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TE TOA TAKITINI
Number 73
Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper
Hastings
September, 1927
SYNOD OF THE DIOCESE OF WAIAPU
On Friday, 30th September, the Synod meets in Napier.
7.15 a.m. Holy Communion
10.30 a.m. Synod gathers in the Cathedral where the roll is called.
2.30 p.m. Synod meets in the Synod Hall.
On Sunday there is the main service in the Cathedral.
On Tuesday at 10 a.m. there is a joint meeting of the Standing Committees of the Maori sections. The chosen spokesmen of each Standing Committee are to attend this meeting. There are many matters to be dealt with.
The Diocesan Treasurer has asked that the Maori parishes endeavour to settle their debts and to bring the money to our Joint Meeting so that part of the agenda can be dealt with easily.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
Published by the Rev F A Bennett and printed at the Herald Office, Tennyson Street, Napier, HB.
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Te Toa Takitini.
Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper’
The Price of the Paper is 10/- a year.
Address letters to Te Toa Takitini, Box 300, Hastings.
Te Toa Takitini, September, 1927.
‘NA ARIKI’ [OF THE LORD]
One hears often this new expression used by Maori – ‘NGA Ariki’ – the Lords, and ‘May the Lords bless you.’ One hears that said when the Godhead is spoken of. My friends, be in awe, be in dread, when you pronounce the very sacred name of our heavenly Father.
Look at our Scriptures and you will not find a single verse which says that it is right to use the ‘Nga’ [the definite article in plural form] with the Holy Trinity, Father Son and Holy Spirit. It is wrong to use the ‘Nga’ for the Godhead. One of the important reasons why God chose Israel as his people was for them to hold on to the teaching and the idea of the one God. On many occasions God punished Israel for forsaking the idea of one God. God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses as the basis for their faith. ‘I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me.’ The Athanasian Creed says, ‘The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet there are not three Gods but one God.’
This is a difficult statement to explain. But how can the human mind grasp the depth, the breadth and the height of the mind of God? Therefore, it must remain difficult because at this time we can only grasp a fraction of it.
One way in which people in the past sought to explain the Unity of the Holy Spirit was by likening it to the Sun. There is one Sun shining there. From that sun we receive warmth and light, but we do not say that there are three suns but one. No-one mistakenly calls out, ‘Hey, the Suns shining there are warm!’ Rather they say, ‘the sun.’ Likewise, don’t say, ‘the Lords’ or ‘the Gods’ but the God.
To speak of a plurality of gods is to return to the time of darkness, to the time when our ancestors prayed to the many gods of the old Maori world.
The teaching of the Church concerning God was laid down by the Synod held in London in 1562, so that Article has been in existence for 365 years and has not been changed. That teaching is in Article Number 1.
I. ‘Of Faith in the Holy Trinity.
There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker, and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.’
[Articles of Religion – Book of Common Prayer]
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SEE THE SCRIPTURES
All the teachings mentioned above are taken from the Scriptures. Here are some verses for those seeking further understanding. Look at them carefully and pray to God to give you understanding so that we may know the way to return to the true flock of the Christian Faith.
John 4.24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.
Deuteronomy 6.4 Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Deuteronomy 4.35 To you it was shown so that you would acknowledge that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.
Isaiah 44.6 Thus says the Lord … of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
1 Corinthians 8.4 Paul says: ‘There is no God but one.’
Galatians 3.20 ‘God is one.’
1 Corinthians 8.6 For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
There are many such verses but these are sufficient.
God warned Israel not to go after the worship of the many gods of the foreigners, which bring only death. But the people who adhere to the teachings of the Lord will be blessed.
Here, then, is the explanation as to why it is wrong to use the words ‘Nga Ariki.’ My friends, don’t use that phrase, but return to calling on the sacred name of our heavenly Father.
May the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you. Amen.
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THE PATHWAYS OF LEARNING.
R[eweti] T K[ohere]
I say that when someone is born into this world they begin a process of learning which lasts until they die. The most important teacher of a child is its mother. Its mother teaches it to speak, to think, to work. Its mother teaches it to distinguish the good from the bad, and right from wrong. This is why the Pakeha are keen to see that their girls are taught; they have built universities for their girls. This is because the girls will be teaching their children for generations to come. The quality of the mothers ensures the quality of the people. The Pakeha are right when they say that mothers of great men have been excellent women. A good mother means a good child; a bad mother means a bad child. It is the mother who moulds the heart of the child. The mother’s teaching will not be forgotten by the child because it was implanted by a gentle heart. There are some men who say that it is useless to educate women. This is very wrong. It is foolish men who say this.
