Te Pipiwharauroa 154

Te Pipiwharauroa 154

No. 154

1911/02

(Maori Version at NZETC.)

[1] Te Pipiwharauroa, He Kupu Whakamarama, Number 154, Gisborne, February 1911.

‘As clouds deck the heavens, so feathers enable the bird to fly.’ [cf. Nga Pepeha 352 but also He Konae Aronui p.13]

‘Kui! Kui! Whitiwhitiora!’ [The cry of the shining cuckoo.]

THE HUI AT WAIOMATATINI.

From the conversations of people in meeting houses and on the streets it seems that there will be many people attending the Hui Topu of the Diocese of Waiapu to be held amongst Ngati Porou. Ngati Porou want this to be a new gift, something to recall long afterwards. It is news of the choir performances within Ngati Porou which is inspiring young and old to come to the hui. The idea is to find at the hui the choir which sings hymns most sweetly.

The elders of each village that have choirs are urging them on. They say things like, ‘So, my friends, be strong. Stand up like men lest so-and-so’s choir wipes the floor with you! The parents used to give similar instructions to the young when they went to fight. This is a real competition and of a quality which will encourage a person to lift up his feet and take to the road, bringing with him his ears to listen to performances which will help his faith. There are many important things for this hui to do for the benefit of the Church. Together with these we have the plans for the Manutuke Church and Hukarere School. These two things alone are important matters for the people to consider. Our hope is that the issues addressed by the hui will be concluded satisfactorily, and that the desires of Ngati Porou who have called this event, which it is their privilege to host this year, will be fulfilled.

OUR INHERITANCE IN THE CHURCH.

Chapter IV

Worship

‘A spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood.’ (1 Peter 2.5)

In a previous chapter it was pointed out that one of the works of the Church is to worship God with worship from the heart in the name of Jesus Christ. Also the holiness and goodness of the all the people in the Church is to increase. It is this worship that we are to speak about in this chapter.

This thing, worship, is of the essence of being human. It is said that this is what differentiates humans from other animals - human beings are worshipping animals. No people has been found, however wild, that does not worship or relate to a native god.

There are two aspects to the worship of Almighty God, of Jehovah – a broader and a narrower. The broader aspect encompasses offering of sacrifices, praise, the confession of sins, and the making of intercession to God. The narrower aspect is offering sacrifices only to God. That is the essence of worship. Let us remember that worship cannot be called worship if a person is not offering the true praise of his heart to God. This is a mistake commonly made by a person who thinks that the main purpose of worship is to ask God for the thing he wants.

We are to understand that a Christian’s prayer to God is good when it springs from his knowledge of the character of God and of God’s benevolence shown to him by Jesus Christ. [2] His prayer is made in the name of Jesus Christ and it is prompted by the Holy Spirit in his heart. The praying of the Christian is described in the words which declare, ‘By him also we have access through the one Spirit to the Father.’ [Ephesians 2.18] This is the nature of true worship. Worship in the name of Mary is not true worship. Rome alone supports this idea, not the early Church. Nor is it right to worship the bread that has been consecrated. Rome alone teaches this. The worship of the Jews as spoken of in Deuteronomy 4 was worship of the Lord of Hosts only. They took great care lest some worship different gods. That practice continues in the Church of Christ – the Holy Trinity alone is worshipped.

We must also remember that Christians do not offer worship only to the Father but also to the Son. This has been the Church’s practice from the beginning until now. The correctness of this statement is seen from the large number of ancient hymns of the Church directed at the Son – ‘O Spirit, creator of the human heart’ [‘Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire] – from the service for the ordination of clergy.

This is the nature of the worship of a Christian. Each person has a part to play in this worship. When a person has been baptized he has been made a priest in the presence of God. He cannot then look to another for that status. People today think that they get this status when they are made ministers. This is not the case in worship. That man alone can confess his sins to God and he alone can ask for what his spirit desires. He must participate along with others in the worship at the Lord’s Supper and add his praise in that service. A person cannot avoid this practice.

One thing we must grasp is that a person is not able alone to fulfill all the requirements of worship – he must participate in the great acts of worship of the whole group. This rule was taught to the Family of Israel. Three times a year all the males of the people were to appear in the presence of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 16.16) The pattern for their morning and evening worship was laid down. (Exodus 29) The Book of Psalms is a Service Book for the Jews. After they had been exiled to Babylon the people set about building places of worship where they could worship God.

The Church of Christ has retained this custom. It was about this custom that he spoke when he said, ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matthew 18.20) Right at the beginning of Acts it is pointed out how the disciples held to ‘the teaching of the Apostles, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers.’ [Acts 2.42] The Christians in the days after the Apostles retained this practice. Pliny wrote to the Emperor saying that the Christian practice was to meet in a place to worship. This is a very important part of the worship of a Christian, the meeting to worship in one place; and if he did not do this he was disregarding one of the important things which would be of benefit to his soul and to those of his friends. If a man fulfilled this, much good would come to his soul.

