Te Pipiwharauroa 62

Te Pipiwharauroa 62

No. 62

1903/04/01

(Maori Version at NZETC.)

[1] Te Pipiwharauroa, He Kupu Whakamarama, Number 62, Gisborne, April 1903.

A CLEAN HEART

(Psalm 51.10)

Last Sunday we heard the call of God, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Today let us hear the prayer of the penitent heart to God, ‘Create, O God, in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me.’

We lack new hearts and are unable to create this thing. Only God can do this. But one thing we can do which is to pray – to beseech God that he will do this thing for us. The prayerless person is a lifeless person, a person who shows contempt for the Holy Spirit.

All the kinds of evil in this world begin in the heart. Some are violent, some are thieves, some are adulterers, some curse God, but the seed of all these things is in the heart. All these doings are the fruit of evil thoughts. A large tree grows from within a small seed. Likewise wicked acts emerge from small wicked thoughts, and wicked thoughts are born in the heart.

Don’t forget that wicked thoughts are wrong and wrong acts are wicked. Wicked thoughts and wicked acts are both sins. So let us pray to God that he will create in us clean hearts. This is his work. He alone is able to create the world, and it is only by his power that a clean heart and a new spirit can be created.

If a person does not turn to God and pray to him to cleanse his heart, then his heart remains dirty. Many people have unclean hearts and do not pray that their hearts may be washed clean. God warns such people, saying in the Book of Revelation, ‘Nothing unclean shall enter the Holy City (i.e. Heaven).’ [Revelation 21.27] Only those washed in the Blood of Jesus Christ are fit to enter the Holy City.

While Jesus was on this earth he met a man covered with leprosy. He was unable to make himself clean; but he was able to go to Jesus and to pray to him asking to be healed. So he came to Jesus and asked, “‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.’ [Jesus] stretched out his hand and touched him and said, ‘I will. Be clean.’ And his leprosy was healed.” [Matthew 8.2]

Jesus has the same power today; it is not different. So let us ask him to cleanse our hearts and to create in us new spirits.

This Psalm, Psalm 51, is the prayer of a man who fell into a great sin. It is the prayer of David after his adultery and murder. He was very sad, and he was very penitent.

This was a prayer of penitence. How does God answer that prayer? Nathan, the prophet of God said, ‘The Lord has put away your sin.’ [2 Samuel 12.13] God created a new heart within David.

David teaches us the way of true repentance and the character of true prayer. We have all sinned, but we must take care not to continue to sin. God wishes to create clean hearts in all of us. He is waiting for us to pray. He is waiting also to renew a right spirit within us, that our hearts may be filled with the love of God, that our spirits may be filled with praise of his goodness, that we may be obedient to his will; that we may not be proud, and that we may be swift to do every good work. These things will happen to us as God renews a right spirit within us.

Do you want these things? If so, then pray asking God: ‘Create, O God, in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me.’

THE END OF THE EARTH

Only the Pakeha do this sort of thing! The Pakeha indeed has this great yearning to go and see the ends of the earth, from the top to the bottom. Nansen is the man who went to the northernmost end and it is he, according to his own belief, who is the person who has come closest to the end of the earth – although we know that the earth is a sphere. Another man went to see the southern end; he went and has returned. Those lands are all ice; they are always white. How many years will it be before a boat will go to the south and see a volcano erupting? It is perhaps six years ago that a boat went there and, in 1901 an English ship went there. Lyttelton was the last town that that ship visited, although it had come all the way from England. The ship was called the Discovery. That ship was given a tremendous farewell, given that it was going into great peril. When it had just left Lyttelton a man fell and died and he was buried at sea. It was lost for two years and nothing was known what had become of it, so a ship called the Morning was sent to search for it. Last year that ship sailed from Lyttelton and was out of communication until the last week of March when it was seen and entered Lyttelton alone. That ship had travelled to near the end of the earth arriving at a sea of ice. They were very careful as to what they did lest they be crushed by the ice as they searched, but they did not find their friends. After many days they saw the masts of the Discovery standing upright but the hull of the ship was completely enclosed by ice. The Morning had to stop eight miles away because the sea was covered with ice. Food for the Discovery was loaded onto sledges pulled by dogs; dogs are the only horses able to operate in this land. The people on the ship trapped by the ice were overjoyed as their food was nearly exhausted. During the two years their ship had been lost its crew members were not idle. They studied the geography of that land. They looked at the mountains, the fish, the creatures, the vegetation, the winds and the sky. The captain contended that the end of the earth [South Pole] was very close and that he and his friends got very near but had to return because of a shortage of food and the death of their dogs.

When the dogs died the men pulled the sledges. Because of the weight of the sledges and the weakness of the men they took turns at pulling; one person would pull for five miles and then another would take over the pulling. They were not able to leave behind the tents and the food lest they died of cold. By the time they returned to the ship all the dogs had died; the two who survived were eaten by the men. They were gone for many weeks and travelled one hundred miles.

