PAGES FROM THE PAST"

Taranaki Daily News, 15 April 1922, Page 9

PAGES FROM THE PAST"

THE GREAT HONGI. HIS WAYS OF REFORMING THE MAORIS. PRACTICES OF THE TIMES.

(By

“Juvenis.”

In my last notes I reproduce! the impressions of an early European visitor to the Sugarloaves just after the kcal Ngatiawas, .with the assistance of Dicky Barrett and other European whalers, had beaten off an attack by the Northern marauders. The same gentleman has left a record of his conversations with Dicky and his colleagues anent the Maori campaigns of those stirring days. He writes: Native plantations were never undertaken without the prospect of some other tribe or section reaping the produce. The prominent features in their constant exercises appeared in the practice of fiendish facial and obscene contortions of the human form, and to exhibit a mode of refined cruelty in the use of their weapons of war, to display intimidation and readiness for battle at all times'. On the other hand, during quiet domesticity. many pleasing hapus and relations of ardent affection—especially that of man and wife—and the most instinctive urbanity to European strangers; free hospitality and immunity from harm—when free from the complicated laws of tapu; still penalties were not enforced in a majority of unwitting infractions by a kuari.

The latter excellent traits in the Maori presented a good soil for the missionary’s seed-time, but their culture was to prove by long-patient application and a generation of heartbreaking, fitful discouragements; in the face of neutralising hindrances of guns, ammunition, rum, maddening arrack, etc.

At the back of the settlement of Moturoa, on the estate of Mr. Barrett, there were two fresh water lakelets, flanked by steep sandhills. These were frequented morning and evening by European and native bathers; soon all became accustomed to enjoy envelopes 01 sand friction over the epidermis, and then start down the sandy declivity, turning a somersault into the lake, to the astonishment of the natives at first.

Occasionally, upon our return of an evening, we sat down amongst Barrett’s people or a gossip upon the war that had taken place upon the spot which we then occupied. During the description of one and another of the European actors in the fight, one stalwart native after another, or perhaps a fine, large-framed faithful spouse of one of the former, would in turns up on legs and enact with apt gesticulation some particular scene in illustration of the narrative.

The European defenders of Taranaki, or Moturoa, consisted of Barrett and the other whaling headsmen, Love. Akers, Wright, Phillips, and Oliver; wiry, powerful, rough seamen; each with his Maori wife and children. It was interesting to listen to ex*planations of Maori acts and motives from these first experts and rude chroniclers of the late political events and times, with which they had been practically “in touch”; as well as those local sanguinary horrors of the tribal war a few years in which they heroically figured.

RAMPANT ORGIES. The epitome of their several opinions may, perhaps, be considered worthy of record, and also entitled to some credence, when the modern mind reflects that the narrators of the various unstudied phases never manifested the slightest hypocritical evasion of their own dissolute habits and lawless acts, but rathef exulted in their display of rampant orgies, and bestial practices, that conveyed to our minds intentions availing of every opportunity to oppose and stultify the civilising sunshine of Christianity.

The Bay of Islands was, at the time of the Rev. Samuel Marsden and his colleagues, a veritable Alsatia, where only might and vice prevailed; a state of pandemonium anarchy, enacted over half a score years, by escaped convicts ■from the penal colonies, as also runaway whalers throwing up their “lays” to revel in the Bay’s bestialities for a season or two.

It was made apparent that the very aboriginals were becoming vitiated, and were degraded by the newly-introduced convict vices, that never entered their own ingenuity when following their barbarisms, until the great Hongi assumed supreme chieftainship of the North, and essayed, like Napoleon, to bring the chronic contentions of the various rulers into subjection, under a chief dictator. We were also made to understand that New Zealand was claimed chiefly by five independent tribes, generally classed: The Bay of Islands; Hokiangi chiefs under Hongi; the Waikatos, under Te Whero-Whero; the Ngatiawas, formerly of East Coast, afterwards of Taranaki and Port Nic.; the Kawhia tribe, under To Rauparaha; and the Taupo tribe, under Te Heu Heu, “King of Men.”

THE GREAT HONGI. At the time of Hongi, “The Formidable,” New Zealand exported upwards of a quarter of a million in oil, flax, etc., and the chief, upon his visit 10 England. . found a wide field for his keen, observant faculties and remarkable intelligence. He promised all his surroundings there, that he would cooperate with mission labors and settlers. that the present wars and revengeful raids should be put down, no European nor Maori molested in his peaceful occupation, and, in fact, that cannibalism should give place to cultivation and grazing the country throughout. He saw that a force, partly armed with guns, would effect all that he had promised, but could find no means of assistance to that end outside himself, and therefore, upon his arrival in Sydney, he disposed of all the English presents from King George and others, and with the proceeds purchased firearms and ammunition. He afterwards obtained other supplies of native pro-, duce, mustered by his people, and started with 300 stand of arms to give

his first lesson to Waikato (they bavin" lately killed his son-in-law). Wars after wars followed, thousands fell before his guns, thousands were enslaved. and from time to time when plantations, stores, and other sources of food were exhausted, selections were made from the vicious and turbulent to furnish the necessary gastronomic supplies for his army. fiendish heads and leaders of tribes were first victim?

THE TURNING POINT IN WARFARE. The New Zealanders saw at once that the old mode of warfare by clubs, spears, and tomahawks was useless, lor they had to abandon a garrison on the Waipa of 4000 with a loss of 1400. This was the turning point of warfare in New Zealand, and they saw that their existence or slavery depended upon possession of firearms also. All members hastily set to work, producing flax, etc., in exchange, chiefly for old Tower muskets, Brummagem guns, ■and ammunition, in order to retain their identity.