But this is not an easy thing to do. There are many difficulties, some from outside, some from within. As a man’s faith cools it becomes difficult for him to go to worship. He is distracted by the many troubles of the world, his work and other things, so that he does not get to worship. Some come to worship but then get it wrong. These are the things that make true worship difficult. Because of these problems the Church has devised ways to help improve people’s worship. These are the main things the Church has devised to help people’s worship.

1. The content of worship. The prayers and other things have been laid down. This was the practice of the Jews in the past. Christ copied that practice for his Church. The Jews used their prayers and blessings in their places of worship. Those things were written down. Soon after the time of the Apostles these practices of worship were established. Five rites were generally known, and the practice of worship today follows the pattern of those rites. Each part of the Church has prepared a way of worship suitable to its area, but retaining the New Testament and the worship books of the Early Church as patterns.

2. Churches. These were built to help worship. Their decorations and other things were all designed to help worship.

3. A Calendar, to order the worship.

4. Postures for people during worship such as kneeling during prayer, standing to praise, and bowing the head when the name of Jesus Christ is spoken.

More important than all these is the attitude of the heart, but those who hold to these things will say that they have been a blessing.

[3]

Let us look at the Prayer Book and see if it is agreement with these worship practices we have spoken of. This book was compiled a long time ago. It contains prayers and other things from the time it was put together up to our own time. But there are no prayers in this book offered to any other than Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Most of the prayers are directed to the Father in the name of Christ. Most of the supplications in the Litany and three of the collects are addressed to Jesus Christ (Chrysostom, Third Sunday in Advent and First Sunday in Lent). In the hymn sung during the service of Ordination of Priests the congregation asks the Holy Spirit to come amongst those being set apart for the sacred office. Our Prayer Book provides all that is needed for the worship of a Christian.

Our Prayer Book provides a form of worship for a Christian but each person is able to offer his own prayer to God. All the prayers and other matter contained our Prayer Book are not just for an individual to use, namely, the minister, but he is offering those intercessions and praises on behalf of the congregation and some of the things are said by the minister and congregation together. The minister alone says the blessing and the absolution. Furthermore, the prayers in this book are not prayers just for the individual but for his brothers and sisters too. We see from this that our Prayer Book always has in mind the priesthood of the laity.

All the services in the Prayer Book apply to all the life situations of a man from birth to death. When small there is the baptism; growing up he learns the Catechism and is confirmed; then there are the services of Morning and Evening Prayer and the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper which he will attend right up until he dies.

It is very good and proper that the services in this book are held in a building set apart for that activity. Although it is possible to celebrate these services in other places it is appropriate that the people of the Church build a House of Worship. That Prayer Book also points out that Sunday should be kept sacred. The Rubrics also give instructions as to how the services should be conducted so that all parts of the Church have the same services of worship.

WHY ARE WE CALLED MAORI?

To the Editor of Te Pipiwharauroa.

Bird, here I am answering the question posed by Waaka Te Ranui of Ruatoki from Te Pipi 151. He addressed the name by which we are known, ‘Maori,’ and gave his own response to his question [about its origin]. It is an important question and a weighty one. But as to his own take on that question, well, what has he taken? A rat perhaps? But that is too large. I have also seen the take on it of another person, the Rev Nikora Tautau, in Te Pipi Number 152. It is better than [Te Waaka’s], indeed it is very good and it is close to the origin but does not quite get there. So, my friends, pay attention as I write about the obvious origins of our name. Our name ‘Maori’ has two origins.

1. It derives from ‘Moria’ which was the name of this island before the more recent names – Te Ika-roa-a-Maui and Aotearoa. Moria was the name made known by Kupe when he returned overseas; it was Moria-a-nuku, and when the people came to this island they wanted the name to be Moria-a-nuku. When they arrived they settled on this island and the name of the island was used to designate them. They were called Maori, a shortened form of this name Moria-a-nuku. The same happened with Hawaiki, Rarotonga, Tahiti and India etc. – the names of all those lands were also used to designate the people there. Wai Maori means the [?wai] of Moria; it refers to a permanent resident of Moria.

2. The second reason why we are called Maori is that the original phrase was ‘Ma uri’ [dark-white]; and referred to the colour of our skin. We are not really black and we are not really white, but there have been white people amongst our descendants. The fact is that the peoples living here who came from the Islands would refer to a person who was black as an ‘uri’ [dark skinned]. So Ngapuhi referred to the ‘uri’ as ‘parauri’ [dark-brown skinned]; Taranaki spoke of them as being ‘manauri’ [darkish]. The ‘uri’ was pronounces as ‘ori’, therefore ‘Maori’ became the final form of ‘Mauri’. The fairies were whiter than the Maori so the Maori were called ‘Ma uri’ [dark white].

‘Wai Maori’ [Maori Water]. So we arrive at the origin of ‘Maori water’, which is ‘Wai ma uri’ [dark white water]. Maori water is not like sea water when it comes to clarity. Rather, Maori water is darker than sea water. If we look carefully at all [4] the Maori water emerging into the sea we see that the Maori water appears dark in the sea water, therefore it was said that it was ‘dark white water’. These names started on this island, but not with Captain Cook; they were in use before he arrived. Such are my words explaining this query from the elder.