They saw some high mountains but there was nowhere free of ice. One man had died after falling into a crevasse, or perhaps he fell off a cliff. With the wind blowing and the snow flying it was not possible to see the way; only when one man disappeared did his friends know that there was danger ahead of them. One day they went to look for their friend but did not find him.

Some of them were close to death. One of them had fallen from a high cliff and if he had fallen to the bottom he would not have survived. He survived because they were all linked together by a rope so that if one fell he was supported by the others. If one fell he dangled in space. Once when a party went out a great storm blew up with wind, rain, and snow, and one of them was lost. When the storm ended his friends went to search for him but did not find him. After being missing for three days he appeared on the ship. The man said that after his blunder he lay down in the snow and went to sleep. He slept for 36 hours. While he was asleep he was covered by the snow and that is why his friends did not find him. The doctor marvelled that this man had not died. If the man wanted to lie down and sleep in the snow it was a sign that he was close to death, but after sleeping for 36 hours this fellow was alive.

[3] It is said that the whales are huge in those waters, rubbing against it as they go along beside the ice; and the sea-lions are huge too. Because the sea-lions are not familiar with men they are not shy but stay lying and sleeping on the ice. There are many birds and penguins. The nesting-places of the penguins are completely white and are veritable towns of birds. Some of the birds are good to eat.

The captain went up in his flying machine, a balloon, to look at the land, and he could see no end to the land which was completely white with snow.

According to the captain of the Morning, the Discovery will not escape this summer because the ice is not breaking up. It may be next year before it gets out. Some of the crew of the Discovery returned on board the Morning and some of the crew of the Morning stayed behind. The Morning will return to see its companion and to take food.

The wife of Captain Scott of the Discovery has come from England to Lyttelton to await the return of the Morning and to hear news of her husband, whether he is alive or whatever. At Wellington she boarded the Te Anau, and as the Te Anau berthed at Lyttelton so also did the Morning carrying letters from her husband saying that he was well. A cart carried the letters from the ends of the earth to the Post Office. When the Morning arrived at the Discovery the crew were very happy to receive news of the world and of their families. The proverb says: ‘Like cold water to a thirsty soul is news from a distant land.’

There is only one day and one night in that place each year. For six months it is dark and for six months it is light. This is because the earth is round and because it tilts. Although it is a land of ice in some places it is very warm because of the reflection from the snow. At midnight on New Year’s Eve it is still light so that the sailors can play cards without a lamp.

TE WERETA, TOHUNGA

In the last issue of Te Pipiwharauroa there was an article about Te Wereta and his activities as a tohunga. In this edition there is another article about that man and his general, Wi Pere. It is right that we should point out to people what this man is doing so that they can make up their minds about him.

I believe it is not right to call Te Wereta a Maori tohunga because the things he does are not Maori things. He says that he doesn’t have gods and that his power is his alone. What should this kind of practitioner be called since what he does is not what a traditional Maori tohunga would do? But on the basis of what he does and says it is as if he is likening himself to the Messiah, the Christ. Shortly I shall state the reasons why I say he is likening himself to Christ. It is said that the reason Te Wereta got his mana was the theft of his pigs, whereupon he was struck with sadness and began to pray. If this story is true then God is mistaken in giving a man authority in this fashion. Let a person read the speech of Timi Kara at the Wai-o-Matatini hui.

When God has given such mana (as is said) then the blind will come, the deaf, the crippled, the paralytic, the feeble, the whatever, and when Te Wereta lays his hands on them they will be healed (as is said). When Te Wereta lays hands on the painful place, he asks, ‘Is it hot, is it numb? How is it?’ And the strength of the person’s desire to be healed leads him to reply, ‘Yes, it’s fine.’ Consequently there are now no sick people in this whole district. They have all been healed. And so Te Wereta has gone to other districts, to Heretaunga and to Whanganui. Perhaps he will reach Taranaki. Perhaps he will tell Te Whiti and Tohu to put their mana under his. Alas! What I have been saying is wrong. We still have blind people, the people here are still getting ill, and people are still dying. Let Te Wereta return to his area and heal his people lest, when he returns eventually, they have all gone to the afterlife. What is the good of going to other tribes when the people of his own area are suffering illness. The Pakeha says: ‘Let charity begin at home.’ It is true that we still have here the twelve ‘apostles’ but their religion is ebbing today; they are having difficulty finding the power to heal and people are dying. Perhaps when Te Wereta returns a different tohunga will have been installed. This will be a tohunga who doesn’t lay hands on people but simply says, ‘Arise, walk, your faith has saved you.’

I have pointed out the sort of medicine Te Wereta uses, namely, alcohol. All sorts of alcoholic drinks are mixed together in a single glass and then the sick person is made to drink it and all is well (it is said). When the drink is given to the sick person, the ‘messiah’ or perhaps one of the ‘apostles’ says the words, [4]  ‘Drink this, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ Perhaps the person responded, ‘Amen’, or perhaps not. The hospital where the sick are given the medicine is sometimes even the pub.

