[803]
TE
TOA TAKITINI
Registered
at the GPO as a Newspaper.
Number
83
Hastings
1st July. 1928
THE MAORI BISHOP
Clause 3 of the Maori Bishop Bill says:
‘No-one shall be appointed as Bishop for Aotearoa before provision has been
made, to the satisfaction of the Bishops, for the stipend for that Bishop’ etc.
The Standing Committee of the Diocese of
Waiapu has met to look into ways of securing a stipend for that Bishop. Their
report has been sent to the Archbishop in Auckland and it is now being
considered by the four Bishops of Aotearoa. If the ways of providing a stipend
for our Bishop are regarded as satisfactory then we should hear soon that our
Bishop has been appointed.
The following amounts have been received by
the Office in Napier.
£
From
Ngati Porou 330
From
Lady Carroll 50
___
380
The Williams Memorial Fund is contributing
a pound for every pound raised up to £500 a year, and this amount will not be
reduced for three years. This means that the £380 this year has grown to £760,
and all the Bishop’s expenses are guaranteed until 31st March, 1929.
People, this matter is being dealt with
well and quickly.
THE LAMENTS [NGA MOTEATEA]
Nga Moteatea has been published as a separate book. It
consists of authentic pieces from the many canoes of Aotearoa, collected by A T
Ngata. This book is a real treasure, printed under the auspices of the Ethnological
Board. The price of each book is 7/6. It contains 90 waiata. Send orders to Te
Raumoa, H R H Balneavis, Parliamentary Buildings, Wellington, or to The Editor,
Toa Takitini, Box 300, Hastings.
Published
by the Rev F A Bennett and printed at Cliff Press, Queen Street, Hastings, HB.
[804]
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, 1st July, 1928.
MEETING OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE
CHURCH IN THE TAURANGA AREA. 11th
June, 1928
Monday, 11th June, was the day
set for the business of the Standing Committee, but a decision was made to hold
a large service in the Te Pahou Church and so the Ministers and Lay Representatives
of the Parishes of the Tauranga Archdeaconry were summoned to Te Pahou on
Saturday, 9th.
The main business to be dealt with by the Committee
was the money for the stipend of the Maori Bishop, an amount allocated to the
Tauranga Archdeaconry of £250 a year. To make clear to the Parishes of the
Archdeaconry how that money was to be allocated, it was decided to lay this
before the people of each Parish to ascertain whether they could fulfil this, before
this meeting of the Standing Committee.
At 11 o’clock on the Sunday morning the
combined service was held in the church, followed by the Lord’s Supper. This
was a big service for this Parish. More than 30 people took Communion. All the
many parts of Mataatua were here. There were no divisions this morning –
Catholics, Missionaries, Ringatu, were all one.
The service ended and after the meal the people
gathered on the marae. The matter for discussion was the allocation to the
Parishes of a share towards the £250 0s 0d. Wiremu Kingi gave a long speech
describing the origins of the idea of the Maori People having a Bishop of their
very own, and of the provision that such a person would not be appointed unless
his expenses, which would be not less that £590 a year, were guaranteed. After
this explanation the following division of the money was proposed:
£
Parish
of Ohinemutu 100
Parish
of Te Ngae 50
Parish
of Te Puke 40
Parish
of Whakatane 30
Parish
of Ruatoki 10
Parish
of Taupo 20
___
250
It did not take long to deal with this
matter before there was a satisfactory conclusion. It was also explained that
the Te Arawa Trust Board was underwriting this amount for five years.
The remarkable thing about this subject was
that the Catholics and the Ringatu undertook to help with this matter. Thankyou
to these Matatua Churches.
Raimona Heretaunga, Committee Secretary.
[805]
On Monday, 11th June, 1928, at
10 a.m the hui began. There was prayer before the work began.
Archdeacon Chatterton Chairman
Rev Manihera Tumatahi Te Ngae
Rev Ropere Tahuriorangi Ruatoki
Rev W A Te Waaka Whakatane
Rev E M E Te Tikao Ohinemutu
Rev Paora Te Muera Taupo
Wiremu King & Heketoro Hikairo Ohinemutu
Tiakiawa Tahuriorangi Te Ngae
Raimona Heretaunga Te Ngae
Paora Rangiaho Ruatoki
Hemi te Uara Te Puke
Kereopa Hotene Whakatane
Tomika Tutahi Tauranga
The Minutes of the meeting at Te Puke were
read and confirmed.
Chairman’s Address
He was pleased that the Standing Committee
was meeting in Whakatane. He saw this as a sign that the spiritual life here
was flourishing.
He was particularly grateful that this
gathering was dealing with the very important matter of the Maori Bishop, which
honours the Maori People and will benefit the whole country of Aotearoa. This
is the time to obey the commands of the Leaders who, from the time of Moses,
have said to charge, to go forward. Leave behind the land of enslavement. We
have in our hands now the means of strengthening our work and the Spirit of God
will help in this great task.