H W Kaipo,

Rahotu.

To Te Pipiwharauroa.

Greetings to you both – you and the chief who sends you to the marae of these two islands. Best wishes. So much for the greeting.

My friend, please load my few words onto Te Pipi’s paper in salutation to my noble friend of Uawa, Nikora Tautau.

My friend, sir, New Year greetings to you who are cherished by the Lord of heaven and also by the people living on this earth. Greetings, friend. Today I have seen the opinions and the elucidations of my question about the origin of this name, Maori. My friend, Nikora Tautau, I am not distressed at the interpretation I made and which you criticize, because it is exactly the same as what you wrote – a story or a myth. As it happened, my friend, it was not something to mollify but rather something spread abroad to invite criticism, and indeed the companion of these words has arrived and it is being said that Te Waaka Te Ranui of Ruatoki is ignorant. However your friend will not be embarrassed by this mistake. My friend, as for the first potato, the understanding was mine and that of Tuhoe, but it was my mouth only that asserted that it was from the old days, the days of Captain Cook. Secondly, as for that name ‘taewa’ [potato], it is from the old days. Now, about the ‘paakee’ [rough cape of kiekie or flax], as I understand it, it is white and has the name ‘paakee’ because it is made of ‘rakeke’ sic [?harakeke – flax]. Hence the light-coloured leaves, my friend, Nikora Tautau. I have heard from the elders the names you draw to my attention – there are others. In the days of Pharaoh the Maori tohunga came from there. Now, I have no criticisms of your interpretations of the names Maori and Pakeha. I support those interpretations. Now, my friend I wish to correct a statement which is wrong in the sentence. That statement is, ‘My old men on board Matatua saw that their faces were white like their clothes.’ It gives the impression that it is my people on board Matatua who are wearing clothes such as capes and cloaks that are white like the faces of the Pakeha. Enough.

From your younger brother,

Waaka Te Ranui.

THE HEALTH OF THE DOMINION.

In Mr Ward’s speech at Tarawhata he pointed out how well the Dominion is doing. He said that New Zealand has not stopped borrowing money, and that money will continue to come in in order to complete our public works. But the difficult thing is paying the debts. He thinks that the right thing to do is to spread the debt repayment over the next three generations. It is not good that this generation alone pays for the major works of the Dominion so that, when it arrives, a new generation gets the benefits without having to pay for them. Nor is it right that this generation should expect the coming generation to pay the debts, but each generation should pay the amount proportionate to the benefits they have received.

The amount given by the Government to settlers in the past year was £1,329,000, and to construction workers, £408,000. From the beginning of this project until now, £10,254,000 has been given to settlers and £1,152,000 to the workers. In the past ten years the value of exports together with that of products sold in the Dominion has gone up from £23,800,000 to £39,200,000. The value of the land has gone up significantly in those ten years, an increase of a little more than 100%, as it went up from £138,591,000 to £277,630,000. The value of the land increased by more than £199,000,000 over those ten years.

The value of the Dominion’s produce increased dramatically, as did the amount spent on large public works. In the past five years, the years during which he has been Prime Minister, the Government has spent £11,572,846 on the railways, roads, bridges, housing for the people and other similar large projects. Of this money, £7,271,810 was spent on Aotearoa [the North Island] and £4, 301,033 on Te Waipounamu [the South Island]. The money was allocated as follows:

Railways £7,208,866

Roads & Bridges 2,011,182

Housing 1,171,009

Other works 1,109,786

[5]

THE TE ARAWA MAORI TROUPE.

To the Editor of Te Pipiwharauroa.

My friend, greetings to you there at Te Raukahikatea, looking after our Bird who sings so well and who tells the stories from each place on the marae of our people who live in Aotearoa.

Our desire is to send accounts of this journey for him to carry to the whole people so that they may know that we are fine and very well as we travel the length and breadth of the land. This account begins at Christmas when we arrived here at Clontarf, Sydney. This suburb is some distance from Sydney on one of the bays of the harbour and our village is in the bush and quite close to the sea. The village is one used by Makereti’s party a year ago in 1909-10. What we do is travel and then rest. Our existence is very like that of the Maori in that we wander about on sunny days. Our main occupation is swimming. But this pa of ours in not nearly comparable with the pa in Melbourne, for its quality or for the welcome given by the people as a whole. The Pakeha do not come to see our activities as they did during our time in Melbourne. There are many reasons why there are not many Pakeha. The main reason here is rain during the days of January. On one great day the water rose up here covering the area in front of our building. The place was a watercourse. It was as deep and as swift as a flowing spring. We swam and washed clothes in that river and called it the Paramatta.

One remarkable thing on our travels is the brass band. We started it seven weeks ago and now the Pakeha are praising it. I should explain that some of us did not know how to read music [band notes]. When they began they were given figures instead of notes by their captain and teacher, Tiki Papakura. This man puts a lot of energy into teaching and other things, too. They have learned a great deal of music. The members of the band are Paora Tamati, Ngatapiri Toniki, Aporo Taiawhio, Aperahama Wiari, Erekana Hini, Rua Tawhai, Tamihana Paora, Wharepapa Wiremu, Miro Te Amohau, Te Meneti Ahipene.