According to those who believe in Te Wereta, I do not fully understand the teaching of this faith. Is it a faith in God or is it faith in Te Wereta? If it is faith in God, why do we find in his house people without faith who have come to receive the laying on of hands from Te Wereta, as if the power was in the hands of Te Wereta rather than in faith in God? Some of the disciples of Te Wereta may say, ‘Why did people seek to have Christ lay his hands upon them in order to be healed?’ My answer is this, ‘Is Te Wereta the Christ? Has Te Wereta healed all those on whom he has laid hands, because Christ healed all those who came to him?’ Many people here in Gisborne who have been treated by Te Wereta have not been healed – some have died. The main lie, deceit, pretence used by Te Wereta and his ‘apostles’ when a person is not healed by him is that the person did not believe. Christ healed all who came to him for healing even though some did not say that they were believers.

Many people have great faith in Te Wereta and believe his every word. Such was the faith of some people in Te Kooti that they believed that if Te Kooti wished to travel from the Chatham Islands to Gisborne he could do so by walking on the surface of the sea. Most people knew that Te Kooti could not do this, but such was the faith that some people had in Te Kooti that they believed he could do it. Likewise, such is the heartfelt belief of some people in Te Wereta that they believe that he is able to do things that he cannot do. Te Wereta is not able to mend a person’s broken leg no matter how great the faith those people have in him.

I asked a man who believes in Te Wereta to tell me how many people had been healed by Te Wereta, and he quickly answered, ‘A hundred.’ But what I wanted was a single example, to be shown a Pakeha or a different village, and I did not see what I wanted. However here in Gisborne is a man who came from the South Island on hearing of Te Wereta. The man boasted that he had been healed by Te Wereta, but when I called in person to see that man he was still clutching his crutches and was still unwell. He himself told me that his condition was no different. Why was this man not healed? Perhaps the disciples of Te Wereta will say, because he had no faith. Was it because he had no faith that this man came from the South Island to Gisborne to be healed by the ‘prophet’? This man had great faith and a great desire to be healed, but because of the seriousness of his illness it is not easy for him to return home. A leading man arrived to show a leading lawyer here how his hand had been healed. That Maori said, ‘My hand has been healed. Wereta all te same te Karaiti.’ [sic. Wereta is the same as Christ.] But when I went to see that Maori, his hand was still bad, and he himself told me that he had not yet been healed. I have not yet see a single person who was really ill who has been cured by Te Wereta, but I have seen many people who have visited Te Wereta and who are still unwell. I challenge you to show me a person who is know to have been seriously ill who has been healed by Te Wereta. But it may well be that Te Wereta has brought about a diminution of pain for a short time. This is something known by the Pakeha; it is done by a practice called hypnotism` - a technique of the Pakeha - however the illness is not allayed and I cannot say that the person is cured – certainly not serious illness. Those healings are perhaps made much of by the Maori and it is said that there is no illness which cannot be cured by Te Wereta. People hear about the curing of a person by this means but they have not actually seen it.

Some people say that some people are not cured by Te Wereta just as some people are not cured by Pakeha doctors. That is so but the methods of Te Wereta are different from those of the doctors. Te Wereta’s methods are supernatural, involving only the laying on of hands while those of the Pakeha are natural and involve diligence and the use of surgery and medicine to effect a cure. The methods of the Pakeha are based on science while those of Te Wereta are miraculous. And if it is miraculous then not a single person should be sick. A girl from here died in the process of having treatment from Te Wereta,. Her body suffered during the journey and on returning home she died. Her illness was typhoid fever, an illness that can be cured by Pakeha doctors.

[5] 

 Enough! This article is for people to read and think about. I wrote it out of the sadness of my heart at this practice which misleads us Maori and makes us a laughing-stock amongst the Pakeha and educated people. I waited for some word from the Councils to suppress this activity which violates their laws, but none has been forthcoming. But I believe it will not be long before people are wearied – they will get fed up, and we will find that the tohunga has gone to new peoples who will praise his name. - R.T.M.K.

MAORI TOHUNGA

The Speech of Timi Kara

At the conclusion of the service at Wai-o-Matatini on Sunday 23rd March, those in the house turned to discussing Maori matters. Timi Kara said that the authentic practice and sacred status of the tohunga is a thing of the past; the tohunga in these days are false, they seek money, and they want women. It a person survives it is not because of the tohunga but because of healing at work in him. Some people die because of terrifying words. If a sick person is told by a tohunga that he will live, he is happy, hopeful and in good spirits, and the sickness is healed.

The tohunga in the olden days were carefully taught. They were instructed in the wharekura [The building in which the tohunga imparted esoteric lore to his pupils. – Williams] Their teaching was sacred. But the tohunga of these days have not learned their teaching. Who taught them? No sooner has a man comes out of prison - he may even be a drunkard - than he sets up as a tohunga. So we have people saying that God has made a mistake in coming to these people. If a person was good and the quality of his heart was visible before, and he sets up as a tohunga, then the heart may believe in him, but it seems that the authority of a tohunga descends rather on these rascals. If it is right that they have spiritual power, then a person should do wicked things if he wants to be endowed with the authority of a tohunga: they have maligned the Faith, they see no good in the faith. Tohunga in former days were sacred people, they were forbidding people in appearance; if you saw him you knew that this person was different and not like other people, whereas our tohunga in these days cannot be called men, and people do not fear them. Ordinary people do not know the incantatory voice of the old tohunga. In seeking to be like them the tohunga of the present time are deceitful; they make sounds like low groans or hooting perhaps. So it was at Pukemaire village when ‘Pai Marie’ [sic. Pai Marire] came. Maori heard a different language and thought it was the language of the tohunga, but no, it was a perversion of the English language.

