Service in First World War

When World War I broke out, Bill enlisted straight away. He says, ‘I was only nineteen at the time, so while I was waiting for my 21st birthday to turn up, I sat and passed my exams for a commissioned officer. This required a further six months’ service in New Zealand to complete. I was a platoon sergeant then and had just attained my majority.

‘My mates were ready to leave for overseas and I just couldn't bear to be left behind.’

So Bill applied for and was granted permission to accompany his mates. From then on he was with the Battalion, which took part in all the major battles in France.

With his out-going personality and his helpfulness to others, Bill was an obvious choice for the budgeting counselling scheme when this was started some years back in Otorohanga. As vice-president of the committee he has worked closely with the president, Mr P. Phillipps, and the secretary-treasurer, Mr Murray Hunt; all are foundation members of the scheme, and have helped to establish other

Mr Bill Kohi

In Otorohanga 21 families are at present enrolled.

‘We have no failures with families, that stick,’ Bill says happily. ‘But,’ he adds, Those families which pull out, do fail. Inevitably they sink further into debt.’

‘I remember one hard nut,’ Bill chuckles. ‘I nearly deflated myself persuading him to sell his money-eating vehicle. Somehow I talked him into walking and not jumping a taxi unless it was the last extremity. Today that man is coming up on top.’

Success Depends Upon Co-operation

Bill takes a great interest in the Te Awamutu budgeting scheme, where there are more Pakehas than Maoris enrolled in the scheme.

‘The success of the budgeting scheme,’ he sums it up, ‘depends primarily on the co-operation of the families concerned and on the willingness of responsible sponsors to come forward and help.’

A Rotarian and a Maori warden, Bill has also shown a great interest in education, and for 13 years was chairman of the school committee at Honikiwi school.

As chairman of the Waitomo Maori pastor-

ate committee he organised the All Aotearoa Hui Topu at Ngaruawahia. Under his chairmanship the pastorate has set its sights on the erection of a new Maori vicarage in the centre of its area, Te Kuiti.

Early Memories of Gum-Digging

Born in 1895 at Waahi Pa, Bill is the second son of Kohi Takaro of Ngati Te Ata of Waikato, and Erana Kershaw of Ngati Ruanui of Taranaki. He has early memories of the fun, and the hard work, of the periodical gum-digging expeditions on which his parents took him and his six brothers and sisters. He well remembers the two packhorses on which his parents used to transport all their equipment and camping gear. They would pitch their camp in the marshy gumlands at the back of Puketapu below Waahi Pa, and often, as an added comfort for their week's stay, they would put up a nikau parau (shelter). This done, Takoro and Erana would leave the older children to cook the family meal in a camp oven while they speared and dug around in the vicinity for the kauri gum nuggets that added to their livelihood.

‘At night,’ Bill recalls, ‘we used to help Mum and Dad to clean, scrape and sort the gum, which was sold later to the storekeeper at Huntly, who was also the gum buyer.’ He added, laughing, ‘I remember one particular night when we kids made a big thick bed of fern beside a hole full of hot embers. We had two blankets, one for under us and one on top. After playing around for a while we drifted off to sleep under the starry sky. Somehow during the night we rolled, bed and all, over our open-air heater. We woke up with a start, stampeding out of bed — our prized blankets were scorched and burning!

First Down the Mines

‘After this my father secured a permanent job with the Mines Department and our lot greatly improved. He sent us to the Maori school and later to the Huntly school. For a number of reasons, mostly lack of finance, this was all the formal education I received, much as I desired more.

‘I remember that my father was the first Maori to go underground on that mining job. No self-respecting Waikato then would venture into the bowels of Hine Nui i te Po. Father did, and apart from improving our family's situation, he bought himself a coveted pair of duck trousers. This blew up his chest in joyous conceit and set his bare feet underneath them prancing, as he showed off the cut of his fancy pants to his gaping mates. After this the old tapu was laid aside as other Maoris increasingly ventured into the mines to seek their livelihood.

‘From school I went to work till World War One intervened with my period of overseas service. After my discharge from the army in 1919 I worked as a fitter at Rotowaro. My earnest desire was to save enough money to buy a piece of land and this wish I cherished deep within me.’

From Rotowaro Bill went to Wairoa to skipper the Wairoa harbour board's tug; later he worked on the Waikokopu breakwater.

‘It was at this time,’ Bill said, his eyes softening, ‘that I married my wife, who was Ngaurupa Paki of Huntly.’

He and his wife decided to take on one of the cook-houses for the construction workers on the Napier-Gisborne railway line, which was then being built. This proved most successful. Later he gained valuable experience managing a cattle farm at Drury. Then they moved to Taranaki where Bill leased two properties. Bill recalls, ‘My wife milked the cows on one farm while I contracted for harvesting and drain digging. Our children were coming along. This made us work all the harder.

Many Years of Hard Work

‘In 1929 I left Taranaki and bought a property of 360 acres at Honikiwi near Otorohanga. It almost broke our backs let alone our hearts, what with the ragwort infestation and cobalt sickness. We near starved to hold on … but we did it!

Then World War II broke out and I left my wife and family to hold the home fort while I went to Auckland as a musketry instructor. When war eventually turned again to peace, I sold that farm. We bought a gorse and blackberry infested place in historic Kopua, the fount of Christianity for Ngati Maniapoto on the banks of the Waipa river. The house into which we moved was rat-infested and without power. My family declared I was mad. The land was flat and good. Our roadway in at first was across a lagoon on a rickety canoe, which went down one night with all my family in their finery returning from a dance.

‘It was a pleasure to demolish that house later, when the land was cleared, and build my family an all-electric one with every convenience. For all the gorse and blackberry,’ Bill

chuckled, ‘We won through comfortably even though that canoe was never raised again. It had served its purpose anyway.

‘When we gave up that farm a few years back we had no wish to sit and idle away the rest of our lives, so here I am in the taxi business with my son.

‘You know,’ Bill said, smiling as he looked across at his wife pouring tea, ‘My wife has helped me all the way. No man is a success in any venture without the help of a good woman and the guidance of God.’

School Careers Advisers

There are professional services available to all school-leavers, and not one adolescent need start his or her working life without first talking over plans and getting the best of advice. Attention has recently been drawn in ‘Te Ao Hou’ to the work of vocational guidance officers, and these people are of course the real experts, carefully selected and trained for their highly specialised work.

However country folk are at a disadvantage in utilising this professional service because they must wait for these officers to visit their districts, and then, because of the crowded timetable, they may miss out on an interview. Many of the pupils at our college are turned away at each visit of the vocational guidance officer, simply because there is not time enough to see them all. Of course there is a list of priorities, so that the more urgent cases are seen first. This would be a very serious state of affairs were it not for the fact that this school, like most large secondary schools in New Zealand, has a careers adviser on the staff who sees to it that pupils are taking the right courses, looks after their day-to-day problems, supplies them with careers information, and generally prepares pupils before they meet the vocational guidance officers.

Many parents and pupils are unaware of the existence of careers advisers so I thought I would write about my own work as a careers adviser in a remote country college with a large Maori roll, to bring this service to the attention of readers of ‘Te Ao Hou’. I shall be discussing mainly country experiences and country problems but I hope other readers may find something of interest also.

Migration Must be a Planned One

From the point of view of choosing and pursuing a worthwhile career, the country pupil is at a great disadvantage. Perhaps the most obvious handicap, and one of the most serious, is the need in most cases to leave the district and go to the city to find suitable employment. All country school-leavers have some sort of a qualification, perhaps two or three years' secondary schooling, or maybe School Certificate or better, but unless their qualifications are used purposefully these young people tend to drift—drift to town, and drift from job to job, becoming jacks of all trades and masters of none, and wasting their talents and qualifications. One of the great challenges facing country schools is the need to change this drift into a planned migration.

Harder to Visualize Careers

It is an unfortunate irony that these young people who most need the goal of a worthwhile career are the most severely handicapped when it comes to choosing a suitable occupation. Unlike city children who see industry all around them, they have nothing to stimulate them into thinking of their future work. One of my biggest jobs is to somehow make all our pupils think about their future careers, so that by the time they are interviewed by a vocational guidance officer, they have given the matter plenty of thought. This makes it much easier and quicker for the vocational guidance officers, but of greater importance is the fact that these adolescents have given careful consideration to their final choice.

I have a notice-board on which I display a wide variety of posters giving information on different types of occupations. The library has

a good stock of brochures and pamphlets, and I also use films and film-strips. All this is just the spade-work of careers advising, yet despite it all, there is still a too large proportion of pupils who do not think carefully enough. One indication of this is the fairly narrow range of occupations most seem to prefer. Panel-beating, motor mechanics and the army are the most popular boys' preferences, and the girls stick mainly to teaching, nursing and telephone operating. I fear these choices are arrived at not so much by serious thought, as by knowing others who have taken up these jobs already. Of course if they are happy in their choice of occupation, why should I worry? I shouldn't I suppose, but I sometimes do have the nagging doubt that the girl who is now a telephone operator would have made an excellent dental nurse or kindergarten teacher or shorthand typist, or that the panel-beater could have been a successful draughtsman or professional engineer or officer cadet.

More Difficult to Decide

Then too, there is the opposite case of pupils ill-advisedly taking up a career for which they are not fitted, and failing to succeed. It is often too late to start on a more suitable alternative, and so a career is wasted.

Another problem for the country pupil is the lack of first-hand experience of a sufficiently wide range of occupations. City pupils see these jobs around them every day, and they know a lot more about different jobs than country pupils do. The latter frequently have no way of deciding whether or not they would like a particular job. Sometimes I suggest office machining to a girl seeking advice, and then I have to explain as best I can what an office machinist does; but because the girl has never seen an office machinist at work and cannot visualise what it would be like, she discards the suggestion. On one occasion I tried to interest a hefty young fellow in the pattern-making trade in a foundry. I had a job ready for him if he wanted it. He had never heard of a foundry and was quite unimpressed with my description of the pattern-makers' work. He couldn't visualise the work, so he turned it down. He is now working on the chain in a freezing works.

Chance to See For Themselves

In an attempt to give our pupils a chance to see real career situations for themselves, this school organised a week-long careers trip to Wellington last August for the fifth and sixth forms. The pupils, in several small groups, inspected many different types of occupations. They kept a record of everything they saw, and later wrote reports. The trip was expensive—after local fund-raising had been added to school and Maori Affairs Department subsidies, the pupils still had to find £12 each—but it was a most valuable experience for these young people. They were able to assess several different types of careers which they had been considering, and they also got a good insight into the working life of a city.

Working Out the Likely Possibilties

It is hard to imagine just how unrealistic some pupils can be in selecting careers. I once asked a lower fifth form class to write an essay on the topic of their future careers. One yonug hopeful declared that he was going to be a naval captain. His uncle in the navy would help him to become a captain. Another lad had a well-worked-out scheme. He was going to join a stock firm; after 10 years, when he had become a manager, he was going to leave the firm and join the opposition with all the old firm's secrets! It is hard to remember sometimes that it is secondary school pupils that one is dealing with.

So the first task of the careers adviser is to ensure that pupils are thinking about careers, and also to provide them with information on different types of employment. I expect our pupils to be thinking along these lines in their first year at college. Maturing teenagers will inevitably change their minds many times, but by the time they are in the fifth and sixth forms the likely possibilities should be emerging. I think this is probably the best time to see the vocational guidance officer.

