Urenui.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLV, Issue 265, 24 December 1903, Page 4

Urenui.

SOMETHING OF ITS NATIVE HISTORY. The following interesting sketch of the history of the U-renui country and its inhabitants was read by Sir Josef>h Ward during his speech' at the ojpeuing of the Urenjui post office on Thursday last. The details were supplied by Mr W. H. Skinner, of New Plymouth, to wihoin Sir Joseph expressed his thanks. The va.ley of the Ureniui is the centre and the home of the ancient Maori tribe called the Ngpti Mutunga. The river was named Ureniui by Turi, one of the great Polynesian navigators of the fourteenth century, wao came to New Zealand in tihe Aotea canoe about 550 years ago. TJrenjii was the name of one of his sons. The great fighting pas in and around this valley played an important part in the past history of t(he ti'ibe, notably so in the case of the- Uixiuii and Pomokura pas on the north bank of the river below the township, and of the great lighting pa of Okotoe, eta the river, about one mile above tihe bridge. Here Rauparaha sheltered when fleeing with his tribe from their olid home at Kawhra, before the confederated tribes of the Waak&to, anld on the plain between this pa and the sea-coast, called Matuni, the aaieestors of the Urenui people inflicted a most crushing defeat on the Waikato tribes, who had ventured into the district on a great war expedition, lite great bulk of the Ngati Mutuivga left these lands between the years 1820-31, conquering and settling the lands at Waikamae and Porirua, WoUhtgitom, and in 1836 they crossed over to the ChaChiam Islands liom Wellington in the brig Rodney. There the greater portion of the tribe lived, entering into pastoral am\d agricultural pursuits, up to the yea>r 1868. when the tribe returned to the homes of their ancestors, and were settled by the Crown on the block of land on the northern bank of t'he Ureniui, artd on to the Miini River.

The Urenui district was, with other native lands, confiscated by the Goverameat from those natives who had been in active rebellion against the Crown, and it was first settled, or rather occupied, by military settlers in t'he years 1866-7 under the Military Settlement Act, 1863. The land was, awarded to the friendly native cowUngaat, who had serfved during the Maori war wider Captain Good and other officers. These won sold out to European settlers, and although for many years it was in a most isolated position (the only approach on either side being- by the bt'adh rowtd—a tidal one) the first settlers, Captains Good and Wilson, Meeb-rs C. N. Howe, Bertrand, Burke', Tefiu/r, Riohaj-ds, and others, had always a strong faith in the future of the district, hojpes which have since been fully verified.

During t'he Maori war of 1863-9, the little redoubt called Pi'hamga! to wand the mouth of the river, was one of the northern autposts of North Taranaki, and it was to this haven of refuge that those settlers fled who escaped the massacre at the White Cliffs m February, 1869 when the Rev. Jahin Whiteley and others were so cruelly murdered. Sir Joseph than made a brief reference to the Itoyalty of the Ngati Mutunga tribe towards the Euro[reuns. At the outbreak of the Taranaki war in 1860 a deputation was sent by the rebel natives to the Chatham Islands, to interview those people and try to induce them to take up arms against the British l'he deputation was courteously received, in accordance with native custom, and alter remaining some time on the islands returned to New /.eafand. The deputation, took with them to the islands an historic taiaha (dexoratod Spear. This was left -behind with- the Ngati Mutulnga people ; but upon the first opportunity one of their leading ohiefs i was sent aver to New Zealand with I this trr Ml spear, an)d , he jollrneved on to New Plymouth, where he laid the spear at the feet of Major Pariis Native Commissioner, as a token oi the people's loyalty to the Uueen. Had the spear been retained by the Ngati Mutumga it would according t„ old custom Jiav ; meatat that they, as a people, would have thrown in Wnuir lot with the rebels and -taken up arms against the British. This t-aiahu, is still rcUauhed by Major Pan-is. Another instance oi the loyalty of the tribe occurred in 1869, w ,hen a ta ua,or war party, from Mokau raided the White Cliffs (I'ukea.i-iiihe settlement) ami mundered in cold blood the Kcv. John Wdritcley, Lieutenant Giiscwgm., with his wife and helpless children, and Milne and Richards. 'I hen the Ngati Mutuwga were the first to offer assistance to the Crown. This incident ended the war -between the two races. Jn concluding, Sir Joseph referred to the good work which a member ot the tribe, Br. Pomarc, was doinc among the native people of the colon\. ami also mentioned that Mr Peter link, a most promising medical stiule.nt ut Punedin University was a native of Urenui.