THE WARRIOR MAORI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 172, 24 August 1909, Page 4

THE WARRIOR MAORI.

■TALES 01? OLD TIMES. AN ADDKESS BY DK. BUCK, M.P. Dr. Buck, ill'., addressed the Wellington Garrison Oll'icers' Club on Thursday evening on the subject of "Ancient -Maori Warl'aw." Vjery modestly the doctor termeu his discourse " A few rambling remarks," but in reality it was a most skilfully woven and entertaining story, full of anecdote and displaying, as Colonel .Robin said, "a perfect sequence throughout." It was received wun great applause by tile large number of olncers present. Apologies for absence were sent by the lions. J. Carroll, (J. Eowlds, Nguta, and Dr. Eindlay, LieutcnanMJolouel l>uUii e presided. Beginning with the arrival of the Maoris from the North in the 14th century, and the par. .''ling out of the North Island among uhe tribes of the six canoes, Dr. Kuck traced ihe origin of the spirit of warfare in the .Maori race to the growth of population necessarily involving the different tribes in conflict. The boundaries of the tribal lands were fixed by natural landmarks, but in time it came a matter of prestige or " mana" to increase the tribal territory. There was great competition for particularly favoured spots, a piece of good hind, or a forest full of birds. 'Thus the Maoris' came to think that the only thing in lif e was warfare. Tncy were trained to it from earliest childhood. They were taught by old warriors how to handle the spear and other Maori weapons, and, when the day of battle arrived, were ready. There "was no name like the name made by prowess in the light, and prestige in war was the highest honor a imvn could hope for. At baptism the male children were dedicated to the war god, ivnd prayers were uttered for their success in combat. It was said that they were even made to swallow a stone to add to their strength, but, "strange to say," added the doctor, professionally, ■' there was no indication of appendicitis in tiiose days." (Laughter.) Tribes kept a sort of ledger of their military transactions. A defeat was entered on the debit side, a victory on the credit, and no tribe liked to be on the wrong side. They always endeavoured to keep accounts scjuare—(lnugnter) even if they had to wait twenty years to pay oil' their debts. A defcated'tvibe would set about breeding warriors, if men were wanted to avenge a tribal discomfiture. Thus the Ngatiawas were defeated and dislodged from their tribal lands by the Taranakis. They went into the mountains, and in twenty-five years had reared another nation. Down they came on the Taranakis and reconquered their lost territory. Such was an example of the law of " utu." Dr. Buck then discoursed on the Maori weapons and their uses, lie described the general manner of weilding the spear and the mere, the one like nil English single-stick, the oilier like the Roman short sword. The art of managing the spear and the club was as perfect in its way as that of fencing. The lecturer illustrated his remarks by some of the actual strokes and parries. Then he turned to Maori chivalry, as real a thing in its way, as the chivalry of mediaeval Europe, where knights split lances for their ladies' eyes. The Maoris made war for reasons just as slight. Tbey loved war for its own sake. There was no honor in killing the common people, the rank and file, but it was an exploit lianded down to posterity if a warrior slew n colonel or a general. (Laughter.) It was an age of single combats, and challenges were frequently issued and conclusions tried in the presence of both hostile.tribes as spectators. Sometimes in this way a fortified p-. might be saved by the gallantry of a single warrior.

There were two systems of tactics, the lecturer continued, the facc-tn-face, breasf-to-broast, hand-to-hand struggle in open field, and the ambuscade. This was t'lic morp usual, and many stories were recorded of its ingenious applications. It was by the strategem that the Ohinemntii pa was saved by Arawas from the Waikatns. airl the Napier pa captured by -the "'i";:< To Rauparaha was an expert in all manner of military stratagem.

Throughout his address Dr. liuek illustrated his remarks by interesting anecdotes of the old days of Maori warfaro. He did not ilea', with tlioir conflict with the Europeans, when the system was largely altered. With a vivid example of the war dance Dr. Muck concluded amid applause. On the motion of the president, seconded by Colonel Robin, a lienty vole of thanks was passed to the lecturer.