MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 November 1940, Page 2

MAORI MEMORIES

ONE FAITH AND ONE ARMY. (Recorded by J.H.S., of Palmerston North, for the “Times-Age.”) Before the arrival of the first missionaries in New Zealand, tribal warfare was continuous. The Maori idea was universal in regarding war as a spiritual and physical virtue. It tended in their estimation to promote mutual sympathy and protective goodwill among the members of the tribe,, and taught the warriors to cultivate health, strength and endurance by strenuous exercise, Better still, they believed it enabled each successful fighter to acquire the virtue of bravery and strength of body, from tasting the warm blood of a distinguished enemy warrior who had fallen by their hand. This was probably the origin of the much exaggerated stories of universal cannibal practices among the Maoris. It was mainly a sacramental rite such as our practice of drinking wine at Communion service.

Like our seamen adrift from wrecks, before steamers, aeroplanes and radio | came, Maoris had at rare intervals to -save lives by tasting human flesh; but the occurrence in every instance was never spoken of. It was tapu. The “Maori King” movement arose first from a desire “to unite every tribe in one army numbering 80 Maori warriors of one faith to each 30 white men divided into five churches. During the 1914-18 war and the present World War, the voluntary enlistment of Maori lads has far exceeded the proportion of Britishers. In referring to this, a little-known Maori enthusiast for enlistment said: —“The world will never have permanent peace until we have one, and only one, leader in religion, politics, preparation and peaceful organisation.”

If you get tired of the instructive talker, you can usually shut him up by saying: “Yes, I read the same article.”