"IN THE BRAVE DAYS OF OLD."
A MEMORABLE ANNIVERSARY.
Sixty-threc years ago this month the MKtlcrs at kororakea (now known as ■ Russell), in the Bay of Islands, were alarmed by the fire of musketry. At about 2 o'clock on the morning of the Mh July, 1844, a party of Maoris began ti> disturb slumbers by warlike noises. bey advanced to the flagstaff, under lie leadership of Hone Ileke, danced a I liaka, cut down the Imperial pole, and I burnt it. Women's gossip, according to Brett's J'.arly .New Zealand," was the immediate cause of this act of rebellion a»ainst ' Untish authority. The Maori wife of a European named Lord quarrelled with a woman of Heke's tribe, and applied the mcbgant title of -pig" to t , lc „„,,,„ I tyke, the insult soon reached the can: of the chief, and he set about gctthi" satisfaction m Maori fashion. He removed some of Mr Lord's proper! v, and earned his wife away as prisoner." The I'isband, in deference to the Maori cus--1 mi, arranged to redeem his wife with
a cask of tobacco, but he was unable to fulfil his promise. Ileke. still ad ins m accordance with Maori usage, considered Hint the other Europeans should p-iv Lord's debt, but they declined the obligation, and, eonsec|ucntly. the natives began to help themselves'to goods without respect for persons. The bin n inot the flagstaff followed this practical demonstration of Heke's determination to get what lie believed was his own Governor Fitzroy at once decided to <rct some troops from Svdnev,, and thev arrived, but were kept out of action bv the intervention of Waka Xene and other chiefs friendy to the British. On their advice these soldiers were sent back
to Sydney, and neke agreed to get the Hag-staff re-erected. The Governor called his Council together, and it was decided to redress certain Maori grievances. Peace, however, did not long endure Again there was a disturbance m the Bay of Islands, and again a woman
was one of the prime causes of the trouble. A Maori woman, who was living with a European at Kawakawa, molested a constable while he was in "the execution of his duty," which was to arrest her husband. The officer was armed with a cutlass, which accidentally injured the woman's finger. As she was a woman of rank utu was indispensable to Maori etiquette, and the natives helped themselves to some horses owned by
Europeans. Other unlawful act*, in which Heke was concerned, were also committed, and finally on 10th January, 1845, the chief again cut down the flagstaff at Kororareka. Soldiers again set up a flagstaff, shod it with iron sheet*, and built a block-house as an additional protection. A reward was offered for Heke's arrest, and ho was very indignant at the notion of a reward* for hTs capture, because he considered it was "offering ( 0 buy him like a. pig." From this time on he was a determined outlaw. Once more lie led an assault against the flag-station, drove out the troops, cut down the pole in spite of its armor, and set up a flag of his own, a red shirt on along stick. He afterwards retired to his stronghold of Ohaewai, and with the assistance of another chief, Kawhiti, managed to give a great deal of trouble to the pakeha. It was not till January. I.S-lfi, that the power of the rebels was broken, after much European blood had been spilled. JTcke died of consumption in 1850, at - the age of forty-two. and the veteran Kawhiti was carried off in 195f by an attack of measles.
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 16 July 1907, Page 3
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602"IN THE BRAVE DAYS OF OLD." Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 16 July 1907, Page 3
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