A very pleasant thing happened here: the pleasant thing was a boat race on 28th January, Maori against Pakeha. One man in the Pakeha team is known as a champion here in Australia. He is called Harry Pearce. He proposed, and the Maori agreed, that we row in their fours. There were four in each boat and six oars; the men against men and the women against women. On the day before the great day our heavy-weights, Wharepapa, Hini, Matiua, and Te Ngaru, rowed against the light-weights. The light-weights – Miro, Tamihana Paora, Ngatapiri, and Tamihana Pauro – won. On the day of the great race the heavy-weights raced and the light-weights won again. At three o’clock on the afternoon of the race day the Maori women and the Pakeha women got ready, four on one side and four on the other. The Maori women were Pera Papakura, Te Anu Hooro, Hera Te Kamu, and Anikihi. The Pakeha won easily. The canoe race over three miles was won by Rua Tawhai and Hohepa Te Pokaihau. Four Pakeha were in the big canoe. The main race was against Harry Pearce, his younger brother, and two of their friends. This was the Maori team: Rua Tawhai, aged 25, 12 stone; Tiki Papakura, aged 36, 13 stone 6 pounds; Hohepa Pokaihau, aged 22, 12 stone; Te Meneti Ahipene, aged 18, 12 stone. The Pakeha were amazed at the toughness of the Maori in competing against H Pearce and his crew, but the Maori were not daunted by the reputation of that man. At four o’clock they went to the starting line. The distance was to be one mile. The starting gun went off and together the boats moved off. Both the boats went well and neither got in front of the other. As one nearly got past the other would keep level. The Pakeha shouted. They mistakenly thought that the Maori were winning, as one then the other charged ahead. With a chain to go the Pakeha began to pass. They put on a spurt and beat us by half a boat length. The Pakeha were full of praise for the Maori. The Pakeha wished to bet on another race between them and the Maori but the Pakeha said that the boats should be swapped because Pearce’s boat was built for racing while the Maori’s was a practice boat, but the Maori did not agree.

This race was the main topic of conversation for that day and night. Although we had not been able to defeat that man we were very happy that we were strong enough to keep up and not be left behind.[6] While were staying there we had to cook our own food. In our party of forty we had six cooking teams. After working for three days we swapped over. There were five people in each team, three men and two women. And we rotated in this way until the end of our time in that place. While we lived in this place we were responsible for getting firewood and doing other jobs. The boss organizing the catering for this party was Te Wharenui Hori. He took great trouble over arranging the right food for this troupe of forty. The man who did the carving at the pa was Kereopa Hori. Our chiefs were Ihenga and Hehira Torena. They care very well for us living here.

The well-known men and women in our travelling party who are in charge of our performances, of the dates, and of other matters are as follows: Makareti Papakura ( manager); Iwa Kereti (soloist and singer of sacred songs and hymns); Tima Papakura (belle of the village); Pera Papakura (leader of poi games and pianist); Mita Taupopoki (chief and father of the troupe); Paora Tamati (Star of the Maori war dances); Tiki Papakura (band master).

On 28th January, we received news that Te Kamu had died; the telegram read as follows, ‘Please make known kindly to Hera Te Kamu that Te Kamu has died.’ That cause great sorrow in our pa that night. The next day was a Sunday and our tangi went on throughout the day and into the night and there was great sympathy for our widowed Hera and her family during our travels. Afterwards Te Arawa thought about a contribution as a gift to the children of Hera Te Kamu who was travelling with us; those children had been left as orphans at home. The gift was ten pounds. On 3rd February Te Rimu Pae Kereopa arrived at our pa at Clondarf from Rotorua. She was a new woman who was joining us and she brought with her accounts of the dead as well as news of the people at home, to the people of Te Arawa in this part of the world. There was a great tangi and all the Maori customs were observed that night. Our elders spoke at length – Taupopoki, Paora Tamati, and Aperahama Wiari. The men and women lamented and grieved much over their losses. But there was also great joy at hearing news of home. Te Rimu Pae Keropa and her six-year-old son were very well after sailing here on the Maheno.

On 4th of this month Aporo Tawhiao and I went to see the home of the blacks to whom this island of Australia belongs, La Perouse. This village is fourteen miles from Port Jackson and stands in a bay of the [Pacific] Ocean. Those people are very black while some appear white as a result of inter-racial marriage. They do not cultivate food; the size of their sections is five acres with twenty acres going to their descendants. The people of that race are giving up living here; most have died or have been scattered. The Government is helping those living here. I am unable to compare this people with the Maori when some are distinctly black, some are white, and some are half-caste and very good-looking. Had the Maori perhaps experienced a more careful settlement then they may have been different in appearance with people being lighter in colour, beautiful in looks, and larger. This name ‘La Perouse’ is the name of [the captain of] the French ship which first landed at that place. The people living there were attacked. The name of that place is La Perouse. Those people have many stories to tell, however I cannot tell all the story. So I finish that matter here.

