Maoris’ Exclusion From African Team

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 180, 20 October 1927, Page 9

Maoris’ Exclusion From African Team

“NOT REPRESENTATIVE”

RAISING COLOUR QUESTION

MR. GEORGE GRAHAM, tbe only pakeha member of the ’ Te Akarana Maori Association. j takes “ Maorilander," one of THE : SUN'S correspondents. to task ! for his recently published views 5 on the question of the rejection ' of Maori players for the South j African football tour. : ••Maorilander" suggested that \ this was an entirely domestic ■ matter for South Africa. Where i no slight was intended, he said. : there could be no slight against i the Maoris. : i “At the outset. I may say the associa- ■ tion voices not merely its own opinion, ! but undoubtedly the opinion of the ! Maori people as a whole,” writes Mr. j Graham in reply. “During the recent • visit of the South African team to this ; country several embarrassing- incidents \ occurred which made it manifest that ; these people are educated to dissociate \ themselves in every way from their coloured fellow man. “NOTHING TO DO WITH US” “In that attitude, within their own country, ‘Maorilander’ correctly observes, 'This being a problem peculiarly their own, it is nothing to do with us.’ Therein we all agree with ‘Maorilander* and certainly, also, so do our Maori people. For they quite appreciate this colour question as it presents itself to the white race in South Africa, where a negro population far outnumbers the white. That is of a racial type quite impossible to assimilate or accept on a social equality. This is exactly the Maori attitude to such people as witness the strong Maori objection to such alien elements flooding this country. His pride of race is identical with that of his white fel-low-countryman in this respect. “But ‘Maorilander’ has quite missed the point and the motive of the association’s protest in this matter, which is: The Maori conceives that in this country we are one people.—white and Maori. One politically, socially and racially on an equal footing. In the sport of football the Maori has proved himself quite the equal if not the actual superior of his white comrade on the field. “No New Zealand representative team is actually such unless there is included therein the best of our football manhood. This selection might be incorrect. if the Maori race is excluded. “However, seeing that we are one people in New Zealand, why, in order to please South Africa, take up a different attitude and send forth from New Zealand a team which is neither a New Zealand team or representative of our people? Supposing some particular country declined to meet Irish or any footballers on tbe field, what should be our attitude? Certainly we should decline to make any such exclusion. Why then do so, if it is the Maori who in this particular case is the racial objection? WILL AFRICANS RETURN? “Now, in due course, I suppose that South Africa will again send a team to this country to play New Zealand representative teams. When that team comes this way, will the Maori players (qualified to class as representatives of the manhood of this country) again be asked to stand aside? “When this team which is now going to South Africa plays on the fields of i that country, any matches they lose are not lost by New Zealand. Any they win, will not have been sufficiently won, for ' the skilled Maori players who have made wide-world history will not be there to save the defeat, or increase the victory ■ in short, with such an objectionable L proviso as regards the Maori we should ) not send a team at all to South F That is the point the association made clear, and therein it certainly represents 1 Maori opinion, and no doubt an over- ) whelming proportion of European opin-