Te Pipiwharauroa 46

Te Pipiwharauroa 46

No.46

1901/12/01

(Maori Version at NZETC)

[1] Te Pipiwharauroa, He Kupu Whakamarama, Number 46, Gisborne, December 1901

CHRISTMAS

Some of our friends will see this bird, Te Pipiwharauroa, before 25th December, Christmas Day, the day Christ was born 1901 years ago, and some perhaps after Christmas, but our message is for all of you, the greeting of the Pakeha, the greeting wrested by Maori ears and tongues into ‘Meri Kirihimete!’ Friends, ‘Merry Christmas!’ to all of you and to us as well: in Maori it is ‘A joyful Christmas!’

Yes, it is our great wish and our prayer that all the Maori people know a joyful Christmas – that you will see true joy bubbling up from a heart at ease, a quiet heart, a heart that has found its resting-place. But no matter how great our desire and our prayer that you will possess this great thing, you will not have it if you do not stretch out you hands to take it.

Perhaps most people do not know the immensity of the love of God in sending his only Son  – his Word - into the world. When Christ came into the world he left behind his glory at the right hand of his Father, and all the angels who ministered to him, and came into the world. ‘He humbled himself, taking upon himself the form of a slave, and became as a man.’ (Philippians 2.7) ‘Like a man’ he was born, he grew, he was hungry and thirsty, he was tired, he was sad, he cried, he was happy, he was falsely accused by people, he was ill-treated, he suffered and he died. He came down from heaven in order to raise us up there, he became poor so that we might become rich, he cried so that we might laugh, he died so that we might live. Christ became human so that humanity might become close to God. He is the Mediator, the go-between between Humanity and God – there were two sides to him (1Timothy 2.5). People spoke of the graciousness of the Duke and his wife in putting on Maori garments; what should be our reaction to God taking upon himself our flesh (John 1.14)? But the birds of the air have nests and the foxes their holes, while the Son of Man finds no place to lay his head (Matthew 8.20). Because of the poverty of Christ it fell to others to make a cloak for him (Luke 8.3).

The supreme importance of a person to God is seen in Christ’s incarnation, the fact that God lived amongst men. The death of Christ also reveals the great value of a person’s soul; only the life of the Son of God could redeem a person’s soul (Matthew 20.28). Perhaps a person does not appreciate the great value of his soul when he presents it to Satan for nothing.

God’s great way which he ordained as a way for a person to find life is that a person repents, turns to God, sets his hearts on his love, believes, and trust in his Son who was born into this world and who also died for you. Return love for love, and do not let 25th December be the only day on which you are glad but be joyful every day ‘as long as the heavens are above the earth (Deuteronomy 11.21).’

THE FLOW OF LIFE

Forever swift, forever deep flows the river of life

And the passage is short indeed for all of us.

For some it flows calmly and peacefully,

For others it is darkened by pain and sorrow.

Many are wearied by the length of the road,

And they yearn to arrive at their resting-place,

But the tide of time always descends

And leaves not one behind him.

Although myriads of canoes are on the water’s surface

They are sunk by the burdens of mankind.
What happens to them conforms to the pre-ordained time

And death is the river-mouth in which they drop anchor.

[2] THE GHOST

Bird, greetings, you who make small and great recollect. Friend, Editor, I am responding to your invitation to tell about the appearances of this thing, the spectre, called a ghost. Yes, I will tell you about it. However, the account of the ghost printed previously said that I found no traces [of it], but when you answered me I had this thought and surmised that you two are the ones who do not know about ghosts. First, your desire is that we should leave behind all our Maori ways of thinking since, having been to school, you have acquired Pakeha knowledge and consequently you say that ghosts are a product of a person’s mind and not something outside of him. Friend, in this matter I certainly disagree with you all. You do not believe in this thing, the ghost. It is this thing, the ghost, that I shall reveal to you. It is not just a meaningless name devised by people, but something that has a separate bodily existence. There are two manifestations of this thing: first, a ghost, and second, a spirit. Enough, I will tell you about the ghost. First, you must know that a ghost is not something from within the mind, as your note said, from the human brain. The brain apprehends the things it hears, smells, and touches. Friend, you are separated from those origins of ghosts. To me the ghost is something outside of a person. It still possesses a body. The appearance of his body is like yours and mine. If someone says, ‘I have seen a spirit today or perhaps tonight,’ his friend will say, ‘What did it look like?’ That person will say that what he saw was just like what we have been saying. Ghosts are spirits, the spirits of those going to the afterlife. Satanic unclean spirits who remain on this earth, they are those who come to show themselves in their spirit bodies to the world, and they are ghosts. Now friend, concerning your assertion that Maori are especially prone to seeing ghosts. Yes, that is so. The reason is that Maori are a people who look out for spirits, unlike your family and the Pakeha. There are no spirits, that is ghosts, if also there is no spirit of a man as you say. The brain is mistaken. It has fallen from its dwelling-place, therefore it does not understand about ghosts. A people who do not understand that they have a spirit are Pakeha who say that there is a God but lie about God. It is like your erroneous note concerning ghosts, spirits, since you came to deny this thing, the ghost, saying that from childhood your ears were fed with ghost stories until the time your chin was covered with a beard. So I reply to you that you are the only person who says that the spirit is the product of the mind, the brain, according to your note. Friend, spirits and ghosts appear in the flesh and these fight with one another, so that all of you cannot attain the things you want. Perhaps the thing you want is the spirit only, but, friend, that thing, the spirit, is still a ghost. I end here my thoughts on the subject of ghosts since you would doubt the angels who ascended to heaven. Enough of this. What you want is to criticize the articles by Maori which are sent to the bird, to Te Pipi. So Pipi I am writing so that every place may hear about the subject of ghosts, but it may be that these writings will be criticized. However, as I see it, there is no reason for Te Pipi to find fault with what I have written above. May God the Spirit protect us.

