TRADITIONAL HISTORY OF THE MAORIS.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3070, 17 December 1878, Page 1

TRADITIONAL HISTORY OF THE MAORIS.

Dr Hector, in his lecture on 1 the exploration of Otago (says the New-Zealand - Times), incidentally referred to the traditioual history of the: Maoris in the South Island. As his remarks were very '■ interesting we append them. He said: "The traditional history of the occupation of the Southern'country by the Natives, was collected by Mr dhortland, the Protector of 1 Aborigines, as early as 1844, but further details have since been 'collected by several qualified persons, and

are to be found collated in Mr A. Mac* Jtay'i admirable compendium on " Natire Affairs in the Sonth Island," published in 1872. The traditions were reproduced last year in a paper by the Bey. Mr Stack, and he has been the first to yen» lure to fix the dates for the principal events, It appears pretty certain that the Otago countty wan occupied by several successive tribes of Maoris. The earliest of these—Ngatiknra—is only known by ▼ague traditions, but in considered to be an offshoot from the Ngnpuhi tribe that •till occupies the northern district of Auckland, where they first landed about twenty-seven generations ago. The Ngatikura became very numerous; and-do-cupifd Ihe .whole i* land, and according to Mr Mantell's notes it wasthey who burnt off the hush and made the open grassland. (E Wnka pakihi*) They were sue.ceeded by : the .Waitnha tribe iwho also came from the North Island, and acoord* I ing to Mr Stack their migration took place in 1477, which 11 the earliest date he ventares on. The Wait aba, after 100 years, were in their turn attacked, and gradually displaced by the Ngatimamoe, but they were not exterminated until the year 1700; and shortly before thisdate a further tribe, the Ngatitahu, had commenced to displace the Ngatiroamoe, which was also exterminated in 1827, only a few Bating families living survived to within lest than 30 years back in the dense forest of the S. W. mountains. The Ngaitabu tribe is the one that now survives in: Otago, and at one time must have been very numerous, but about 46 years ago they were greatly reduced by an epidemic of measles, which disease appears to have been as fatal to them as to the natives of Fiji, when it first broke out in that group about two years ago. The, later history of the Kativis in Otago^is a remarkable instance of the rapid disappearance of an aboriginal race when, brought in contact with civilization, notwithstanding that they are'•carefully prorided for. In 1844 there were 1206 Maoris in Otajro; in 1852.709; in 1861,612; and in 1869, 396. But in 1874 the census shows an increase, the number being 510. The western side of the -island.,was inhabited by a separate tribe, having the lame origin in the North Island as the Ngaitahu, called tbeNgatiwairenga, having their heed quarters at Arahura; and tradition states that the first knowledge of the greenstone or ponamu which the eastern Natives acquired was from a woman of that tribe who crossed the mountain.; to Xaiapoi. This has a moat: important bearing.to the date up 10 which the rooa birds survived in number, as greenstone implements liave been found in most of the ancient cooking heaps along: with moa bones, thus proving that the moa must have been used as food: by the Maori tribe that still survives.