Help in Choosing Courses

The careers adviser is also responsible for seeing that pupils have enrolled in the right courses. In large secondary schools the arrangement of courses is usually quite complicated, and it is often advisable to see the careers adviser when a pupil is about to be enrolled. The variety of courses is meant to meet the special needs of different pupils. Some courses are not geared to school certificate, and it is as well to remember that many school certificate subjects cannot be taken for university entrance.

Once they are enrolled, the careers adviser watches pupils' progress to see if course and class adjustments are necessary before it is too late; he speaks to classes on job opportunities,

and he tries to interview as many pupils as possible. In this way he is able to sort out problem cases for referring to vocational guidance officers when they visit the school. The careers adviser is not a rival of vocational guidance officers, but rather works in partnership with them.

Assistance for School Leavers

I mentioned earlier that the major problem facing country school-leavers was having to leave home and seek employment in the city. The policy of our college is not merely to help pupils decide on a worthwhile career, but also to place them in jobs and to find accommodation for them. It would be impossible for a careers adviser living hundreds of miles away from the nearest large city to see that school-leavers are placed in satisfactory employment and accommodation. It is only by working as a team together with vocational guidance officers and other agencies that this can be done successfully.

When Should They Leave?

The question as to when a pupil should leave school bothers some parents. More and more parents are keeping their children longer at school, often at considerable sacrifice, so that they will have the chance to sit for school certificate. This is a very commendable trend, although parents should not be misled into believing that a school certificate pass is more or less automatic for those who stay long enough. Actually only one third of all school-leavers in New Zealand have school certificate or a better qualification when they leave school. Sometimes pupils are kept on far too long in the vain hope that they will get their school certificate.

Where there is doubt, the best people to see are the school principal and the careers adviser. Generally, where a pupil is making progress and benefiting from his schooling, he should stay on. But other things, such as the age of the pupil, may have to be considered. This is particularly important in the case of boys wanting to enter apprenticeships. Would a further year at school offset the disadvantage of starting an apprenticeship a year later? This is the sort of problem faced by some parents. Teachers know the progress of the pupils, and the careers adviser, or the vocational guidance officer if one is available, knows the conditions attaching to various occupations. It is not an easy problem, and many factors have to be considered; but parents should not hesitate to seek advice. I believe that all teachers have had experience of time-wasters whose time at school is doing them no earthly good, and who may as well be out learning a trade and earning their keep.

What I have said in this article is the result of my own experience. Careers advisers in other schools may have different problems and other ideas, but all careers advisers are there to help pupils make the most of their educational and occupational opportunities. I would urge all parents with teenagers at secondary school to consult the careers adviser on any problem touching this aspect of their children's lives.

A Sacred Task

Today only those women with exceptional skill at weaving, and with a knowledge of the sacred customs associated with it, are chosen to weave the fine mat. They work either in a guest house, out of sight of the people, or else in a house used by the older women of the family. While the mat is being woven no-one is permitted to enter the fale (house; this word is the equivalent of our Maori whare). If anyone should break this age-old custom, they must pay a penalty; usually this consist of a large amount of food.

The leaf used in the weaving is that of the pandanus (lau ‘ie—‘leaf for the fine mat’). This leaf is similar in shape to those of our New Zealand flax, but it is much longer, and is softer and finer in texture. The pandanus leaves are dipped into hot water, then spread out in the sun to dry. This bleaches them until they are white, and makes them more pliable. Then the leaves are stripped into strands as fine as three-ply baby wool. One can imagine the skill and patience required to weave strips of such fineness. It is said that the weavers of such mats sometimes become partially or totally blind as a result of their work.

Fine mats are among the Samoans' most precious possessions.

Our Maori mats (whariki) have two to four folds, but Samoan fine mats have no folds at all They vary in size from 40in. × 40in. to 150in. × 150in. The larger and finer the mat, the more important it becomes.

When the mat is completed one edge is decorated with the red head-feathers of a local bird, the sega'ula.

Orators Must Know Historical Significance

Then the mat is formally displayed in front of all the houses in the village, and also on the malae (this word is the equivalent of our Maori marae). It is then taken to the high chiefs and orators of the village, to be given a name. After innumerable discussions they agree upon a suitable historical name, and this is duly announced to all the matai (heads of families), who in turn pass the message on to other interested families or persons. Usually these historical names are only memorized, but sometimes they are also recorded in written form.

The orators (‘talking chiefs’) are spokesmen for the high chiefs (ali'i—this word is the equivalent of our Maori ariki). These orators strive hard to acquire knowledge of the historical events which lie behind the names given to the fine mats, for it is their task, on behalf of their ali'i, to recount these histories when the high chief is being presented with one of these mats. (Incidentally the high chief does not speak at functions unless there is some controversy. Then, and only then, does he show his authority by placing his hand upon the top of his head, and pronouncing the final decision. The matter is thus finalised.)

If the orator is unable to retell the historical event which gave its name to a certain mat, he embarrasses his ali'i, his family and his villagers. Furthermore that mat is not presented to the ali'i.

However the rewards for an orator are numerous, and may consist of food, money, fine mats and ‘ava sticks. (The roots of the ‘ava sticks are pounded to make the ceremonial ‘ava drink. This is known elsewhere in the Pacific as kava.)

Only on Important Occasions

Presentations of fine mats are made only on special occasions. Such occasions are: on the death of a high chief or some other important person; at weddings; at openings of churches, schools and other important buildings; at the christening of children of high birth; as a peace-offering for some crime or offence. The mats are worn only by the taupou (princess) or manaia (prince) during important social functions, or when they are meeting important or royal persons.

Fine mats are of the highest value for the honour and prestige associated with them, and also for their monetary value (this varies from £25 to £50). Such is their importance that a fine mat has been known to free a murderer, and one is quite often given as a recompense for minor crimes.

These beautiful mats are therefore among the most precious possessions that a Samoan can own.

The stone which is reputed to have been the ballast of Kupe's canoe when he landed at Hokianga in A.D. 950 has been erected at Pakanae, one mile from Opononi, as a memorial to the Polynesian explorer.

The photographer Miss Ans Westra, much of whose work has appeared in ‘Te Ao Hou’, has left for Europe on a working holiday. A large book of her photographs portraying the life of the Maori people will be published later this year by A. H. and A. W. Reed Ltd.

The resurgence of interest in Maori culture, and in particular the increase in the number of youth clubs and concert tours, has brought a boom to one of Rotorua's oldest industries—the manufacture of piupiu.

Dozens of women are busy making piupiu to orders as large as 60 at a time; one street near Whakarewarewa boasts as many as 10 home manufacturers busy on piupiu production.

Although piupiu fetch from £3 to £9 each, depending upon size and intricacy of pattern, there seems little chance that the market will be glutted, for making them is no easy job. Despite the fact that a few tools and Pakeha materials have simplified the art a little, it is still basically an ancient craft, performed in much the same way as it was hundreds of years ago, and relying for success on skilled fingers rather than on modern implements.

Another Version of the Story

by Harry Dansey

Which is the correct version of a fairy tale? Perhaps it depends on which fairy told you the story. Or which fairy told the person who told the person who told the person who told you.

I do not know the fairy who whispered the story of Hatupatu and Kurangaituku to my people in the long ago. But I know who the person was who told the person who told me, and when I read the story in ‘Te Ao Hou’³⁰ and found it was not quite the same as the one I knew, I felt moved to back my fairy against the rest. Hence this article.

Perhaps the only justification for recording another version of a folk story is that the circumstances in which it was handed down are themselves interesting. I feel that this is so in this instance.

The version I record here was told to me by my father, the late Harry Delamere Dansey, about 1930, when, as a boy, I went with him to Atiamuri and saw Hatupatu's rock. He had had the story from his grandfather, Ihakara Kahuao, many years before so my version was gained in the time-honoured way, by word of mouth from father to son.

Ihakara's main home was Maroa-nui-a-Tia, north of Taupo. His daughter, Wikitoria Ngamihi Kahuao, was married to Rotorua's postmaster, Roger Delamere Dansey, and they and their children lived at Rotorua. My father was their second son.

Now about every three months Ihakara would come to Rotorua from Maroa to see his daughter and her family and to get supplies to take back to Maroa. After his visit he would load his cart with flour, sugar and tea and go back to the bush some 50 miles or so. During the holidays my father would go with him.

That journey—now an hour's run by car—used to take three days. Old Timi, the cart horse, moved but slowly and where the road was steep the cart would have to be partly unloaded and several trips made.

For example, the hill known as Te Tuahu which is just south of Atiamuri, needed three trips before all of the load was at the top.

At night the old man and the boy would sleep under the cart. By the camp fire at night and as they journeyed along during the day, Ihakara would tell his grandson the stories of the places they passed, Parekarangi. Te Tangihanga, Tahunatara, Te Ana-a-Tuhape. Pohaturoa, Atiamuri. In particular my father liked the story of Hatupatu.

All his life — he died in 1942 — he would never pass Hatupatu's rock without pausing to place a sprig of fern in the hole on the northern side of the rock in which Hatupatu was said to have hidden.

In 1929 the story was told in a newspaper and, as it was a different version from that which he had learned as a boy, my father wrote the one he knew. This is the story which follows, taken from his notes which are in my possession and dated 24th September, 1929. It is prefixed by a note saying the story was as told to him by Ihakara Kahuao in 1884. My father would then have been 10 years of age.

This then is Ihakara's version of the story of Hatupatu and Kurangaituku.

Ihakara's Story

Now my tamaiti as you are a stranger in these parts, it is necessary that I should warn you of the rock of Hatupatu which we will pass on our left. When passing you must either close your eyes or look in the opposite direction; disobedience of this will surely bring aitua or even the same tragic end of Kurangaituku. However on your return this way you may look upon the rock and inspect it for you will no longer be a stranger. You will then pay your respects to them by placing a sprig of manuka or fern at the foot of the rock.

Kurangaituku was an ogress who lived in the depths of that almost impenetrable forest country towards Taranaki. Although cruel in many respects she was exceedingly fond of birds as mokais—pets. These she caught with her long fingernails and duly transferred to her cave, a portion of which was partitioned off as an aviary. Her pets were tended with the greatest care by her slave Hatupatu.

Now Hatupatu was a dwarf and one day while Kurangaituku was absent from home, he on mischief bent killed these birds with the exception of one, a riroriro, which escaped. This little bird flew over the mountains and after considerable search found Kurangaituku and told her what had happened.

She at once returned to her cave to find the bodies of her pets strewn all over the place and the home a shambles. She wept bitterly and swore vengeance on Hatupatu who was nowhere to be seen. In a trice she was on a mountain top for she could stride from peak to peak, and there she scanned the spaces.

Towards the horizon and in the direction of Atiamuri she spied a tiny figure of a man. Another look and she was satisfied it was Hatupatu. With great swinging strides she followed in pursuit and soon Hatupatu became aware that the ogress was not only following him but was dangerously close on his heels.

As Kurangaituku was about to entwine her frightful claws around Hatupatu, the latter appealed to this very rock to save him. He cried: ‘Matiti, matata!’

The rock opened and closed, completely sheltering Hatupatu.

Ihakara Kuhuao, of Maroa-nui-a-Tia, north of Taupo, and his grandson, Harry Delamere Dansey, at Rotorua in 1886. It was about this time that Ihakara told his grandson the story of Hatupatu and Kurankaituku which is told in the accompanying article.