We saw - yes, it is true that I am stopping – a beautiful bay, deep, without rocks, with large inlets, and with houses standing on the slopes near the bay. Only the top floors of the houses can be seen above the bluegum trees. The predominant soil here is of rock and sand. So perhaps the farms are further away. The money-making enterprise here is quarrying rock for the houses and other uses in the town.

On 6th February we began to put in order the doings of Hinemoa and Tutanekai which we had done in the hall at Manere and not in our pa, but we are still living here. Hinemoa is Nere Wiari; Tutanekai is Aporo Tawhiao; Tiki is Ropata Kerei; and Umukaria is Tiki Papakura. It has gone well from our first rehearsal and in all we have done. The director is Rua Tawhai. While we are living in our pa, on Sundays our band plays at three o’clock in the afternoon and we sing some hymns that are appropriate for Sundays, and many Pakeha come to see.

And every day we give two performances, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

That’s enough, people, I have sent you an account of this place, and my heart hopes that you are as we are in these days when [7] we are very well, and we think of all of you, all the people living in Aotearoa.

We are happy and we know that through the diligence of our lady leader we will accomplish this trip to England and therefore our hearts rejoice. All you people, greetings, greetings; greetings to the ancestors, to the chiefs, and to other groups whom we are bringing before the world at large.

It is our hope that our canoe, Te Arawa, will sail well. Our cry is, ‘Loved one! Loved one! Be strong, be brave!’ Let your canoe arrive safely on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, let it ascend the large waves that slap against our [wiki -?week]. So people, best wishes, best wishes!

Hone Morehu Nuku

Maori Village, Clontarf,

Sydney, 5th February, 1910.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS.

Luke 2.8-20.

We read in these verses about the coming of the messengers to tell of the birth of Christ. The birth of the king’s son is a time of great rejoicing; the birth of the Prince of Peace was not widely proclaimed.

There are many lessons here for us to consider. First, consider the people who were told of the birth of Christ. ‘There were shepherds living in the wilderness and watching over their flocks by night.’ They were shepherds – not the wise men, not the leaders of the people; they were shepherds – not the scribes and the pharisees. It was as the words of James affirm: ‘Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him.’ (James 2.5) The things of the kingdom of God are hidden from the leaders and are revealed to the poor. The occupations of people do not hide them from God. Moses and David were looking after sheep, Gideon was threshing wheat, and Elisha was ploughing when the instructions of God came to them. Turn aside the temptation of Satan when he says to us that religion was not given for working people but for the chiefs.

The second thing for us to consider is the word spoken by the angel to the shepherds, ‘I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.’ These are true words to emerge from the mouth of the angel. The world had lain for a long time in darkness, and now God had opened up the way of Peace and Reconciliation to all the nations. God had laid the foundation of his kingdom. If this was not a cause for great joy there is no message to which it is appropriate to give that name.

Consider the third thing – the people who first praised God for the birth of Christ. Those who sang this song were angels, a sinless people who did not wish for a saviour. The first hymn sung to honour the incarnation of God was sung by the hosts of heaven. This section has many things to teach us. We see that the angels are the good servants since they delight in the works of God. They are well informed about the wickedness of sin and of the goodness of the mansions of heaven. We are shown how great a love the angels have for us human beings. They rejoice in the knowledge that there is now a way whereby people can escape from the wrongs which oppress them. Let us follow the example of the angels and rejoice in this outcome, and also be sorry for wrongdoing.

The fourth thing for us to think about is the song of the angels. They say, ‘Glory to God in the highest.’ It is the case that the greatest glory of God is shown to the world in the coming of his Son into the world. The righteousness, the holiness, the unconditional love, and the knowledge of God, was revealed by him in his life right up to his death on the cross. The glory of God is seen in the creation of the world, but it is seen infinitely more in the revelation of his redemption of the world.

The second part says, ‘May there be peace on earth.’ It is indeed the case that we now have the peace of God which passes our understanding, and peace between the holy God and sinful human beings – a peace that is open to all people, without money and without price.

The last part of the song says, ‘Let there be goodwill towards men.’ This is the time when God’s goodwill is surely there for people. The power of God is seen in his creation of the world, his righteousness in the Flood, and now his love is seen in the redemption of the world, it is seen in abundance.

This is what the song of the angels was like and good is bestowed on the person who thinks about it [8] and who holds onto that way in his heart.

The final thing for us to look at is the swiftness of the shepherd to believe what the angels had revealed. They did not doubt; they did not question whether what they had seen was true or just a dream. They immediately went to Bethlehem to see what had been disclosed to them by the Lord. They gained the great reward for their belief for they were the first people besides Mary and Joseph to see the Messiah who had been born into the world. ‘And they returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it was told to them.’ Let us be like them and be swift to do what we have to, since the path we have to follow is clear.

SAMUEL MARSDEN.

His words about the people and their doings.

