MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 January 1940, Page 2

MAORI MEMORIES

WOMEN IN WAR. (Recorded by J.H.S. for “Times-Age.”) What we regarded as sham fighting was to the Maori people a serious matter of the utmost importance to the safety and success of the tribe. Even the women, young or old, indulged in it. until Marsden’s influence, and the example of the few English wahine rangatira (gentlewomen) became an ideal for every brown-skin lady. For men, upon whose force and fame the very life of the race was dependent, the prefix “gentle” was deemed to be quite wrongly applied.

Prior to this reaction of sentiment, when defence was the ruling passion, women from 15 to 70 were capable of holding their own against men of any age.

Nothing in nature was regarded by the original Maori as improper or impure, so in these whawhai takaro (play fights), tatau aho (battle lessons), or pakanga tonu (real wars), their only clothing was a greenstone tiki tied securely round the neck to ward off evil.

Their deadly weapons were the mere, a short flat chib of solid stone, nibbed to sharp edges on both sides, made of precious greenstone for preference, and the long or short matia (spear), pointed with the ebony-like ponga (tree fern).

Women in war constituted a double danger. They were actually more active and skilful in the use of these weapons than men, and men were so charmed by their ata ahua (beauty of form) that, rather than strike or be j stricken by them, they would clasp [ them in their arms, and so deaden their own capacity in the fight.