In due time Hatupatu emerged only to find Kurangaituku waiting for him.

Now round this mountain of Maungaiti you will see openings in the ground at almost equal spaces; some of them are overgrown and others time has obliterated. These mark the places where Hatupatu in his desperation to escape dived into the earth and emerged further on only to find Kurangaituku still pursuing.

Some 20 miles from here there is a place named Pakaraka where Kurangaituku followed Hatupatu. This is marked by a rock bearing distinct marks of the ogress's claws.

Hatupatu eventually found his way to Whakarewarewa and there Kurangaituku had him almost at her mercy but the slave, being small in stature, was able to dodge between the boiling cauldrons of the region. Kurangaituku, handicapped by her unwieldy proportions, was less fortunate and was scalded to death.

A new industrial arts block costing £16,000 has been opened at Ngata Memorial College, Ruatoria. It contains a draughting room, woodwork and metalwork rooms and a farm engineering bay.

Mr Tame Amotawa has been appointed a member of the Arawa Trust Board. Mr Amotawa will represent the Tumatarewa subtribe in place of Mr Hakopa Aterea Mohimoke, who recently resigned his position on the board.

Tommy Ratana, aged 10, has been officially congratulated by the South Auckland Education Board on his outstanding record in not missing a day's school in four years. Tommy lives at Waiohau, a small settlement between Murupara and Kawerau.

At Te Teko last December representatives of 4,200 Maori landowners decided to join the Tasman Pulp and Paper Co. Ltd. and the Crown in establishing a 60,000 acre exotic forest in the Tarawera Valley.

With the exception of one family group which owns 1,140 acres, the Maoris agreed to merge their 38,095 acres and join the company, which owns 19,350 acres, and the Crown, which has 18,691 acres. The three parties will become sole shareholders in a new company, Tarawera Forests Ltd.

Maui Raua Ko Mahuika

Na kei a Mahuika te ahi, i ōna ringaringa me ōna waewae. Ka rongo a Māui, ka haere a ia ki te whakamate i a Mahuika, arā ki te nukarau. I tōna taenga atu ki tōna tupuna (he wahine a Mahuika), ka ui mai te kuia rā, ‘I haere mai koe ki te aha?’

Ka kī atu a Māui, ‘Ki te tiki ahi ki a au.’

Ka homai e Mahuika ko tētahi o ōna matikara, ka hoki mai a Māui. Ka tae ki te wai, ka tineia te ahi rā, ka keto. Ka hoki a Māui ki a Mahuika, ka mea atu a ia, ‘Kua mate te ahi i homai nei e koe.’

Ka mea mai te kuia rā, ‘He aha te mea i mate ai?’

Ka mea atu a Māui, ‘I taka ahau ki te wai.’

Ka tapahia mai anō tētahi o ana matikuku e Mahuika, ka homai anō ki a Māui, ka haere anō a Māui; ā ka tae anō ki te wai, ka tineia anō taua ahi, ā, tukua ana ōna ringaringa ki te wai kia mākū, kia mea ai a Mahuika, koia anō he pono te kupu a Māui i taka ana a ia ki te wai. Ka hoki anō a Māui, ka mea atu ki te kuia rā. ‘I hoki mai anō ahau ki te ahi ki a au.’

Te mea i tohe ai a Māui, he mea kia pau katoa te ahi i ngā ringaringa me ngā waewae o Mahuika, kei tahuri mai te kuia rā, kei tahuna mai a ia a Māui ki te ahi. Ko tāna mahi tonu tēnei, ka pau te ahi o ngā ringa o te kuia rā, ka tono a Māui ki te ahi i ngā waewae, ā ka tae ki te matikuku rongomatua, ā kotahi i toe, ka karanga atu a Māui, ‘Homai te matikuku, te mea i toe.’

Ka mea mai te kuia rā, ‘Kāhore e Māui, e nukarau ana koe ki a au.’

Na kātahi ka piua te ahi e Māui i tana ringa e mau ana, ā ka kainga a Mahuika e te ahi me te whenua katoa, me ngā rākau, a whano anō hoki a Māui, ka wera anō i taua ahi; ka oma a Māui, me te inoi ona kia tukua iho te ua o te rangi kia mate ai te ahi. Ā, keto ana te ahi rā, ko tētahi wāhi o te ahi i rere ki roto ki te kaikōmako, ki ētahi atu anō hoki o ngā rākau, i ora ai te ahi ki reira; mei kore te rere ki reira te oranga o te ahi, pēnei kua mate, kua kore rawa he ahi mo te ao nei.

Ko tāna mahi tuatahi, ko te mahi hīnaki rātou ko ōna tuākana. Ko te mahi tuarua, he tārai here. He tatara tāna mahi tuatoru, he mahi matau te mahi tuawhā, he kukume i ngā waewae o te kōkako te mahi tuarima, he whakapiko i a Irawaru te mahi

Maui and Mahuika

Now it was Mahuika who possessed fire; it was in her hands and feet. Maui heard of this, and he went to defeat and deceive her. When he arrived at her home, his ancestress said to him, ‘What are you here for?’

Maui replied, ‘I have come for some fire.’

Mahuika gave him one of her fingernails, and Maui left her. As soon as he came to some water he put out the fire, then went back to Mahuika and said, ‘The fire which you gave me has gone out.’

She asked, ‘How did it happen?’

Maui said, ‘I fell into some water.’

So Mahuika cut off another of her fingernails and gave it to him. Again Maui went away, and when he came to the water he again extinguished the fire, wetting his hands in the water so that Mahuika would think he was telling the truth when he said that he had fallen into the water. Then he returned and said to his ancestress, ‘I have come back for some more fire.’

The reason for Maui's doing this was that he wished to use up all of the fire in Mahuika's hands and feet, in case she should turn upon him and burn him up. He continued to act in this way until the fire in the old woman's hands was exhausted. Then he asked for the fire in her feet, and kept on until all that she had left was one big toe. Then Maui demanded, ‘Give me the last of your toenails.’

But the old woman said, ‘No Maui, you are deceiving me.’

Then Maui swung the fire that he had in his hand; it blazed up and burnt Mahuika, and all of the land and the trees. Maui was very nearly burnt in the fire; he ran away, praying that the rain would come down from heaven to put out the fire.

When the fire was extinguished part of it entered the kaikomako tree, and also various other trees, and was preserved there; but for this, fire would have been lost to the world.

First, Maui and his brothers made an eel trap. Then Maui made a bird spear. Next he made a point for the spear. His fourth task was stretching out the legs of the kokako bird. Then he made Irawaru bow down and become a dog, and then he defeated Murirangawhenua. His eighth task was the fishing up of the land. After this he defeated Mahuika. His last adventure was with Hinenuitepo.

tuaono, ko te whakamatenga o Muriranga-whenua te mahi tuawhitu, ko te kīnga o te whenua te mahi tuawaru, ko te whakamatenga o Mahuika te mahi tuaiwa, ko tana haerenga ki a Hinenuitepō.

The Myth of
The Origin of Fire

The story of Maui and Mahuika published above is taken from volume II of John White's ‘Ancient History of the Maori’. This particular version was related by a member of Ngati Hau tribe of Wanganui.

In many other countries similar stories have been told. Perhaps the most widely known of these is the Greek myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods by lighting a torch at the chariot of the sun, and gave it to mankind. Like Maui, Prometheus also bestowed many other gifts upon mankind.

Fire was produced by rubbing an upper stick (kaurima) into a lower grooved stick (kaunoti). The wood of the kaikomako tree was best for this purpose; hence the explanation offered in the myth, that when the great fire started by Mahuika was put out, part of the fire which remained entered the kaikomako tree.

‘The Maori’, writes Best, ‘had a great respect for fire, and spoke of it as a parent of man, as he did of a house. The old aphorism “He mata ahi, he mata tangata”, means that the fire parent and the human parent are equally useful to man.’

Many religious ceremonies involved the kindling of a special ritual fire. On such ceremonial occasions a woman held the lower of the firesticks with her foot, while a man employed the upright stick. While the fire was being made, ritual chants were recited.

Here is the text of a charm to heal a burn, as recorded by the Rev. Richard Taylor. It seems that while it was recited, fire was prepared; perhaps the idea was to ‘put the fire in its proper place’, as a servant of man.

I wera i te aha?
I wera i te ahi.
Ahi a wai?
Ahi a Mahuika.
Tikina mai whakahorahia,
Hei mahi kai ma taua.
Wera iti, wera rahi,
Wera kia raupapa.
Maku e whaka ihi,
Maku e whakamana.

It was burnt with what?
It was burnt with fire.
Fire from whom?
Fire from Mahuika.
Fetch me some fire, spread it out
To prepare food for us.
Little burn, great burn,
Burn be coated with skin.
I will make it grow,
I will make it effective.

Fire was an essential tool in many everyday tasks, for example in clearing ground for crops, and in hollowing out canoes.

It is said that the word ahiahi (evening) is derived from the word ahi (fire), since the evening was the time when fires were lit. Often charcoal was used in the open fires which provided heat and light in their dwellings, since this is a comparatively smokeless fuel. But there was sometimes much smoke from the fires. Occasionally those sleeping in a small, tightly sealed house would die from carbon monoxide poisoning; this, it was believed, was the work of the fairies.

M.O.

Ceremonial firemaking was performed by a man and woman, as depicted in this painting by Lindauer.

Joined Commonwealth Squadron

After this he joined an RAF squadron in England, the Commonwealth Squadron (No. 24). For two and a half years he was a navigator on planes taking V.I.P.s on long-range flights; this was especially interesting, he says, and thoroughly enjoyable, for they visited most of the capitals of the world.

In 1952 he was back in New Zealand with the crew that ferried the first RNZAF Hastings that this country purchased. He then transferred to the RAF. After spending a couple of years with the short-range V.I.P. squadron and a similar period as a station adjutant in Germany, he joined the Comet squadron, at this time the only military jet transport squadron in the world. In 1958 he became squadron-leader of the Comet sqaudron.

C.O. of Middle East Squadron

In 1962, after a period at Transport Command Headquarters, Sqaudron-Leader Tauwhare was posted to Aden as C.O. of the Middle East Communications Squadron, operating throughout Arabia, East Africa and Central Africa. He is at present senior operations officer at Lyneham, England; this is the United Kingdom long-range transport base,

Squadron-Leader Albert Tauwhare

Two Sisters Also in Europe

Squadron-Leader Tauwhare is married, with three sons. Two of his sisters are at present in Europe; Miss Nona Tauwhare is a nurse in London, and Miss Hira Tauwhare recently had a part in a film which John Mills directed for Rank. At the moment she is teaching English in Finland. Many people will remember Hira Tauwhare as the actress who played the leading part of the mother in the New Zealand production of Bruce Mason's ‘The Pohutukawa Tree’ several years ago. She also took this part in the BBC television production of the play.

Glad to be Back

Squadron-Leader Tauwhare very much enjoyed the opportunity of visiting New Zealand again, and seeing relatives and friends. Though this was his first trip back since 1952, he is very much interested in events here. He feels that in many respects the country has progressed a great deal since his last visit: in particular, he said, the Maori people seemed to him to be happier, and much more confident.

This transcription is by Mr Mervyn McLean.

His accompanying article appears on page 22.

Hirini, Poihākena.

Āperiria 14, 1874.