Te piki hiia, rongo hiia, teihana.

[? The pig’s ear, wrong ear, station.]

But when Maori heard it they thought that it was the speech of a spirit because it was a different sound; they did not think it was a trick.

Another thing for us to consider is that if Maori had spiritual power to kill Pakeha why did he take up guns to fight the Pakeha and not strike down the Pakeha with his incantations? In this way the Pakeha would have been destroyed. If the tohunga had the power to strike down people, why did he not also have the power to bring to life people who had died? These two powers should go together. Friends, do not let yourselves be taken in by frauds.

FROM THE EDITOR

We received the letter from Tame Arapata which appeared in the last edition of our paper. It told of the passing of a motion at the Te Aute Students’ Association Hui held at Taumata-o-mihi last January which proposed the setting up of a committee to oversee the work of Te Pipiwharauroa. Te Pipi endorses that letter and the setting up of the committee. Because Te Pipi and the Association are working together, seeking ways and giving advice about how to better the condition of us Maori people, the Association proposed the setting up of a Committee to protect Te Pipi and to see to publishing its reports and its recommendations in Te Pipi. It would be concerned with the part of the paper dealing with the work of the Association. But the Committee would also look at all the articles that are sent to the paper. The Committee would decide if an article was good enough to be included and if it was not it would not be included. So, people, read the words in our paper carefully. Many of the knowledgeable people of our country will have read your articles before they are published in the paper. The Chairman of the Committee is Herbert Williams and the Committee consists of five old boys of Te Aute who live near Gisborne.

[6] 

A COUNCIL OF THE SMALL GODS

We published an article last month about the new tohunga of Tai-Rawhiti, Te Wereta. It was obvious from my words that I do not agree with that tohunga even though many people follow him.

At the hui held by that tohunga at Turanga, a meeting was called by the tohunga of this district. Wi Pere arranged that meeting. Wi Pere is the leading supporter of Te Wereta. Wi Pere ordered that all other tohunga should put themselves and their gods under the authority of Te Wereta. When the tohunga with their small gods had assembled, Wi Pere stood up to speak and to give the reason why he had called them together which was to urge them to submit to the authority of that tohunga, Te Wereta. Te Wereta had the genuine authority, the authority to do good, therefore he was keen that all those authorities and gods which were not doing good should be stopped. Wi Pere powerfully promoted his tohunga. Who is like Wi Pere when it comes to using words to get people to change their minds?

After Wi Pere’s speech a man from Muriwai stood. He said that he was very surprised when he received an invitation to attend the gathering of tohunga because he was not a tohunga and had no gods or spirits. It is true that he works to heal the sick, but he does not do so using gods but by using Pakeha medicines. He recommended the medicines of the Pakeha, but because some people were cured by the medicines he prescribed it was noised abroad that he was a tohunga. Perhaps that is why Wi Pere thought he was a tohunga. But if he had gods he would agree to join them up with Wi Pere and his tohunga, and if anyone could find his gods he was welcome to seize those gods or whatever there might be for himself. The people who stood after this man followed the same tack in their speeches saying that they did not have gods and if any gods belonging to them could be found, Wi Pere was welcome to take them. The first man to stand to speak against Wi Pere was Peta Toto, the vehicle of Houtaketake, but this man had been established for many years. Wi Pere used to support Houtaketake but now he had turned to Te Wereta, the new ‘prophet’. One year, in the past, some people came here to Gisborne. They were tohunga from Ngapuhi and were going to the Ngati Porou area. Some people from the College went to prevent those tohunga from doing mischief. Wi Pere also gave orders to stop those people because of strong words from the Member. Wi Pere agreed to stop those people, not because he was opposed to the activities of tohunga but because he disapproved of other tohunga coming when there was already a tohunga in the area, Te Houtaketake! Te Houtaketake has been pushed aside now and Te Wereta is supported. Peta Toto said that he was not prepared to lay down his gods, and he would hold onto his spirits until he died, and so he could never agree to laying down his gods. Houtaketake had three gods, the most important was the moatipua, a hooting owl. Peta said that at the time he was speaking his gods were standing in front of him. Perhaps Te Wetera had perceived those gods or something, but Peta said that they were still standing before him. But they could not be seen by the ordinary eye. Peta spoke about Te Wereta saying that he had no native gods, but his power in fact came from him; Te Wereta had one of his gods, the moatipua - that god belonged to him. Wi Pere was angry at the stubbornness of Te Houtaketake in refusing to lay down his gods. That man was still seeking to make his name just as Te Wereta was seeking to exalt his name.