We must not say that a child’s education begins when they start school. The child’s first school is its village, what the Pakeha call its ‘home.’ This is the important college. A child is launched by the hands of its parents into the billowy expanses of the world. Therefore, girls, boys, elderly ladies, elderly men, be zealous about lashing on the bulwarks of the hearts of your children so that they may bravely stand against the great waves of the world.
Children are very keen to seek the learning of their parents, their siblings, and their friends. The child’s job is to learn the language, the skills, and the culture of its mother and of the people it is in constant contact with and whom it hears. You may be going about the noisy streets and happen to look behind you, and there perhaps is a child following you. Christ says that it is a terrible sin when a person does wrong to a child.
Thoughtful parents are careful about choosing friends for their children. Companions have great power to raise up or to let down a child. At school gatherings the little ones can hear the big ones using bad language, whether they are girls or boys.
At the beginning of my article I said that a person goes on learning from birth until death. We must not think that we only learn at school. The college where one learns most intensively is the world. Timi Kara used to boast that he had very little schooling; he did not go to university; his ultimate college was the world. Timi Kara listened to learned people, he read the best books, he observed and listened to the world about him. The most important book he learned from was the Holy Bible.
There is no end to learning; there is no end to wisdom. There are many pathways and many teachers of wisdom.
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But be alert and eager to take up learning. Observe and listen to and speak with learned people, [?capable] people, good people. Don’t follow the blind lest you both fall into a ditch. It is very wise to look carefully, to listen carefully, and to ponder carefully.
It is a Maori fault to want to talk, to show off their learning. It would be better for us Maori were there more listeners and fewer preachers. Someone has said:
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. [Pope – An Essay on Criticism]
I finish my list of things that irritate me with foolish people wh0 spout learning. Some people have written to the Maori newspapers about things of which they knows nothing. I know a man who is very ignorant and yet ….. An ignorant person is boring..
There are some people who have arisen amongst us Maori, people unfit to teach the people, certainly not to be listened to, and yet many people do listen to them and follow them. This is very painful to my heart and soul. It is a sign that a large part of the Maori People are still children, still foolish. They don’t think about considering carefully how to unravel right from wrong. But the position is that we have made great advances in learning but not in character. The Maori heart has not yet found where it belongs. The people who ought to be listened to are not listened to, and those who ought not to be listened to are listened to.
The Pakeha are continually learning more. People’s speech is now conveyed from the clouds; they now fly like birds across the wide oceans of the world; but we Maori are still stupid, we are going back to the old days of ignorance even though the many pathways of learning are open to us. How long, O Lord, how long?
‘FLU’
T Wi Repa, MB, ChB, NZ.
When an illness comes suddenly upon a man, his head becomes heavy, he sneezes, his nose drips, his eyes are tearful, and he shivers, we say that that man has the ‘flu.’ This word ‘rewharewha’ – ‘flu’ signified something different when first it entered our language. Between 70 and 80 years ago a serious epidemic afflicted the people. That illness carried off the Maori People to the afterlife. We of this generation or those of the generation before us have not seen that illness. But we have heard it said that this was ‘the year of rewharewha’ – flu. I think that that was an infectious disease, perhaps influenza or measles or typhoid fever. But this is not the purport of my title.
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However this is the word one hears every day; that person is ill with rewharewha – flu.
The Causes of Flu.
This is not an illness that people take seriously, One hears them saying scornfully: ‘My lad, his illness is only flu.’ ‘My lad, he only has flu. He’ll be better tomorrow,’ ‘You foolish man, you’ve only got flu!’ This is why people don’t take precautions against getting flu, and why they don’t look after themselves when they get that illness.
The inexpert view of people is that the cause of this illness is cold, that is, sitting in a cold place, sitting in wet clothes, sitting in wet shoes, or sitting in a draught. That illness was called by the Pakeha in the language of the past, a ‘cold,’ that is a matao – cold, a makariri – cold. Believing this, the foolish thought that the best treatment was to light a fire in the house, shut the door and the window or windows, and so keep warm by preventing the cold from getting into the house.