E hoa, tēnā koe. He tuku atu tāku i āku kōrero whakaatu i taku haerenga mai ki tēnei kāinga, me ngā mea i kitea e au ki kōnei.

I tūpono noa ahau ki te tira haere mai o te Mākarini⁴¹ ki kōnei. Ahakoa, nō te 4 o ngā rā o āperira, i te Hātarei, i te 5 o ngā hāora o te ahiahi, ka rere mai mātou i ākarana i runga i a te ‘Rangatira’ tīma, he rākau toru. Ao rawa ake, i te 6 o ngā hāora o te ata, i te takiwā o te Pei-o-whairangi e haere ana. Kātahi ka rere, ka paepae rāpea te haere, he hau waho hoki. Ka mahi rā koe e te matangirua; ko te ahi, ko te komaru — ēhara i te hanga! Ahiahi rawa atu, i te 6 o ngā hāora, kua mahue te Rerenga Wairua ki muri, ka haere i te pō. Ao rawa ake, tirotiro kau ana, kei hea rā Niu Tīrani?

Heoi, ka mutu te whakaaro mō te kite i te whenua. Pō noa, ao noa te rā, me te pā tonu o te hau. I kī te Kāpene hei te Taitei te kite ai i te whenua, hei te 10 o te karaka o te ata ka tū ki Hirini; ā, ka pau te parakuihi, i te 9 o ngā hāora (i te Taitei), ka tapoko atu i te wahapū o Poihākena. Kātahi ka mātakitaki; koia rā anō hoki te take i haere mai ai au—he mātakitaki i te ao. Anā! E koru atu ana tērā wāhi me tērā wāhi atu, me ana kaipuke atu, me ana kaipuke atu, ki roto ki tōna taiapa ki tōna taiapa. Ko ngā kaipuke nui, rākau toru, e mataku nei te haere i ngā tahataha o tō tātou moana, e haere rā i whea? I tawhiti noa atu …

Ao ake te rā, i te 12 o ngā hāora ka haere mātou ki te mātakitaki purei hōiho. I haere mātou i runga i te pāhihi; kātahi ka whakarongo ki te waha o te pāhihi. Me te rangi pāwhaitiri tōna rite. Kāore e rangona, he tāturi taringa. E rere ana e toru maero te mataratanga atu i te tāone. Ka kite i tōna tini o tēnei iwi o te Pākehā. Ananā! Me te kāhui pī. Ana

Sydney, Port Jackson.

April 14, 1874.

My friend, greetings. I send, for insertion in the ‘Waka’, some account of my visit to this place, and the things which I have seen here.

My coming hither with Mr McLean* was quite accidental. However on Saturday the 4th of April, at 5 p.m., we left Auckland in the steamer ‘Rangatira’, a vessel with three masts. At 6 o'clock next morning we were off the Bay of Islands. The wind was on our beam, blowing from seaward. Under steam and canvas our progress was astonishingly rapid. By 6 o'clock in the evening we had left the Rerenga Wairua [the place of the spirits' departure, North Cape] behind us, and we advanced in the night. Next morning we looked about us in vain; there was no sign of New Zealand.

And so we gave up all thought of seeing land. The days and nights passed, with the wind blowing steadily. The captain said that we would see land on Thursday; and would enter Sydney Harbour at 10 o'clock in the morning; and at 9 o'clock, after breakfast, we entered the Heads of Port Jackson. Then I looked about me, for indeed this was my purpose in coming — to look at the world. Behold! there were bays and coves on every side, each with its shipping in separate berths. Large three-masted vessels, which would fear to navigate our waters, pass an immense distance into this harbour …

Next day we went to see the races, about three miles out of town. We travelled by omnibus, and the rumbling of the wheels of the ‘busses was deafening; it was like the sound

roroa o te tangata, ana popoto; ana nunui, ana whāiti; ana pai, ana kikino; ana tamariki, ana kaumātua, me ana wāhine … Kātahi ka omaoma ngā hōiho. Ko ētahi i tino tere, ko ētahi he hanga noa. Ka tīmata anō he purei pekepeke taiapa. I te tuatahi o ngā taiapa ka hinga tētahi o ngā hōiho ka taka hoki te tangata; ka haere ko ētahi, tae noa ki te tuatoru o ngā taiapa ka hinga tokorua. Te marangatanga ake, whakamatikatika kau ana ngā tāngata, he tangata kē nāna i ārahi. E rua anō ngā hōiho i puta. Ka haere rāpea aua tawhiti rā, anā! Tē pā iho ngā waewae i aua taiapa, he aha …

Ao ake i te 12 o ngā rā (te Wiki) kātahi ka whakarongo ki te tangi a te hanga nei a te pere i te tāone katoa, me te rango e tamumu ana. Ao ake i te Mane ka haere ki te mātakitaki ki taua whenua. Kātahi ka titiro, kei hea rā ngā maunga me ngā pukepuke me ngā awaawa i Niu Tirani nei? Kāore kau. Heoi anō tōna maunga ko te paewai o te rangi; kōrehurehu kau ana te tiro atu. He hanga whakaaroha; me te mea ko te whakapaewaitanga o te rangi i te moana e tirohia atu nei i Niu Tīrani nei te rite o taua whenua ki te titiro atu. I kite anō au i ētahi o ngā mōrehu o ngā mokopuna a Kahukura Māmangu e whakahanumi ana i roto i te Pākehā.

I te 16 o ngā rā kātahi mātou ka haere i runga i te rerewē. Ka mātakitaki haere rāpea ki te pai o tēnā whenua, me te tupu o ngā mahinga kai a te Pākehā. Ka pai ai anō hoki te whenua, me te marae pōtaka tōna rite …

Ka pāhi te 9 karaka ka tae mātou ki tētahi tāone i te puihi, ko te Maunga Wikitōria te ingoa, e toru tekau māero. Kātahi ka whakahaua e te Minita o taua whenua kia taka he tina mā mātou, kei hoki rawa mai ai mātou i te tekau mā tahi o ngā hāora ka hemokai. Kātahi ka rere taua autaia nei. Aehā! Me te aha? Me te uira ka hiko i te rangi tōna rite o te haere. Kīhai i mau i te kanohi te hopu te āhua o ngā otaota me ngā rākau o taua whenua i te tere o te haere o taua rerewē …

Ko te whakaaro o te Kāwanatanga i mea ai kia haere mātou kia kite i te haerenga o te rerewē i runga i ngā wāhi pari kohatu o tō rātou whenua, kia kite ai mātou, ā, ka waiho hei tauira mō ngā rerewē o Niu Tīrani; arā mō ngā wāhi pari, hāunga ia ngā wāhi raorao. Tērā anō hoki e meatia ki tō tātou nei ‘hāwhe koata’ moutere ki Niu Tirani. Otirā e kore pea tātou nei e kite, tēnei ka ngongo nei ngā pāpāringa. Engari mā tēnei pea e tangi nei ki te kai e kite; ka ngaro ake hoki tātou nei, te

of thunder. There we saw in very truth a multitude of the Pakeha race. Amazing! They were like a hive of bees! Some tall, some short; some large, some small; some well-favoured, some evil-favoured; children and old men and women … At last the horses commenced to run. Some were very fast, others were nothing special. Then there was a hurdle-race. At the first hurdle one horse and rider fell; the others passed on to the third hurdle, where two more came to grief. The riders rose from the ground and were led away. Two horses out of the lot got through all right. They flew over the hurdles in splendid style, without touching them at all.

On the morning of the 12th, a Sunday, we were surprised at the number of bells ringing all over the city, like the buzzing of bowflies. On Monday morning we went to take a look at the country. Where were the mountains and hills and valleys of New Zealand? Not here. The only mountain to be seen was the dimly distant horizon. The sight gave rise to feelings of sadness, calling to mind the far-off watery horizon seen from the shores of New Zealand. I also saw, scattered amongst the Pakehas, some of those who are left of the race of Aborigines.

On the 16th April we went on an expedition in the train. We were greatly interested in look-at the fine country through which we passed, and the cultivations of the Pakehas. Indeed it was a pleasant landscape, the land being as flat as a place where people spin tops … By 9 o'clock we reached Mount Victoria, a town thirty miles further on in the bush. Here one of the Ministry ordered dinner to be prepared for our return at 11 o'clock, lest we should be hungry. Then again onward sped that wonderful train. Prodigious! To what shall I compare it? It was like the lightning darting across the heavens. The eye could not catch the likeness of the trees and objects upon the ground, such was the velocity of that train …

The object of the Government in proposing this excursion was to afford us an opportunity of seeing the construction of the line through rocky and precipitous districts, as a model, if thought desirable, for the formation of our railways in New Zealand through similar precipitous country. There are no engineering difficulties to be encountered in level country. No doubt works of this nature will be carried out in New Zealand, our insignificant country; but it is doubtful whether we of the present generation, who are dying off, will live to see

hunga e whakararuraru ana i ngā tikanga katoa … nā te tohe tonu o te Māori ki te raruraru i kore ai anō hoki e nui he tāngata ki tō tātou nei motu.

Otirā hei āwhea rawa ka nui ai he tāngata ki tō tātou nei motu ki Niu Tiran? Hei āpōpō, hei te ata tū, kia oho ngā manu kāwainga o te ata; kia mōrunga anō hoki te rā; kia rangona te rireriretanga me te tīorotanga me te kūītanga o ngā manu o te tau rangimārie; kia whakarongo anō hoki rātou ki te reo o tētahi manu paihau popoto e tangi haere noa ana i roto i ngā pārae toetoe, nā reira nei tōna ingoa i huaina ai he ‘toetoe’, ko tana kōrero tūturu i ngā takiwā katoa e mea ana, ‘Tīkore, Tīkore’.⁴³

Otirā meāke wera i te ahi ngā pārae e tupuria ana e te toetoe, ā, ka keria he awa wai hei mea e maroke ai ngā wāhi e tupuria ana e te toetoe, ā, ka ngaro atu taua pōrearea ki te kōrero i taua kōrero ‘Tīkore, tīkore’, ā, ka whakatōkia anō hoki aua wāhi ki ngā rākau mōmona o ia wāhi o ia wāhi, a ka ruia anō hoki ki ngā tarutaru mōmona o ia wāhi o ia wāhi. I kite anō hoki au i te āhua o aua rākau me aua tarutaru e tupu ana i roto i te kāri o te Kāwana o tēnei whenua. Ko te āhua o aua rākau me aua tarutaru he mā, he whero, he paka kōrito, he pango. Ko ngā rau he rau toro, he rau whakamenge, ko tētahi me te huru hipi nei te āhua, ēngari, aua te huruhuru mā, ēngari te huruhuru pango nei, me te tini noa iho o ngā mea hei mātakitaki mā te kanohi, hei mimingotanga anō hoki mā ngā pāpāringa o te kaimātakitaki. Kei reira anō hoki ngā manu papai katoa o te ao, me ngā manu kikino.

Kāore au i kite i tētahi rākau o Niu Tirani i roto o taua kāri. Engari kei tētahi wāhi kē atu, kei roto anō kei ngā kāri a ētahi Kāwana o tēnei motu, e ai tā rātou e kōrero ana. Ka nui te whakamoemiti o te Pākehā ki taua rākau; ko te ingoa, kia mōhio ai koutou, he mamaku; he kino rawa tōna āhua ki Niu Tirani, he pai rawa ki tēnei motu. Tērā pea ahau e kite me ka tae au ki ērā wāhi atu o tēnei motu. Mei kitea e au ki kōnei tērā ahau e tangi mārire ki te rākau o te kāinga aroha nui …

I te 25 o ngā rā ka whakawhiti mātou ko te Mākarini mā ki tētahi tarawāhi o te awa o te tāone. Te take o tā mātou haere, nā te Kāwanatanga i mea kia kite mātou i ngā

them. Doubtless the young children amongst us, those who are now crying for food, will see that time; but we, the obstructors of all progress, will then have disappeared from the scene … owing to the persistent obstruction of the Maori people, our country has not kept pace with others in population.

