TE KOOTI. (BY AN OLD EAST COAST CAMPAIGNER).

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 347, 2 March 1889, Page 3

TE KOOTI. (BY AN OLD EAST COAST CAMPAIGNER).

Now that Te Turuki Rikirangi, otherwise Te Kooti, Aiiqlicc Scott, has again emeiged f i om his compaiabive quietude, .to Heck oVer our othetvyise serene political firmament, with, I tiu^t, but a fleeting cloud, a brief lefeience to some phases of Ma bygone, cventiul caieer. bearing 1 on his ptesenb, and (judging by the light ot founer exents) 1 probable attitude in the immediate future, may bear leproductjon. ,ln the first place, it is as well at once to demolish all the, halo of Romance with which he has surrounded himself lo the vision of many, and repiesent ihim in his true light, viz., an ambitious, utfeily unscrupulous, and truculent scoundrel,, whose only redeeming points aie a sort of ferocious courage, which he possesses in common with the other "fere," a certain aptitude for the operations of guerilla .variare, for which the lugged surroundings oi the Ea&t Coa&fc aie peouliaily adapted, and undeniably the knack of making de- \ oted enthusiastic pioselybes. In a woid, he is largely capable of imparting " That odd impulse whk'h in war and creeds Makes men, like oattlc, follow kun w i o leads." Hence we find him at his first emergement into notoriety from among the common heid ot prisoner with whom he was associated at the Chatham Island?, tubbing his face and hands with phosphoi us fiom matches, and imposing upon the facile credulity of his fellows by asctibine 1 the llickeiing flame so produced to miraculous agency. The reality of his prebernatutal attributes established in their supeifftitiou^ minds, the coup de main follows. (Uiaids, aims, and vessels'' aie alike at the behest of the the potent " bohunpa ' (magician), who has successfully invoked the favourable intervention of the ancient Maori gods. An adverse wind aiises, and the seer, at once ascertaining the cause, appeases Tangaroat by a human sacriiii c. Favourable gales succeed, and they ate wafted to their desired haven ; proof succeeding proof of the marvellous ability of their inspired leadei. They land, and are summoned by the chivahous, ill-fated Biggs to sui render. Te Kooti indignantly tefuses, and wiMi great ability attacks and defeats with his well-armed and ceitainly well-handled body of fanatics 'two small European detachments before they ha\e time to concentrate. Two more victoiies over the hitherto formidable pakehas ! Is it to be wondered at that recuiis (locked from far and near to use his own phraseology*) to the standard of this new leader in Israel? A third tetious engagement ensues, when Te Kooti, in a strong well chosen position at the Upper Wairoa (Ruaketuti), lcpulses Col. Whitmore with io?s, and then tetires unmolested into the fastnest-e-> of the Ureweia Country with his leputation as prcphet, piiest, and general fully and oriumphantly established. The Uriwerau, a turbulent, restless, mountain tiibe (who are deociibed by their compatriots of the coast as cowardly and mmdciers), gladly welcome the inciter to rapine; the old llauhaus who have taken the oath of allegiance throw loyalty to the winds, and lejoice in the new and successful exponent of their fantastic creed and prospect of reprisals on the prosperous pakehas. Ruatahuna and Waikare Moan a offer a tit |rendez\ous and place of assemblage for the murderous band in their inaccessible environs and easily defended approaches. What sanguinary forays were then planned, and tho terrible success of their eventuation at Gli&borne, Mohaka, and Opotiki, have become matters of history, and aie not to be dealt with here; but there are some episodes connected therew ith which may bear relation; as being illustrative of tbedepra\ed diameter of the savage whose name heads this paper. When at Mohaka, after an unsuccessful attack on Te Koobi (a pah which was garrisoned by a few resolute men, but also occupied by very many helpless women and children) he entered into a parley with the besieged, and faibhfuljy promised them theii lives and freedom if they &urrondeied their aims. He also drank, made merry and fraternised with tho males, only by a covert sign to decree their helpless unresisting slaughter by his blood-thirsty myimidons This procedure, it is said, is justifiable in Maori warfare, where evety rute uay be practised without regaid to truth ; but Te

k The "Rifleman" Government schooner on which Te Ivooti oflected hi» escapo fioui the Chulhams. t Sea-deity* Synon. : Neptune. X Willson'B and lucliardsou's clctachmcnls.