But cold can contribute to developing this illness. It happens in this way. It weakens a person’s body. The person may not have caught this illness but he closes up the windows and doors. The man, his wife and his children suck in the foul air. The body is weakened. When the ‘seeds’ of this illness enter the nose of the man his strength has been diminished by breathing in the foul air and those ‘seeds’ take root. The man feels the difference. He has caught the flu. The ‘seeds’ have grown in his nose. The name of those ‘seeds of sickness’ is ‘disease germs,’ ‘microbes,’ ‘pathogenic organisms,’ that is, ‘seeds of illness.’ If the ‘seeds’ don’t get into a person he will not suffer the sickness. These seeds are not visible to human eyes. They are extremely small. But don’t be deceived by their smallness. One can only see them under a microscope. Take a little of the discharge from the nose of the person newly afflicted with flu, drop it on a piece of glass, then expose it to the flame of a spirit lamp to dry it. Then put it into methylene blue before washing it in cold water. It is then ready to be placed under the microscope for inspection. One can then see those creatures lying in a heap and crawling about and quivering. They have been turned blue by the methylene blue. Experts throughout the world have identified these as the cause of flu. The favourite place for these creatures is out of the wind, out of the sun, and in a dark place. They are killed by the heat of the sun and by fresh air. They are crawling about everywhere and flying about, and are blown in the dust. Millions of these creatures settle in the noses of each person, but not everyone falls ill; only in those weakened by foul air will they plant their ‘seeds.’
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An Infectious Disease
Flu is an infectious disease. The husband will pass on the flu to his wife, his child and his friend. It will go from one member of a family to the others. We are all aware of this aspect of the disease. If one with the disease breathes into the nose of a healthy person they will be infected by this disease. If all the members of the family stay together in the same room they will be infected. If the members of a tribe are gathered together in a Meeting House and one or two of them have the flu, if the door and the windows are closed then the whole tribe will catch it along with any visitors. Because of this the Department of Health closes the Court Houses, the picture theatres, the schools – all places where people gather together – while the infection is rife. Yes, flu is an infectious disease.
‘Ka puta te ahoaho, kei muri te taniwha.’
‘When the porpoise appears the monster is behind it.’
Flu is not a disease that kills people. That is why people scorn it. They say, ‘It’s only flu!’ However, it can presage more serious illnesses which can be fatal. It is like the small shark to the porpoise. It presages the monster that is coming and which will kill the person. If the person with flu is not careful the disease will change into bronchitis or pneumonia, or pleurisy, or empyema, or tuberculosis, or chronic bronchitis, or emphysema. We may hear that so-and-so has died of pneumonia but in fact his illness began with flu, or so-and-so has died of acute bronchitis but his illness began as flu, and someone has died of tuberculosis when his illness actually began as flu. So don’t scorn this insignificant illness – flu.
The Medication: The Treatment.
There are two kinds of treatment. First, there is prevention so that we don’t get the disease. The second is medicine, if we get the disease.
Prevention:
The Pakeha have a saying: ‘Prevention is better than cure.’ That is, ‘It is better to deflect it that to let the disease afflict you and then have to treat it.’ When you go to sleep at night, have the window open. If one of the family gets the disease then put them in a separate room. Don’t go to gatherings in the Meeting House if many people there have the disease. Don’t go to dances. If you get hot go outside to the cool and walk about. If you get wet be quick to take off the wet clothes and put on dry ones. If your shoes are wet, take them off straight away and put on dry ones. Don’t go outside soon after taking a hot bath.
Medication:
If you start snuffling, this will be the time when the creatures are entering your nose. This is
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the path the creatures take. It is the right time to attack these creatures while they are near. This is the easiest way to do this. Fill a vessel with a pint of warm water. Take a teaspoonful of salt and stir it into the water. The water should be just warm. The person should suck the water in through the nose and spit it out of the mouth. Use all the water. Don’t worry about the flow of mucus. It is not a beautifying activity. When this is done, pour very hot water into a basin and put in two tablespoons of mustard. Carefully put in your feet. It is probably good to make it warm at first to wet the feet, and then to carefully add boiling water. Keep doing this so that the body perspires freely. Then take off your clothes and rub yourself down with a dry towel. Take a dose of Epsom salts (not flax juice which is too severe) and go to bed. When you get up in the morning you will feel better. If you are still unwell, repeat the above treatment. If the activity of the microbes has reached the base of the tongue, that is a problem. The time has come to call the doctor.
