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TE TOA TAKITINI
Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper.
Number 62
Hastings
1st October, 1926.
WORLD CHAMPION WRESTLER.
On the night of Wednesday, 20th September, the match to determine the World Wrestling Championship was held in the Auckland Town Hall. The contestants were Zhyszko, the World Champion, aged 45, and Ihakara Rapana of Kohupatiki, a Maori, aged 39. The Maori went down for one fall and the Pakeha none so he retains his world title.
According to the newspapers the Maori was the stronger and the Pakeha was lucky to win. There were eight ten-minute rounds. During the seventh round the Maori was at last thrown; it was a sudden fall. During the third and fifth rounds the Pakeha was thrown by the Maori but because the Pakeha got up quickly the umpire’s hand was not raised. He was raising that hand to show that Ihakara had won but the Pakeha avoided defeat by getting up rapidly. It is said that Ihakara was the stronger but because the Pakeha was very bald the Maori could not grasp the head of the Pakeha. The Maori would go to grasp the Pakeha’s head but his hands would slide off because of its smoothness. At last we realise that being bald is a good thing in some situations.
We congratulate Ihakara. He came close to becoming champion of the world. If he continues with his training, it is not impossible that he will get this title in the near future. No Maori has come so close to being champion of the world in any activity. Therefore it would be a great honour for the Maori People should Ihakara get this title. So, friend, be strong.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Published by the Rev F A Bennett and printed by the Herald Office, Tennyson Street, Napier, HB.
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Te Toa Takitini
Registered at the GPO as Newspaper.
The price of the Paper is 10/- a year.
Address letters to ‘Te Toa Takitini,’ Box 300, Hastings.
1st October, 1926.
THE BISHOPRIC OF AOTEAROA.
At the meeting in Wellington on 6th August of th Archbishop and Bishops of New Zealand and the Maori Synod of Aotearoa, Kingi Tahiwi was appointed Secretary. Attached is the Secretary’s Report on that meeting.
The Archbishop opened the meeting with prayer.
Those who attended were the Archbishop of New Zealand,
The Bishop of Waiapu,
The Bishop of Wellington,
The Bishop of Nelson, and
The Bishop of Christchurch.
Also present were all the members of the Maori Synod. (Their names are listed in the September issue of the paper.)
The Archbishop began the discussions. He referred back to the matters dealt with by the meeting held on 2nd December, 1925, and he asked this Synod for their thoughts concerning the Bishop for the Maori Church.
Bennett pointed out that the motion passed by the meetings said: ‘This meeting thinks that the first bishop for the Bishopric of Aotearoa should be Maori.’
A T Ngata said that the right person to be a Bishop for the Maori People is someone who has a thorough knowledge of the Maori heart.
The Archbishop expressed his concern that the Maori Church could so distance itself that it would abandon the constitution of the Church. The Bishop of Waiapu said that the Maori of his Diocese consented to have a Pakeha as bishop but some wanted a Maori.
Wiremu Kingi: ‘I want to ascertain the thinking of my Te Arawa tribe on this matter. We agreed that the bishop should be a Pakeha because we understood that the bishops would not agree to having a Maori. We wanted to establish this Bishopric, therefore we consented to have a Pakeha. I support Bennett’s request that we be given more time to discuss the situation now.’
Teri Paraone supported this suggestion.
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The Bishop of Waiapu: ‘I support Bennett’s request. I also agree with Ngata’s plea that this meeting brings forward a proposal.’
The Bishop of Nelson spoke of indigenous people’s in other parts of the world who were vigorously engaged in the mission of the Church.
The Bishop of Waiapu thought that there should be two bishops for the Church amongst the Maori People, a Pakeha as head and a Maori to assist him. The Bishop of Nelson supported this idea.
Pine Tamahori: What about the problem of finding support for the bishops? If that difficulty could be solved then perhaps the Maori People would agree to that proposal.
The Archbishop moved that the meeting be suspended for the morning to give the Maori section time to discuss matters.