Kboti had had long intercourse vvibh Euro"peans ; ho had been baptised, and well knew the sanct ty of such a piomite. Notwithstanding, he is nub alone in his disregard of oaths taken under cci tain circumstances. To Warn, in every bonse a superior man to To Kooti — a chiet ot rank and ancient lineage (which Te Kooti is not, being: only the head of his " h >pu " or congregation of a few families) and the beau ideal of a JVlaori wariior, attached no importance to his oath ot allegiance, which he tookanddisregaided twice. "A sorb of thing which pleases the pakehas," said he, and it was probable Te Kooti thought likewise whon he handed over a 'pistol the other day to the Native Minister, as a token that he would be henceforward amenable to the law- only to reply yesterday in response to the Premier's telegram trom Gisborne-, " You shall not come," that he will come. (Vide Stak, Febiuary 23). There is a great deal of real superstition underlying the cunning reticence ot Te Koobi. He is a great believer in omens and auguries, and probably like many other Maori " bofiungas " or magicians, he deceives himself as bo his supernatural ability to inflict or cure diseases divine the outcome of enterprises or foretell the successful issue of an impending conflict. His prayer-book and diary, which fell into the hands of Captain Muir when in hot pursuit of him in the Urewera country, abounds in Scriptural quotations, mostly^ from the Old Testament, and is, if it still exists, an absurd farrago of omens, noted Hauhau ejaculations, di earns interpreted, and incongruous texts ; in addition to short joltings of daily incidents occurring during his fugitive life at that period. Nevertheless he has succeeded in making converts to his extraordinary rule of faith (of which little is known save that it is said to bear some relation to the Jewish rituaU of many thousands of Maoris, who, commenc ing from Waimarama southward of Napier, exist in more or less numerous communities all along the West Coast up to Waikato itself. Even among the Ngatiporous, his mosb uncompromising enemies during the late war, there is a leaven of Hauhauism, much to Major Ropata's (the chief's.) disgust, while at Wairoa and Gi=borne they outnumbered the friendlies (for* Hauhaus are inimical to Europeans), and simply constitute the whole of the native population, with few exceptions, from Napier inland to Taupo, and thence by the Kaingaroa Plains to Matata and Whakatane. Among the many villages and settlements of this extensive district the Saturday is universally observed as the Sabbath day - the natives working in their cultivations, and going about their avocations on Sunday— while all business of impoi tauce is submitted to Te Kooti (at Waikato) for his approval or otherwise. The sick, also, are forwarded to him for tieatment, if po a sible ; otheiwise, instructions are eagerly sought from him. The writer, during a journey through this district some five jears ago, when a small-pox scare pervaded the East Coast, and he was despatched to vaccinate and repoi t on the CJraweras and inland bribes by the Government, often came into antagonism wirh Te Kooti's '* instructions," and succeeded in vaccinating very few in comparison with the population.. They professed lull 'confidence in Te Kooti's abiliby to shield them from the "dreaded scourge" | if it appealed, and recommended the writer, j good-humouredly enough, to v.iccipate the ! tiees if he Avas so anxious about it He, ho\ve\er, persisted somewhat, when they grew silent and fullen, and his guide (also a Hauhau) advised an orderly, not *o say precipitate, retreat from the village. Otherwise, however, they were hospitable enough, but perhaps not so couiteous as they might have been, owint; to Major Scannel, with some 150 constabulary, having recently taken up his quaitcis, munritcd, among them. On another occasion also the wiiter found the use of hot water interdicted at a settlement, when a. number of children were suffei ing from bionchial catanh, nor was he allowed (except by stealbh) to use that valuable adjunct to treatment, i Some four mouths afterwaids the j prohibition was removed, but nob until Te Kooti (at Kihikihi) had been communicated with, and one at least ot the cnildren had fallen a victim to the I absurdity. Much, however, as Te Kooti is feared, I.can hardly say lespected, by the majoiity of the nati\es in the districts indicated, yet there are others of the race who legard him with the deepest . hatred, and hostility, and who will nofc ! cease to do so (or his memory) for probably another 1 generation, They conbtitute a large majority of the Ngatiporou tribe, the whole of the Ngatipahauwera, Tvjohaka section of Ngatikahungunu, and a portion of i Ngatikahungunu itself. Any of these* weie it not for their respect for, or fear of, Euiopeanlaw, would have exacted tf utu," or payment, for the murder of their kindred long ago by shooting him offhand ; and ib is sincerely to be hoped that in the inberests of peace and prosperity, they may not attempt or, worse still, attempt unsuccessfully, to prosecute their vendetta during the present unfortunate juncture on the East Coast. For, although Te Kooti promised to go quite unarmed, and almost unabbended, to Gisborne, it is well known what his assurances are worth, nor is there the slightest doubt (in my opinion) bub that if he and his immediate followers do nob absolutely carry arms, there are plenty in the hands of hid numerous ad he) en ts at Gisborne, easily available; and the hrst shot fired would mark the commencement of a struggle which in its probable extent and ramificationsis very unpleasant to contemplate, havingi n view the not generally known large munberof Hauhaus scatbeied aboub in conbiguiby bo bhe numerous Euiopean oufc sebblemenbs of the East Coast and elsewhere. The feeling of Ngatiporou, a \ery populous, warlike and friendly tribe, towards Te Kooti may be well illustrated by bhe reply ot Major Ropata Wahawaha, N Z.C. and M.L.C. (vide "Family Friend," November 10th 1888), its paramount chief, to him on the occasion of his signifying tentatively by letters his desire to attend the opening ceremony of the Major's large guest house, of which a notice appeared in bhe Star of December 2Gth, ISBB. "He will be welcome," said the veteran chief of bhe old regime, " and I will provide him with land for settlement 6x3, neither more nor less." Ib would be hardly consisbent with a spiiib of fair play to conclude this paper without adverting very briefly to the acknowledged aptitude of Te Kooti for guerilla warfare. For a long pt-riod he kept the entire seaboard of the East Coast in a constant state of alarm, and despite the vastly numerical superiority of the forces employed aerainst him in the later days, more than once seemed quite to paralyse the military executive of the day. Nobody was ever sure of his whereabouts, and he struck swiitlv. unexpectedly, and.mores the pity, relentlessly. Let us hope that the bare probability of such scenes being re-enacted may soon cease, and Te Kooti justify his law abiding professions by proving amenable to the evidently conciliatory policy of the Native Minister, or failing that, the moie vigorous measures indicated by him of the "hob-nail boots." For oaths are straws, men's fnithsnrowon for -siakcs, And Holdfast is tiro only dog