THE MEMORIAL TO SIR JAMES CARROLL
P[araire] H T[omoana]
In the days following the death of Sir Timi Kara last year it was agreed that we should celebrate his life on his birthday this year (20th August) at Te Whakaki, Te Wairoa. And it was arranged at that time that a Meeting House be erected there for that occasion. Sir Timi and the people of Te Wairoa were in agreement about building that Hall. Timi wholeheartedly supported that building before he was taken away by death but the tribe were committed to the arrangements for that day. During July notices were sent out about that hui. The notices stated that the purposes of that hui were the following: to complete the projects left by Timi; to keep that day, 20th August, as a day to remember what Timi achieved, and to hold a meeting of Te Ropu Atawhai (Welfare League) which he wanted set up to help the people; and to look at the foundational teachings of the Churches.
During that hui arrangements were made for football and hockey matches for Rauwa and Pipiwhakao, and we asked for the Prince of Wales Cup to be on display. It was given to be competed for by Maori.
The Marae people were all the hapu of Ngati Kahungunu within Te Wairoa and Te Mahia. The Visitors were from Ngati Porou, Rongowhakaata, the many hapu of Turanga, Tiniroto, and Waikaremoana, and Heretaunga. Pakeha folk came from Wellington, Hawkes Bay, and Gisborne. Even though many people came there was plenty of food and a warm welcome from the local people.
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There were two large marquees for people to sleep in, one marquee for dining, and the Hall served for meetings and entertainments in the evening. There were two singing groups, one made up of children from Moteo, and another of those from Rakaipaka, and so, although there were violent storms and mud, one’s spirit was satisfied by experiencing the beautiful [?tutepe – ?two-step, tiaahi - ?jazz, whakitarata - ? foxtrot, ?ekikuihimi] and the [?wokana - ?organ - warihi, wokana wanatepe - ?one-step] which adorned the activities of the marae.
There were two [ahi kai - ?kitchens] one with one table and the other with two. Many, many wonderful things were to be seen where the food was prepared by the ‘hot hands,’ the cooks, who cooked cakes and bread and meat, and even [?iringa] beef steaks. We also saw the machine that generated light and the decorations on the marae and kitchens which the untimely storm had damaged before the visitors could appreciate them. Everything was wasted by the terrible rain. However, the writer saw all these decorations and those preparing everything in the rain and the bog, and we are very grateful to them and the waiters, wh0se aprons remained pristine despite the torrents of rain. Did they indeed have fairy boots which had nothing to do with mud? [?Heoi ano he teene katoa. ?They all wore tennis shoes.]
Although all the leading speakers were excellent, special thanks are due to the spokesmen who addressed the subject of the teachings of their faiths; each spoke clearly of their Church’s teachings. It is also right to praise those who questioned the speakers, for their courtesy and for asking questions seeking clarification. Although the spokesman of one of the Churches was quick to absent himself and go outside, it was his own people who criticised him for abruptly acting like that, and he alone behaved like that, and his doing it did not negate the appreciation of this session.
People began to arrive on Thursday 18th and kept coming until Saturday 20th and it was on this day that Gisborne and Hawkes Bay arrived. The theme of the welcoming speeches and the responses of all those arriving was sympathy for Timi’s widow. All Timi’s Maori waiata were sung as expressions of grief, beginning with Watene Huuka, then came [?Patu,] Te Rito, Paetai, Tipoki, Te Angiangi, Te Hata, and Timi’s children and the visitors. Appropriately they sang,
Look at the sky
Seeking to drive away the mist.
What I am about
Cannot be concealed.