After Peta Toto’s speech, Te Tatana, the spokesman of the Kaupare, stood to respond to Wi Pere’s demand. The Kaupare is an ancient Maori religious ritual. Te Tatana said that he was not going to agree to sacrifice his gods: his were real gods while other gods were their babies, their children; his was the adult amongst the gods. At a hui held at Uawa he sold the offspring of his gods. One of the babies was taken by the tribe of Te Wereta, and perhaps that baby was Te Wereta’s god now. Wi Pere was wrong to advocate putting the grown animal under the authority of the calf. Te Tatana said that if anyone wanted the young of his gods he was willing to sell them, indeed he wanted to sell the children of his gods. These rascals had not voted for Wi Pere’s tohunga. Te Wereta said that Te Tatana had attacked the chiefs of Turanga. Perhaps he said this to frighten Te Tatana, thinking that he would trouble that brave person. Te Tatana did not reply; perhaps he stood aloof because he had the satisfaction of seeing his gods praised.

After the speeches, Wi Pere took off his coat and told his man to bring the scissors to cut the hair [7] of those tohunga who agreed to surrender their mana. Wi Pere called out, ‘Get up and have your hair cut,’ but as the barber drew near people said, ‘I don’t want my hair cut.’ The barber said, ‘I’ll cut the wind,’ and snipped at the wind. Some men agreed to have their hair cut but Te Houtaketake and the Kaupare did not consent and said, ‘No whia, Wi Pere!’ [‘No fear, Wi Pere!]

The meeting of the small gods went on after tea so our man was not able to wait. What we have published shows the tendency of the events of that meeting so that thinking people can look at what we Maori are doing. It may make you laugh, or feel ashamed, or feel sad at heart.

MAKING A WILL

There are perhaps some of us Maori who do not understand this business of making a will. If a person pays a lot to a lawyer or to some other person who knows the law he will explain it to him, but we thought it would be good to set down some of the basics of making a will for us to look at. Some of these rules about making wills have been laid down by our Pakeha friends from the distant past up to the present time. They are as follows.

It is a good and proper thing that every married person and every single person who has reached the age of 21 should make a will. Both those categories can make a valid will. Young people under the age of 21 do not have the power to bequeath their possessions. Once a person has made clear his intentions in the statements in his will then he signs his name to the will in the presence of two or more witnesses and those witnesses sign their names on the will in the presence of the person who made the will.

It is not possible to alter the will. Should it be destroyed or burned by the person who made it or by some person on his instructions, then a new will must be made.

Wills are no longer valid once a new will has been made.

If a word in the will is wrong then that word may be corrected and if a word is missing it may be inserted but the make of the will and the witnesses must sign their names at the place opposite the word that has been corrected or deleted.

If a man or woman marries for a second time his or her will is invalidated. The person must first arrange for an executor to administer his will. If there are no children, it may be his advisers (lawyers) or relations.

There is no stamp duty or tax on the will. The will should be written clearly. If you cannot do it then it can be done by a lawyer near your town, by a JP, or by a Licensed Interpreter. They are very familiar with the procedure. Should a person wish to leave some of his possessions to his child born outside his marriage, he is not able to include that child with the children within the marriage, but it must be dealt with separately and its name set down along with a statement that it is known to be my child.

If a person has many possessions it is best for him to allow his lawyers to make the will lest what is laid down in the will is inadequate in dealing with his wealth.

Should a person want to make a will in a hurry, whether because he is seriously ill of for some other reason, then let him appoint a man of integrity as his executor of his will, make the will, and send it to the Office of the Land Court for validation.

Some Maori think that making a will is only for those who are dying. This is the reason why some of our Maori wills give so much trouble. By leaving matters until the testator is near death it can happen that the dying person doesn’t know who is in front of him and what the will says and cannot hear if he has left his possessions to Jack and his lands to Tom. Then Mary is angry that Tom has taken the lands of her brother, when he is a different person altogether. Now, friends, those who are of age, married people. people who are single, let us not leave it until it is noised abroad that we have been struck by the hand of death to make our wills, but if we want to make a will, make it today, for who knows when you are going to leave bereft your wife, your children, your family. Let your wishes be known beforehand lest relations turn up who did not know you in this world and dispose of your possessions as they like and in a way you would not want. This month there are some cases of disputed wills being heard here in Gisborne. In one case of a contested will it is known that the testator was forgetful of his close relations when he bequeathed his possessions. Some say that the thoughts of the deceased were confused when he signed his will. - H.T.P.

[8] 

 DIOCESE OF WAIAPU

The Hui of the Maori Church

The hui of the Maori Church of the Turanga area was held at Te Rahui, Waiapu, on 30th March.

The Bishop’s Speech

Friends, clergy, representatives of the people:

The purpose of what we are doing in meeting each year is to take forward the work of the Church in this area, to fulfil what Christ has laid down. This cannot be achieved if the person is not empowered by God. If we have diligently followed him, we shall achieve everything, if we remember and if we have faith in the words of Christ who has given the Holy Spirit to intercede for mankind, and who said, ‘Those things that you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received them, and you will have them. (Mark 11.24).’ According to Christ, ‘All things are possible to the one who believes. (Mark 9.13).’ So it is right that we seek the reason why we are not achieving some of the things the Church is meant to be doing.

