PASSING OF A CHIEF.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 219, 14 March 1912, Page 5

PASSING OF A CHIEF.

■■ • 'M ANOTHER LINK WITH MAORI WAKS'lfl BROKEN. ' sM DEATH OF NOA WUAKA-ATJERB/f^ fiisborne, March' 11.-'hl Noa Whaka-atere, one of the bst4fl known Maori rangatiras in the passed away at Awapuni on afternoon at the age of three score'yeMssli and ten. Prior to his death, he hftdSll been unwell for several days,' from heart trouble, and on Saturd»j|i| afternoon expired rather suddeiJjfjift«ti| having been carried outside the fcaiMjjnjjffii as he expressed it. "to loofcili round." J v|S The deceased chief was widely i&pelimS ed by Maori and pakeha ajike,-andVj&Ml day yesterday and to-day J»tfoes*inif§ large numbers have assembled at AmpjjjS puni to take part in the customariy tanmSj in honor of the deceased. " '• ■ < v'-tflß Noa Whaka-atere is declared to lu^fS been the largest native land ownef^ffl around Gisborne. He was an uncle ;<>ff3f Lady Carroll. That his word iwas hul|| bond was Noa's proud boast, and -f))£§B honesty and integrity, of the d^partc^ v 3| ! chief was put to a severe testsduriiifi^ffl I the trying days of the Hauhau -ifflai&ffim those dark and blood-stained days 'of^S ' this district's history., j. f;; '-")i| Noa belonged to the Ngaitete tribe? *vS| sub-tribe of the Rongownaka-ata, ansl|| lived at the Oweta pa, of which Turangi was the rangatira. So opposejlfflß were the natives to the fanatical re4S ligion of the Hauhaus that N,oa, number of others, paid a special visit '"tpvlll Auckland to consult with Sir TJonalaSl| McLean, the head of the Native, ment. Sir Donald was unabJeVtovide any troops lor, the .friendly nativ»£sß but he presented them wi{E a Ensign._ They returned home with tjsn9 injunction to keep''the flag, flying evidence of their loyalty to the and this they did. . -'■"'' T"i^S Their friendship and loyalty* to 'tfjftljjji pakeha was put to practical (Jemonstrir 'ln tion during Te Kooti's revengeful vfiW', j| to the district. Opeta pa was taken' ■fHSH surprise on the morning of November 186S, when a number of the local n"«pJJ|S tives were put to death. Paratene Tu-.]ff| rangi (of whom Lady Carroll is vpjJS grandchild), was taken prisoner by Te> ; i§| Kooti, who hacked off liis right ara/lrafl placing, it under the chief's head, i Kooti declared: "There is the arm is going to protect the pakeha!" Subs&v jji quently he put the chief to death. -*^S Notwithstanding all this Noa and his people loyal. They escaped to-rlll Waikanae pa, where the flag* was ra-.-'sS hoisted and kept flying, i ■ , : ',.-;«