‘On Monday, 26th December, 1814, I gave orders to bring the axes and other goods from the ship [tima]. My idea was to fell trees with which to build houses for the missionaries. When the axes arrived I saw that they were too few to distribute to the Maori given the size of my task. Because there was no coal to fire the iron for the smithy I gave instructions for the erection of the blacksmith’s building to make axes for us and to fire them in charcoal. There was not one tree at Rangihoua. The place where there were trees was perhaps ten miles away on the other side of the inlet of that sea. On the Tuesday we sailed to that place. The chief of that land was Terra (that was his name according to Mr Marsden). When our boat arrived Terra was sitting there on the beach. I went straight to him to ask if we might cut trees there. There went with me a young man, a son of Terra. He had lived for many years with me in Parramatta. Now at last he had come home. There was much weeping on the part of Terra and his people for his son who had come safely home. Terra was very happy to see me; he had heard much about me. When I asked permission to cut trees he said to go and cut what we wanted. As we were getting ready to go he detained us so that he could cook food for us. He gave instructions to prepare food. After eating we went and when we arrived at the boat found that he had loaded on board some kits of food for us to take. We went away well satisfied with the welcome this man had given us. There was a pa at the place at which we were to cut timber; it was called Kawakawa. While the men were felling trees I occupied myself with going to the nearby pa. One night Nicholas and I stayed in the home of an elder. He told us that he had seen Captain Cook arrive. He was a child at that time. He pointed out to us the place where Captain Cook’s ship made land, the place he set up his tent, and the place where he and his men had felled trees. When our trees were felled we returned to Rangihoua. On Monday 9th January I went to see one of Hongi’s pa called Waimate. We went by canoe. The one I travelled in had 32 paddlers. It travelled very fast. It was a very beautiful thing for carrying people. We landed at the potato cultivation of Kangorooa, a younger brother of Hongi. While food was being prepared for us there I went in search of the waterfall I heard rumbling nearby. It was good to look at with a fall of perhaps nine feet. I thought that it would be strong enough to run all sorts of mills. After our meal we went north to Waimate. After we had travelled ten miles we were met by the wife of a chief of that place. His name was Taria. We were urged to sit down there and eat. The Maori are a people fond of entertainments. While we were eating a group of men and women stood up to do a haka for us. This whole land over which we travelled was good in parts and bad in others. It was undulating and there were hills and ponds but I observed that it would all be good for growing wheat, corn and other kinds of food. The sun was about to set as we travelled and it was dusk when we arrived at Waimate. Hongi’s pa, standing on the hill, is very beautiful. There are perhaps 200 houses within that pa. To my eyes it was very strongly fortified. Right on top of the hill was the house in which Hongi lived in times of fighting or in the times when he spoke to the people. That house is very small. It is perhaps six feet long and three across. It is an elevated house standing on a single post. Close beside it is another small house with the carved figure [tekoteko] standing at the entrance. This is Hongi’s wife’s food store. The food is carried inside and the place where that woman eats is at the entrance in front of the tekoteko. The houses are very fine, the sides and the roof being made of raupo and rushes. It was proof against rain and the water could not drip inside. [9] At nine at night Hongi arrived to tell us that the house Nicholas and I were to occupy was ready. When we got there the house had been covered with Hongi’s best mats. Weary after the journey, we had not long laid down when we were overcome by sleep.’

BURNT IN THE FIRE.

A pitiful story is that of the burning of the two small children of a Pakeha called Porteous. On the night of Thursday, 16th February, a house in Auckland caught fire. The rooms below that house were a fish shop owned by Porteous and he lived in the rooms above along with his sister-in-law and her husband. The people inside the house were Porteous and his wife and the three children, and a young man who was brother to Porteous’ wife. There was also Mountefield and his wife, Porteous’ in-laws. Mountefield and his wife became aware of the fire and ran to wake Porteous and the others. When the man arrived at the top of the stairwell it had been burnt by the fire and he knew that they could not get out that way. He returned to wake up the older children. There was only one way for them to get out and that was over the verandah. This verandah had been in the fire and the corrugated iron was hot. Mountefield got out of the window onto the verandah and carried the children to a good place. Porteous, his wife, and the small children also got out. The girl was seven and the boy five. The wife had got out first and on getting onto the verandah fell down; she did not know that the iron was hot. Porteous and the children got out but swayed as they tried to get down. Because of the swaying they fell from his arms – he was not able to stand well because of the iron burning his feet. He snatched up his children again but once again was unsteady. When they fell again they fell on the hottest part of the iron and both died together. Porteous and Mountefield hauled the children’s mother into the house; her feet and her body were burned by the burning hot iron. The soles of the feet of Porteous and Mountefield were burned to the bones. They were saved by the arrival of the firemen. The brave woman of the fire was Mountefield’s wife. When she had roused Porteous and the others she thought of their friend in the room in the house adjoining theirs. She got down by way of the verandah and went to that woman’s window. The iron of the verandah burned her as she went. When she got to the window she broke it, got inside and woke up the woman. The two of them got out through the house and got down. When she got down the woman was unable to walk because the soles of her feet were so burnt. They are all now lying in hospital. It is said that when the children fell on the hot place Porteous was unable to lift his feet to go to those children because they had stuck to the iron. His money that fell on that corrugated iron melted completely. This is a very pitiful tragedy.

