MAORI AND PAKEHA.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 December 1922, Page 2 (Supplement)

MAORI AND PAKEHA.

THE EARLY ’SIXTIES. A REMINISCENCE. “Tohunga.”) ' All was excitement in the Waikato district, in 1860. Great events had taken place in the last three years. The dispute about the sale of the Waitara black of land had given a great impetus to the Maori King movement. In 1858 the title, after having been offered to several leading chiefs, was finally accepted by the aged leading Waikato chief, Potatau te Wh erowhero. The installation (it could hardly be called coronation) took place at Ngaruawahia, which was henceforth regarded as the capital of the new kingdom. His Majesty had for many years been, and still was, a firm friend of the pakeha, encouraging the presence of traders, visitors, and missionaries. Perhaps the ablest of his friends and advisers was that remarkable chief, Wiremu Tamehana, known as “The Kingmaker.” It is no part of our story to enter into the details of the unfortunate dispute about the sale of the Waitara block, more correctly called the I’ekapeka block. Suffice it to say that the injustice which rankled in the minds of Wiremu Kingi and the rest of the dispossessed Waitara people turned .not only these, but many other powerful chiefs, who had previously been good friends of the pakeha, into bitter enemies. Among these was “The Kingmaker.” King Potatau was old and feeble, but to the very last kept a restraining hand on the fiery spirits who wished to four forth into Taranaki the full military strength of the Waikato. Only one tribe was permitted to go, Ngati-Maniapoto, the tribe to which the celebrated Rewi belonged. Therefore, when hostilities actually broke out in 1860 down came Ngati-Maniapoto to the assistance of Wiremu Kingi, ana to taste once more the joys of war. The first few months of the wtr were occupied hy the erection of blockhouses, stockades, and other defensive and offensive works by the pakeha, and hy the erection of pahs, digging of riflepits, and the accumulation of provisions by the Maoris. Several engagements were fought, in all of which the pakeha was more or less victorious. Then in June came the most serious disaster to the pakeha. Near the Waitara river were the two strongly fortified Maori positions of Onukukaitara and Puke-ta-kaue.re. These consisted of palisades, earthworks, trenches and. rifle-pits on two mounds, surrounded by deep swamps, tangled bush and deep gullies. The first-named position was abandoned by the defenders as soon as it was apparent that a resolute attack was to be made upon it. This meant that the garrison of Puke-ta-kauere was doubled in strength. Every attack was beaten off by the Maori fire, while many of the unfortunate soldiers, floundering in the swamps and embarrassed hy the fern and other tangled growth, fell victims to the tomahawk. As the support promised from New Plymouth did not arrive owing to some blunder, the assaulting troops were withdrawn, leaving in the hands of the enemy all the slain, some of the wounded, and a quantity of equipment. Naturally, the Maoris were mnen elated by their success, and none more so than Ngati-Maniapoto, who had born much of the brunt of the fighting. These, returned home to the Upper Waikato, and exhibited there the trophies of the campaign. The sight of the rifles, car-touche-boxes, bayonets, and other trophies secured from the slain aroused great enthusiasm, not to say jealousy. This was heightened by the victorious warriors parading in the red coats of the fallen. All Waikato was now ablaze to go campaigning. Why should Ngati-Mania-poto be the only tribe allowed to go to Taranaki and defeat and strip the, pakeha soldiers? The old king had just died, and in vain did Wiremu Tamehana, “The Kingmaker,” counsel prudence. The whole district was swept by the wave of feeling for war, and no tribe was more carried away than - was NgatiHaua.

For centuries these people had lived in their kaingas and pahs in the Waikato cultivating their land and indulging in the national pastime of war. They had obtained a great reputation as a fighting tribe, and the ambition of every young brave was to own a “tupara” and join a “taua.” The call to arms was the loudest call heard. By none was the call more clearly heard than by Wereta, a youngling of some twenty years. His father, Te Wharepu, was a noted warrior of the tribe, and. had gone on many an expedition, and anticipated with pride the day on which the son of his old age would take his place. Of old it was noted that Mars and Venus were ever the closely associated divinities of youth. So it was with Wereta. He was betrothed to a maiden. Ahumai, daughter of a chief resident at Taupo. It had been arranged that Wereta was to share in a “taua” and distinguish himself before he could be considered worthy of the hand of the daughter of a long line of distinguished warriors, a daughter for whose hand there were numerous other suitors. This naturally increased the ardour of the young aspirant for fame. Fortunately for him he had, by his fine presence. good figure, powerful physique, and other high qualities, given promise of becoming a warrior after his father’s heart. In consideration of this, and of his father’s influence, he obtained a place in the contingent destined to proceed to Taranaki. After all preparations had been made the expedition set out late in October, under the leadership of Wetini Tai- ( porutu, their best fighting chief. Eagar to reach the scene of conflict, the party came down the Mokau river in canoes. Arriving at the heads, it made forced marches down the beach, ano reached Waitara on November 5. Our hero bore a,ll the hardships and toil of the journey with eager willingness. Qn arriving at Waitara the eighty