Pat Ponaho, 
Waiapu.

[What P Ponaho has written about ghosts is not very clear, however, according to him, it is the case that a ghost has its own separate body. If it has a body like yours, why is it not seen by some people? Some people are seen in bodily form in dreams but they are not the real people; they are rather in the mind of the sleeping person. – Editor}

THE ARTICLES ABOUT DISEASE

To the Editor of Te Pipiwharauroa.

Friend, greetings. 

 This is to notify you that I have asked some of the best doctors here to write articles about the illnesses which affect the Maori. You have received already the articles about the ‘Wasting Sickness’, called by the Pakeha ‘Tuberculosis’, or, when it affects the chest, ‘Consumption’. Now I am sending a piece about ‘Fever’, the fever called by the Maori ‘Typhoid Fever’. This piece is by a leading person. My word to the readers of Te Pipi is to welcome these articles. These are very busy people but out of concern for the Maori people they have set about writing these articles.

Sincerely,

Tutere Wirepa, 
Dunedin, Otago.

[3] 

TYPHOID FEVER

By Dr Daniel Colquhoun

(D Colquhoun, MD Lond.)

In 1899 nearly 1000 people in New Zealand died of typhoid fever; perhaps 1,500 people became ill but did not die. It is not known how many Maori died or became ill, nor are the causes of sickness amongst Maori recorded, but it is clear that many Maori have been afflicted by this disease in their homes, and many of them are dying. My friends Tutere Wirepa and Pita Paaka say that Maori wish to know what Pakeha doctors say about this disease, so I am very happy to write this article. I wish I could write it in the Maori language but I am not able to, so I shall send it to a man who knows both languages to be my spokesman.

The first matter is, what is typhoid fever and how do we know that we have contracted it? Secondly, what is the cause of this disease? Thirdly, what means can we use to prevent the disease, and what medicines are available should we get it?

If someone gets the fever, the initial effects are not severe, so that the sick person does not know the day his illness started. What he knows is that he is tired and weary, and even if he takes a rest he still is not well. He has a headache; his body is cold and he shivers. He is like this for perhaps a week or more but he is still able to get about each day. However, presently because of the weakness of his body he has to lie down on his bed. He vomits and has no desire for food, he still has a headache, and he may have either constipation or diarrhoea. If the fever intensifies, after a week lying down he becomes confused, his speech becomes foolish, and he wants to get up and wander. After two weeks he becomes very weak and his body collapses. His skin is burning, his tongues is dry and red, as are his teeth. If he is to die it will be in the third week, but if he is to recover, during the third week his skin will cool down, his mind will return to normal, and he will want to eat. Because of his great weakness his is not able to stand or to walk perhaps except with someone holding on to him. Because of the weakness of his mind he will eat anything, good or bad. For many weeks he will continue to look distracted.

This is a very short account of how the fever looks; not all the accounts will be as short. Some people will be mildly affected, while others will suffer greatly. Sometimes when a person has been laid up with the fever for three weeks, while he is thinking that he has survived it the fever strikes again and he dies in the third week. Sometimes the fever attacks the lungs and this is very bad. Sometimes there is a large flow of blood from the internal organs and the stomach.

If the fever appears in a town or district many people will contract it; sometimes almost 100 will contract it in a single place. Now, it is seen that typhoid fever is an infectious disease. Perhaps the Pakeha brought this disease to New Zealand, but this is not known for certain.

Now I must point out the nature of this disease. Not many years ago people were ignorant about this disease. In former times people in Europe said that God sent diseases because he was angry with people and I have heard it said that some Maori think that evil spirits cause such diseases. People who say such things are ignorant. It would be better if they looked to see whether or not these bad things were the result of our own failings, our own bad practices. This is what the wise men of Europe looked into, and as a result of their skilled investigations many things were discovered about typhoid fever. The main thing they discovered was this: the main cause of the fever is the filthy practices of people. They found a small thing – so small that it is invisible to the naked eye, but can be seen with the microscope of the Pakeha – which was found growing in great numbers in the internal organs of those suffering from typhoid fever. That microbe eats into the sides of the organs causing thousands of ulcers. These microbes emerge from the stomach with the wind and the faeces, and it a person is not careful these microbes get into drinking water and food, and when these are consumed by people the disease is spread.

If we want to stop the spread of typhoid fever and many other diseases then the way to do it is to ensure the cleanliness of people and habits. The important thing is to ensure that water is not contaminated. If water is contaminated then it must be boiled before it is drunk. If people are living together then all that comes out of a person should be carefully disposed of, whether it be a time of health or of sickness.

[4] 

It is not a good thing for many people to be together in a small space; and do not permit many people to visit the sick person.

The sick person should have a room to himself and one person should nurse him. Do not disturb him of let him get up and walk. Make sure he has fresh air to breathe at all times.