We know that some of the means of growing the work in the past years were provided from afar. Since last December the sending of money from England to provide stipends for the clergy of the Maori part of the Church has ceased. So it is left for the Church here in New Zealand to give thought to the work here. What is happening is that the Pakeha part of the Church is working and calling to their Maori friends, ‘Let’s work together.’ A response to this invitation was the holding of the hui at Wai-o-Matatini last year. The collection there was designated to be the foundation of the Sustentation Fund for the Maori Clergy in this Diocese. It was said there that the collection raised £1000, but much of that money has not yet reached the Fund. Why was it not quickly sent to the appropriate place for it to be? That collection was to benefit the work of the Church; that money was gathered together as an offering to God. It is not right that money which has been dedicated to God should be wrongly directed to pay the debts of the people who organised the hui, that people should lay hands on it. But since the collection has been completed the money should be swiftly sent lest people misuse what has been presented to God. There is perhaps a reason why it is taking so long, and that is that people have thrown the shadow of the money into the collection, i.e. a paper which is called and ‘Order’. This shadow, the ‘Order’, ought not to be thrown into the collection when there is no substance to back it up. When all our actions are faithful and true, we will receive God’s blessing. We must not present to God the mere shadow, but the things that are in our hands.

There are many issues facing the people of the Church today; I can only address some of them now. One thing that causes me sadness as I go around Maori villages is that people do not want to be confirmed. Each year our children are getting older; they were baptised when they were small when the Godparents, those who brought the child to baptism, were reminded that the child should ‘be brought to the Bishop to be confirmed by him, so soon as he can say the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments … and be further instructed in the Church Catechism.’ The parents and godparents cannot have been listening then to those words, or they have forgotten them, because they are not bringing their children to be confirmed. Illnesses of the body are attended to but not the illnesses of the soul. Parents are betraying their children; the gifts given by God are being withheld by them alone and are not being passed on to the children. The children are attending school and are learning things which will ensure their physical well-being, but they are not learning to pray to God, or other things that a person needs to know for the well-being of the soul. Another thing, there is a problem at some schools in that it is said that some children attend some days and not on others. The parents are the cause of this problem in that they do not make their children go. If the children continually go to school then they will not go astray and be disobedient. This is something for both clergy and people to think about. Various people have sought but not found a reason for this problem, or for others things which show the weakness of the work of the Church. It is easy to discern another person’s failings, but they are his, and it is a difficult thing.

But this matter, a lack of concern that children are taught to pray about the things given us by God, is a sign of the death of a person’s faith. If a person truly knows the value of what he has he will not forget to pass them on to his children. [9] This attitude of indifference is seen in people when they come to Prayers in the Church. Some are thoughtful, remembering the God who listens to people’s prayers. But in the case of many it is only the body that comes to service, the spirit is bowing down elsewhere. That person just sits there, not standing in places where others are standing, and not kneeling for prayer; no words of prayer or of praise to God emerge from his mouth, and his ears do not hear the word of God being read. If we remember that what we are doing we are doing in the presence of God who sees the thoughts of our hearts, a person will be overawed, he will remember that he is soiled by sin, he will ask in prayer for the things given by God to be given to him, he will be humble remembering the greatness of God, and he will not forget to bring up his children in awe of God.

May God guide us, gathered together here, that our inner thoughts may be acceptable to him, along with the things we say, that they may serve to strengthen the works of the Church which we do.

Some of the motions:

By H Pahewa, Minister, and Rutene te Aihu, Minister:

That this hui conveys its gratitude to the Rev D Trail Hailey, Schoolmaster of Te Kaha, for his great kindness in giving a font for baptisms to the Te Kaha Church, in memory of his child who died in the sea, and may they find comfort from God in their sorrow.

By A Tamihere, Minister, and Hoani Ruahuihui:

This hui is greatly saddened that people increasingly break the Sunday in this district, and this hui says to the Church people in this district that they should beware of getting into this practice and that they should speak to those who are behaving in this way urging them to stop.

A question from Matiaha Pahewa, Minister:

Why has Nikora Tautau, minister in the Waikato area, not been permitted to return to succeed Matiaha Pahewa in the Parish of Tokomaru?

The Chairman replied:

I want Nikora to return to this Diocese. If there is an obvious way for him to return he will immediately be invited to come back.

A question from Hori Tohungia:

Concerning the money collected by the people of the parish of Tokomaru towards provision for ministers: why has it not been included in the amount for clergy stipends?

The Chairman replied:

That money was collected to build a church in Uawa. Subsequently it was said that it should be a stipend for Nikora Tautau. It was not seen by all the parishioners as a collection for the clergy stipend fund; it is the case that it was designated for another purpose.

A question from Mohi Turei:

A man cohabits with a woman but they do not marry and they have no children. Later he leaves that woman and cohabits with another with whom he has children. The woman wants them to get married and the man agrees. What is the correct procedure in these circumstances?

