MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 July 1938, Page 2

MAORI MEMORIES

GOVERNOR GREY (Recorded by J.H.S. for “Times-Age.”) “Prompt in war; leisurely in peace,” was the Maori motto. Each day to us passes like an hour —to them it was a happy dream of a week. To every Maori, smoking was the best thing introduced by the Pakeha. Squatting in the shade of his raupo whare, each puff of smoke carried his wishes from Papa, the god of the land, to Rangi, the god of the sky. After the reprisals at Wanganui, the tribes retired up river to the easily cultivated volcanic soil, and there produced great stores of the new foods, maize, grapes, kumara, taro, potato, peaches. The Governor awaited their overtures of peace, but dignity forbade them to offer it. The comforts of tea, sugar, blankets and pipes overcame all scruples. Two canoes loads of fresh vegetables floated down stream; but the Governor ordered them to be fired on. On the 16th February, 1848, the chiefs of the Wanganui district agreed to Governor Grey’s terms of peace, drawn in his own simple and well understood words. Looted cattle and horses were promptly returned by the Maoris. Peace to the Maoris and to the soldiers was equally acceptable. Both had better food and sleep, and each side realised the advantages of co-opera-tion. For canoe traffic and the ready exchange of commodities, the Wanganui river was an ideal highway. A day’s journey down stream brought freshly grown foods, the return upstream occupied a week or more, carrying blankets, tobacco, sugar and flour. Maori women who had left their white husbands to help their brothers, returned to their families as though they had been away on a visit to the country. Sir George, the newly made knight, wisely chose Waka Nene and Te Puni as his esquires. He it was who carried the spirit of peace into the councils of war.