Maoris Still Lack Faith in Hospitals

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 668, 21 May 1929, Page 2

Maoris Still Lack Faith in Hospitals

TRIBAL ISOLATION SOME INTERESTING TESTIMONY Conservatism »s ascribed by Mr George Graham, of Auckland, the reason for the antipathy 0 f some Maori tribes to entering Euoropean hospitals for medical treatment. A student of ethnology with particular relation to the a Mori race, he was called by counsel in the Supreme Coinyesterday to prove that even if a Maori woman injured in a motor accident had declined to enter a hospital her attitude was not unreasonable. H:* testimony was a particularly interest, ing feature of the suit in whDh the prophet Rua’s chief wife and the children of two of Rua’s tribe, who had been killed in a motor accident, claimed compensation from a lorry driver. VARYING BELIEFS At present, he said, the Maori race was in a state of mentality not fully developed to appreciate the medical and surgical treatment of the pakcha. a large number completely realised the importance of benefits of hospital and medical treatment generally. Another largo section, owing to conservatism had a more or less complete desire to cling to old methods of treatment L, r their ailments. The beliefs of ary particular community would depend on the locality and surroundings. 'The Rotorua Maoris have no objection to the hospital there?” commented liis Honour. Mr. Graham considered the reason lay in the fact that the hospital was in the immediate vicinity and because the Arawa people had intermingled with Europeans, and were enlightened as to the advantages of medical treatment. His Honour; I suppose the people of the Urewera have been isolated? ‘'The people of the Tuhoe stock,” < aid Mr. Graham, “could be generally described as maintaining very conservative opinions on medical treatment, especially where it meant taking a patient any distance from the village.” “The Tuho© people were generally conservative until quite recently," commented his Honpur. NO FAITH IN TREATMENT impression of the Tuhoe people is that they are very conservative owing to their seclusion,” replied Mr. Graham. Fie addea that those who lived, on the outer fringe of the Urewera possessed wider vision of the value of medical treatment. This conservatism, he proceeded, was a survival of old habits, thought? and methods once held even by the European. Maori methods were somewhat bound up with mythical superstitions that European medical treatment did not yet have the potency «r the “manna” with them that it iiewi for the European, although performed by the same doctor. Asked whether the treatment did not have the same effect because the Maori did not have faith in it, Mr. Graham replied that the conservative mind of the native had no confidence in our medical treatment because, somehow, the native felt he was physiologically of a different order to the pakeha. In stopping further testimony, his Honour commented it was very interesting but it was irrelevant.