THE PARIHAKA TANGI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 25 November 1907, Page 2

THE PARIHAKA TANGI.

A (cast followed the funeral on Friday afternoon anil subsequently all the lmtn in the pillage assembled in the manic when (he contentions matter in Waitaru'a graveside oration again formed the subject of debate. Waitara delivered another long speech but nothing' new was elicited. One of the most interesting personalities who followed was an old warrior who is the only surviving native of the parly of four who knew Hie secret of the famous Titokowaru's burial place. Several young natives also spoke promulgating the views of the young Maori party. When darkness fell, the l'nniho native band struck up and played till the supper «mg sounded at half-past nine. \fter supper nearly all the visiting Europeans departed, and only two oi three including the police, spent the üb-ht ill the settlement, which, as has been the ease right through the tiu'S 1 - was vcrv quiet and orderly. | Hundreds of visitors went out from Xew Plymouth, Opunake, and intermediate places yesterday, hut there, was little to be seen.

A CLASSICAL OTIATTON. i Oiuc of the linest speeches delivered luring the proceedings was that of Dr. 'omarc, who spoke for the first tune m he marae at Parihaka. lie opened by .he usual salutations to the dead anil ;o the people. Addressing the spirit, he said: 'Deout to thine illustrious chiefs who have gone before, to thy brave comrades of old. to the tiivcr of war and peiicei; Return to that land where the foot of man has trodden lnr: from which none ever returned. Thy words have come true; (he lips of chi'.dren speak of you as 'The Man of Pea?e and Goodwill to all men on Ihe West Coast.' Tn thine own words thou saidst that war and peace, as life and death, were fore-or-dained. The sun was overshadowed at times with many troubled clouds, hut thv sun lias sunk gloriously in the Ak, leaving thy people discon- | fsolate." Turning to the people, Dr Pomarc said: "A new condition of affairs has arisen. It is not new; it is old. Thy predecessors saw years long heforo the feet of white man hail trodden on the land tlw; this would be. The pakeha is not a stranger; he is one in blood with lis. In the twilight of fable we were separated from the Aryan mother. Our pakeha brother went westward and had Hie fortune to strike the metal; had the fortune to come across superior races to his own from whom he acquired aits and sciences which In-day have placed him in the leadership o'f civilised nations. Our ancestors went cast wards towairrls the rising sun. They had the misfortune not tn"strike the metal key which opens the vast door o'f knowledge, nor to come

across superior race* for Ihe Maori, though of the stone, was superior to the other races he met. lie clung to the stone while his pakeha brother was advancing with the metal. He journeyed through the sea to the east peopling dill'ereut ishmk Ever bold and venturesome, the Maori conquered the unknown waters while his pakeba In-other clung to the land, journeying westward through Europe, fearing to cross the unknown waters lest flicy should tumble over the edge of a

square world. One of thy ancestors, long before the foot of white man touched this Roil, wiiil: "Wee]) not for me. lint weep Tor yourselves, for the time is oome, ami now is, when alien white feet shall desecrate my grave.' TfriVn, another of thy ancestors, 200 years liefore the while man came, satd: 'Shadowed Tit-hind the talooed face the stranger lurks. lie is white. He owns the earth.' Now the paki-ha has come, the metal Ins taken the place of the stone. The lightning flash of the pakoha's wisdom (referring to the telephone) speaks from near and far. The old orilcr has changed: thy ancestors said it would change. When the net is old and worn it is cast aside, the new net goes fishing. Ido not want to cast reflections upon the old net; it was good in its day, and many fish were caught in it. But the. old net is worn with time and we must go fishing with the new net" our brother has brought us. We. must advance by work, for therein lies our only salvation."

* TE WinTJ ANECDOTES. In his palmy days, Te Wliiti drew considerable tribute from his followers. On some days he would receive in offerings as much as £IOOO. In the marae pronged sticks were placed, and in the prongs the Maoris would leave their money, which was always in notes, but which Te Wliiti or his satellites soon eonverted into gold. This was carefully put away in the treasure house. His more ardent supporters gave to their "pnphet" practically all of their substance, '.tney being left in a state of impoverishment. In these circumstances it is Title wonder that the Taranakis have ;in the past made practiea'ly no Jieadiway.

■ Had Te Whiti been a pakeha he would have been a thorough-going sj irilualist. He was possessed of roil mrkable occult power. Therein lay I lie secret of his hold over and influence with the Maoris. -Many of the Xgatiawa, to which tribe Te Whiti belonged, were possessed of the spiritualistic gift, only in a lesser degree. In this they were singular among the tribes of the North Island. Te Whiti, like all tohiingas, was possessed of the power of •makutu."

Un one occasion a South Taranaki follower, a middle-aged, robust stamp of native, went to a pakeha settler for the loan of some money. He had a small farm, and told the settler he could use the In ml for a certain number of years, provided he loaned him £SO. "What do you want the cash for?" asked the settler. "Me makutued; me soon ko male; me want ti money for t; Langi!" exclaimed the Maori. "That's all nonsense; yuli are all right; don't tumble your head about the makutu," said the pakeha. The Maori shook his head; he had no doubt about his coming death; and he would not leave the settler till he had got the money. The Maori, who, remember, was perfectly well at this time, returned to his wdiare. In a few days there was a tangi—the Maori had died!

The above incident, which is quite nuthentic, suggests another that occurred in Taranaki some years ago. A pakeha told his Maori wife of .his intention to utilise some wood that was in a Maori reserve near by their house. The woman, who was educated and intelligent, told him that the place was •'tapn," and that if they used the wood she would surely die. The pakeha scouted the idea of anything being "tnpu," and, later on, without the wife's knowledge, got the wood, which was used for the home. Some months afterwards, (he matter of Hie tapu place was referred to by (lie Maori lady. Her husband then told' her what had become of the tapu wood. "Oh. how cruel you are!" she exclaimed: "I told you I would die if vou took the wood." She then went into the back part of the house, told her husband she was "makim pouri" (sick at heart), find crouched in a corner in a way characteristic of the natives. She took no notice of-all entreaty; she ate or drank nothing, and in the course of a few days she was a corpse!