At this juncture the Maori section met and eventually passed the following motions:
1. The members of Synod regret that they are unable to come to a conclusion as to whether the first Bishop of the Bishopric of Aotearoa should be Pakeha or Maori, and if the Bishops should decide that there is no point in drawing out this meeting, then they ask that a decision on this matter be postponed until the coming General Synod.
2. ‘That the Hon A T Ngata and the Rev F A Bennett be spokesmen to lay the matters raised at this meeting before General Synod.’
Bennett pointed out that as the General Synod had produced the Bill approving of a Bishopric for the Maori People it was appropriate to bring before that Synod explanations of the difficulties involved.
The Archbishop asked: ‘Did your group discuss the issue of an assistant bishop? The answer was, yes.
Ngata said that Maori People would be content with an assistant bishop if he were a Maori.
Th Archbishop set out two options for the meeting to discuss.
1. A Pakeha bishop and his assistant.
2. A ‘Suffragan’ (a kind of assistant bishop).
The Bishop of Wellington agreed to an assistant bishop.
Ngata said that the Archbishop should be appointed head of the Maori Church with a Maori to help him.
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At this point Bennett’s motion was concluded. It was seconded by Ngata.
Bishopric of Aotearoa
This is a supplement to the provision for a Bishop for the Maori People set out in the Bill passed at the meeting of General Synod held in December, 1925.
‘This meeting of the Maori Synod agrees that the Archbishop shall be head of the Maori Church, and under him shall be appointed a Maori to be Bishop to run the Maori section of the Church who shall be known as the Bishop of Aotearoa. A Synod shall be set up with authority to make regulations and he shall preside over that Synod under the authority of the Archbishop. That Bishop and chosen ministers and lay-representatives shall be members of General Synod.’
The above is a summary of the important discussions at that meeting. The discussions went on for perhaps eight hours.
THE DISTRICT HUI OF THE MAORI CHURCH AT MOHAKA.
Church Hui.
The Hui of the Maori Church of the Archdeaconry of Hawkes Bay was held at Mohaka on 27th September. Huata and his group of young people were highly praised
for their energy and their excellent running of that hui beginning with the organisation and including the matters brought before the hui. All the people of Mohaka were involved in helping on the marae except for those working behind the scenes to provide the hospitality and doing other things connected with the organising of the hui. But on the Monday evening everyone gathered together to make up the group that dealt with the welcoming of the visitors so that all were present to salute the visitors, to lament over those who had departed, and to establish peaceful relationships, given the hustling that might divide them in the coming days. Hence there was a very good spirit that emerged from what was done. although many people took an aggressive stance as a result of narrow thinking when the talking required a wide view of the remaining marae and the remnant of the words spoken by those who have passed on. Therefore there was much praise for the serendipitous holding of the hui at Mohaka. People met and exchanged words with each other which brought up matters which were pondered upon and considered in the heart so that people could grasp the issues affecting widely our many marae. The important thing
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said to them by the Bishop related to his first visit to them. Then they were of one mind and there was one Church. therefore he looked upon all of them – even though some of them have departed for a different place – he looked upon them all as his children from past times to the present day. Therefore he came with a concern that, when they understood that they needed to return, they should appreciate that they can return, because he still weeps for all of them and prays earnestly that they may receive enlightenment and return to Christ’s flock. He praised the young people of Mohaka for clinging to the gift of their ancestors, and even though their parents had moved to a different place, they were staying loyal and urging their mothers to return to the gift of their ancestors. He was gratified by the news that more than forty people from Te Wairoa had returned peacefully and with understanding. He also spoke appreciatively of the dedication and stout-heartedness of Te Hata Tipoki in bringing together the tribe, and likewise of Tiaki Mitara. Thank you to all who are engaged in sharing the deep matters freely on the marae.
September 20th to 28th.
Those who attended the Hui:
President: The Bishop of Waiapu.
