PAGES FROM THE PAST.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 August 1922, Page 9

PAGES FROM THE PAST.

The clouds of war. WIREMU KINGI AND THE WAIT ABA LANDS. (By “Juvenis.”)

The early settlers thought they had got over their troubles with the na--itives when they had purchased the ; blocks mentioned in my previous two ; articles. It was a vain thought, troubles of the most serious nature were to arise and much blood spilt bejore permanent peace was to be established. I The ancestors of Wi Kingi (or Wireimu Kingi Whiti Rangitaki. to give him ibis full name) came to Waitara as the result of a family trouble in the Waikato. Wi Kingi was born at the Manuk ’hi pah, which was abandoned in 182 G, and went south to Mana island, and joined Te Ruaparaha, to whom he was related. In 1839 when Colonel Wakefield visited Cook Strait for the purpose of buying land for the New Zealand Company, Wi Kingi accompanied him to persuade the Ngatiawa—met with at the various points called at—to sell their lands in Taranaki in order that they might return to the north of the Waitara and dwell , there in the security afforded by the presence of the white people. But in 1847 Kingi had changed his mind and was arranging to return to Taranaki xvith the object of preventing the further sale of land to the pakeha. Hearing that canoes were being built at Waikanae for the migration of about 500 Ngatiawas settled there with Wi Kingi, Governor Grey gave orders that they should be dismantled, and, if necessary, seized and destroyed. Later the Governor, anxious to come to terms with Wi I Kingi. made a proposal to him, permit- ) ting him to go with the members of his j tribe provided they settled on the north side of the Waitara and relinquished all pretensions to any land on the southern I side of the river. I Kingi agreed to the terms., and the : migration took place in 1849. On reachi ing Waitarft he found that some of the I Waikatos, under Rewi and others, were cultivating land near his ancestral home of Manukorihi. and being in fear of them- he asked permission of Tamati Ruru to build a pah on the southern , bank (where the present township of Waitara stands). Permission was granted.

KINGI ARRIVES AT THE WAITARA, In the summer of 1840-50, Kingi had a large and strong pa erected, his flotilla of boats and canoes were drawn up near to it, and he had extensive gardens for a considerable distance along the south side of the river. Kingi after his return maintained an insolent' demeanour towards the Europeans, and rejected all overtures made to induce him to part with the land or to remove to the north bank of the river. Governor Grey on one of his visits fo New Plymouth spent a whole night with him in endeavouring to bring him to terms. Kingi cultivated the friendship of Katatore, a Pnketapu chief, who resided at Kaipakopako, a determined opponent of the Pakeha.

Shortly after the discovery of gold in Australia in 1851, a great demand for potatoes arose; the demand culminated in 185 G when potatoes to the value of £ 19,000 were exported from New Zealand. Kingi and his people grew large quantities of these useful tubers on the alluvial soils of the Waitara, and selling them to the merchants in town, became richer than ever they were in their lives. In 1854 these people possessed, in addition to considerable sums of money, 150 horses,' 300 head of cattle, 40 carts, 35 ploughs, 20 pairs of harrows, 3 winnowing machines, and 10 wooden houses. In the same year the seeds of the anti-land-selling-league. sown by Kingi at Waikanae in 1847, began to grow.

ANTI-LAND SELLING MOVEMENT.

According to Mr. Taylor, Matene Te Whiwhi, on his return from a political visit to Taupo and other places, wrote a letter to the Ngatiruanui and Taranaki natives, calling a meeting at Manawapou where the natives erected a very large building, the largest perhaps which had ever been made by them, being 120 ft. in length by 35ft. in width. This was named Taiporohenui, or the restraining of the great evil, i.e., selling land to Europeans; and there all the great chiefs from Wellington to the Waitara, a distance of nearly 300 miles, assembled. Five hundred were present, and much speaking and bad spirit were displayed. The result was a determination to sell no more land to the Government, and to hinder any one who felt disposed to do so. In token of their determination to carry out this arrangement to the fullest, extent, a tomahawk was handed around to each person and afterwards buried with a copy of the New Testament beneath the floor of the house called Taiporohenui.