The evening was the part allocated to the Pakeha. Present were the Mayor of Te Wairoa, Mr Clark [?the Clerk] of the Timi Appreciation Group, the Spokesman of the Hastings [?Ripirara], the representative of the Wellington District Military, the Member of the Gisborne Harbour Board, and the elder Hori Omana, and their children, grandchildren, and many Pakeha friends. There the large portrait of
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Timi was presented. It stands beside the [?ti - ?cordyline] – the place where Timi was born in Te Wairoa. A gold watch and other gold items were presented to the widow. Hori Omana also gave gold treasure and made a speech to the gathering encouraging them in these days when they were shrouded in darkness. Timi’s favourite English songs were sung – ‘On the Banks of Allan Water,’ ‘The Old Folks at Home,’ and ‘Home Sweet Home.’
‘THE TEACHINGs OF THE CHURCHES.’
This is one of the subjects discussed at the Hui held at Whakaki. This subject was raised in the discussions at the Annual Hui held at Nuhaka in 1925 when it was asked, ‘What are the teachings of the Missionary Church? [The Church of England]. From that time until 20th August, Sir Timi’s Memorial Day at Whakaki, the matter was discussed privately but at last it was taken up with a request to each Church to explain their teachings.
The Chairman of this session was Matene Whaanga of Nuhaka. He explained that the spokesperson for the Church would explain its teachings for the gathering to consider. He also read out the letter from Wiremu Takana from Dannevirke in which he praised the hui for addressing the subject and said that he would provide a spokesperson from the Mormon Church.
The Ringatu was the first Church to speak and Eria and Te Hau were the spokesmen. Eria explained that for him Ringatu was the Church of Te Kooti, and not of Ruka or Te Wahapango, which were just branches and did not believe in some aspects.
They still held the beliefs of Te Kooti the prophet and his words still stay with them from the time of his return from the Chathams to the present day. The still observe the Sabbath Day as set up by the Scriptures and he asked the Maori People to support that Church. Eria also quoted the Hebrew words revealed to Te Kooti and the doctrines they taught, and it was wonderful to Eria that he could quote those words which inspired his faith in Te Kooti and his translation of them.
Next it was the turn of Wi Mete of Nuhaka for the Mormon Church. He set out his account of the Old Testament and the prophets right down to Joseph Smith the elder and his son, Joseph. The latter was appointed a prophet and when he was twenty-four heavenly things were revealed to him – words explaining the Scriptures, the Book of Mormon, the Book of [Niwai], and all the prescriptions for the faith of the Latter-Day Saints. He also explained the words of the Old Testament about an alien people who lived an itinerant life on the mountains saying that this story paralleled that of the Saints because their holy city and their land were the same. Their Church taught many good things and forbade all wicked actions.
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He was a vicious man and then, when he joined that Church, he finished with such things. Helping the sick and the orphan and showing hospitality to people are part of the work of his Church. The main teachings and even the smallest teachings of the Scriptures are followed by the Mormon. And all the new things discovered in our day are supported by the teachings of this Church.
He would like to have spoken at greater length but the time was short and many other Churches were waiting so he ended his speech, however, before he sat down he said that this was the true Church because it fulfilled all the commandments in the Scriptures.
At this point Patu Te Rito stood to explain that Timi Kara had said that he would explain about the Catholic Churchj when the time came; now he had gone and there was no-one to tale in hand that Church.
Te Waaka, the minister of the Ratana Church, stood and requested prayer before he spoke on behalf of his Church.
This request was not granted because the accounts of the Churches was taking much time, however, if he wanted to speak for his Church then he should begin. Thereupon that man angrily left the hui and all the members of that Church went outside.
The speaker for this one of the Churches was ridiculed for his impetuousness and his quickness to get angry and go outside.
After this the Reverend John [?Laughton], a Pakeha minister of the Presbyterian Church, spoke. He explained that his Church and some others had separated from the Catholic Church. He said that a long time ago, Martin Luther, an important man in the Catholic Church, had found his thinking at odds with that of that Church, and subsequently the Protestant Churches came into being. His Church was the same as that of England; in one point they differed. The Head of his Church is called an Elder while the English equivalent is a Bishop, but they do the same work. He said that the number of members of the Church of England in New Zealand is five hundred thousand and a half, his Church has two hundred thousand and a half members, the Catholic Church has one hundred thousand and a half members, and there are a further one hundred Churches including Ringatu, the Mormons, and Ratana, in the last Census.
