities of human bones, in various stages of decay, indicating different intervals of tim», and all scattered about in the immediate

vicinity of large Maori stone ovens, some of them of sufficient size to contain the bodies of men laid at full length. There were many hundreds of tons of stones such as are commonly used by the natives in forming the " hangi," or Maori oven; besides large quantities of flint-stones of a kind which are not found in the Hokianga district, and must have been brought over from the Bay of Plenty. There can bo no doubt that this is the site of a series of great cannibal feasts, ranging over a long period of time. As the sand is gradually f removed fresh piles of bones and traces of ovens are disclosed, showing that the site must havo been used for a consider-

able period. Mr. Monro discovered also several stone axes belonging to the varlier period of Maori history. Curiously enough, a lady's thimble, the remains of an axe, and some other articles of European maunfaeture, wero discovered in the sand, and will be placed in the Auckland Institute with the other curiosities found on the spot. The time when theso articles were left on this ancient sito must dato back to a very remote period, long before the settlement of the first Europeans at Hokianga. Two of the earliest settlers are still resident there, but until this discovery they were in total ignoranco of tho fact that the site of an ancient Maori settlement existed beneath the great depth of sand that had accumulated during the lapse of ages at Ororongatea. There is, however, extant a Maori tradition that a European ship visited Hokianga some years after Captain Cook, and that several Maoris, who were never afterwards heard of, went away in her. The discovery of these remain 3 is of great interest to the student of Maori history, as, with the clearly-traced genealogy of tho Ngatiawa and Teaupouri, they serve to fix an important epoch. We believe it is intended to institute a systematic search on tho spot, when doubtless further relics of the past will be unearthed. The immense quantity of human bones, and tho wide area of the ovens, mark a period when the population of Hokianga was far more numerous than it has ever been since, and when cannibal feasts were conducted on a scale magnitude.