Ministers:
Rev Hemi Huata
Rev Peni Hakiwai
Rev F A Bennett (Inspector)
Lay-representatives:
Te Naera Te Wainohu Mohaka
Netane Ehemia Mohaka
Ari Te Kahika Mohaka
Tiaki Mitere Wairoa
Peta Pakuku Wairoa
Awhi T Kahu Nuhaka
Keremeneta Te Waiheke Nuhaka
Paora Kurupo Moteo-Wharerangi
Neri Hokena Omahu-Waiohiki
Hereama Hodges Petane-Tangoio
Hori Tupaea Te Hauke
P H Tomoana Waipatu
Pohe Hemi Pakipaki
Tawhi Karaitiana Kohupatiki
Ture Gillies Waimarama
The President of the Hui: The Bishop of Waiapu.
The hui opened with prayer after which the President gave his Charge. (To be printed later.)
P H Tomoana was appointed Secretary for the Hui.
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Moved by Rev Huata and seconded by Te Naera that the Presidnt be thanked for his Charge to the Hui.
1. Moved by Netana (Mohaka), seconded by Te Naera (Mohaka): That the Bishop consider the situation of the Parish of Te Wairoa with respect to its burden of debt. The debt has been overshadowing this district for a long time, and, as most of the people have left the Church and few are still loyal, the people think that since the young people are taking up the teachings of the Church, things should be made easier for them and the debt wiped out. Then they can devote their energies to rebuilding the life of that Parish.
Hori Tupaea (Te Hauke) spoke in
support of the young people to second the motion.
The Bishop spoke sympathetically about the concern of the young people who have taken up this matter having been abandoned by their elders. They have the energy for such work [ka rere atu ratou ki waho]. So he asked that it be left to him to speak to the appropriate group to deal with the matter. The decision lies with them but he would ask the group to respond to this request.
2. Netana (Mohaka) askd if it was possible for a layman from one of the Te Wairoa Parishes to be appointed as a Lay-representative to General Synod.
The Bishop said it was possible but it would have to be left until those serving at present came to the end of their three year term.
3. Tiaki Mitara and Peta Pahuhu (Wairoa) laid down the map of the land at Waihirere (Wairoa) to be conveyed and possession assured as a site for the minister’s house (to be Church land). It is on land that has been set apart for a permanent marae.
The Bishop said that he would look into it.
4. Rev Huata (Mohaka) asked what was happening to the money given for the Mission Hall at Te Wairoa.
The Bishop replied that it was not appropriate for Manaro to give that money. The money has been put into the fund for erecting the minister’s house. There are many difficulties around this at present.
5. The Rev Huata asked if the Bishop would explain what was decided by the meeting in Wellington about the Maori Bishop. Rev Bennett supported him.
The Bishop said that these were his own thoughts about the matter. Perhaps the Synod will not be keen to implement the motion. It says that the Archbishop should be the Maori Bishop as well as Archbishop, because he has heard that the law of the Church says that there cannot be two Bishops,
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therefore it is necessary to find a way of changing that motion so that we do not have to wait for the meeting of General Synod in Wellington in 1928 only to find when we get there that the law does not permit it. For too long this important matter has been undecided. Therefore, were it up to me, I would not wait but would seek the wise advice of leading lawyers and important people here and even overseas as to whether the matter could be settled before that meeting. As I see it, keep an open mind on the issue and do not insist on the person being Maori or being fluent in the Maori language. There are very few such people. Rather leave the matter open to the whole world to see if we can find a good man from outside, from within, from amongst us, to guide the Maori Mission. And if we find that right person he will know the appropriate time to pass on that position to you, the Maori People. My heart longs for the Maori Mission to achieve every good thing that Christ has for it in his heart.
Following this speech the hui passed the following motion:
Since there is some confusion about the motion passed by the meeting held in Wellington concerning the establishment of a Maori Bishop of Aotearoa, it seems right for that body to ask the Archbishop to seek the advice of leading thinkers throughout the world on the matter so that we can soon determine the validity or invalidity of the motion and so change the motion so that we have agreement on what can be discussed by General Synod.