But in his speech in support of the Reverend Hakiwai’s sermon, he said that whatever Christian denomination a person belonged to, if he followed the Lord’s instructions he would receive eternal life. Therefore, devote yourself to the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that is, remember the words of Christ to his disciples when he said:
Go and preach the Gospel to all the world, baptizing everyone in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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After this T Toroaiwhiti and Nepia of Nuhaka stood to tell of the beginnings of the Missionary Church and the present teachings of that Church. They used explanatory charts. They explained those charts using a pointer.
(1) The Old Testament (From Genesis to the end.)
(a)The Circumcision.
(2) The New Testament
(a) The Baptism of John
(b) Christ the Lord.
(c) The Day of Pentecost
(d) The Gospel is preached throughout the world.
(e) The Laying-on of Hands.
(f) Recent developments.
Toroawhiti explained the Old Covenant, Circumcision, and the Baptism of John. Nepia explained the significance of the Circumcision and the Baptism of John for the Jews. He also dealt with the topic s from Christ the Saviour to his command to preach the Gospel to the whole world in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holhy Spirit. In concluding, Toroaiwhiti 0065plained the origin of Bishops and their history up to the present day.
When they had finished the meeting was adjourned for the night and it was given to the Reverend John (Presbyterian) to lead the worship. The text of his sermon was , ‘I am with you always, to the end of the World.’ {Matthew 28.20] His saying was:
Whatu ngarongaro he tangata, toitu he whakapono.
A man may disappear like a stone, but a faith abides.
After the service there was an opportunity for the hearers to ask questions. One question only was asked by the Ringatu: Why was the Sabbath abandoned and the first day of the week taken up as the day of rest?
John (Presbyerian) and Hakiwai (Church of England) that in the Scriptures one finds the teachings of the Old Law – the Old Testament, the New Testament and the commands of Christ on the Day of Pentecost which are the principles of the New Law.
People who did not attend that hui say that there was much squabbling over these matters. My friends, there was great kindness and graciousness shown by both the speakers and the audience. And there was great surprise at how these good seeds of the Churches were spread throughout the hui. These initiatives meant that this hui was much the best of our many gatherings.
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FOOTBALL [RUGBY]
A game of football took place on the day of the Hui at Whakaki (20th August) in which Pipiwhakao (Gisborne) defeated Rauaa (Wairoa), the local people, 25 – 0. This game was to honour the present given by the Prince of Wales to our young people when he was touring the world. However, it comes under the disposal of the Advisory Board in Wellington who chose not to make the cup available on this important day for the Tai Rawhiti (and for us, the combined parts of Ngati Kahungunu.)
Rauaa were good but Pipiwhakao were better because they had grazed on the undulating country of Makauri. During the night there had been haka and poi and impromptu dances and so the local people were worn out.
But you have won the important cup for the way you provided for the visitors. Although we all enjoyed these good things, our thanks and praise go to you who showed such great hospitality to those who came.
AN ASSOCIATION FOR THE NEW WORLD.
P H Tomoana.
(This correspondence began in the August edition.)
Amongst these important articles are some excellent ideas for us to share in the hope that a good insight may dawn upon the mind to provide a cloak for us so that by means of a company of volunteers and by being of one heart in this new century a person may not sail his very small raft unwittingly at a time when two tides are coming together. The two ‘gospels’ have been shared, that of work and that of the faith, with all their adornments, but now we have a strong voice saying the following – keep the six days as days for work but the seventh day should be a day for pleasure, a day of leisure. This shows us the importance of our ancestral saying above.
Te whanga ‘taua’ ka taea ano te kohiri [sic - ?kokiri] i nga toa
a tae rawa mai kua rite atu te hoariri.
If a war party waits in ambush, when the warriors eventually charge they will find the enemy prepared.
Tena ko te kinaki me kai te ata te ra-poupou me te ra-to ka ngata te takapu.
If you eat relish in the morning and at mid-day and at sunset your stomach
will be satisfied.
People were inclined to say in the past that there were two ways – good and bad; but the ancestors said:
Ko te kino kia hinga i te pai.
Evil will overcome good.
Therefore, it is right that we should be watchful. It is right then, my friends, that the two of you, indeed all of you, make a pathway through the many clearings of the time.