Hongi’s policy was to overrule aboriginal savagery, and, by reduction of old cannibalistic practices and gross superstitious deceptions, pave the way for missionary work and settlement of Europeans. This determined reformer was comparatively small of stature, broad, high forehead, quick, piercing eyes, cool resolution, and flashing at times with fiery energy. His face, of handsome proportions, presented the most elaborate curvatures in tattooing; not the least, space had escaped the artist’s chisel; here and there little curls had been added, winding among the lines as apparently afterthoughts of beauty. In his domestic and neighborly life he ever manifested gentleness and the mildest and kindliest affection.

He adhered to all the soldier-like display that he could muster; always went into battle in his chain armor, and eventually ' met his death wound by a surprise ball through the back whilst fighting at Whangaroa in 1527. But on a lingering, dying bed, he had sufficient time to issue his mandates for the absolute protection of all Europeans, and that the number of mission stations already established should be added to and ehcouraged throughout the land, to succeed Maori savagery and war; and although working with cannibalistic material, he at the same time placed members of his family, children and youths, under the missionary’s educating care. HONGI THE REFORMER. Hongi was restless to work out a reform at once, without applying himself in the first instance to Christianising influences; but went forth to stamp out the barbarism and tohunga practices of the Maori. He had forbearance with the escaped convicts, who held aloof from taking part in fighting; for he had observed when in England the shiploads of chained men and shiploads of povertystricken women and youths; enslaved —according to his views. He was informed that for venial crimes, down to the offences of satisfying hunger with theft of a piece of bread, or the snaring of a bird or rabbit, gave cause for this condition of things; and, considering the broad distinction of the pakeha classes, saw that there was a chance of a better condition for the Maori. Hongi sought by every means to curb and admonish lawless Europeans, and demanded also that Maoris should abandon heathenism and the new vice of drunkenness. His whole soul was exercised to civilise; and from the absolute command which he believed was attainable over the Maori, to raise him to a higher standard than the vicecrammed beings around, who were gradually undermining and obtaining complete possession by rum of the capacities of his own chiefs. THREE OUTPOSTS. ~ The three great outposts of Hongi’s operations were Waikato, East and •West Coasts; and so soon as the wily Te Rauparaha saw the subjection of Waikato he sought, with almost abject entreaties, to unite with Taupo to put down these nationalities (the conqueror and the conquered), but the huge* Te ' lieu Heu looked down contemptuously upon the smaller Te Rauparaha, and smiled a very supercilious refusal to descend from his high Imperial position. Thus was the Machiavelli of Kawhia warned of his untenable position, and, upon, his return, he took to flight with his people, over some 400 miles of coast, down to Kapiti. Waikato set to work upon flax with great determination, in order to obtain some, shipments of the new weapons, heeding no more of Hongi’s peace conditions than the lion in his domain.

Emissaries to the Arawas, via Maketu and Waikato in the thermal lake country, had been repeatedly sent from Hongi with of a new order of things. That there should be no more killing and eating each other, that boilings alive should cease; that food should be obtained by labor in the ground, and the grazing animals; finally, that, should the tribe injure any missionary, his family, or ihis assistants, who might arrive amongst them, immediate extirpation of the tribe would be made. VILE AND FEROCIOUS. These inland tribes had attained the notoriety of being the most ferocious savages and vilest cannibals that existed in New Zealand. They made raids on their coastal neighbors, and existed upon killing and eating them, in preference to reiving upon the cultivation of the soil, although considering themselves secure from retaliation from the secure nature of their distant strongholds. . _ In the course of time —whether tomented by designing pakeha-Maoris or not—at the thermal localities, where some brutalities had occurred, a. salutary lesson to the Arawas was considered to be necessary, and a war ex* pedition was prepared. Of course suchviolent resorts were ostensibly discernaged and repudiated by the gentle pakeha of the Bay, but they were, nevertheless, looked upon with men a eves approvingly askance. • ’ Hono-i sailed down the coast with lus fleet of canoes, and, upon, arriving at Maketu, all stores or food were there seized, and the Ngapuhis at once commenced to haul certain of their canoes overland to the first lake-—a distance of 25 miles —thence across the two isthmuses, on to Rotorua. There the lake barbarians were utterly defeated j with great slaughter, and numbers 'scattered to the mountainous country, beyond the plains. The foremost saviao'es captured, were killed and cooked ii? the numerous boiling sarcophagi, whenever natural rations became scarce ; in the commissariat of Hongi s army. JEALOUSY OF HONGI. Tiie apt minds of the Waikato were - intensely exercised over the successes of Hongi, and they no doubt in the course of time would have arrived at Ihis suggested mode of governing the tribes, precisely as they did a few I years afterwards; but this was hindeied by the commercial enterprise of certain Sydney traders, who were soon to the front, with some small ( cargoes of freetrade, consisting of old condemned Tower muskets and blasting powder. Thus a few score of arms were obtained bv Waikato, and their valor became exalted to the height of fighting regain their prestige and revenge

their relatives, or to be eaten to a man. After Hongi’s death. Pomare succeeded him, a brave chief, who endured for a time the insolent revilings and raids of Waikato. Pomare was pledged to maintain the policy of Hongi. and an expedition to the Waipa was carried out; but on this occasion the seige iwas maintained with a large expenditure of powder on both sides, and the (Waikatos became the conquerors. Syd- ! ney blasting powder utterly routed all Hongi’s executive, army, and prestige; 1 for only ten men escaped to relate the I disaster, and Pomare’s tattooed head was preserved and displayed on a staff Iby the Waikatos, as a great trophy, entitling them—they considered —to the ! majesty of New Zealand, which they 1 afterwards sought, to maintain. ' As to the one-sided history of the great Hongi and his pristine chivalry, Shakespeare's remarks may apply: The evil that men do lives after them, j The good is oft interred with their bones.