If a person gets typhoid fever his stomach will be irritated, it will be thin and not have the strength to take anything, it will be empty, so do not give him solid food – meat, pork or fish. His food should be milk, arrowroot and soup. He should drink a lot of fresh water to cleanse his insides.

If possible fetch a doctor for him who will point out the right things to do. If there is no doctor remember my words of advice above.

Let the sick person lie down and rest.

Feed him with milk, soup and light arrowroot.

If his skin is hot, dip a sponge in cold water and wash his body four or perhaps five times a day.

Do not let people talk to the sick person.

Bury deep his faeces and urine.

Nurse him well for four weeks after the ending of the fever; remember that it may be six months or more before his body fully recovers its strength.

A LETTER FROM WELLINGTON

To the Editor of Te Pipiwharauroa.

Greetings! I remember that some of the Maori people would like to hear news of this session of the Parliament in Wellington. So I will tell you of them.

The 1900 bill establishing The Maori Land Council Law, 1901, was contentious. The Tai-hauauru [West Coast] attempted to overthrow the Bill, however through the support of the Tu Pakaka  Committee of the Tai-rawhiti [East Coast] it escaped the net.

The following are the laws passed in this session of Parliament which concern Maori.

1. The bill establishing the Maori Land Council Law, 1900.

2. The Washing-Up Bill. Its purpose is to deal with the declarations of the Courts, including the Court of Appeal, which have been petitioned to make a second judgement. All their decisions have been scrutinized. The second applications have been wrapped together under this law.

3. The Rat Act.

4. The Law authorizing funds for the Councils.

5. The Law Protecting Maori Treasures to prevent the sale of Maori artefacts to foreign countries.

On 8th November 1901, Parliament’s hours were extended and at 8 p.m. the Honourable Minister of Maori Affairs called all the Maori chiefs to gather at Parliament. The chiefs arrived and there were greetings, Then the Minister, Timi Kara, stood and said, ‘Listen, chiefs of the Tu Pakaka, the law has been passed for the Maori people. Be diligent in taking up this law. The law will not survive if it is simply left alone; only by action will it have life. Go, return to your homes, and be energetic in forwarding the work, since the sale of Maori land has been stopped. Return, Tuhoe, be strong; return, Ngati Porou, be strong; return, Ngati Kahungunu, be strong; return, Te Arawa, be strong because you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, take the crown. And I shall come there after Christmas.’ Then the feast was held. Soon it was 3 o’clock, the cock crowed thrice, and the hui ended. After this the Minister chose the people to work on the rules of these laws. They are Hone Heke, Te Heuheu Tukino, Apirana Ngata, Tuta Nihoniho, Ihaia Hutana, and Timi Waata Rimini. The Minister is going to Gisborne so this committee will be lazy until he returns and makes known what is to be done.

Greetings, officers of the Council. You have been appointed as executive officers for your tribes. Inspire the Maori people to take up working the land. There must be no delaying now. The oil has been squirted on the wheels of this Law and the machine is ready to go.

What I say to you is true. The Council is about to show its strength. The prizes it will win depend on the leadership. This is what I had to tell you all.

From your friend,

Timi Waata Rimini.

Wellington, November 19, 1901.

[5] A BRAVE WOMAN

(By Tipi-Whenua)

Huria Matenga

As a result of the article about the wreck of the Whakapai, which was published in a previous edition of Te Pipiwharauroa, when one of the Pakeha was saved by Henare Kohere, our thoughts turned to Huria (Ngarongoa) and how she saved the people on a ship which was wrecked at Whakapuaka many years ago. Huria was a princess, a granddaughter of Te Puaho. Wi Parata (Te Kakakura) and his younger sibling, Hemi Matenga, are well-known people. I visited Whakapuaka, the village of Hemi Matenga and his wife and it is a beautiful village. They have a large house with ten rooms. They have a Pakeha servant. The house is like a Pakeha one in every respect. Outside everything is good – the [?lawn] marae, the gardens, the ponds, the horse stables and the buggies.- just like the home of a leading Pakeha. Nothing is lacking.

When we had settled in my wife and I went for a walk along the shore. We came to a rock know to the Pakeha as the ‘Delaware Rock’, ko te ‘Kohatu o Terawea’. I shall tell the story of this rock.

In former days, a ship was driven ashore during a storm. It was called the Delaware and was sailing from Nelson to Napier. In the morning the Maori of Whakapuaka saw that that ship had been wrecked and they knew it could not survive. Hemi Matenga, Huria, and one other went to the shore, the three of them. They saw the ship being battered by the waves and the Pakeha clinging to the deck. The men dashed into the sea to save those Pakeha, but they could not get through the huge surf. All they could do was stand and look. Then Huria said, ‘I will give it a try’. She went into the sea and began to battle with the waves. When a wave came near she dived under it. She grasped at seaweed and rocks. When the wave passed she came to the surface again. In this way she reached the ship. When a rope was thrown to her she fastened it to her body and swam for land. When she reached land she was exhausted and her whole body had been lacerated by rocks. They fixed the end of the rope to a rock hence its name, ‘The Delaware Rock’. Using that rope brought by Huria to land the Pakeha on that ship were saved. One person, who was ill, died. When the rope slackened he fell into the sea and was drowned.

Huria got the medal for bravery. She was called by the Pakeha, ‘The Grace Darling of New Zealand’. Grace Darling was brave English woman, the daughter of a lighthouse keeper. A large ship was wrecked and Grace Darling and her father saved the people on that ship.