Our major problem is our lands which are lying unproductive. By knowing how to work them, how to take them in hand, and by giving thought to the right thing to do we will achieve all these things. No matter how long a journey we have to take, when we return we shall find that the land provides a resting-place. It is right that we come together in this project and, if you like, you can pool the pieces of land that remain to the appropriate group for them to work. Only in this way will we get access to the remnants of lands in the hands of the thoughtless;
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just as we, the majority in the Maori world, know how to come together in the face of their limited understanding. When this is achieved we will come to a wise decision, as has been said, ‘In one way or another.’ It will be done in the blink of an eye to our content. Our thoughts will be mature and small thoughts will have been swallowed up along with flustered and wrong thinking.
We shall be fortunate at this time if we rightly grasp these things. See, the Government has set up a fund and it has been carefully divided between the various important projects which will serve to promote the people. Good, strong committees have been set up and the members are people who are prepared to offer their bodies as a sacrifice for the benefit of the people. I hear that the Groups for the Advancement of the Maori People are united and have a deep affection for the people, therefore it is right that the people be ’of good heart.’ This does not mean that the groups consisting of our learned people and our leaders [fuglemen] will not be set up. I think that in this way our relish will serve as bait for large catches at the fishing grounds. We may go hungry for a while - who knows for how long? – but if our groups manage things well and along right lines, the People will emerge into The World of Continuing Daylight [Te Ao-tea-roa].
But I think the right thing to do is to use some of that money to provide people with all kinds of knowledge, whether adults or children, and to use this fund first to improve our dwelling-places, and second, to teach people farming and technical skills, and prepare them to work in the professions. To refresh our spirits in the immediate future it would be right to commit all matters relating to the government of Maori to our young people who have the abilities, if the young ones have attained some standing in those offices, though perhaps the top management of those things should rest with the Pakeha. The appointment of our young people to such positions is a very important matter for the Government to consider.
Be resolute! These are demanding times, and the important ideas held by our young people must not be allowed to die. We dare not leave them splashing about, in danger of being carried away by the strong whirlpool, Te Wairangi-o-Te-Ao-kume-ke. What Mr Thornton said when we returned from holidays is right: ‘Be men! Be strong!’ This has been engraved on a stone that stands at Te Aute College.
I follow on from the articles that appeared in last August’s paper in which Tutepuaki and Te Tutere were praised for pointing to this as a means of stirring us up, and not only to make us alert but also that we live with a spirit of achievement in accordance with the saying that goes:
Ruia taitea! Ruia taitea ka tu ko taikākā anake.
Cast aside the sapwood and let the heartwood alone stand,
[cf Nga Pepeha 2178]
This teaches that we should set each person thinking about the hopes of the Old World and the New World so that the cream of those desires floats to the top, and so that they may have a vision and get a grasp of things for those who live in the Light of Day. It is these who love and work for
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the people, and the young people who are being educated in the ‘Houses of Learning’ [Whare Wananga] of our time. It is right that we devote ourselves to setting down in writing a programme for them. Let us bear them in mind as our parents and ancestors thought about us; we were called ‘Huia-standing-on-the headland,’ ‘Treasures,’ ‘Two-edged taiaha,’ and other names of importance which each ancestor conferred on his grandchildren and his child. The hope was that all these expressions would serve to imbue in us a desire for unity. It is right that we should undertake this task because the ‘Scribes’ have sealed the Fame and the Honour of our Maori ancestors who swam across the Pacific [the Great Ocean of Kiwa], an achievement we have only lately discovered, and we wonder at their knowledge and at all that happened to them which we celebrate in these days. The infant world’s heart asks, ‘How can we get such knowledge?’ The Scriptures say, ‘Seek and you shall find.’ [Matthew 7.7]
So, warriors of our time, make a stand! Charge! Within Heretaunga it is said that it was Tuhotoariki who said,
He toa takitini, taku toa.
My bravery is that of many followers. [cf Nga Pepeha 768]
The swamp-hen [pakura – pukeko to some] was regarded as a stringy bird during the years when the oil of Maungahaaruru and Maungawharau was plentiful, but when food was short or unpalatable the value of this bird went up so that it was asked:
Kei hea nga toa whai pakura a Terehunga?
Where are the braves of Terehunga who hunt for swamp-hens?
Each place has a proverbial saying appropriate to its district to remind us of our parents and ancestors and the sayings they have left us by which we can analyse our own time.
Whatungarongaro he tangata, toitu he whenua.
