THE NATIVE MEETING AT PARTAKA.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 719, 4 October 1870, Page 2

THE NATIVE MEETING AT PARTAKA.

A condensed report of the ahove meeting respecting which some excitement has been occasioned throughout the colony, appears in the " Taranaki Herald" of September 28th. The talk lasted four days but appears to have been a continued repetition of the same thing. The Civil Commissioner, Mr Parris, opened the proceedings by taking six sticks; one he stuck in the ground to represent the Queen, and another the King, and around the two he placed tour others to represent native chiefs • then addressing the assembly, he said : —" My idea is to get rid of the trouble which now exists over the country. Those represented by sticks should meet aud talk the matter over. The Queen would say, my sway was here before that of the King. It was brought here at your request. You fought and killed each other, ate each other, aud there was r.o peace in the country. But I came at your request, aud have endeavored to treat you with kindness. I give you property and things you never had before, and for all this you turn on me with ingratitude and get angry. My sovereignty cannot now be removed from New Zealand. I will establish you a great chief and respect all the chiefs. Let us take couucil together, and see if we cannot get a better state of things." Te YVhiti came forward and took each of the sticks up separately. With the stick representing the Queen in his hand, he preceded to say that he had brought the Queen here, and been a Queen's man; he had assisted to make the King—in fact had made him—but what bad been the result ? Nothing. He had witnessed nothing but folly from them all, from the King, Queen, chiefs, and the prophets. Te Whiti then gathered the sticks in a bundle, and placing them on the ground, put his foot on them and said," All are dust under my feet." Mr Parris took the sticks from him, and placed them as they were before. This kind of talk proceeded for some length of time; Te Whiti pulling up the sticks, to be replaced again by the Civil Commissioner, who at length asked the chief if he knew the danger of putting the Queen under his feet. Te Whiti asked Mr Parris to tell him the danger. Mr Parris replied that they might prove a Ngarara (a worm) which would eat up his foot, go through his body, and cover his head. The Queen's sovereignty must be supreme, and nothing that he (Te Whiti) could do would remove it. This was repeated several times, when at last another native jumped up and said to Te Whiti, "If they are all under your feet, how are the things to go on without a head ?"

Te Whiti replied, " I am the head : everything in the world is under my feet. Those who don't approve of this, let them do everything they wish to do —kill each other, rob, get drunk, commit adultery, sell land, make roads, do everything the wicked are intended for—but don't look back on me afterwards."

Mr Parris: "Te Whiti, I look upon you as a blind man going towards a cliff, and in danger of tumbling over; I am anxious to save you." During the whole of the four days little more than the substance of what is given above was said ; though other chiefs spoke and the words were varied from time to time.

On the morning of the third day Tito Kowaru arrived with eighty followers. Mr Parris abused the chief, and Tito Kowaru abused Mr Parris in return, and so Wednesday passed, and, according to native custom we suppose, after each side had exhausted their supply of abuse, were ready to talk seriously ; Tito Kowaru was then invited into the village, but, before entering, when about a hundred yards off, they all discharged their firearms and came forward with their guns unloaded. On the Thursday, Tito Kowaru exexpressed a wish to hear what all the talk had been about. Mr Parris then stuck up the sticks and explained the whole that had been done, and Te Whiti came from his platform and again put the sticks under his feet.

Mr Parris got up and said, " Every one who assembled at the meeting at Pariaka, had been invited by a notice sent by Te Whiti to them. That notice stated that the meeting at Pariaka, was to be the salvation of all. They had assembled—people from all parts of the island—from one end to the other had attended and what had been the result so far, merely to hear it stated that one man could govern everybody. That was all boastful language, which no man should be guilty of. There was only one way of settling the thing, that was by allowing the leading men of the country to meet the Governor and to talk the matter over, and to try to bring about a better state of things. Te "Whiti was somewhat excited at this, because the natives seemed to agree with the Civil Commissioner's remarks, and some of Tito Kowaru's people cried out " Parris is right." Te Witi said: "I see and hear. Tou all approve of what Parris has said ; even Tito Kowaru's people are with him. Go every one of you with him, and fulfil your hearts' desire—kill and i

eat each other, rob, get drunk, commit adultery, Bell land, make roads, do everything the wicked are intended for—but don't look back on me afterwards."

Mr Parris said : "Te Whiti, when you put those sticks under your feet, you meant that all wickedness should be placed there. I admit that lam dust, and was crushed, but I am risen up again. I said that I was not coming up here to flatter you. The task must be gone on with. The roads must be made, (and stretching out his hands to Te Whiti,) give me my children that I may go and do it." Te Whiti made no reply but endeavored to laugh it off, and then, Tito Kowaru, coming into the centre with a bright double-barrelled gun in his hand, said : " I have come to Pariaka, I now return to Ngatimaru. I shall turn my back upou Taumatamahoe, and Tawhaua (meaning the whole of the Ngatimaniapoto). Tawhana's work is his, and I have nothing to do with it. My eyes turn to Ngaire and to the sea. My mind night and day is only thinking of Ngaire, I will never strike another blow unless I am attacked. If my face is scratched I shall retaliate. Oh, all ye people assembled, I now bid you farewell. I go to my camp for tho night, and in the morning leave on my homeward journey." Several asked him to stop, and asked him if he was angry by his leaving so quickly. He said " no, hut what is there in talk. I have heard what you said, but I don't see the end. It is useless, you call the people from the right and from the left—you say uothing—no more." Tito Kowaru then rose, and he and his followers left in a body. Thus ended the Pariaka meeting, over whicli much excitement has been occasioned all over the Colony.