I am very proud of the bravery of the Maori. It has been recognised that they are a brave people, a great people.

A BRAVE BOY

A boy in Australia stretched his hand into a hole to feel if there was not a rabbit or something inside, but his hand was bitten. When he withdrew his hand the snake was hanging from it. He shook it and it dropped. However his hand had been bitten and the the poison had entered his bloodstream. If he delayed he would certainly die. However he ran for an axe. As the axe was blunt he got a stone to sharpen it. When it was sharp he cut his hand right off. He cut it off out of fear that the poison would spread throughout his body. When the doctor saw him he said that the boy would live.

Now, friends, this was a very brave boy. He realised that if he was to live he had to cut off his hand. Better lose a hand than to go to the grave with two hands. I recall some of Christ’s words concerning cutting off a hand or a foot, or plucking out an eye. These are his words: ‘If your hand sins, or your foot, cut it off and throw it away. It is far better that you be crippled, that you lose your hand, so that you may enter into life and not be thrown into everlasting fire with two hands and two feet.’ What is the thing that is keeping you from turning to God? Whatever that thing is, throw it away. Do not be afraid, but be brave, and God will strengthen you and he will give you great joy and peace in your heart. You will not regret casting away whatever it is that hinders you. He will give you something far better than what you cast away, in this world, and in the next world eternal life and great glory.

[6] 

VARIOUS ITEMS

The Duke of York has been made Prince of Wales, giving up his old titles.

The Government has appointed Apirana T Ngata MA, LLB, as Inspector of all the Marae Councils.

The Royal Humane society has agreed to present a certificate to Henare Kohere in recognition of his saving the Pakeha when the Whakapai was wrecked. The awards will be presented to the brave people by the Governor-General of Australia in July.

Burned in the Fire

On 18th November three children were burned in a fire at Wiwipatiki, Te Aute, in the house of Rupene Erueti. Rupene was at Kereru shearing. He left at home his wife, an elderly lady and four children. When they went to sleep the candle was left burning, the mats caught fire and the house was destroyed by the fire. The elderly lady was the first to get outside and afterwards Rupene’s wife and the small child. Three of the children remained in the house and were soon lost in the ferocity of the fire. Maria (10) was burned in her bed; Te Ponaka (3½) and Pepe (2) were found near the door of the house.

‘Kia Ora!’ ‘Ake, ake, ake!’

When the Duke and Duchess of York arrived in England, Mr Seddon sent a telegram of congratulations on their return home. The last words of Mr Seddon were a Maori saying, ‘Kia Ora!’ [‘Best wishes!’] – the greeting learned by the Duke while he was here. In the Duke’s reply he praised the kindness of the people of New Zealand to them, and also the wish for their safe return home. Since it was a Maori greeting with which they were addressed, we respond to Mr Seddon’s Maori saying with, ‘Ake, ake, ake!’ [‘For ever and ever!]

The Maori Girls’ School

The people of Wellington were quick to support this school when Peneti went there, although Wellington is reputed to be a difficult place for such enterprises. The work of Peneti and Apirana Ngata was made easier by the Maori elders of Wellington, and also by Mohi Turei, Ihaia Hutana, and Te Heuheu; at some gatherings these elders were the speakers. Within two weeks almost £370 was collected by them. The boys’ college in Wellington (Wellington College) gave £30, and the girls’ college, £25. What good work!

A LETTER TO ANDREW CARNEGIE

Whanganui-a-Tara

Wellington, New Zealand,

November 1901.

To Andrew Carnegie,

On the other side of the Pacific.

Sir,

Greetings. We are some of the Maori chiefs of the islands of Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu, living under the shelter of England, who wish to approach you. We are diffident insofar as we are strangers [to you]. However, since your fame has reached these places, and because of the problems we face, we began to think and were encouraged to believe that you would receive this letter.

Perhaps you have heard of a small people living in this world, the Maori; they live alongside the European settlers in New Zealand. These people live in ignorance but they desire to acquire the learning of the Europeans in order to guard their physical well-being and to learn those practices which are fruitful for the hands and for the mind. This is something that our generation is very conscious of. But because of the difficulty of the road we have to travel to bring these ideas to fruition we have many thoughts including setting up a school to teach our girls, and teaching the boys manual skills, in order to spread widely amongst our people an understanding of the valued things of the Europeans.

Amidst all this, news reached us of your benevolence towards such projects in the land [island] in which you live, and of your heartfelt desire to support such works, and of your generosity in giving of your possessions. You have sought, body and mind, and it has been given to you to strengthen the institutions which bring together the extensive learning of the great peoples of the world.

And so we write in the hope that you will perhaps in like manner turn your eyes and your heart to considering our petition, and that you will bless their great desire to get life for their people.

Best wishes to you always.

Wi Pere

Hone Heke

Apirana T Ngata

Heuheu Tukino

Patene Kerehi

[7]  

AMONGST THE ROBBERS

A Pakeha woman called Miss Stone, and her friend have been kidnapped by the bandits of Macedonia in Europe. They were kidnapped out of a desire for money. Those men have made known the amount of money they want those women to pay as ransom. These men are wicked people and have been driven out by the Government and are living in the mountains. The Turkish soldiers went to follow them but were unable to catch them. We publish the letter which Miss Stone wrote from the mountains to a man in Constantinople.