But when shall we have a numerous population in New Zealand? Tomorrow when a new day dawns, when the birds, precursors of light, appear; when the sun rises high in the heavens; when the pleasant songs of many birds, harbingers of peaceful times, are heard; when men heed the cry of the bird with short wings which, from frequenting the toetoe plains, is called the toetoe, and which cries without ceasing ‘Tikore, tikore’ [i.e., ‘Nothing, nothing’].*

These plains, now overgrown with toetoe, will in due time be cleared by fire; channels will be cut to drain the land, and then that tiresome bird with his cry of ‘Tikore, tikore’, will disappear, and the land will be planted with fruitful trees and plants brought from far and near. I have seen such trees and plants in the Botanical Gardens here. They are of various colours: white, red, light brown, and black. The leaves of some are straight and open, others are curled up, and some are like wool; but they are like black wool, not white. There is a great variety for the eye of the beholder to observe, and to pucker up his cheeks with laughter. There are also numerous beautiful birds from various parts of the world, and many ugly ones.

I did not see any New Zealand trees in this garden, but I was told that they have them in gardens elsewhere in the country. There is one. I am told, which the Pakehas admire greatly; although, let me tell you, it is merely a mamaku (tree fern), a thing which in New Zealand is thought to be of no beauty what-soever, yet here it is highly prized. If I visit any other part of this country I shall probably see this tree; and if I do, tears will flow from my eyes at the sight of the familiar tree of my own much-loved country …

On the 25th we crossed the harbour to the Heads, on the invitation of the Government, to inspect the fortifications and batteries for the defence of the port … After we had seen the fortifications, dinner was laid for us within the stone fortress connected with the batteries.

pāraki tiaki mō te wahapū o tō rātou kāinga … Ka mutu tā mātou mātakitaki kātahi ka whakatakoto te tina mā mātou ki roto anō ki ngā whare kohatu tiaki o taua pāraki nei. Kātahi anō te kawanga o taua pāraki. Kāore he tangata i tāmene ki taua hākari; he iti noa nei, ko ngā tāngata anake o te Kāwanatanga, me ngā āpiha hoki. Engari ngā mea i nui ko ngā wāhine. E kai ana, e kōrero ana te Pākehā, whakarongo kau ana te taringa Māori. Ou hanga rā e te kūare! E tama, te puku ki te kawe mai ki tēnei whenua, ā, kite ana i te wahangū! Nōku nei anō te tupuna o mua kua mōhio ki te reo tawhiti. Taka mārire ki a au tōna tukunga iho, anā ō mahi rā e te whakatoi! Riro kē ana te mātauranga o te poropititanga a te tupuna o tēnei tangata i rau o iwi kē. I kī hoki rā a tērā, a te Rangitauatia, i te mea e ngaro ana anō a Kāpene Kuki ki tōna kāinga ki tawhiti, kia toro rawa te pakiaka hinahina i runga i a ia ka whakarongo ake a ia e kihi ana e hoihoi ana; ā, e kihi nei hoki, e hoihoi nei hoki, ā, kua ‘tokomaha e kopikopiko ana, kua nui haere anō te mātauranga’.

Na, e ngā uri o tēnei tupuna, whakarongo mai. Ka riro te mātauranga o te poropititanga o tō koutou tupuna ki tētahi iwi kē, mātau atu ai, mōhio atu ai, rangatira atu ai, nui atu ai, tiketike atu ai, pono atu ai, tika atu ai, rawe atu ai. Erangi e te whānau, kia wawe koutou te kite i ngā mātauranga katoa; me tomo ki roto ki te puna o te mātauranga, koia ia ko te kura. Mā reira e whakakite ki a koutou ngā mātauranga katoa, me te mea anō hoki ka rarua nei au e te reo Pākehā. Otirā me mutu mai i tōku takiwā nei te kūaretanga; aua ki tō koutou, nō te mea kei te ngāwari ō koutou nā taringa. I whakatūria ai e au tōku kūaretanga hei tauira ki ā tātou tamariki; kia whakamutua tā rātou noho i roto i te kūaretanga, pēnei me tāua nei. Otirā ērangi pea koe, ko tāu pahunga rawa anō: e ai hoki …

I te 30 o ngā rā o āperira, ka tapoko māua ko te Mākarini ki roto ki tētahi whare whakakitekike i ngā mea katoa o te ao, arā o ngā whenua katoa, o ngā moana katoa. Kei roto i taua whare ngā kurī ngau tangata nei, te pea rāua ko te taika. Te kino o tōna ata ki te titiro atu, mau ana te wehi. Kei reira anō hoki ngā ika horo tangata nei, me ngā mea whakamate tangata katoa, e kore e taea e au te tuhi ki tēnei pukapuka. Kei reira anō te

This was the opening ceremony to mark the completion of the building. There were but few people assembled there; none but Government officers and people connected with the Government. There were, however, a great number of ladies. During dinner the Pakehas were talking and conversing with each other, but the Maori ear listened in vain. Such is ignorance! What boldness, to come to this country and be dumb! Mine was the ancestor who understood distant tongues, yet I, his descendant, have to suffer mortification and annoyance. The prophetical knowledge of my ancestor has passed away to other strange races. While Captain Cook was still in his own distant country, my ancestor Te Rangitauatia said that when the roots of the slow-growing hinahina tree had spread over his grave, he would hear the clattering of a foreign tongue, and the noise of many people. And so it is: we have the hissing clatter of a foreign tongue, and ‘many run to and fro, and knowledge has increased’.

Now, you descendants of that ancestor, behold! The knowledge of which he prophesied is in the possession of a strange people; with them are wisdom, knowledge, prosperity, greatness, power, truth, advancement, and all that is excellent. But, my friends, make haste to acquire knowledge; dip into the fountain of knowledge — that is to say, attend the schools. There you will be taught all manner of things and you will obtain a knowledge of the English language, ignorance of which has so embarrassed me. Let the time past suffice for ignorance; let the future be improved by the young, who are by nature easily moulded, and capable of being taught. I am setting forth my ignorance as a warning to our children, that they may no longer abide in the ignorance of their elders. Your children at all events will obtain some, crumbs of knowledge.

On the 30th of April Mr McLean and I visited a building wherein are exhibited things from all parts of the world, of all lands and of all seas. There were the bear and the tiger—wild, man-eating animals. Their faces were most hideous looking, enough to frighten anyone. There were reptiles which swallow men, and a variety of things destructive of human life, too many of them to describe here. There is also that monster the snake. It has a head and neck somewhat similar to that of the ground shark, and its length is extraordinary. It was taken out by the keeper so that

autaia nei a te neke. Pēnei me te ūpoko teretere nei te ūpoko me te kakī. Erangi ko te roa o taua autaia nei, ēhara i te hanga. I tangohia rawatia e tō rāua rangatira ki waho haere ai, kia kite māua ko te Mākarini. He taru tere te haere. He mangu tōna arero, huhua noa atu ōna koropewapewa …

Nō te otinga o ngā raruraru o te Mākarini ki Poihākena kātahi anō ka puta tana kupu kia haere mai mātou whaka te hau tonga, kia kite i ngā whenua o Wikitōria, me ōna tāone hoki o tērā whenua … Nō te taenga atu ki te tāone nui, ki Merepana, kātahi ka mātakitaki. Anā! tā te paparite pai hoki!

I tae māua ko te Kāwana ki te whare whakatangitangi o te Kāwanatanga, me te whare mātakitaki āhua. Kei roto kei tērā o aua whare ngā tipua e noho ana, he whakapakoko. Taukiri koe, tēnā iwi, te Pākehā, e! E kore e makere te pātene noa o te kakī o te hāte, kua mataku ia kua mea, ‘Ha! Ha! te pātene o tōu hāte, ka makere! Ka kitea e te wahine Pākehā tō kakī!’ Kāore, tēnā anō ia kai te hanga mārire ki te pohatu he tangata kiri tahanga hei whakaatu māna ki te tangata haere! Ko wai ka mōhio ki ana tikanga!

Kāore i taea e mātou te nui o ngā mātakitaki ki taua whenua, me te nui hoki o ngā manaaki a ngā hoa Pākehā o Merepana, i te tata tonu o te raruraru o te Pāremete o Niu Tirani. Na, he kupu whakaatu anō tēnei ki a koutou. E aku hoa o te motu, ahakoa nui noa ngā tikanga a te Pākehā, kotahi anō tikanga i nui ake, ko te mahi anake. Mā te mahi tonu ka whiwhi; mā te māngere, he aha māna? E mōhio ana koutou ki te whakatauākī Māori nei, ‘Ko mahi ko kai; ko noho ko iri’.

… Heoi, kua roa aku kōrero whakaatu ki ngā hoa i aku haerenga, otirā kia maha rāpea he reta te taea ai te whakaatu i ngā mea katoa i kitea e au i ngā whenua i haerea nei e au.

nā Meiha Rōpata

o Ngāti Porou

we might see how it moved, and it travelled along very fast. Its tongue is black, and it has a number of rings round its body …

When Mr McLean had completed' his business in Melbourne, he informed us that we were about to proceed south, where we should have an opportunity of viewing the towns and districts of Victoria. When we arrived at the main city, Melbourne, we beheld it with admiration. What a fine thing the level country is.

I accompanied the Governor to a Government Music Hall [i.e. the Town Hall, with a large organ], and also to a building for the Exhibition of Arts. In this latter building there are some very strange things — images. Really, the Pakehas are a most extraordinary people. They are shocked if a button fall from a man's shirt collar, and they exclaim—‘Mind! Mind the button of your shirt! It has fallen off! The Pakeha women will see your throat!’ And yet they manufacture naked images of stone, and exhibit them to travellers! Who can comprehend the mystery of their ways!

We were unable to see all the sights of the country, or to avail ourselves of all the invitations and kindness of the people of Melbourne, owing to the near approach of the session of the New Zealand Parliament. And here, my friends, let me say that of all the features of the Pakehas' character, their industry is the most important and the most valuable. Industry will produce wealth, but what will idfeness produce? You know the Maori adage—‘Industry produces food: indolence produces nothing.’

… I have given your readers a somewhat lengthy account of my travels, but it would require many letters to tell them about everything I saw in the places which I visited.

from Major Ropata

of Ngati Porou

The chairman of the Kahungunu Maori Committee, Sir Turi Carroll, has announced that £15,000 is to be spent on the Takitimu marae at Wairoa, the central marae of Ngati Kahungunu.

A large part of the money will be spent on a new dining hall and kitchen facilities. The dining hall will be of modern design but will including traditional Maori features, including tukutuku work on the walls.

Twenty-three members of an Anglican youth club in Feilding recently became the first Pakeha party of official guests ever to visit the Pakaraka Pa at Maxwell, north-west of Wanganui.

The leader of the group was the Rev. Broughton, who lived at Maxwell until his ordination in 1964. The visitors slept in the meeting-house and learnt Maori traditions and etiquette.