6. Moved by Hori Tupaea, seconded by Pohe Hemi: That a standing or advisory committee be set up. Rev Bennett explained that this would make if easier and would align us with the people of Auckland in their important project. Bennett praised that group.
The Bishop thought that this would be a very good thing for the work of the Archdeaconry so long as it put its ideas into practice. But when members are chosen they should be people who live near the Office and who are eager to work because there are many thing that need to be set right to stir up the work and the people.
7. Moved by Pohe Hemi and seconded by Tomoana: That the dead be no longer buried in the burial ground at Te Pakipaki because a public cemetery has been opened nearby.
The Bishop agreed with this proposal and said that it should also be brought before the Synod in Napier.
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8.
Mrs Takihika (Mohaka) raised the matter of money
belonging to the Mothers’ Union. Some of there number had left and they were
concerned about what would happen to their money. The Bishop was asked what
should happen in this situation.’
The Bishop explained that the money was raised by the Mothers’ Union, part of the Church, and therefore members who had left no longer had standing within it. They had no authority. But he would ask the Church lawyers for their response.
9. Pohe Hemi asked the Bishop about the position of the money and the trustees of the money who had left the Church with respect to the Te Pakipaki money.
Bennett explained that he had been asked about the money and had said to write to the Diocesan Office which looks after all such matters.
10. At this point Rev Hakiwai read out a letter to Ngapuhi about a similar issue on which the Land Court adjudged that those who left no longer had a claim on things done by their Mother Church.
11. Bennett moved and Huata seconded: That greetings be sent to the forty Te Wairoa people who had returned to the gift of their ancestors, because we are aware of their difficulties. But all of them know peace and faithfulness and right relationships, and so we give praise and honour to the Father for his goodness and for similar blessings to the people as a whole.
12. Netana expressed a wish that they all help to provide the Mohaka area with a Nurse. It costs twelve pounds to get a doctor to come and ten shillings to talk on the telephone. Bennett supported this request and said that a Nurse had been placed in Hastings following a request from the Tamatea Council. He would write to the appropriate place to see if this worthwhile request can be agreed to.
13. Rev Hakiwai asked if Maori are able to borrow money from the Church at the appropriate interest.
The Bishop explained that the lending of money was in the hands of the Church lawyers and there was no difference between Maori and Pakeha provided there were good securities.
Comments: Bennett - ‘It takes time.’ [?Nekeneke atu]
Hakiwai – ‘If you return, I will go.’
Huata - ‘An axe is an axe and the bush is the bush.’
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The Bishop: ‘We have had a good hui. Although we are few, some important matters have been laid before us. My children, although some of you have left us, I do not forget that you are all my children. Those of you have returned, greetings my children. Those of you who have been easily swayed, I weep for you and I pray for you. My children, your forebears have parted from you, be strong and have love for your forebears and hold fast to the gift your parents and ancestors have bequeathed to you. I have great love for all of you who stand before me, all my children. Be strong. I want to help you. I want the burdens you have told me of to be lightened. I will give you a voice and I will also add my thoughts to yours. I shall write to you. In the name of the Almighty Father, be strong my children of Mohaka and Te Wairoa and all the people. You stay and we go. Our love has grown and we leave it amongst you all, we encircle you with it.
LETTERS RECEIVED
Oromahoe
Pakaraka
14/9/26
To Peni Hakiwai.
Greetings to you and your whole family. So much for the greeting. The Maori Land Court met at Kaikohe on the 1st of this month to enquire into the matter of the church and the holy ground of the Maori here in Kaikohe.
In December, 1925, this problem arose with the burial by Ratana of one of their number in that burial ground. Although the Anglicans objected the Ratana did not listen. There was trouble.
The decision of the Court was that the church and churchyard belong to the Church of England. Ratana people may not bury their dead in that churchyard. If they wish to bury their dead in that place the Church of England must conduct the funeral.
From your true friend,
Hori Tane.
TRUST BOARD OF THE TE ARAWA DISTRICT.
