A NOBLE SAVAGE-LIFE AND DEATH OF RAWIRI TUAIA TUHIRAKE.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1845, 1 September 1874, Page 3

A NOBLE SAVAGE-LIFE AND DEATH OF RAWIRI TUAIA TUHIRAKE.

We give, our readers .this morning a-brief sketch of the life of liawiri Tuhirake, whose remains, as we before stated, were exhumed at Te liangaon the. 13th instant, and cohvoycd by, his relatives to Umimatua, where a large number of natives had congregated; to lament over, him and otherwise honour his memory. Ttiis chief, without exception, was the most influential in Tauranga. In appearance he was of medium height, rather stoutly built, fully tatooed, and of a most prepossessing countenance; hisagewould.be about '50. All who knew him pronounce his manners to have been those of a- perfect; Maori gentleman. L f or a Maori lie was!considered a good scholar, being able , to read and write his own language well. In disposition ho was very taciturn, never speaking until ho had,heard both sides of a question, but fthoa he-did it was always to the purpose, and his good cornmcm sense enabled him to carry the point in view; thus the natives tell the white man " his word was law." liawiri' was the lay teacher of his tribe, and to the d:ty of his death'strictly adhered to the Christian religion he professed, always refusing to join the Haubau fanatics, who did their utmost to persuade him to' swell their ranks. All our old settlers, suoh as Mr Thomas Wrigley, Mr Warbrick, Captain S'ellars, Mr Paulkner, and Mr Samuel Clarke, who were in the habit of dealing with him, will bear testiniony "to his charaoterasbeingastraightl'orwHrdjhonost man, and it is not too rnuqh to say that " he was respected by all who knew liim." During the Waikato war, time after time, William Thompson solicited liawiri to join tho rebel cause. Ho persistently refused making use of this memorable auswer, "I do not wish to see any bloodshod in Tauranga. If my people wish to join you they may go. I do not wish tliem to return and bring back trouble' with them." When the Waiicato natives threatened to invade Taurauga, and Thompson sent a letter of warning to his European friends, tho Government thought it advisable to send Mr Henry l\ Clarke on a mission of inquiry into a laud, question it having been rumoured that certain disaffected natives had been nominated by the Waikato rebels to assassinate Mr Clarke on the first favourable opportunity. Tho Government hearing the Waikato had tlu'eatoiied toinvade Tauranga, sent, a large body of Imperial troops to that place. Up to this- time liawiri maintained his neutral position, and, a« his peoplo justly contend, would liavo remained so had it not been for the arrogant impudence of the interpreter to the Imperial troops, who goaded him.intd rebellion, taunting him by calling' him a spy, threatening to kick him out of the ' camp, and asking liim the. question ,«'hy

I my.-TTffTtrnyrcrj/Ma TftWßn.gj • - lie did not go and join the Wuikato rebels? !A proud spirit like Hawiri's would not submit any longer to such gross insults, and ho was at last driven to join the disaffected natives. Previous to that he had always been the honoured guest of the . old settlors, and whenever he. chose to visit them there was always a place founi ;. for him at their tables. After.'being"'driven to take up" arms against us he entered heart and soul into the rebellion, considering that he was fighting for his'" " Hearth and home." IJe would not allow. f his party to build their pa on the mission property, not ..wishing it to be. polluted

with human ..blood. , Tn .conse.quence of this, they chose their position .outside the V. • fission boundary.. . Before any'shots-had-v linen exchanged. Jtavmi wrote.; General ; Cameron tolling him that when f;hey fought lie wished tpfigiifc fjiiriy aad;liohourably,i, that 'lie should act ,ver,7; .differently . to what tho rebels'did iu'WaiLato'l" ''Any European going about unarmed slipuld, ba • unmolested, that, he would not allow any: of <liis party to commit murder,'and' that any, of our wounded "falling irito '• tliieir ' hands should, be respected.,:.- Right well did ,this noble Maori e^rry.out,kip wpffe at tlie'G'nte Pa. Before'ashot' was/ oh that memorable day—the' 29th April, . 1864—he called^-jpufc;. to, j liis,. followers, " ; Talce heed to my 'word; Respect the wounded; do not injure them when they fall." The assault was led by, Colonel . Booth and Capt'uiu 'Hamilton, B.'N. ' The latter was shot/dead; the Colonel fell;:, mortally wouuded within a few feet of the- ; parapet of the -pa. •' Hdwiri 1 ' carried him, or had him carried, to' a place of-safety out of reach of .the bullets, and,; to : the power, •.admihistored- to : his ! . wants himself,.goingidowiv. to; the at the risk of,his lite, to, allay the thirst of » f :,T , tti'e sufferer! ; ,! ( ,y'fhat,night..;the, pa .was abandoned by the,enemy.. . .Before leaving itithere was a wish' expressed by'some of r Hawiri's allies to despatch the wounded. BawiriV reply was what you might' have' expected from such anm:" JN ot a hair '■' of their head shallyou- tbuch. You may take: their firearms witLyou, but.touch; ■>* nothing elso. ? ' Tlie f'ollowing day Colonel > Booth was brought to Te Papa,.sand before his death;he repeatedly, spoke, to General Cameron and his brother officers about the noble and humane manner he : v and tlie other wounded men had been treated by : the eiiemy. 'i his '-was attributed alone to Kawiri's inllueuce over • the different .tribes of the district. After,. the desertion' of the Gate Pa the nativos 1 retired to the woods until the.month of June, when Eaiviri [again : wrote. ; to- the officer .'commanding the .district, telling , him that in a few days he would try his strength''witlr ; -Thetnitiveh 4 f -• accordingly commenced entrenching them- * selves at Te iifingal'but;'were' discovered : • by" before 'thby had completed ■ / theirpa." They, w'ereipi'iiediately attuclied. ■ The loss of the enemy was great-over a :.. hundred were .left, dead .on-.the-field,; amongst their,;.number ; was • thechief •• v Hawiri. , The following.day lie was buried. on jtlie battle-field, several of the neutral chiefs being present, also the officers of the different regiments then in ; I'auranga, who 'expressed' their appreciation" of" Ins ; noble character by saying " ELapai ila* •• wiri," " Very good'Rawiri." File brovernment'prqvided a coffin for the remains,, ~ of this vvbrtny chief, and, by. the kind permission of .the Venerable Archdeacon .Brown his (nearly, literally) askes: were •*'. buried on Tuesday-last close to the grave of Colonel Booth, : whose: sufferings '. he tried to alleviate. We are sure that the- interest shown for this brave and - ; generous chief will go far'to cement the ' good feeling now existing bjeweon the liuropeaas -and natives ot this' district. ' Reqiiiescat in pace. — ['Jommunicated to tlie i}'. P. Times.