The Chairman replied:

God’s design for marriage is as follows. If two come together, man and woman, and commit themselves to each other, and one of them dies, in the eyes of God it is as if they were married. However they should be married as a sign to others that they have made a firm commitment to each other. The proper thing is that the marriage should come first and the living together after. If one abandons his partner in order to take a different partner, this is disgusting to God, hence his words in Malachi 2.16: ‘For I hate divorce says the Lord, the God of Israel.’ So the proper condition for marriage is one man and one woman, whether or not they have children. If a minister is troubled about this or similar matters let him consult the Bishop.

By Hirai te Ngahue and H Pahewa, Minister:

This hui asks the leaders of worship and other people too from each village to set about teaching the children of their villages since it is realised that this is one of the important ways off helping children to grow.

A question from H Pahewa, Minister:

Is it right to baptize the children of Catholics, who have already been baptized by their priests, if the minister does not know about this?

The Chairman replied:

If people have been baptized as Catholics, whether as adults or children, it is not right that they should be baptized anew when they join our part of the Christian Church. If things are not clear then one should tell the Bishop.

[10] 

HUI TE RANGIORA

It was a great day at Puketerangi, Waikouaiti, when the church called Hui te Rangiora was opened on 25th March. This is not a new building but an old one built in 1884, but the church was small and needed enlarging. The hui was for the consecration of the extension. The Bishop of Dunedin, Bishop Neville, came to open the building along with some other Pakeha, and the Maori of that district gathered for the opening of their building. The first to enter the building were the choir members followed by the lay-readers, then came the clergy and, last of all, the Bishop. The congregation had sat down and began singing as the procession entered. Mr Harry Blathwayt conducted the singing, Ani Parata played the organ, and the choir children were all dressed in white robes. The Bishop’s text was the first verse of Psalm 122, ‘I was glad when they said unto me, “Let us go into the House of the Lord.”’ The Bishop said that this was a song of praise by the Children of Israel when they were drawing near to the Temple at Jerusalem, likewise the Maori People were sad but now they have drawn near to the Temple of Jehovah. The Jews climbed up Mount Zion; likewise the people of Puketerangi climbed to their church standing of the hill, Puke te Rangiora.

The Maori found £200 to renovate their building and decorate it inside. Most of the furnishings were gifts of love from Pakeha friends – the robes, the candlesticks, the lighting, the vessels, the font, the collection plates and other things.

After the service refreshments were served in the meeting house and there was a great deal of food. Tame Parata MHR, Taare Wetere te Kaahu, the Bishop and Rev C Fraer made speeches. Another service was held at 4 o’clock and this concluded this hui.

*******

Some parts of Australia have recovered. Queensland is the area that has had much rain. However it will take many years to return to its former state. Many parts of New South Wales are still dry. The rains they have had have been insufficient.

GENERAL HECTOR MACDONALD

On 25th March this man was discovered lying dead in his room in the hotel in which he lived in Paris. By his own hand he cut himself off from this world.

This man was one of the leading generals in the war against the Boers. He was a warrior and a brave man. There are very few men like him when it comes to mastering the art of war. He became a soldier in 1870. For ten years he lived without making a name for himself. But when he entered the fighting he moved swiftly upwards because of his knowledge and his bravery. He took part in many battles. And many medals were presented to him. In 1900 he was promoted to Colonel and he was the foremost and most famous person under Lord Kitchener in that place. In the war against the Boers he achieved the rank of General. England sent that man to travel to these islands since he was nearby and New Zealand greatly admired him. After the Boer Wars, MacDonald was appointed commanding officer of the soldiers in Ceylon. While he was there, and as a result perhaps of envy on the part of some people, malicious stories were made up about him. Those stories were sent to the Parliament of Ceylon. However, because of the weighty nature of those allegations the laws of that country could not judge MacDonald. The Governor of that land instructed him to go and see his friends and superior officers in England. That governor also instructed Lord Roberts and the King’s War Office to empower a court to try MacDonald under military law. MacDonald arrived in England and spoke with Lord Roberts and his friends also and they concluded that those allegations were unfounded. When he returned from Ceylon to be tried he lived in Paris. Some of those stories appeared in the French papers. He was greatly distressed on seeing those stories and it was then that he took up his pistol and killed himself. People were very sad that this warrior should die in such a fashion. His family is intent on clearing his good name and is urging the setting up of a court to obliterate the charges against him.

[11] JOTTINGS

From January 1902 up until this January, two million (2,000,000) cattle and four million (4,000,000) sheep have died in Queensland, one of the Australian colonies, as a result of the drought.

The school at Otaki has been burned down. Nothing was saved. This was an old Maori school, financially supported by Maori.

The Privy Council in England had serious things to say to the New Zealand Government about the school land at Porirua being taken from the Church. In the judgement of the Supreme Court the Government was right to take that land. The Bishop of Wellington sent the decision to be reviewed by the Privy Council and the Government was defeated. The Council said that the Government existed to protect the interests of people and not to overthrow them.