The Gazette of 9th September published the list of names of the new members of the Te Arawa Trust Board. This list was approved by the Governor-General in Council at Government House, Wellington, on 6th September.
Morehu te Kirikau
Hemi te Uara
Tamehana Gardner
Hemana Pokiha
Peeti Hareti
Wiremu Waaka te Kohu
Aperehama Wiari
Matina Makiha
Henry Taiporutu Mitchell
Heketoro Hikairo
Wiremu Ereatara
Wera Loffley
Tiakiawa Tahuriorangi
Raureti Mokonuiarangi
Kepa Ehau
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Greetings to the members of the new Te Arawa Board. May each of you make very effort to run manage your different areas well. Remember we have many warriors in these days. There let all of you be committed to the work that has to be done. Don’t go backwards but observe the way the world is turning in these days and set in place programmes which will enable your descendants to stand upright in days to come. Many benefits have come to the tribe as a result of the work and the management of the old Board, and the hope is not just that similar good things will be done but that the new Board will do even more.
Best wishes to the new Board and may the Heavenly Father bless and guide you all so that the life of Te Arawa is enhanced by your good works and management.
BISHOP OF AOTEAROA
I am grateful to the spokesmen of the Maori Church for their courage and their maturity in arguing for a Maori as the Bishop for the Maori People. I was disturbed and I appreciated the difficulties faced by the bishops, and some people have changed their thinking and have agreed to a Pakeha Bishop. The discussion of a Maori Bishop has been going on for a long time and I have made up my mind that this is the time for the Maori People to bestir themselves and to take important stands that are right for Maori. This, the appointment of a Bishop for the Maori Church, is one. For a long time we have lain down before the Pakeha; let us not keep on lying down lest we become accustomed to it and ‘we remain on the floor as leftovers,’ Presently our backbones will become weak and we will not be able to stand ujpright. It may be that there is no Maori like the Pakeha and fit for the office of Bishop. But why do we have to be the same? At present we are waiting, waiting, and the Pakeha are saying, ‘Not yet. Not yet. In the end they will still say, ‘Not yet!’ No individual Pakeha diocese will agree to have a Maori bishop, no matter how well educated or good he is. This is not because of any ill-will towards Maori; they just want someone of their own blood, of their own skin colour. Maori think in a similar way.
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They have no ill-will towards Pakeha but just want one of their own. The Pakeha say, ‘Blood is thicker than water.’
In a sermon in London in 1920, Bishop Azariah quoted a prominent Indian Christian: ‘Give us a Church for India, something which will be our very own, something for which we can live and die.’
Now Maori are thinking the same as the Indians. We want a bishopric, a Church we can own from the head to the tail, so that a Maori can say, ‘This is indeed mine, the inspiration for my work or for my death. Because it is mine, it belongs to me, and my heart is stirred and feels for it.’
If a Pakeha is appointed I will be disappointed, not that I have ill-will towards Pakeha, but the reason for such an appointment will be because there is not a suitable Maori, according to the bishops. Hence the suffering of my Maori heart. But it is good that we are made chiefs by the stand taken by our spokesmen; we are re-instated as a people in the world. Thank you, spokesmen!
Certainly, people, we want a permanent bishopric of our own and with a Maori as Bishop, so let us make every effort to help and to see that our treasure is blessed by the Church, the gift of our fathers and ancestors. Let us be united in our thinking, let there be no ill will, we are one of the world’s small people. The person appointed to be our Bishop will be found by our spokesmen. Do not scrutinize his faults; he will be human and not free from faults. His task will be a difficult one and burdensome. But if he has to suffer let it be from work or hunger and not from murmuring or the sharp tongue.
God bless the Maori Bishopric of Aotearoa.
R[eweti] T K[ohere]
East Cape.
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THE NEW WORLD AND THE OLD WORLD.
R[eweti] T K[ohere]
The first part of this article appeared in the September edition of the paper.