'My honourable friend,

I am writing to you to tell you that on 3rd September I was snatched by a large band of perhaps 40 men. I was travelling from Bansko to Djumaala with twelve friends, a teacher, a school man, and some others.

They seized me and, as a companion for me, Catherine Tsilka. Their purpose in kidnapping the two of us was to get a large sum of money. The money demanded by them for our release is £25,000. That money is to be paid in gold. The government of Turkey (or perhaps that of Bulgaria) did not know anything of this. They say that the money is to be paid within eighteen days of my kidnapping.

The same situation faces my friend Catherine Tsilka. She is pregnant and her child is due in three months time. We are being followed by Turkish soldiers. I am asking Doctor Haskell to go to Constantinople to press them to pay the ransom for us. It is to paid in Samakoff. The people who kidnapped us are there. It is to be delivered as I order.

At first the men were very friendly towards us. Now, because they have heard that they are being pursued by the Turkish soldiers and that the payment of the money may be delayed, they take a very different attitude to us.

So I ask you to see that the money is given quickly, and also that you make every effort to persuade the Turkish Government to call off the pursuit of us. If that does not stop, then we will be killed by these people. We are in their hands.

I pray you, as soon as possible, to show the contents of this letter to the American Ambassador in Constantinople. Beg him to help the two of us in this trouble.

Pray for us. We are kept in the peace of God. Give our greetings to your wife, your family and friends.

Ellen M Stone'

[The child of Catherine Tsilka was born prematurely. This group was not recognised as kidnappers because their uniforms were like those of Turkish soldiers. Miss Stone’s clothing is that in which she was kidnapped. At night she sleeps under trees or in caves. There is snow on the mountains. However the kidnappers have not been violent towards her. If they are pursued they tie Miss Stone to the saddlebag and carry her off. This woman has not yet been returned because no money has been forthcoming as they demanded. The Government of America has made a statement about the outrage to Miss Stone and they lay the blame on the governments of Turkey and Bulgaria.]

TE RAUKAHIKATEA

On 18th of this month the term at Te Raukahikatea ended and the students returned to their own homes. The students who have been residing at the school to study this year are: Mokoare Taurere and his wife and Reweti Kerehoma and his wife, from Te Aupouri; Matene Naera and his wife, and Karira Karaka, from Ngapuhi; Te Muera Tokoaitua and his wife, and Ropere Tahuriorangi and his wife, and T W Pereiha, from Te Arawa; Poihipi Kohere and Paraone Turei, from Ngati Porou; Henare Wainohu from Ngatipahauwera; Peni Hakiwai from Hawkes Bay; Rev. Teri Paerata and his wife from Ngati Tuwharetoa. Some of the deacons came and have returned.

Te Muera has been ordained deacon and is going to Manawatu. Teri Paerata is going to Wairarapa. The Reverend Herbert Williams and Reweti T M Kohere are the teachers at the college but Mr Williams is giving up teaching because of problems with speaking. The Reverend Chatterton is coming to fill the place of Mr Williams. Mr Chatterton is known as a good man who loves the Maori people. However there is great sadness amongst those who know Mr Williams well at the ending of his work. Ngapuhi has sent a letter of sympathy to him. He is much loved by us all; he has done great work, he has a great heart.

[8] 

 THE JOURNEY OF THE GODWIT

James Buckland

The northern tip of Aotearoa contracts and is barren, becoming a desert of sand. But suddenly there springs up an ascent – a hill, a headland standing in the sea. This is Te Rerenga-wairua – the gateway, according to Maori, by which spirits travel to the afterlife. To the east of this headland is a bay, all of sand, called Kapo-wairua. It is said that Kapo-wairua is the place where the spirits gathered before going to Te Reinga. At night when Maori hear the fluttering of the wings of the night bird, they think that it is a spirit making its way to Te Reinga.

This bay, Kapo-wairua, is the best place in Aotearoa to observe the journey of the godwit. In the autumn one sees flocks of godwits of 50 to 1000 flying from the coasts of Aotearoa and heading for Te Rerenga-wairua. Their flocking together for their flight is like the appearance of the new moon. On 3rd April all the myriads of godwits have gathered at the beach of Kapo-wairua waiting for the migration to Asia. I saw the setting out of the godwits and will never forget what I saw. I observed carefully as I had travelled the length of the land to see it. The sands were hidden by godwits. They disputed over landing places because there were so many of them. Thousands sailed about above because there were no landing places. Some had landed on the backs of others who had landed, jostling for a place to land. On that day a flock of godwits arrived and it seemed as if the birds were heaped up because there were so many. Then, on the day they turned to the sea’s horizon, a brave bird rose into the air and his call led to the taking off of that feathered people. They climbed and climbed and presently were a speck in the blue sky. When they were high up the leader soared to the front. They headed north and soon that band of travellers disappeared into the darkness. I was overwhelmed with love at seeing band of travellers in the distance. Ten days after they arrived the godwits flew off.

We are not able to follow the godwit to know to what place they go but some people have observed that they fly to Russia, specifically Siberia. The godwit has been seen in early June on the foaming sea of Siberia. In August, when the young are mature, the godwits begin their return journey. Because of the weakness of the chicks the return journey is not the same as the outward flight. Rather, they rest on the many islands of the Pacific. In October the godwits arrive in New Zealand. In April on the day fixed the godwits again congregate at Kapo-wairua before the migration to Asia. Maori have a proverb: 

Ko wai ka kite i te hua o te kuaka?
‘Who ever sees the egg of the godwit?’