People disappear, the land remains. [cf Nga Pepeha 2665]
Such people have departed from us but a few remain. Sir Timi has gone but we still have Sir Pomare, Sir Ngata, Dr Te Rangihiroa, Dr Wi Repa, Dr Ellison, and others of us who have gnawed at the beams of Today’s Schools of Learning [Whare Wananga] and endured the storms of our time that have battered our young men and women. But what scares some of these people is the language of the Commercial World [Te Ao Whakatupu]. Their teaching is: ‘It is for you and you alone. [Kia koe a koe ano. ‘Every man for himself!’] Therefore, if you deviate in some way or waste a single minute, then you just have to grin and commit all your muscles to running until the setting of the sun. This saying is true:
Manaakitia te iti, he Rei-matomato no Ngahuru-tikotiko-iere.
Treasure the small; it is a valued jewel of Ngahuru-tikotiko-iere.
During the days when the Children of Israel encountered the Amorites, Joshua asked that the sun and moon stood still, but the New World cannot accept this because of the Law of Gravity [Ture Irirangi]. Where is the door to such insight? The Scriptures say:
‘Knock, and it shall be opened to you.’ [Matthew 7.8]
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TE WHAKAPAPA WHAIKI A TE WHATU-MANAWA.
(THE CONSCIENCE WHISPERS GENEALOGICALLY.)
By P H Tomoana
(A Lament for Wiripine ‘Miraka’ Aranui.)
[I give below the Maori text of Paraire Tomoana’s lament. It is full of the names of people and places with which I am unfamiliar. In his writings Tomoana frequently gives capital letters apparently indiscriminately to words which would not be given capitals in English. If anyone can provide a translation I will be grateful, otherwise I shall attempt one when I have more time. – Barry Olsen.]
Tirohia atu ra nga tai e Pupuke
Takare Raumati e Kakawa i roto ra,
He Rehutai-moana iri ana i te kamo,
Me he Kare-a-roto te paanga ki te uma.
Ngahuru-mai-rangi ana te tangi ki a koe
Taukuri rai a te mamae Ngau-ao!”
He Matewai Tauhinu ka warea nei koe
He Marangai-areare nau i Tau-awhi.
No Tinirau e i Rapua-i-te-rangi
Ka Rarapa Te Uira i roto Te Ata-rau
Marama rawa mai, ka riro i a koe na!!
(‘He Maioha ki Te Iwi.’)
Ma-hina-a-rangi ana mai Tararua,
Kia Whakatomo atu te moana uiruiri.
Tauhei-tia ake ko Te Rimurapa nei,
I Roto-Raukawa e, po tangotango rawa
Numia-i-te-rangi, Nga-rangi-ka-whiua,
Na ana tenei hanga ‘Te Tikaro Manawa.’
Maioha atu ana te Ara-moana ra
Ka hewa ianei ko Tu-A-whiorangi na!!
(‘Rauawatia Te Waka.’)
Haerewa mai ra e Tini, Rautangata
Te Take o Po-hoi i Hirawea nei.
E Rua Tau-ruru! E Rua Tau-wehe!
E Ruarahanga ‘Moea mai o Whatu’!
Ngawhakatatare-o-te-rangi kia mau!
Korotaha ake ra e Hine-Rau-Wharangi
Whakawarea ake ki te Ara-maikuku,
Kia Tipi-Whakairo ki Te Poroporo rawa
Kia Tu-rahui i Te Ao-patuwhare,
Hawea-Te-Marama e Kai-moetia nei na!
(‘Te Koha ki Te Iwi hei Te Rau Oriwa.’)
Me Mihiroa atu kia Tamangaro e!
He Rehunga iti noa, he Manawa i Kawakawa!
Haere mai e pa me Te Whatuiapiti;
Aku hei-tawhiri, aku kati-aramea.
Te Rangikoianake, Tu-purupurutia!
Te Whananga-i-te-rangi, hei Te Rau Oriwa!
Tu mai e Taha Hikitia-i-te-rangi,
Te Puna o Te Aroha he Rangikaunuhia,
Hei Taanga Manawa mo Takitaki e,
Kia Hira ai ra Te Rongo ki Rotohenga,
Kia Toi noatu Te Moana i Patoka.
Hei Wikitoria mo Te Uamairangi na!!!
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