The Pakeha have this custom of weddings and wedding breakfasts, customs that Maori abuse. It is one of the practices of the new world to help the newly-weds by giving them presents to start them off because marriage is an expensive business. In the old world the custom was to plunder the newly-weds, and their families as well, so that after the marriage they were poor. The old world had a boastful saying, ‘let the food be trampled underfoot,’ that is, waste it – give it to the dogs and pigs to eat. The new world would see this as a terrible sin; the custom of the new world is that only family and friends attend the wedding breakfast and this is the Pakeha practice, although they are generally monied Pakeha. But in the Maori world the feast is for everyone. Those who value this custom are the lazy and the light-fingered – they are the ones who will return to their appetites, the food kits, and the fruitful places, while the reticent people get nothing. I have seen, when the tables are laid out, the children crowding around, the mothers and the elderly taking food from the tables and putting it into baskets or their skirts. What is commendable in this? In the new world it is a struggle to meet the heavy demands of the customary wedding breakfast. Consequently, some choose to get married by licence or just to live together. They leave the rich to put on wedding breakfasts. Maori fear that they will be called mean and along with this fear is that of being jeered at. The Maori ear finds much consolation in hearing, ‘There was no limit to the food at the wedding of the children of so-and-s0,’ and it is a disaster when it is said, ‘The wedding lacked food.’
Perhaps now the difference between the old world and the new world is clear. The new world teaches and exalts everything that improves the body, the mind and the spirit. The new world does not condemn all Maori practices, nor does it approve of all Pakeha practices. In the new world of the Maori People the good practices of the Maori are joined to those of the Pakeha. And new world is gathering together the stories of the Maori People, the waiata, the genealogies, the haka, and the ideas and customs of the Maori. The new world can boast of their language, their skin, and their Maori blood.
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WORDS OF THE WISE
R[eweti] T K[ohere]
(The first parts of this article are in Numbers 38 & 44.)
The first words for us to consider are by Shakespeare. It would be worthwhile to learn these words by heart; they will not pass away;
‘Tis too much prov’d, that, with devotion’s visage,
And pious action, we do sugar o’er
The devil himself. [Hamlet III.1.47]
It would be a terrible thing to a Pakeha if it were said that his religiosity was a fraud; but to a Maori that would be trivial. A Maori will stand up to pray, to preach, even though it is clear that he has no faith; it is known that he is a bad person, a sleazy person. His worship is like sugar, that is, it is used to make the devil appear sweet, to hide his wickedness. This what foolish Maori are like; they falsely have the faith on their lips but not in their hearts. In the olden days the important thing was to know the services despite what the person leading the worship was like. The man was approved for taking the service correctly and not for the integrity of his heart. Some people mistakenly think that the Lord is a Maori god and that what he wants most is the moving of the lips.
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below;
Words without thoughts never to heaven go. [Hamlet III.iii.97]
The king of Denmark was murdered by his younger brother in order to get the Aueen for himself. Although his hands were soiled with blood he knelt to pray but his worship was insincere. Mahommad’s practice was to pray at set times of the day; whatever he was doing, wherever he was, when the time for prayer came, he would bow down. In the desert lands, when he finished praying, he would set about plundering and killing. He may have prayed but it was meaningless and not an expression of faith.
What can ennoble sots or slaves or cowards?
Alas, not all the blood of all the Howards!
[Alexander Pope, Essay on Man, Epistle IV, Line 215]
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The Howards are a noble English family. Pope says that the low-born remain low-born in their work and habits. It is said that the days when our chiefs had nobility have passed and today’s chiefs are those with money. It is the Pakeha who makes a chief of money, not the Maori. The Maori gets his nobility from his chiefs. There is a Maori proverb:
Me Rangatira he hoa matenga mou kia kore ai koe e whakarerea.
Have a chief as friend unto death in order that you will never be abandoned.
{cf Nga Pepeha 1868]
One cannot know the works and actions of the low-born.
Snatch from the ashes of your sires
The embers of their former fires:
And he who in the strife expires
Will add to theirs a name of fear
That tyranny shall quake to hear.