AN ACCIDENT

On the morning of Monday, 20th February, an accident befell a girl on a train. The train was travelling from Wellington to Palmerston. When the train got to Paekakariki – it was nearly there – a large rock fell from the side of the hill. The rock came down opposite one of the carriages of the train, right opposite to where that girl, a young woman, was sitting. The carriage was smashed in and the woman was knocked to the floor and killed. Those sitting beside her escaped. Two suffered abrasions to head and shoulders and two others also were hurt in the legs; these two were perhaps sitting on the other side of the carriage. The rock weighed three quarters of a ton. The death of this woman is pathetic. It is thought that the fire on the preceding days and the storm on the Sunday loosened the rock.

●●●●●

This is a year for building large warships, although Carnegie has used up £2,000,000 in supporting a project to abolish the activity, warfare. Beginning on 1st February a new warship will be completed every nine days. At the end of this year England will have eleven large battleships; Germany will have seven; America and Russia will both have four; France, Italy, and Japan will each have two; and Australia, Brazil, and Spain will each have one. The total cost of these new warships is £140,000,000.

[10]

THE MUTTONBIRD ISLANDS.

To the Editor of Te Pipiwharauroa.

My friend, greetings. This is my article for you to print in Te Pipiwharauroa. I want all those who receive the bird to see this article.

‘I have heard that many people do not like being debarred from the Mutton Bird Islands. I say that if anyone is affected by the contents of this article he should not be afraid to make it known that his forebears gave him rights in these parts, that is, in Otakou [Otago], Murihiku [Southland], Rakiura [Stewart Island] and the Muttonbird Islands, so that I may know about the validity of his interests, because my days are drawing to a close. I am not afraid of pointing out my ancestry for people to discuss. Certainly no-one can question the rights of Tauteori, Ngatihawea, Matumamoe, and Hikaoroaroa, the first people who managed these places. I am able to recite my genealogy from the hapu of Ngaitahu, Ngatiwarirua, and Ngatikuri, and my descent from Aparangi and Maru and their child, Tarewai. These are the people who first stood on these parts from Otago to Southland to Stewart Island and as far as the Muttonbird Islands. These places belong to these people. My brothers and I and our children are the direct descendants of these ancestors. From Riria Potiki.’

Raniera Erihana.

Otakou, Dunedin.

[Perhaps the name we have used – Nga Motu Titi – is not apposite. We are responsible for this name for the Muttonbird Islands. The write did not give the Maori name. – Editor.]

THE MARYS OF THE REALM.

A project has been launched in England to collect money from all the Marys in the Kingdom as a gift to their sister who shares the same name, Queen Mary. This money is a celebration by the Marys of the coronation of one of them as Queen. The donation is to be not less than a penny and not greater than a pound. At first it was envisaged that the project would include only Marys; subsequently the committee decided to permit others with variations of the name to participate. Under this arrangement all women with the following names may participate: Mary, May, Maria, Maryanna, Marion, and Marie.

A NOTICE

Diocese of Waiapu

Hui Topu

The Hui Topu of the Diocese of Waiapu will be held at Waiomatatini on 19th March, 1911.

A W Waiapu,

Bishop.

A NOTICE

HUI AT WAI-O-MATATINI

Sunday, 19th March 1911

The Hui Topu of the Maori Church of the Diocese of Waiapu.

As a result of the request of the Elders of Ngati Porou when he first visited their area, the new Bishop of Waiapu has agreed to hold the Hui Topu of the Maori Church in his Diocese in the Ngati Porou area.

The donations at that Hui were designated for the Carved Church at Manutuke which was burned down. That had been laid down. Subsequently we have had the destruction of Hukarere by fire. Two disasters then have come upon this section of the Maori People. As a result we have clarified the purposes of this Hui as:

1. The Hui Topu.

2. A collection for the rebuilding of the burnt church at Manutuke.

3. A collection to help the renovation of Hukarere.

Therefore it was right to make this appeal widely known to the tribes and to all the marae. Help these projects.

Gather on Saturday, 18th March. The collection plate will be put out on Monday 20th.

From all Ngati Porou.

[11]

ODD ITEMS.

The newspapers tell of a raid by the police on the pa of the Prophet Rua at Waimana. Three policemen arrived at Waimana, two from Whakatane and one from Rotorua. The policemen arrived on the morning of Tuesday 16th. They came to see if the stories were true about the Prophet selling alcohol within the tribal territory. They found a lot of alcohol in Rua’s shop. The police had heard that Rua was illegally selling drink to his people at Christmas time.

At the court hearing Rua was fined £100. The case against him has not been concluded. When he was asked why he sold the alcohol he said that he was testing the law. Rua may have to pay nearly £1000 for his sins. The first fine has been settled and we await the second.

In the Prime Minister’s speech at Tarawhata he said something about some Post Offices for sending wireless messages. Seven such buildings are being erected by the Government here in New Zealand. Two of them will be able to send messages to distant places; five will not be that powerful. One of the smaller ones is being set up in Gisborne. Buildings may not be built for these; the one for Gisborne will be located in the Post Office.

