MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 October 1940, Page 2

MAORI MEMORIES

MAORI MEN TRAPS. (Recorded by J.H.S., of Palmerston North, for the “Times-Age.”) In pioneer days we were deeply interested in the friendly attitude of these Maoris, and were impressed by their appropriate name “Maori,” the origin and meanings of which are “natural” and “seeing clearly.” If one of us understood the Maori mind and remained cool and reasonable we almost invariably were treated justly. Even the clergymen of long experience calmly submitted to “He” (injustice) for which the Maoris would subsequently make silent amends. The Maoris had numbers and weapons. We lacked both, yet we were safer unarm- 1 cd. In the distant village of Raglan after war was declared against the Maoris, a shipload of arms was returned to Auckland as it was “safer to trust to the honour of the Maoris than to fight them. Even when more than 15,000 British troops took action against 1500 wellarmed Maoris the native forests gave ample protection to the minority. General Cameron realising this handicap, constructed a military highway through the centre of the forests, which the Maoris regarded as Tc ara karapiti (the path to a snare), and such it proved, for they shot our men from both sides. The Waikato river as the only other highway was even more dangerous. Canoes against the slow current made slow progress, while Maori ambush parties at intervals caused many casualties. The river was named Tc Rori Kiore (The rat trap). A flax swamp near Rangi riri proved another invulnerable fortress for the Maori fighters. There they lay hidden taking clear aim. while the soldiers’ bullets were diverted by every blade of llax. This seemed impossible uulu experiments proved its correctness.