Ngati-Haua warriors were joined by a number of Waikatos already there, the whole contingent amounting to some 170 men. Eagar to be the first to defeat the pakeha, Wetini, without resting. pushed on to an old deserted pall, without proper fortifications, some two and a half miles from Waitara, named Mahoetahi, and there took up his position. The pah was situated on a ridge surrounded on three sides by a swamp, difficult to cross. Immediately on arriving at Waitara, Wetini had sent to General Pratt, in command at New Plymouth, a formal challenge to come out and fight at Mahoetahi. The challenge •vas accepted, and troops at once marched out from both New Plymouth and from the positions on the Waitara river. The Atiawas stood aside, and resolved to allow their allies to stand alone to their challenge. How these latter fared, and how the pakeha won a complete victory, and how the shattered Ngati- Haua returned home to Waikato after losing all their best chiefs, including Wetini, and how the tribe, though burning for revenge, realised that this could never be obtained, is, or should be, a matter of common knowledge. Early on the morning of November 6, none of the defenders of the old pah av as more alert and more eager to meet the foe than Wereta. It seemed to him hours before the troops came into view, J and hours more before they formed up j for the attack. He and some of the other more eager spirits could not restrain themselves from firing at the enemy. The shelling of the position by the pakeha’s big guns increased the excitement. Down the face of the hili opposite the enemy were sent Maori skirmishers, among whom, to his great joy, was Papita. As the troops advanced Wereta and his comrades withdrew up the hill towards the old pah. Opposite the point in the line where our hero was placed was the trip of difficult swamp already mentioned. The Maoris blazed away at the red coats, who, nevertheless, advanced steadily and began to cross. Wereta had the supreme satisfaction of seeing one soldier, who was just emerging from the ' swamp, fall to his fire. He had indeed proved himself a worthy warrior. But the troops still came on, and the Maoris retired within the ruins of the pah. The next experience was a bayonet ; charge, which was met partly by gunfire and partly by long-handled tomahawks. Wereta sheltered in an old potato pit and fired as fast as he could >e-load. when a pakeha bullet struck the I hammers of his tupara, breaking one ■ and twisting the other so much as to I render it useless. There -was left only I the tomahawk. For a moment he hesitated to leave his place of safety, but I the fighting spirit within him soon asserted itself, especially when he saw ' quite close to him a soldier taking aim | at a Maori -who was trying to conceal himself behind the ruins of an old whare. To leap out and deal the soldier a blow with the tomahawk was the work of blit a. second. The blow fell on the, hack of the soldier and cut through the two cross straps on the spot, and did but little further injury. Immediately the soldier turned round, not attempting to re-load, but making a vigorous thrust with his bayonet. Wereta. leaping quickly to one side, dealt another blow, which was deftly parried. At this moment a second soldier rushed up and attacked the Maori from the rear. “Leave him to me,” cried the first. “I’ll stand by and see fair play,” replied the newcomer. The <-ombat could have only one ending. The cool skill of the soldier and the greater length of his weapon was bound to prevail over the impetuosity and Inferior weapon, of the native. After one or two rapid assaults and parryings the Maori reached over a little too far. As . quick as thought the bayonet was thrust into his side. Down fell the Maori gasping and bleeding. Withdrawing his bayonet, the soldier joined in the pursuit, which was now general. After the fight there remained the task of cleaning up the battlefield. Nearly forty bodies were collected on the hill, amongst which was that of Wereta. It was noticed, however, that in spite of his ghastly wound he was not dead. With other wounded Maoris, therefore, he was attended to hy the military surgeons, and taken to New Plymouth. There he remained for many days, slowlv recovering from his wound. At last he was sufficiently recovered to be placed with the other Maori prisoners. On the making of peace, in tne middle of 1801, all the prisoners were released, and Wereta hastened to return to Waikato, where lie had lone been mourned for as dead. During his imprisonment he had had abundant oppoitunity for observing the pakeha and their ways, and was so struck by then eneral good nature and the absence of any feeling of vindictiveness among the soldiers, that he resolved never again to take up arms against them. On reaching home once more he was welcomed as one who had come back from the dead. The story of Mahoetahi had been told by the broken survivors, and his eagerness and courage and his good fortune in securing the “first fish” were all well known. He had no difficulty, therefore, in substantiating his claim to the hand of Ahumai. Events had moved rapidly m tne Waikato between 1861 and 1863. The irreconeilables had greatly increased in numbers and influence, and the inevitable consequence was that war once more raged, this time mostly in the Waikato. True to his resolve, Wereta. supported the peace party under Wireinu Tamehana. “the Kingmaker.” But i Ahumai, who was a maiden of decidedly i strong views, adopted what might be called the “national” side. She strongly urged her husband to throw all the weight of his influence on to the same side. But he had had experience of the pakeha. Nevertheless. when hostilities actually broke out. against his better judgment, lie allowed his feelings of patriotism, as his friends, and I more particularly his wife, expressed it, to prevail. He therefore led a contingent of Ngati-Ha.'la to the front, and was one of the defenders of Rangiriri. Towards the end of March, 1864, a 1 large concentration of Maoris took place I under Rewi, the celebrated Ngati-Mania-poto chief of Orakau, in the delta be- | tween the Waikato and Watpa rivers.

Here were gathered about three hundred warriors and a good many of their wives. Amongst these latter was Ahumai. When the pah was surrounded and attacked by the pakeha troops, and further resistance was seen to be impossible, an offer of surrender was made to the Maoris. This was definitely refused. An offer was then made to save the women and children. But Ahumai stood up and called out, “If the men die, the women and children must die, too!” And so the fight raged on. When the trpops finally burst into the pah many of the Maoris slipped out* at the rear, and quite a number succeeded in escaping. Among these was Ahumai, who, though desperately wounded, reached safety. Wereta was not so fortunate. Just as the defenders were making for the opening in the rear of the pah, a soldier of the 65th Regiment threw a hand grenade at the nearest group of Maoris. One was seen to fall. The soldier rushed forward and suddenly stopped. The dying Maori, at the same moment, also recognised his slayer. It was the same soldier from whom he had received his wound at Mahoetahi. Instinctively the dying man raised his hand, which was clasped by his equally chivalrouy foe. Thus passed away, clasping the hand of his enemy, a noble soul, who in happier times would, but for the injustice and folly of others, have clasped that same hand in friendship.