PURSUE LEARNING

To the Editor of Te Pipiwharauroa.

Friend, greetings to you who live in that part of this island. Friend, as our bird has really grown up and is able to fly to all parts of this island, I send these few words to be carried by him amongst us, the Maori people of every district, for the ears to hear and the heart to ponder.

Friend, Te Pipiwharauroa, you fly to the important islands of every district dropping off as you go the following words. There are perhaps some portions of us, the Maori people, who do not believe in sending their children to school. I think this is a mistaken attitude because the Pakeha has very great mana and it is by knowing the learning of the Pakeha that we will get every benefit. This is a noble thought, to send our children to school that they may indeed lay hold of the learning of this people, the Pakeha, and it is wonderful to us that our children have begun to succeed in the Pakeha examinations.

That Pakeha learning will be gained, not by doing nothing, but perhaps by the commitment of parents to helping their daughters. It is right indeed that Maori children should be sent to appropriate schools in order to be taught the practices of these elders, the Pakeha. People, let us look to these people, the Pakeha, who send their children to school when they are very young. And if these persons, the Pakeha children, grow up knowing things, how does this come about? It is because their parents are committed to fighting to ensure that their children get an education.

Enough for my speech.

Piripi Pou.

Kaikohe.

[9]  

BITS OF KNOWLEDGE

The Sun is 91,000,000 miles from the Earth. The sun is 100,000,000 years old, and if it continues to burn at the same rate in seven or perhaps 15 million years in the future the sun will be consumed.

The circumference of the Earth is 25,000 miles. If a hole were driven through it in the middle from one side to the other it would be 8,000 miles long. One quarter of the Earth is dry land and three quarters, water. It is said that there were 1,500,000,000 people in the world; that was at the time before the war between the Boers and the English started.

There are 60,000 miles of telegraph wire under the sea.

There are thoughts of putting in place a ‘totally red’ wire, that is, a wire to link England with all its colonies [lit. wings] throughout the world, and which bypasses the lands of other peoples. The Governments of New Zealand and Australia are pressing for a telegraph wire to be stretched from America to their countries. There is approval for this cable. The cable from England to New Zealand comes overland by way of Europe and Asia; from Singapore to the East of India it crosses via the many islands to Australia where it travels overland to Sydney. There it plunges into the sea and emerges at Whakapuaka on the South Island. The accounts of the fighting were sent from Africa to London whence they came by the way outlined above, eventually coming to rest in the bosom, the breast of Te Pipiwharauroa.

A horse can survive for 25 days without solid food but drinking water only and for 17 days if it has no food or water, but for only 5 days on food but without water.

The tallest building in the world is ‘Park Row Building’, New York, America. It is 390 feet high with 29 floors; 54 feet are underground. From the ground to the tip of the flagpole is 501 feet. There are 950 offices inside, 4,000 people working there, 2,095 windows, and it weighs 20.000 tons. It cost £600,000 to build.

In a single mile a person of average height takes 2,263 steps. If he goes on a bicycle his legs do 572 revolutions.

LOOKING BACK

These are the first weeks of the Church Year and the last weeks of the year. It is a Maori practice on arriving at the head of the cultivation to look back to the point at which the work began. We look back to see whether or not there is some grass standing, or to see how good is the cultivation by the plough. And so it is a good thing, on arriving at the the threshold of this year, to look back at what we have done over the past months. But first let us look back at the deeds and the great events that happened during the year in the world and in our own country.

At the opening of the year the English and the Boers were still fighting. The Boers had fallen but were still writhing and their legs were still kicking. In February, death took the most famous woman in the world, Victoria, the Great, the Good. All her subjects were sorrowful and numb, as indeed was the whole world. Her soldiers from England and India came to Australia for the inauguration of the Federation of Australia, and although she had died before, they still crossed over to New Zealand. At this time the Comet was seen in the sky. After the opening of the Federal Parliament of Australia the Duke of York and his wife crossed to New Zealand. They met thousands of Maori at Rotorua where a wonderful Maori hui was held. After all these celebrations the world was greatly saddened by the felling, by the bloody hand of the assassin, of William McKinley, the President of America. It was realised that evil and good dwell together. The truth of the words of the prophet was also realised, ‘The heart is wicked above all things; it is very wicked; who can know it?’ (Jeremiah 17.9)

There were other disasters in the world – leaders died, ships were wrecked, and there were many other stories of the world. But the great thing for us, the people blessed with life, is that we can praise God for his blessings to us right to this day, and we can pray that we may be guided and strengthened for the work and for whatever afflictions we may face in the year before us. Leave behind the problems, the sadnesses, and look above to Christ as guide, ‘the beginning and the end of faith’. [Revelation 1.8]

[10]  

ROTORUA-NUI-A-KAHU

Tipi-whenua

Lake Rotorua

I am not yet content with the explanations of this name ‘Rotorua’, the reasons why this single lake is called ‘two lakes’. For this word two refers to two things and not just to one thing, one lake. I think the right name is is Roto-nui, the Large Lake of Kahu. Roto-iti is on one side and Roto-nui on the other side, but since they are linked by the Puau-i-Ohau the two lakes are called Roto-rua, the twin lakes. Perhaps in past times this name became applied wrongly to only the one lake.

