MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 March 1939, Page 5

MAORI MEMORIES

DISILLUSION. (Recorded by J.H.S. for “Times-Age.”) When Christianity came to the Maori people it was as the flow of flood waters. Their worship of all the works of nature so easily conformed with devotion to the Great Architect of the Universe. All Maoriland hailed this natural, but hitherto unthought of idea. Then came the greatest, perhaps the only enemy to its universal acceptance —the profession of religion by unworthy speculators whose sole aim was to victimise their trustful dispiples. The revelation came as a shock apd distrust of this new found Creator and their ancient belief in his works. Having thus lost their implicit belief in Rangi the sky, Rongo peace, Papa the earth, and in their ancient Ariki and Tohunga teachers and preachers, they fell into dejection apd despair. The great enemy of truth is not the fool who opposes it, but the few insincere or weak exponents Qf its Gospel. With this loss of Mana (influence) the Rangitira (chief) no longer guided the will of his people; he now merely carried it out.

The village Runanga (meeting) makes petty laws, but has no idea of governing. By ignoring all such laws, the average Maori enjoys his personal freedom. The Pakeha jury had little consideration for a Maori pleader, who therefore depended upon his anejent law of Utu, and took a sheep, horse, or a cow in satisfaction.

In Maori Runangas they preferred the application of the ten commandments to the Proverbs or even Levitical laws. They knew more of the bible than the average Pakeha and often confused the lawyers.