He Korero Mo Te Timatanga Mai o te Hahi o Te Hunga Tapu o Nga Ra o Muri Nei

Ko te timatanga i haere nga tangata nei ki Akarana. Ko Henare Kaupeka tetahi, ko Hunia Kapotai tetahi, ko Rapata Kahutai tetahi. Na ka haere ratou ki reira ka kite i nga tangata nei tokorua. Ko Wiremu Katene te ingoa o tetahi, ko Eparaima te ingoa o tetahi. A ka korero ki a ratou nga ahua o te hahi nei, a ka kauhou i nga korero o te karaipiture, i nga ahua o te iwi nei, mo te ahua o te ınoı. A ka titiro nga tangata nei ki te karaipiture. He tika hoki te korero e korerotia ana nei, ‘Ki te kahore te tangata e whanau hou i te wai, i te wairua tapu hoki, e kore ia e tomo ki te rangatiratanga o te rangi.’

Ko tenei korero na Nikorima i patai ki a Te Karaiti. Koia nei te whakahoki a Te Karaiti. Ka mea a Nikorima me pehea e ahei ai te tomo o te tangata ki roto ki te kopu o tona whaea, whanau tuarua mai ano.

Na ka whakautua, ‘He mea tuturu ra tenei kia whanau hou koutou ki te wai ki te wairua hoki. Ta te kikokiko i whanau ai he kikokiko, ta te wai i whanau ai he wairua.’

A ka whakarongo ratou ki enei korero. I te whakatunga hoki o te Hahi o Te Karaiti. I a ia i runga i te mata o te whenua me whakatu ki runga i nga apotoro te tekau ma rua. Na ko ia tonu ano te kai-whakahaere. A ko Hoani te kai-iriiri i mua atu i tona. A i haere hoki ia kia iriiria a ia e Hoani, i roto i te wai o Horana. A ka whakarongo nga tangata nei ki enei korero ka titiro ki te paipera hoki. Ka whakaaro ratou he aha hoki

An Account of the Beginning of the Church of the Latter Day Saints

The beginnings were made when these men went to Auckland. One was Henare Kaupeka, another was Hunia Kapotai, and the other was Rapata Kahutai. Now they went there and they saw these two men. Wiremu Kanene was the name of one and Eparaima was the name of the other. These two told them of the form of the church and preached the scriptures, the life of these people in the church, and the way to pray. So they looked at the scriptures. The words that had been spoken were correct, ‘If man was not born anew of the water and the holy Spirit he would not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.’

These words were asked by the Nicodemus to Christ. This was the reply of Christ. Nicodemus then asked how a person would be entitled to enter his mother's womb so that he could be born again a second time. And it was replied to thus. ‘It is ordained that you shall be born again with water and the spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh; what is born of the water is the spirit.’

So they listened to these stories of the founding of the Church of Christ. When he was on the peak of the land it was founded on the twelve apostles. Now Christ himself was the leader. John was the baptiser before his arrival. And he went also to be baptised by John in the river of Jordan. These men listened to these stories and also looked at the bible. Then they wondered why this church differed from the other churches, namely, of

i penei ai tenei hahi, i pera ai era o nga hahi o te Mihingare, o te Katorika. Me pa te matenga ki te wai kua mea enei hahi kua whanau hou te tangata. Ko te tikanga ke kia tino ngaro i te wai kia puta ake ai i roto i te wai kua whanau hou te tangata. Na reira ka whakaangaanga nga kaumatua nei. Ka kite hoki i te ringa e tu ana ka mahara hoki ki te poropiti nei ki a Mohi ka tu nga ringaringa ki runga. Ki te tu nga ringaringa ki runga ka kaha te whawhai o nga hoia a Mohi. Ka heke nga ringaringa ki raro ka heke ano te kaha. Ka tu nga ringaringa ki runga o Mohi ka kaha ano ona pononga. He tika! Koia tenei ko te Hahi a Te Atua me whakahoki mai ki a Hohepa. Na ka iriiri ratou ki reira.

I to ratou hokinga mai ki konei, ka kauhoungia e ratou te Rongopai ki nga tangata katoa o konei. Ka tae mai hoki nga kaumatua ki konei ka iriiri katoatia nga tangata o konei. Ka haere ki nga wahi katoa o tenei whenua, ki Ngunguru, ki Whananaki. Ka pau katoa nga kaumatua ki roto ki te hahi nei, ka haere te hahi nei ka tu he peka ki kona, ki kona. Ko tetahi peka i tu ki konei. I tu i Waikaramihi, ko Hetapakaraka te ingoa. Ka roa e tu ana i kona. Ko nga tangata ka haere katoa mai no nga wahi katoa. Ka mutu i tena ka mate ena kaumatua, katahi ka haere ki te pa o Tuperehuia. Ka tu ko Hone Pita hei tumuaki mo te peka i reira. Ka haere katoa mai nga tangata o Mokau, o Whangaruru, ka ahu katoa ki tawahi ki reira. Ki te kore e haramai ka noho ki o ratou kainga karakia ai. Ara tetahi wahi he whare nikau a, wharekarakia, kei reira kei Oakura. A, o te ahua ko Tuperahuia te peka nui. No muri nei ko Reihana te tumuaki. Ka mate era tumuaki. Katahi ka wehea nga tumuaki. I Mokau tetahi peka. Ka tu ko Morore Piripi te tumuaki mo te peka o reira. Te tekau ma rima tau i tu ai a Morore Piripi hei tumuaki mo te peka o Mokau. E haere atu ana ia ki reira i Paritahi i Punaruku nei ki reira rano. Na ka mea etahi he tawhiti rawa i Mokau. Ka whakaturia he peka ki Punaruku nei. Ka tu ki konei kotahi tekau tau e tu ana ki konei. Ko Morore Piripi ano te tumuaki. Katahi ka riro ko Parekura Heta te tumuaki. A ka tae mai ki muri iho, ka tu ko Morore Himiona. A tae mai nei a Morore ki te pa o Punaruku noho ai, ka tu ko te Waka Hepi. A, inaianei kua huihui katoa mai nga peka nei, kua whakakotahi kia kotahi te peka, ara nga peka o Whangaruru, kua huihui katoa mai enei peka ki Punaruku nei kia kotahi ai ratou.

the Anglicans and the Roman Catholics respectively. When the head was touched with water these Churches said that man was born again. But the correct way is that the whole of a person should be submerged so that when he comes out of the water he is born anew. Hence these men thought it over. They also saw the hand upraised and they remembered the prophet Moses with his hands upraised. If the hands were upraised Moses' soldiers fought well. If the hands were turned down the strength went down too. When Moses' hands were upright his followers were strengthened. That is correct! This was it; the church of God brought back to Joseph. So these men were baptised there.

When they returned here they preached the gospel to all the people and all the elders came and all were baptised here. They went to all the places in this territory—to Whananaki, to Ngunguru. All the elders were converted to this church. As this church grew branches were founded here and there. One of the branches was established here. It stood at Waikaramihi, its name being Hetapakaraka. It stood here for a long time. The people came to it from far and wide. When that branch was established they went to the pa of Tuparehuia. Hone Pita stood as president of the branch there. All the people of Mokau and of Whangaroa crossed over to that branch. If they could not go they stayed at home and held their own prayers. There is a nikau house, a place of worship, at Oakura. But probably the biggest branch was that of Tuparehuia. After a while Reihana became the president. These presidents have since died. Then the presidents were separated. There was a branch at Mokau. Morore Piripi stood as the president there. For fifteen years Morore Piripi stood as president of the Mokau branch. He was travelling there from Paritahi at Punaruku here. Then some said that it was too far from Mokau, so a branch was established here at Punaruku. It has been here for eleven years with Morore Piripi as president. Then Parekura Heta became president. After that Morore Himiona stood as president. Since Morore Piripi has come to stay at the pa of Punaruku, Waka Hepi has become the president. Now all the branches have gathered together and have amalgamated. There is only one branch, the branches of Whangaruru are one. They have all joined together at Punaruku.

A List of Publications

by Koro Dewes

Mr Koro Dewes, now a lecturer in Maori at Victoria University of Wellington, was until recently a lecturer in the Department of University Extension, University of Auckland.

He compiled this list of publications as a guide for adults studying Maori society and culture at university extension classes.

It is a selective list, with the major emphasis on modern Maori society and culture. Basic books, recommended as being of especial interest, are marked with an asterisk. The initials J.P.S. stand for the Journal of the Polynesian Society, a quarterly magazine devoted to Maori and Polynesian studies which has been in existence since 1892.

A tremendous number of books and articles on Maori life and culture have been published: many of the books listed here (for example those by Peter Buck and Raymond Firth) give more specialized bibliographies on different aspects of the subject.

The Maori Before Cook

‘The Maori’ by Elsdon Best (2 volumes), Wellington 1924.*

‘Maori Marriage’ by Bruce Biggs, Polynesian Society Maori Monographs No. 1, Wellington 1960.

‘The Coming of the Maori’ by Peter Buck, Wellington 1958.*

‘Economics of the New Zealand Maori, by Raymond Firth, Government Printer 1929 (reprinted 1959).*

‘Culture Change in Prehistoric New Zealand’ by Jack Golson in ‘Anthropology in the South Seas’ ed. by Freeman and Geddes, New Plymouth 1959.

‘Polynesian Navigation’ ed. by Jack Golson, Polynesian Society memoir No. 34, Wellington 1962.

‘Ancient Voyagers in the Pacific’ by Andrew Sharp, Penguin Books, London 1957.

‘Ancient Voyagers in Polynesia’ by Andrew Sharp, Hamilton 1963.

‘Maori Warfare’ by A. P. Vayda, Polynesian Society Maori Monographs No. 2, Wellington 1960.

The Years Between

‘Maori Agriculture of The Auckland Province in the Mid-Ninetenth Century’ by R. P. Hargreaves, in J.P.S. vol. 68, June 1959, pp 61–79.

‘Maori Agriculture after the Wars (1871–1886)’ by R. P. Hargreaves, J.P.S. vol. 69, December 1960, pp 354–67.

‘Changing Maori Agriculture in Pre-Waitangi New Zealand’ by R. P. Hargreaves, J.P.S. vol. 72, June 1963, pp 101–117.

‘The Maori Schools in Rural Education’ by Halvor Holst, in ‘Education’, Department of Education, vol. 7, March 1958, pp 53–9.

‘King Potatau’ by Pei Te Hurunui, Polynesian Society, Wellington.

‘New Zealand’ by Harold Miller, London 1950.

‘Tamihana the King Maker’ by L. S. Rickard, Wellington 1963.

‘History of New Zealand’ by Keith Sinclair, Penguin Books, 1959.

‘The Origins of the Maori Wars’ by Keith Sinclair, New Zealand University Press, Wellington 1957.

The Maori Today

‘The Maori People and Us’ by Norman Smith, Wellington 1948.*

‘The Maori People To-day’ ed. by I. L. G. Sutherland, Wellington 1940.

‘New Zealand 1769-1840: The Early Years of Western Contact’ by Harrison M. Wright, Harvard University Press 1959.*

‘Maori and Pakeha’ by Ormond Wilson, J.P.S. vol. 72, March 1963, pp 11–20.

Population and Socio-Economic Status

‘The Maori Population: A Microcosm of a New World’ by W. D. Bouie in ‘Anthropology in the South Seas’ ed. by Freeman and Geddes, New Plymouth 1959.