As the train descends from Tarukenga there is a good view of Rotorua and Rotoiti. In the middle of Rotorua is the island of Mokoia. At the widest place Rotorua lake is nine miles across. I and many others, Maori and Pakeha, boarded the steamer ‘Hamurama’, the boat on which the Duke of York and his wife crossed to Tikitere when they came to Rotorua.

He Puna-i-Hangarua

From this wharf the ‘Hamurama’ sails to Hamurama and the ‘Hinemoa’ to Rotoiti. On arriving at the village we wanted to see straight away the wonderful spring, Te Puna-i-Hangarua, and when we saw it our hearts were delighted. Our steamer anchored at the mouth of the river at Hamurama and we landed. The river was clear and green. The source of the river was where it emerged from the spring and we went to see it. When we were close we got into a boat and taking hold of a rope stretched over the river we dragged ourselves along. In this river grows a beautiful grass, a shrub; when it nearly emerges from the water it is prickly, and the roots are close together. We went on and arrived at the [?hokinga - ? where the river diminishes in size] there was the spring bubbling up within the river. Because the water was so clear one could see the source of the spring where the water came up from below the ground. The sides of the spring were overgrown with water vegetation, all green. So great was the force of the spouting water that if a penny is thrown in it does not sink but comes up instead, it stays in the middle going around until it goes to one side; so it returns upwards, then when it is nearly at the top it glides to stick to one side of the spring, and soon there is a pile of money there. The water is very cold. There is no spring more amazing than Te Puna-i-Hangarua. The heart wonders at how God has placed at Rotorua only these strange and astounding things – the springs, lakes and geysers. Perhaps the explanation is that since Rotorua is otherwise a rather barren area, without this interior it would be rather uninteresting.

It is said that a fresh-water fish lives in this spring, a large fish, perhaps one and a half feet long with a huge head. If that fish is recognised [?whakaaea - ?approved of], then when it returns to its hole a whole lot of fish come out and are struck by people so that kits and baskets are filled over and over again.

Mokoia Island

When our party had seen Hamurama and Te Puna-i-Hangarua our steamers sailed to Mokoia, the island of Tutanekai and Hinemoa. We landed right next to the thermal pool to which Hinemoa swam when she crossed from Owhata, drawn by the sweet sounds of Tutanekai’s flute [koauau] and also the flowing love of her beloved, according to the story. From Owhata to Mokoia is three miles but, despite that, for love she despised the cold, the waters, and fearful things. The Pakeha say that ‘love is blind’, and her love did not see anything wrong, or problematic, or bad, but she persevered. Love makes light of everything. ‘Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of one’s house, it would be utterly scorned.’ [Song of Solomon 8.7] It is said that in the Museum in Auckland is Tutanekai’s flute with which he guided his sweetheart over the great waters.

Mokoia is a mountain, the sides of which are very fertile. It was the most fertile place I saw in Rotorua. There is a village there and the hapu is Uenukukopako, however when we arrived there they were all on the mainland. Only one woman had returned from the mainland to gather crayfish for her elders; the two men were in a canoe on the lake fishing for crayfish. That woman’s bag was almost filled with crayfish. Because our stomachs were pinched we lost all embarrassment and asked for some crayfish to sustain our spirits and also some of us had not brought food and the sun was going down. I was our servant, lighting the fire, putting on the pot, and pouring out the crayfish, while the group were outside the cookhouse urging me to hurry. When the crayfish were turned out everyone, Maori and Pakeha, children and elders, swarmed around – [11] even Ihaia Hutana and the captain of the warship were picking at it. Oh, the tasty batch of Tuhorouta! [cf. Nga Pepeha 254]. When the first potful was eaten the second potful was put on, and the third pot was going on when the time came to launch the steamer for our trip to the Water of Hinemoa. Some of the women grabbed the raw crayfish to eat at the camp.

We also saw ‘matuatonga’, a stone kumara god. When the kumara is being planted the stone is brought into the midst. The house for that stone is beautifully built. It is said that someone stole and sold ‘matuatonga’. At night it was fetched and carried to Ohinemutu, but because the people were upset, it was taken and returned to Mokoia where a house was built for it.

When we boarded the steamer the wind got up and we had a very rough landing. During the night some of the tents at the camp of the hui came down; Ngati Porou hurried outside. It was alleged that it was because of our breaching the tapu of Mokoia that the wind came. Maybe.

(To be continued.)

A BAD EARTHQUAKE

On 16th November a large earthquake struck Cheviot, a town between Kaikoura and Christchurch. Because it happened in daylight it was not a disaster for human beings, though there was one fatality, a child was crushed when the house fell. Because the house was wrecked and the ground was still shaking, the parents stood outside with the woman embracing her youngest child which was cold. When a minister saw this he took the child and laid it in the church.

Not a single chimney in the town remained standing; they all fell. Many houses were wrecked. There was not a single house fit for occupation, so men, women and children stayed outside. Some cliffs crumbled, a headland moved, the land was shattered, and the roads were cracked. A river was cut off, the waters came down, and because of the constriction they banked up so that it was full to the sky. There was one corpse, a doctor, who was tipped out of his coffin by the earthquake. But the pitiful thing is the women living outside in the cold and the rain. Many have gone to other towns. It is thought that the damaged things, houses and possessions, are valued at between £10,000 and £20,000.

