MAORI LAMENTATIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 216, 18 October 1909, Page 4

MAORI LAMENTATIONS.

THE LATE MR. C. It. BAYLEY. ilany Maoris of the district (reports the Hawera bUir) 3 sintic receiving news of tlie death of Mr. Buyley, native interpreter, have worn green emblems of mourning. They also draped the uffhv: in which thy late Mr. Bayley worked, and throughout Thursday nml Friday the lamentations of tiic women jnuun «rs were heard. Amongst the many expressions of sympathy which .Airs. Bayley ,Ims received was one from th? Hon. J. Carroll, Native Minister, saying: '*l am grieved to learn that my old friend, vonr esteemed husband, has'pussHi away, and .11 tender yon and your son my heartfelt sympathy in the gre..t sorrow yon have been called upoji to bear.''

The body arrived in Hawera from R-j----torija on I'riday morning, and wa« t taken on bv l.lic afternoon train to New Plymouth for interment. At one [o'clock -natives from the pas at Mer»- „ mere, Taiporohenm, Whakamarn Okai- * awn and several other places in the di,r trict assembled at the station to pav their last respects to the deceased. As they approached the van containing the coffin they wailed tiicir sorrow, and placed upon th t . coffin many beautiful lloral tributes. This sorrowing wis followed by a "farewell song to the d' parted,'' after which tributes to tie? deceased and regret at his death wore expressed. The speakers were Tc Ratoiu (Tai•jtonohentii), To Whareaitu* (Frasvr I'i.jul), Marokopa Mrs. Kuini Thompson. "U'aitai (Fraser road). This was the burden of their speech:

"Salutations to you, Charlie Baylcv, salutations l to you Charlie Bayley, the father of the tribes. Salutations to you, Charlie Bayle, the salvation o' the tribes. You have died and with you the Maori people. "May you be taught hi a Maori College to learn the Maori language. We don't 'know who is to tak. tlie place of your father. Kin ora to the Maori people who have been left beltind; kia ora to Mr. Budge, who has shown such kindness to us on this occasion. (Salutations to you all who are mourning over the departure of our friend, Charlie Bayley. He has left behind the tribes of Ngatiruanui Tongahoe, Raukuku ami many others. You, Charlie Bayley, have helped us over many troubles'. Charlie's strength in guiding us the sympathy he has shown us, has been of remarkable assistance to us in the past. Great is the sorrow of these tribes at the departure of their friend. Hut Charlie Bayley shall not Jiave taken his departure from amongst us if you will only treat, us in the smne manner as he did. We arc shedding copious tears. Farewell, Charlie Baylcv: you have taken your departure by the same road as our forefathers have gone before. Great is our sorrow this da\. We shall ask the pakehas of Hawera to treat us Maoris as kindly as you CharPe Bayley, have done all through your lifetime. Let us show brotherly love on* towards the other since we are living together, as it were, in one pa. The | Maori people are looking to you Euro- ! peans to protect the remnants of the tribes that are left amongst you. Let both peoples walk together, let our descendants walk hand in hand for all time. Don't let the pakeha look upon the Maori as a dog or as being Jc«s than a human being. The Maori is much superior to what he is thought to be ! by the average European. We want to understand each other. Salutations to the >on, widow, all of near kin and friends assembled. You have given us something akin to pleasure in permitting us to pay our last token of respe.t to the deceased. Great was our desi«o on .hearing of the death that we should at least be permitted to view his colli i, and since you have granted us our request we have to thank you from tV bottom of our hearts. We bid farewell to our departed friend with tears; we bid farewell to one who has 1 been our friend for the past thirty years. Our friend and guide is dead. We have now no one to guide us. Farewell to hi* beloved widow and son and all his kind friends assembled here.'' As the train steamed from the station the wahines stripped from their bodies their garlands of green and decked tin mortuary car, the tears springing afresh and the lamentations' being renewed. The funeral took place at Te Henui Cemetery on Saturday morning. The cortege left the railway station short'y after eleven o'clock, a number of deceased's most intimate friends and twenty or thirty Maoris journeying from llawera to attend 'the funera\ The chief mourner was the son of deceased. Mr. Jack Bayley and the pal- ! bearers were Messrs. Adamsoji, Greaves, Wilson, W. Young, Whare Ailu. and C. | A. Budge. The officiating clergyman 1 was the Rev. J. Wilkinson. The ser-! vice was l a most, impressive one and 0 4 its conclusion Mr. Whare Aitu made a few sympathetic remarks on behalf of the Natives: ''Farewell, my friend Charlie Bayley. This is the end of man. Salutations, my Europenn friends. It isorrow that has brought us here to Did farewell to our friend Charlie Bayley. Many of our kin are left behind, but we have come to represent the tribe,?. Would that we all loved one another as Charlie Bavlev loved the Maori people; that we should live together as elder and younger brothers according to the love that has been given to us' by Christ., the love that should stand fast throughout the world. Good-Urn, Mr. Bayley." The Natives then sang a song of farewell and regretting the departure of a dear friend. There were many floral tributes.