[Lord Byron – Freedom – Fallen Greece Lines 14ff (From ‘The Giaour’)]
I told in Number 14 the story of Lord Byron. He was a man who gave himself up carelessly to the desires of the flesh. But there was a time when his chiefly blood held sway and he wrote his words urging the Greeks to fight the Turks who were invading their land.
Of all the ancient peoples there was none comparable to the Greeks. The ancestors of the English were still going about naked when light shone upon the Greeks and they were seeking the UNKNOWN GOD [Acts 17.23]. They were a wise, strong and brave people. What they wrote was a wonderful achievement. But their mana decreased along with their strength, their bravery and their wisdom. They were defeated by the Turks and presently they became familiar with death, they laid themselves down, and there was to be no resurrection. So Byron lamented over them. He called them to stir up within themselves the blood of their ancestors. He pointed to the graves of their forebears, saying:
The graves of those that cannot die. [ibid Line 33]
Byron compared Greece to a person who had finally died; it was very beautiful but had no soul; it could not be warmed – it was a corpse. Although he was English, Byron fought for Greece and did there. His body was taken to England. From the time of Byron, Greece remained a corpse, but they designated a day on which they celebrate the name of Byron.
Likewise, people, stir up the blood of our ancestors,
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hold on to our remaining chiefs and to the chiefly practices, against our departure from the world when we will sleep in ‘the graves of those that cannot die.’
To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late,
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his gods?
[Lord Macaulay – Lays of Ancient Rome, Horatius xxvii]
This incident happened in Rome in the time before Christ. Under attack from the enemy the Roman forces crumbled and fled across the bridge over the River Tiber. Then Horatio called his two friends to engage the enemy while the bridge was being demolished behind them; they were sacrificing their lives. This is why Horatio uttered these words. The three of them stood at the end of the bridge as the enemy warriors came at them, only to be laid in a heap. The bridge collapsed and Horatio prayed to the Tiber to be merciful to him as he plunged headlong into it. He was engulfed by the rushing water but he had the strength to reach the land and Rome and its people were saved.
Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.
[Shakespeare – Julius Caesar II.ii.32]
Julius Caesar spoke these words. He was a famous man in his time. He was brave and he became Emperor of Rome. His wife feared that he would be killed and clung to him. These are the words Caesar spoke to his wife. When he arrived at the
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parliament building he was assassinated. (I wrote in Te Pipiwharauroa 69 an article about Julius Caesar.)
There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
[Shakespeare – Julius Caesar IV.iii.217]
These words provide very good guidance and young people should take them to heart because life is laid out before them. Their canoes should be hollowed out now, they should be adzed at school, so that the flowing tide can carry the canoe along. Too many school children are wasting their education – their canoes are driving into the mud. Not all are able to achieve great things, but we are to use the talent or talents that we have to be awake and not asleep, to fix our eyes on the flowing of the tide.
… for, to the noble mind,
Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.
[Shakespeare – Hamlet III.i.100]
The true value of the gift a person gives depends on the heart of the giver and not on the size of the gift. When a Maori gives a gift or money, it is understood by the visitor and is in the mind of the local people that some day the gift will be reciprocated. As in the saying of Tamatekapua:
Te rangona hoki te reka o to kai.
The savouriness of your food was not tasted. [cf Nga Pepeha 2414]
Because he was angry with Te Maniaroa, Tuhorouta threw the man down, broke his taiaha, and made him a prisoner. Because he was a child of Tuwhakairiora, they let him go but jeered at him. The southerners were angry. At Uawa, Tuhorouta took Tamatekapua and fed him with dried kumara. As he was filling his mouth with the food, Tuhorouta struck him with the point of his taiaha. At that Tamatekapua said: ‘The savouriness of your food was not tasted.’ Tamatekapua was struck and died, but his words live on as a Ngati Porou proverb. If the food served in welcome is bad, it is said: ‘The savouriness of your food was not tasted.’
Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.
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