The Tai Rawhiti has been battered by wind and storm and other places are being engulfed by fires. The dryness of this summer has led to many places suffering fires. Te Wairoa in Auckland, and the Waikato, and Taupo and the area around Taihape as far as Wellington have been encircled by fires. The totara forest of Taupo has been burned. The main disaster area in Taupo was the cultivations which were devastated by the fire, with the potatoes being the main crop to suffer. While other parts are being affected by drought the Tai Rawhiti is suffering storms. If it were not for the drought before this storm occurred, there would have been a big flood like that of last winter. Many large and small steamships were confined at Wharekahika by the southerly winds. The boats kept coming and then had to stay at Wharekahika and could only emerge when the wind subsided.

The Prime Minister also said that the Government has built some sample houses for working people. Eighteen of these have been completed and will soon be sent to all parts of the Dominion for people to look at. The probable cost of those houses is from £100 up to £750. This project has been set up by the Government so that it can ensure that its money is being used properly. This is a very good thing.

THE DIOCESE OF WAIAPU.

Some of the Questions Asked at the Hui Held at Te Pahou, Whakatane, in 1910.

A question from the Rev R Haumia:

‘Are the children of the parish to be baptized by the minister of the parish or by another minister?’

The Bishop’s answer:

‘It is for the minister of the parish to baptize his children, but if he is away another minister may perform the baptism. If there is no minister then the lay reader may baptize the person or child if they are close to death. The parent may baptize his child if there is no minister nearby.’ (See the Rubric for the Baptism in the Home.)

A question from Wiremu Kingi Te Wharepurangi:

‘Is it right for a Maori minister to stand before the Maori Land Court?’

The Bishop’s answer:

‘This is an important question, a question we ought to consider carefully. I think that ministers should not go into the Maori Land Court but should leave matters relating to their lands for their lay representatives to deal with. The responsibility of the lay representatives is to support, to help and to see that their ministers are fed. If the minister is seen there it is a sign that his lay representatives are ineffectual.

I have heard of the difficulties experienced by some ministers because of this activity. The involvement of ministers in conflict in Court has led to a cooling of the attitudes of people towards the works of God. This has also led to a losing of mana on the part of the ministers and uneasiness about them.

I appreciate that the minister was seeking the good of his children, but if he and his lay representative have a good relationship that lay man could deal with the issues in the Court.

These are my thoughts about this question. If the minister is able to stand outside that is good, if not, it is up to him. Therefore it is up to us. ‘Be zealous of spiritual gifts’ [1 Corinthians 14.12].  

Raised by Tiaki Rewiri and seconded by Archdeacon Williams:

‘That the amount of money in Archdeacon Samuel’s Challenge and the amount held for the Parishes of the Diocese of Waiapu in the hands of the Trustees of that money be published.’

(£1036/15/6 was contributed at the Hui at Wai-o-matatini: £318/1/5 was sent to the Archdeacon by the organizers of that Hui.)

[12] 

 CALENDAR : MARCH 1911

Day 1 ● 0h 1m p.m. Day 15 o 11h 29m a.m.

Morning Evening

1 W First Day of Lent* Psalms: Morning 6, 32, 38

Evening 102, 130, 143. The Collect for today is to be said
After the Collect of the day every day in Lent.
* The forty days of Lent are fast days.

Isaiah 58.1-13 Jonah 3

Mark 2.13-23 Hebrews 12.3-18

2 Th

3 F

4 S

5 S First Sunday in Lent Use the Ember Week Collect every day
this week.

Genesis 19.12-30 Genesis 2.1-20

Mark 6.1-30 Romans 14 & 15.1-8

6 M

7 T

8 W Ember Day

9 Th

10 F Ember Day

11 S Ember Day

12 S Second Sunday in Lent

Genesis 27.1-41 Genesis 28

Mark 10.1-32 1 Corinthians 4.18 & 5

13 M

14 T

15 W

16 Th

17 F

18 S

19 S Third Sunday in Lent

Genesis 37 Genesis 39

Mark 14.27-53 1 Corinthians 11.2-17

20 M

21 T

22 W

23 Th

24 F

25 S The Annunciation

Genesis 3.1-16 Isaiah 52.7-13

Luke 1.1-16 1 Corinthians 15.1-35

26 S Fourth Sunday in Lent

Genesis 42 Genesis 43

Luke 2.1-21 1 Corinthians 15.35-end

27 M

28 T

29 W

30 Th

31 F

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. If a person wishes to take Te Pipiwharauroa he should send the money in the letter which notifies us of this. We also point out to those who take the paper that when the money you have sent runs out your paper will be wrapped in red. Be quick to send your supplejack seeds; if you do not do so quickly we will stop sending it. The price is 5/- a year, payable at the start.

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

Prayer Book with Hymns, soft cover 1/6

Prayer Book with Hymns, red cover 2/-

Prayer Book with Hymns, hard cover 3/-

Prayer Book with Hymns, superior cover 4/-

Hymns -/6

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.

Printed and published by H W Williams, at Te Rau Printing Works, Berry Street, Gisborne, New Zealand.