This was not the only town affected by the earthquake; it struck the towns of Canterbury as far as Christchurch but it was not so strong in these places. Had the earthquake been strong in the large town of Christchurch where there are large stone buildings there would have been many deaths. So it was lucky that it was felt most strongly in the small villages. The great misfortune was the toppling of the tower of the large cathedral in Christchurch. This is the second time it has been broken. In the earthquake of 1888 it was broken off. It cost £800 to repair, and it will perhaps cost the same should it be rebuilt.

On 23rd January, 1855, an earthquake struck Lyttelton near Christchurch, Nelson, and Wellington. It was most severe in Wellington. On 17th August, 1868, there was another earthquake. This earthquake was in South America and 25,000 people were killed, while the cost of the damages was more than £60,000,000. On 5th December, 1881, the stone from the steeple of Christchurch Cathedral fell. On 9th January, 1886, there was the Rotomahana earthquake. It was 14th September, 1888, that the steeple of Christchurch Cathedral broke off.

MY SWEETHEART

‘White-breasted tomtit [kikitori], climb, be free,

a sign of Summer for Te Pipiwharauroa from me.’

Greetings, bird. I have been occupied with dreaming of you, my sweetheart, in recent months. I am jealous about you, knowing that someone else must be holding on to you because you have not come to our hill-top and I have not seen you in the months of August or September. So do not be lazy when it comes to flying to me. You will not be forgotten by me. So best wishes, best wishes always to you. You are not bringing information to deaf ears, as the Pakeha says. So, my friends in this island, you who are like me, blind when it comes to Pakeha writing, be diligent in supporting our bird; be strong, be brave, and may our friend be the same as he supports our bird and the generals fighting the Boers.

So, best wishes!

From your friend,

E Hohepa, 
Rotorua, 
24th October, 1901.

A DEATH IN THE CHURCH

On 28th November the Rev. Hone Pohutu, a minister in the diocese of Waiapu, died at Te Horo, Waiapu. In 1870 he was ordained as a minister, and he was chosen for the Parish of Nukutaurua, Mahia. When he became very old he retired from his work as a minister and returned home. He lived for many years in retirement.

[12]

 CALENDAR: JANUARY

Day 10 New Moon, 8h 45m a.m.

Day 24 Full Moon 11h 36m a.m.

1 W The Circumcision*

Morning Evening

Genesis 17.1-9 Deuteronomy 10.1-12

Romans 2.1-17 Colossians 2.8-18

2 Th

3 F Fast

4 S

5 S Second Sunday after Christmas

Isaiah 42 Isaiah 43

Matthew 4.1-23 Acts 3

6 M The Epiphany Athanasian Creed

Isaiah 60 Isaiah 49.13-24

Luke 3.15-23 John 2.1-12

7 T

8 W

9 Th

10 F Fast

11 S

12 S First Sunday after the Epiphany

Isaiah 51 Isaiah 52.13 and 53

Matthew 7.1-7 Acts 7.35 – 8.5

13 M

14 T

15 W

16 Th

17 F Fast

18 S

19 S Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Isaiah 55 Isaiah 57

Matthew 11 Acts 11

20 M

21 T

22 W

23 Th

24 F Fast

25 S The Conversion of Paul

Isaiah 49.1-13 Jeremiah 1.1-11

Galatians 1.1-11 Acts 26.1-21

26 S Third Sunday before Lent

Genesis 1 – 2.4 Genesis 2.1-4

Revelation 21.1-9 Revelation 21.9 – 22.6

27 M

28 T

29 W

30 Th

31 F Fast

* This collect, epistle and gospel may be used every day up to the Epiphany.

NOTICES

We have some Catechisms to be Learned by Children, and Sunday Prayers. If a clergyman lets us know what he requires we will send them free of charge.

RULES OF TE PIPIWHARAUROA

1. Te Pipiwharauroa is published monthly.

2. The cost of the paper is 5/- a year, payable by Postal Note or stamps.

3. When the shillings sent in by someone are used up then his paper will be wrapped in red; after two such postings of the paper it will cease to be sent.

4. It is acceptable to contribute articles from anywhere in the land, but it is for the Editor to decide whether to print them or not. Write clearly.

5. Address your letter like this: TO TE PIPIWHARAUROA, TE RAU, GISBORNE.

A NOTICE

To those wanting a Prayer Book or Hymn Book. I now have plenty of books The prices are:

Large, soft cover 2/6

Large, red cover 3/-

Large, hard cover 4/-

Large, superior cover 5/6

Small, soft cover 1/-

Small, red cover 1/6

Small, hard cover 2/6

Small, superior cover 3/6

Hymns -/6

Clergy requiring Hymn Books can contact J Upton, Auckland, and the price will be less.

I will pay the postage to send the books to you

H W Williams,

Te Rau, Gisborne

People wanting a Bible or a New Testament should apply to the Bible Depository Sunday School Union, Auckland.

Bible, 2/6, 3/6, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 1/-.

New Testament with explanatory headings 2/6, 3/-, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.

Small New Testament with Psalms 2/-, 2/6, 3/-, 3/6, 4/-. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.

SUPPLEJACK SEEDS FOR OUR BIRD

£1 Noa Whakatere; 10/- Wetini Pekatitoki; 5/- Paraone Hatarana, Eru Pou, O N Baeyertz, Father Bruning, Ihaka te Waru; 2/6 Timi Waata; 1/- Paora Pani.

H W Williams, Te Rau Press, Gisnorne.