‘Maori Population and Dwellings’ N.Z. Census 1961, vol. 8, Department of Statistics, Government Printer.

‘Increase and Distribution of Population’ N.Z. Census 1961, vol. 1, Department of Statistics, Government Printer.

Report on Department of Maori Affairs 1960 by J. K. Hunn, Government Printer.

‘When is a Maori a “Maori”?’ by Ian Pool, J.P.S. vol. 72, September 1963.

Health

‘Tohungaism and Makutu’ by G. Blake-Palmer, J.P.S. vol. 63, June 1954.

‘Maori-European Standards of Health’ by Health Department, Government Printer 1960.

‘A Health Survey in a Rural Maori Community’ by Ian Prior, N.Z. Medical Journal, vol. 61, July 1962.

Social Organisation and Culture

‘Maori Youth’ by David Ausubel, Wellington 1961.

‘Contemporary Maori Death Customs’ by Ernest and Pearl Beaglehole, J.P.S. vol. 54, June 1945.

‘A Modern Maori Community’ by John Booth in ‘Anthropology in the South Seas’ ed. by Freeman and Geddes, New Plymouth 1959.

‘A Maori Community in Northland’ by R. H. Hohepa, Auckland University, 1964.

‘Maori Savings Associations in Action in New Zealand's Far North’ by Joan Metge in ‘Capital Savings and Investment in Peasant Societies’ ed. by Firth and Yamey, London 1964.

‘Marriage in Modern Maori Society’ by Joan Metge in ‘Man’ vol. 57, November 1957.

‘A New Maori Migration’ by Joan Metge, London and Melbourne 1964.*

‘European Influences on Tapu and Tangi’ by W. J. Phillips, J.P.S. vol. 63, September 1954.

‘The Maori People To-day’ ed. by I. L. G. Sutherland. Wellington 1940.*

Culture-and-Personality

‘Some Modern Maoris’ by Ernest and Pearl Beaglehole, Wellington 1945.*

‘The Rakau Maori Studies’ by Ernest Beaglehole and James Ritchie, J.P.S. vol. 67, June 1958.

‘The Rakau Studies: A Review Article’ by Joan Metge and Dugal Campbell, J.P.S. vol. 67, December 1958.*

‘The Making of a Maori’ by James Ritchie, Wellington 1963.*

Religion

‘The Upraised Hand’ by William Greenwood, Polynesian Society Memoir No. 21, 1942.

‘Ratana’ by J. McLeod Henderson, 1963.*

‘The Maori People To-day’ ed. by I. L. G. Sutherland, Wellington 1940.

‘The Doctrine of Hau-Hauism’ by Robin Winks, J.P.S. vol. 62, September 1953.

Maori - Pakeha Relations

‘The Fern and the Tiki’ by David Ausubel. 1960.*

‘Attitudes to the Maori in some Pakeha Fiction’ by W. H. Pearson, J.P.S. vol. 67, September 1958.

‘Race Relations in New Zealand’ by R. H. T. Thompson, National Council of Churches, 1964.*

Maori Literature

‘Nga Moteatea’, vols. I and II by Apirana Ngata and Pei te Hurunui Jones, Polynesian Society. (Two volumes of poetry, with translations. A third volume is to be published shortly.)

‘The Penguin Book of New Zealand Verse’ ed. by Allen Curnow, 1960. See pages 79–86, ‘Maori Poetry’ by Allen Curnow and Roger Oppenheim.

‘Poetry of the Maori’ (verse translations) by Barry Mitcalfe. Pauls Book Arcade, Hamilton 1961.

‘He Konae Aronui’ by Reweti Kohere (proverbs, with translations), A. H. and A. W. Reed, Wellington 1951.

Fiction About Maoris

‘The Greenstone Door’ by William Satchell.

‘Brown Conflict’ by Leo Fowler, A. H. and A. W. Reed, Wellington 1959.

‘Maori Girl’ by Noel Hilliard, London 1960 (re-published in 1963 as a paperback).

‘A Piece of Land’ by Noel Hilliard, London and Christchurch, 1963.

‘No Boots for Mr Moehau’ by E. Audley, London 1963.

‘Turi’ by Lesley Power Cameron (with photos

by Peter Blank), Pauls Book Arcade, Hamilton.

‘Hey Boy’ by Jane and Bernie Hill, Christchurch 1961.

Language Study

‘A Dictionary of the Maori Language’ by H. W. Williams. Sixth edition, Government Printer, 1957.

‘Te Rangatahi’ (two volumes) by Hoani Waititi, Government Printer. (For elementary and early intermediate classes.)

‘Lessons in the Maori Language’ by W. H. Wills, New Plymouth 1950. (For intermediate level.)

‘Maori Grammar and Translation’ by A. T. Ngata. Latest edition, revised by W. K. Smiler, Christchurch 1964.

‘Te Reo Maori’ by Patrick Smyth, Whitcombe and Tombs, Christchurch.

‘First Lessons in Maori’ by W. L. and H. W. Williams (a revised edition is to be published shortly).

‘Teach Yourself Maori’ by K. T. Harawira, Wellington, latest edition 1961.

‘Te Whare Kura’: a series for schools, published by the Department of Education. Government Printer. (These are designed for reading and translation.)

‘Te Ao Hou’ magazine (reading and translation).

‘Selected Readings in Maori’ by Bruce Biggs, University of Auckland.

‘Nga Mahi a Nga Tupuna’ by Sir George Grey. A revised, augmented edition was published in 1928 by H. W. Williams. (Reading and translation for very advanced students.)

When the New Zealand Opera Company's production of Porgy and Bess opened in Sydney recently, both the capacity audience and the theatre critics were full of praise for the production.

The audience refused to let the cast leave the stage, so Inia te Wiata led the cast in a haka. The audience's response was so enthusiastic that the Maoris, somewhat overwhelmed but thoroughly enjoying themselves, followed with a swinging version of ‘Haere mai’.

After five weeks in Sydney the company goes on to the Perth and Adelaide Festivals.

A Book on Taranaki History

Maori Life in Old Taranaki
by John Houston
A. H. & A. W. Reed, 45s
reviewed by Eddie McLeod

The late John Houston, the author of this valuable book on the Maori history of the Taranaki district, was for 30 years a student and recorder of Maori history and lore. ‘Maori Life in Old Taranaki’ brings together the articles which he wrote over many years; it was edited posthumously by Mr C. R. H. Taylor, formerly Chief Librarian of the Alexander Turnbull Library.

We owe John Houston, and also Mr Taylor, a debt of gratitude for this work; it is a book which those interested in the preservation of Maori history will certainly wish to own.

The book gives the reader glimpses of pre-European days, and touches upon various aspects of the period of early settlement, the conflicts, and subsequent events that today are of historical importance.

I was especially interested in three of the subjects discussed: Parihaka, where I grew up, the great siege of Te Namu pa in 1833, and Titokowaru, a great chief and fighter of whom my elders spoke with great awe.

The author tells us that the following saying, which he attributes to Te Whiti, is the explanation of Te Whiti's doctrine:

‘I have no money. I never had any. I only want my land.’

However Te Whiti's doctrine had many aspects, and it cannot be summarized so easily. It is true that he was mainly concerned with land, but this was only because of the ‘land question’ brought about by the European administrators' determination to acquire these lands for the new settlers, whether by fair means or foul—and in the case of the occupation of Parihaka, their methods were mainly foul.

If one looks for a single underlying philosophy in Te Whiti's teachings, it is surely to be found in his proclamation of peace, his determination that there should be negotiation without bloodshed, and his teaching of passive resistance, symbolized by the white feather worn by his followers.

Mr Houston says that many ‘disaffected’ Maoris assembled at Parihaka, and that it had become ‘a centre of unrest’. This may convey an element of the truth, but the situation needs to be viewed in a wider context. Te Whiti's doctrine was similar to that which Ghandi of India taught his followers, and to the methods now employed by Martin Luther King in America.

It was clear that force was going to be used to make the people give up their land. Hence they came to Parihaka as dissenters. But they also came, it seems to me, in order to obtain the emotional and psychological strength which would help them to face the inevitable. They were a people beset by pressures from the dominant culture which reduced their dignity as individuals. Te Whiti gave them new hope and dignity, for to them, he had more than natural powers.

The book's account of the army's assault and occupation of Parihaka is very tame. The facts are available—including the facts as to the treatment of the Maori women — and history's function is to report facts, not to water them down with evasive expressions such as ‘seems’ and ‘appears’.

Like the Parihaka Incident, the siege of Te Namu in 1833 can be seen as the story of the valiant few opposed by great odds. This time it was a war party from the Waikato which tried to dispossess Wiremu Kingi Matakatea and his people of their land. The Waikato warriors had muskets, but the Taranaki people had only one musket and their Maori weapons.

For a month the Waikato laid siege to Te Namu pa. Several times they came close to the palisades, but each time they were hurled back by boulders thrown from high stages. Finally the Waikato retreated, pursued by the warriors of Te Namu. The credit for this rout went to the priest Te Iho o te Rangi who with his brother priests had throughout the siege intoned potent karakia to the old gods of New Zealand.

Though separated in time and place, the people both of Te Namu and Parihaka in the time of the greatest threat to their survival relied both on human endurance and on supernatural force.

Personally I should have liked to see far more included on Titokowaru; as it is his deeds are scattered throughout the book. He fought under Makatea in the victory over the Waikato at Waimate, and his mana was later increased by his success against the Pakehas, which forced the intruders to abandon the entire district north of the Patea river. He also supported Te Whiti at Parihaka, though this fact is not mentioned here. Titokowaru's whole life and philosophy, and his indomitable spirit, is expressed in his saying quoted in this book:

‘E kore ahau e mate; kaore ahau e mate. Ka mate ano te mate, ka ora ano ahau.’

‘I shall not die; I shall not die. When death itself shall be dead, I shall be alive.’

Rata

by Anne Holden
Whitcombe and Tombs, 16s
reviewed by Amy Mihi Hill

This book, published with the aid of the New Zealand Literary Fund, is about a half-caste child, Rata, who is an orphan.

Since her mother died Rata has lived in a succession of ‘foster’ homes, and we find her undergoing life with the well-meaning but rather dull Miss Carter. Rata finally finds this frugal existence impossible, and she decides that she will go back to the pa where her mother grew up. Surely someone there will love her and give her some fun. For Rata is a child, and just like any other child, she wants and needs love. So off she runs and finds a sort of happiness amongst her Maori people. However after a time she realises that she does not belong to the pa, and that she must go back to the realistic world of Miss Carter.

I understand that she goes back. Why, I don't know, because there is certainly nothing in the book which shows that she should. (If I were Rata, I'd have been tempted to stay at the pa.)

Mrs Holden has written a book about a child who is neither one thing nor the other …. like myself she is neither Maori nor Pakeha.

Many Pakehas today speak with a sort of envy about how fortunate Maoris are to belong to something; have something to go back to, to hold on to—and yet in the same breath they decry the fact that Maoris are not taking their rightful place in the community. The rather rootless existence of many Maoris today becomes an increasing social problem. If Rata had not gone back to the ‘right’ world of Miss Carter, perhaps she would have had such an existence.

I did not particularly like ‘Rata’, and it is difficult to say why. I do not know whether it is an adult children's book, or a childish adult's book.