A few months after this the Puketapu fued commenced, and Taranaki became a scene of strife and blood-shed-ding. Ihaia having Deen driven to the Karaka pa on the banks of the Waitara, and closely besieged until he was on the verge of starving. the Rev. John Whitely and Mr. Parris prevailed on Kingi to permit Ihaia to vacate the pa without molestation. Kingi a,creed to do so, and Ihaia with loud lamentations |--'t the pa in the night, but he also >f' behind a armed party of his allies hidden within the pa, so that Kingi and ' is followers might be slaughtered when thev came to take possession of the .(•otress.. Mr. Parris having become aware of this piece of treachery, warned Kingi of it and saved him from destruction. DIVISION AMONG MAORIS. Tn December, 1859, a native called Waitere, from Rangitikei, an active agent of the King movement, called at Waitara on his way to the South, and left secretly a King’s flag with a native i called Erueti, a miscreant, who at one time proposed to murder Mr. Parris, and who did a great deal of mischief in the district. As soon as Wi Kingi found that this flag had been left there, he accused those who sanctioned the transaction with acting treacherously to him, and finding some of his own people favourable to it he threatened to leave the district. This caused a division in the party, and Wi Kingi left the Waitara; and went to live with Te J to. near the Waiongona, while the other party retained the flag. bearing thereby allegiance to the Maori King, and set about preparing a flagstaff. Two old [men, Tamati Ruru, ana Rawiri Ran-: pongjo. declared they would lose their i lives rather than allow the flagstaff toj .ba ereated on their lands.

Gn Tuesday, 29th November, 1859, Mr. Parris paid Te Teira. and others an instalment of £lOO for their lands at Waitara. Orf the preceding Friday Mr. Parris xvent to Waitara and informed Wi Kingi of his intentions, who on the 29th came into New Plymouth with a party of about thirty to, appraise the payment 4 EUROPEAN ARMED FORCE. On Monday, 20th February, 1860, Mr. Parris, with Mr. O. Carrington and Mr. Hursthouse, of the Survey Department, and one of the armed police force, proceeded to Waitara for the purpose of

surveying the block of land sold by Te Teira and others to the Government. Arrived at the land to be surveyed, a party of 70 or 80 native men and women were found assembled, some of whom attempted, without success, to hinder the unpacking of the instruments, but when the chain was thrown out they effectually prevented any use being made of it. The obstruction was managed in the least objectionable way possible. The Maoris laid hold of the middle of the chain and so disturbed the measuring, that the surveying party, finding it vain to persist farther, rorthwitlj. returned to town.

Subsequently a eomh.unication from the authorities was made to Kingi, giving him twenty-four hours to apologise for the obstruction offered by his people, and to notify the relinquishment of his opposition to the survey. To this returned an answer to the effect that he did not desire war; that he loved the white people very much, but that he wo.|ld keep the land. On the 22nd of February the proclamation of martial law was published byColonel Murray. It was published both in the English and Maori languages, and extended over the whole Province. On the Ist of March the Governor arrived from Auckland with extra troops, and immediately sent a message to Kingi requesting that, to prevent misunderstanding, he would come into town and learn the Governor's intention, and offering him a safe conduct. After a long conference with the Governor’s messengers he said he would either come or send his final decision to the Governor the next day, but on the following day he sent a letter declining to come. On the 3rd March the troops were marched down to Waitara and occupied a position on the disputed block. On the 13th and 14th Te Teira and his party pointed out the boundaries of the land. Gn the night of the 15th a pa was built by Kingi’s people on the disputed block. The next day they pulled up the survey pegs and burnt them. CONFLICT BEGINS.

On the 17th March conflict began. Kingi being no warrior himself, fell to the- rear, and his relative, Hapurona, became his fighting general. Kingi and his general wrote to Waikato for help, rud their letter was immediately responded to by the arrival of Te Wetini Taiporutu and other men of note at the scene of conflict. After the war had been carried on for twelve months, Kingi’s party and their Waikato allies met with a signal defeat at the Huirangi redoubt, upon which Hapurona submitted to the British, and signed articles- of peace on the Bth of April, 1861. At this time Wi Kingi was safe’ in Waikato. After the peace Kingi returned and lived for ten years a secluded Rfe in the inland native district of Ngatimaru. After this long seclusion he ventured to town and was present at a native gathering and feast, after which he went to Parihaka, and took up his abode with the Chief and Prophet, Te ln le P rime of his life Wi Kingi was about six feet three inches in height, and proportionately stout. His physiognomy, according to Wells (the historian and a former editor of the Taranaki News) was heavy and disagree- , able, and his character that of a blusterer and a coward.

But there w’ere more stirring events to come. They will be referred to in m v next contribution. J