When the court sat on the East Coast, 17 Maori were tried for crimes and not a single Pakeha. The Pakeha say that the Maori are very bad now.

We have heard that Wi Pere is proposing to send a petition to the Government seeking a licence for his tohunga, Te Wereta. Why has it taken so long?

Sir Thomas Lipton has completed the construction of a yacht to sail against the American yacht. Shamrock III is the name of this craft. When Shamrock I was defeated, Shamrock II was built, and when Shamrock II was beaten, Shamrock III was built. The cost of just one of these boats is huge.

The New Zealand Band is at present at sea on the way to England to play there. Erueti Rangiuia has gone with the band as singer. He was sent by Timi Kara. He left in a hurry.
 

A party of 50 came from the Urewera, from Tuhoe, to Gisborne here. They came to lament a death. Another Tuhoe party is coming. They tell us that the Maori village the Government ordered to be built at Ruatahuna is nearly finished.

Tiaki Harini, James Macfarlane and Shrimpton make up the board to run the Tai-Rawhiti Land Company. Each will be paid £400.

There was sent from Australia to the Judge in Gisborne here the medal and certificate for Henare Kohere honouring his rescuing of the Pakeha at East Cape. This is a very great Pakeha honour.

We saw the writings of Rawei about the Maori in an American paper along with photos of Maori to illustrate his article, but some of his pictures are not of Maori but are rather of Pacific Islanders. Maori do not go around naked. This is a bad mistake.

The committees to run the licensing of liquor outlets in Pakeha areas have been set up. Many committees to reduce the number of public houses and to shorten the hours of sale of alcohol were established. Of the five people elected for Taranaki, Perere Peneti received more votes than all the Pakeha. By their craftiness those who sell liquor are overturning, through their lawyers, the prohibition on selling liquor in Newtown and Bruce, and they tried unsuccessfully to invalidate the decisions of Ashburton, Chalmers and Mataura. When the committees were elected a committee favouring the prohibition of alcohol was elected and now they are saying that they will not agree to licences for Newtown and Bruce. One side thinks they are right; the other side thinks they are right.

Nearly 2.000 attended the hui at Omahu. Timi Kara spoke to the hui about the Councils. He said that it would be a good thing if an order could be made preventing members of marae committees from drinking. Perere Peneti attended and stayed to lead worship. People are full of praise for this hui. The most important thing is the size of the collection, £1,322. £900 of this came from the local people. There has never been a collection as large as this. Part of this money is apportioned to meeting Mr Williams’ Challenge.

MAORI GIRLS’ SCHOOL

These are some of the gifts for the sale at Auckland:

Te Hurinui Apanui, 2 Maori cloaks; Te Keepa Tawhio, 60 kits, from Whakatane; from the people of Kawhia, 30 kits; from Mrs McAllister, 6 kits; from the Williams family, a box of kits; from the Bay of Islands, a parcel of kits.

The Committee is very grateful to the people who sent goods and the Pakeha were keen to get the Maori articles. We are full of praise for those friends who were mindful of this important project. When Bishop Neligan arrives the school will be formally opened; meanwhile the school has already started. Bishop Neligan arrives in May and will be enthroned in Auckland.

[12] CALENDAR: MAY

Day 12 Full Moon 0h 48m a.m.

Day 27 New Moon 10h 20m a.m.

1 F Philip and James Fast

Morning Evening

Isaiah 61 Zechariah 4

John 1.1-43 Colossians 3.1-18

2 S

3 S Third Sunday after Easter

Numbers 22 Numbers 23

Luke 22.31-54 Colossians 4.1-7

4 M

5 T

6 W

7 Th

8 F Fast

9 S

10 S Fourth Sunday after Easter

Deuteronomy 4.1-23 Deuteronomy 4.23-41

John 1.1-29 2 Thessalonians 2

11 M

12 T

13 W

14 Th

15 F Fast

16 S

17 S Fifth Sunday after Easter

Litany Sunday

Deuteronomy 6 Deuteronomy 9

John 5.1-25 1 Timothy 6

18 M Litany Day Fast

19 T Litany Day Fast
20 W Litany Day Vigil, Fast

21 Th Ascension Day* Athanasian Creed

Psalms 8, 13, 21 24, 47 , 108

Daniel 7.9-15 2 Kings2.1-16

Luke 24.1-44 Hebrews 4

22 F Fast

23 S

24 S Sunday after Ascension

Deuteronomy 30 Deuteronomy 34

John 8.1-31 Titus 3

25 M

26 T

27 W

28 Th

29 F Fast

30 S Vigil, Fast

31 S Pentecost

Psalms 48, 63 104, 145

Deuteronomy 16.1-18 Isaiah 11

Romans 8.1-18 Galatians 5.1-16

*Use the Collect for Ember Weeks every day this week.

NOTICE

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

11/- T Purvis Russell; 5/- Karaitiana Poi, Hoani Hapo, Piripi Te Heuheu, Hohepa Wahangu, W T Prentice, Peka Kerekere, Pairama Whatarau; 4/- Raniera Kawhia.

H W Williams, Te Rau Press, Gisborne.