I believe almost every person has at least one book in them — perhaps this was Mrs Holden's. I hope not, for I feel that amongst all the well-meaning words written about Rata the child, there is promise of a better book, perhaps written about something or someone other than Maoris.

Doctor Smith

by G. Kemble Welch
Blackwood and Janet Paul, 27s 6d

This is a biography of the famous Dr G. M. Smith, Hokianga's ‘King of the North’, who gave up a promising career as a surgeon to practice for 34 years in isolated Rawene. He was a significant figure in the development of social security in medicine, and under him Rawene medical services became for many people an ideal of the way social security care should develop.

A humane and gifted man, he could also be fiercely individualistic and intolerant of opposition. Dr Kemble Welch's account of his life has both sympathy and detachment, and is written with such lively intelligence that even those with no knowledge of his subject will enjoy this portrait of an extraordinary individual and the times in which he lived.

M.O.

third concert party of New Zealand soldiers serving overseas which has been recorded for Kiwi. The singing of this group is somewhat better than that of their predecessors, although the overall performance is a little lack-lustre in parts. Mind you, comparison between the three groups is easy. Of the 17 items featured on LC-26, no less than 13 have been featured on the discs of at least one and sometimes both of the two other parties. Some diversification is surely called for if Kiwi decide in the future to add yet another soldier concert part to its line-up!

Specific criticisms of the disc are the guitar accompaniments to the chants (No!), the soloist's singing garbled words in ‘E te Hokowhitu’ and the rather dispirited haka taparahi — it is painfully obvious in ‘Ruaumoko’ that not all of the performers are certain of the words.

On the credit side there are nicely balanced voices in some of the songs, and the cover is a very striking one with adequate notes. The record should be enjoyed by those who hear it.

Talofa Samoa:

Bernadette Grey and the Henry Rudolph Singers

Kiwi EA 108 7in 45 EP

Songs of My Fiji:

Amena Wainibu and the Kava Bowl Boys

Kiwi EA 114 7in 45 EP

Kiwi have made their debut in the field of Pacific Island music with these two very pleasant little records. ‘Talofa Samoa’ will be a firm favourite with those who buy it. The tunes are catchy, the soloist Bernadette Grey has a very pleasant voice and the backing by the Henry Rudolph orchestra and singers is excellent.

‘Songs of My Fiji’ may not have such wide appeal. It features a number of Fijian ‘kava bowl songs’ composed by a young Islander Amena Wainibu, and sung by himself and a group of his fellow patients from the Makogai Leprosarium. Amena Wainibu introduces each item, and does so very well. New Zealanders unused to the typical Fijian close harmony will find the tunes much of a muchness and perhaps even a little monotonous by the time they get to the last one. For those who have visited these friendly islands, the plaintive quality of the singing and the gay little songs will evoke a touch of nostalgia.

The following records have all been on the market for a considerable time.

‘Maori Songs’

St Joseph's Maori Girls' Choir

Viking VE 146, 45 EP 7in

Viking have a number of records (not all featuring completely new offerings) of this fine group. All of them are marked by excellent fidelity in the quality of the recording, so that one feels that one is actually in the hall with the choir. This record is no exception, and will admirably satisfy the needs of those who want a sample of the choir without wishing to buy one of the more expensive 12 inch discs which are available.

Side one features ‘Toia Mai te Waka Nei’ and ‘Nei ra Ahau’. The former is spirited: the latter is more subdued and is marred by a tendency for the choir to fade away at the end of lines. Side two has ‘Pa Mai’ and a poi item. The first verse of Pa Mai should never have been used for the recording, for in the last line some of the choir sing the line ‘Haere mai …’ etc, whilst the remainder sing the correct ‘Kia kaha …’ This error is fortunately rectified in their second run through the song. Nevertheless one wonders why such an obvious error was not corrected before the tapes were transferred to the master disc. The poi item is good but lamentably there are no notes on the cover to explain poi to the uninitiated, or even to identify the sounds heard on the record with the cover picture of the girls twirling poi. An American acquaintance of mine on listening to the item said, ‘Say are they playin' a drum or sumthin'?’

‘Maori Melodies’

Hukarere Church of England School Choir

Viking V250–9 10 in 33⅓ LP

The Hukarere Choir has a warmer and less strident tone than St Joseph's Girls' Choir, and hence their record seems much earthier and less ephemeral. However, there is a sameness of tempo and presentation about the items which leads me to say that the record is pleasant but undistinguished. Nevertheless I enjoyed the record and am happy to recommend it.

‘Hakas in Hi-Fi’

‘Te Aute Maori Club

Viking VE 61 7in 45 EP

Half the haka featured on this record are haka waiata and the remainder are taparahi. They are performed with spirit and precision and the words come through clearly and vigorously.

Mr Mororekai Kaupeka Piripi

Mr Mororekai Kaupeka Piripi, a leading rangatira of Ngati Wai, died at Whangarei on 28 November. He was aged 85.

The son of Henare Kaupeka Piripi, Mr Piripi was one of the last remaining authorities on Maori history and tradition in the Northland area.

He was a great advocate of education, and was intensely interested in the welfare of his people.

He was instrumental in organizing much of the sub-division of Maori lands in the north, believing that this would result in a better use of the land.

Mr Piripi is survived by his second wife, whom he married 11 years ago, and 11 of his 16 children. There are 76 grandchildren and 40 greatgrandchildren.

He was buried at Mokau Cemetery after a service at the Punaruku Latter Day Saints Chapel.

Mr James Te Hikoi Paora

Mr James Te Hikoi Paora, a leading elder of Ngati Whatua, died at Orakei, Auckland, last December. He was aged 92.

Mr Paora was the youngest son of Paora Kawharu, a leading rangatira of Ngati Whatua. He was unmarried.

He was born near Helensville and lived most of his life in Northland except for the last 15 years at Orakei. Mr Paora had a wide knowledge of Maori history and tradition, chants and lore.

The funeral service at Orakei was conducted by his nephew, the Bishop of Aotearoa, the Rt Rev. W. N. Panapa.

Mrs Keata Nikora

Mrs Keata Nikora of Manutuke, near Gisborne, died last November in her 101st year.

Mrs Nikora spent most of her life in the Manutuke district. A strong adherent of the Church of England, she was associated with the first church in the pastorate and had vivid memories of the first missionaries on the East Coast, particularly of Bishop William Williams and his son Leonard.

She also remembered the standing forests at Manutuke which surrounded the fields of wheat, and recalled reaping the wheat by sickle, threshing it with manuka flails, and hand-winnowing the grain.

A member of the Rongowhakaata tribe, Mrs Nikora was the daughter of Wiremu Kauae (later known as Wiremu Tooke) and Harriet O'Brien (Harete Paraine). She married Mr Huruhuia Nikora at Manutuke.

Remarkably active and alert, Mrs Nikora retained good sight and hearing until the last, and had an excellent memory of past events.

Predeceased by her husband in 1951, she is survived by two sons, Messrs M. P. Nikora and K. Nikora, and one daughter, Mrs Hiraina Nukunuku.

Mr Graham Latimer

The death occurred last November of Mr Graham Latimer Snr. He was aged 65.

Mr Latimer was a leader of the Ngati Kahu tribe, and was also a member of the Aupouri and Te Rarawa tribes.

Born at Pamapuria, Mr Latimer was educated at Kaitaia and Te Aute College. He joined the army in 1917 and after returning home worked for a time on the gumfields.

In 1921 he married Miss Lilian Kenworthy of Houhora, and took up farming in the Pamapuria district.

When World War II broke out Mr Latimer again enlisted and rose to the rank of captain in the army, becoming a recruiting and welfare officer in Northland.

After the war he moved to Auckland and in 1950 started work on the wharves. He was a member of the Waterside Workers' Union from its inception and was an executive member for a number of years. At the time of his death he was a committee member of the Watersiders' Benefit Society and secretary-treasurer of the Waterfront Rugby League team.

He was best known for his welfare work among the Maori waterside workers and put a great deal of time and effort into his work in this direction.

While in Northland Mr Latimer was prominent as a sportsman and sporting administrator in both rugby and tennis. For many years he was a member of the North Auckland Rugby Union Maori Advisory Board.

He is survived by his wife, one sister (Mrs Annie Taylor, of Mt Roskill), four sons, Graham Jnr. (Tinopai). Frank (Te Puke), Joe and Lloyd (Auckland) and two daughters, May (Mrs Tataha, of Glen Innes) and Julia (Mrs Kake, of Te Atatu).

Sister J. R. Kearney

Sister Janet Ramsay Kearney, a well-known figure in the Maori mission field around Taupo, Te Teka, Waikaremoana and Taumarunui, died in Wanganui last December. She was 68.

Born in Scotland, she came to New Zealand 60 years ago and lived for many years at Fordell, where her father, the late Rev. W. Kearney, was Presbyterian minister.

Sister Kearney later did her deaconess training at Dunedin before working amongst the Maori people.

From 1945 to 1950 she was president of a committee, consisting of representatives of three denominations, which was set up to build a church on the shores of the lake at Tuai near Waikaremoana. In 1963, along with the Anglican and Methodist ministers, she was invited to open the new church, and preached the first sermon in it.

Sister Kearney had lived in Wanganui since her retirement in 1956.

Mr Richard Guy Webb

Mr Richard Guy Webb, until recently principal of Te Aute College, died last December in Napier. He was 59.

Mr Webb had been principal of the college since 1951. He retired a few months ago after 40 years in the teaching profession, because of ill health.

Highly regarded in the teaching profession, Mr Webb served overseas with distinction in World War II and gave many years to the administration of sport and service organisations.

In 1926 he entered the Canterbury University College, now the University of Canterbury, where he graduated Bachelor of Arts. In 1928 he became a foundation member of the staff of the Rotorua High School. While he was there he studied and graduated Master of Arts, and continued to teach at the school until the outbreak of World War II.

Mr Webb volunteered for service and went into camp in 1940 as an officer of the 24th Battalion. He went to the Middle East with the 3rd Echelon in August of that year. During service in Grecce he was appointed second-in-command of his battalion and later given command of B Company with the rank of major. Following a tour of duty as officer in charge of the tactical training school and then a field maintenance centre, he rejoined his old battalion and in November 1942 he assumed control of the battalion.

He was taken prisoner at El Agheila, and spent three years as a prisoner of war.

He returned to New Zealand in 1945 and rejoined the staff of the Rotorua High School, remaining there until taking up his post at Te Aute.

In Rotorua Mr Webb was active in sporting administration. He was secretary of the Rotorua and Bay of Plenty Cricket Associations. He served 14 years on the Rotorua Rugby Sub-Union, including a period as president. He was a vice-president of the Rotorua R.S.A. and its representative on the Rehabilitation Committee.

He is survived by his wife and two sons. John (Hamilton), and Brian (Christchurch), and a daughter, Jennifer. There are two grandchildren.

Mr Peter Ihaia

Mr Peter Ihaia of Ngongotaha, Rotorua, died last January at the age of 59.

Born in Haroto, which is on the Napier-Taupo highway, Mr Ihaia was educated at Te Aute College. For a number of years he farmed a property at Tahorakari, and he was at one time consolidation clerk in the Maori Affairs Department, Rotorua.

He was recognised as an expert on Maori land affairs.

Moving to Ngongotaha some years ago, Mr Ihaia served in many organziations, including the Ngongotaha County town committee, the school committee and the Ngongotaha Ratepayers' Association.