Paora te Muera moved that Puata-ata Grace
be the Lay Representative for Taupo. Seconded by all.
Wiremu Kingi moved that Heketoro Hikairo be
Lay Representative for part of the Parish of Ohinemutu. Seconded by Paora te
Muera and agreed.
Lay Representatives to the Meetings of
Synod.
Wiremu Kingi explained that he and Tiweka
were the Lay Representatives for the Archdeaconry of Tauranga. I am thinking of
handing over this post to other parts of this Archdeaconry.
Tiakiawa Tahuriorangi moved that Wiremu
Kingi retain his position and that Tiweka Anaru represent the Bay of Plenty.
Seconded by all.
Te Waaka moved that Tuiringa Tawera be
deputy to Tiweka Anaru if required for Synod meetings. Ropere seconded this and
it was agreed.
Parish of Tauranga
Tomika Tutahi expressed his anguish at the
state of the Church in Tauranga.
[806]
As the sole remaining member, he asks that
thought be given very soon as to how to bring Tauranga back to the Church. He
hopes that this will be dealt with urgently.
The Chairman: Our hearts go out to the
situation of Tauranga and we want to help with this problem. I said at Te Puke
that we should have a mission to Tauranga. But the Maori Bishop will soon be in
place and it will be for him to deal with this matter. I am very pleased that
this problem has been laid before this meeting.
Rev Mohi said: ‘I am deeply moved by the
situation of the Church in Tauranga which is in a sad state. But the foundation
is there and it just needs tending. The most important thing is settling a
Minister there.’
The Chairman explained the reason why there
is no Minister at Tauranga. There is no Minister because there is no money. The
matter should be put in a motion which, being in words acceptable to this
meeting, will be sent to the Bishop.
Te Manihera said that he is willing to go
to Tauranga for a while to help Tomika Tutahi.
Tiakiawa said that Tauranga is at the heart
of this area and it is in difficulties. Therefore, it is right that we act
swiftly to help. I agree that we should send one of the Ministers there. One
could go for a time and when he returns another of the Ministers could go.
All agreed to help Tauranga.
The Parish of Whakatane’s Money
Rev Waaka asked what has happened to the
money given by the Church of Whakatane to the Rev George Maunsell in 1897. The
money, an amount of £140, was for a Minister’s stipend.
The Chairman said that enquiries will be
made.
Expenses of the Maori Bishop
Wiremu Kingi moved that the following
allocation of the £250 towards the expenses of the Maori Bishop be confirmed by
this meeting.
£
Parish
of Ohinemutu 100
Parish
of Te Ngae 50
Parish
of Te Puke 40
Parish
of Whakatane 30
Parish
of Ruatoki 10
Parish
of Taupo 20
___
250
Seconded by Rev Paora te Muera and agreed.
[807]
The Expenses of Members Travelling to
Meetings of the Standing Committee
Tomika asked what the Committee thought
about expenses of members travelling to meetings of the Standing Committee.
The Chairman said that this was not
something to be dealt with at this time. Each Parish should provide for its
member.
At 1.30 p.m Wiremu Kingi took over as
Chairman of the meeting.
The Rev Mohi moved that the number of
Church people in each Parish be counted. The Rev Paora Temuera seconded the
motion. There was much discussion and the. motion was then amended as follows: The Rev
Mohi then moved that it be left to the Ministers of each Parish to present a
report to the meeting of the Standing Committee, including the number of people
in each Parish. Tiakiawa seconded this and it was agreed.
l
The Rev Mohi moved that if it is decided
that the Maori Bishop will be consecrated in Rotorua, then this Committee will
meet before that day. Hikairo seconded this and it was agreed.
Thw Rev Mohi moved that the allocations of
the £250 be published in the Pakeha Newspaper. All agreed.
Hikairo moved that we express the
appreciation of the Standing Committee to the local people for their
hospitality to the members of the Committee. Seconded by Rev Paora and all
agreed.
MEETING OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE HAWKES
BAY ARCHDEAONRY.
On 14th June the meeting of the
Hawkes Bay Archdeaconry took place at Omahu. All the members were present
except for Rev H Huata and Mr P H Tomoana. Many elders who support the Church
were present from each Parish. As the Archdeacon was absent during the morning,
Bennett was Chairman. It was agreed that business from each Parish should be
discussed during the morning and wider issues after dinner.
The following matters were dealt with:
1.
Parish
of Moteo.
It was
reported that the Tangoio Church had been finished but they were waiting for an
appropriate time to open it. The Treasurer said that the amount owing on the
church was £232 7s 6d, to which must be added £23 for the pews.
Bennett told of a conversation during which Judge Gilfedder told him of a visit
from someone who asked that the land and the building be
[808]
for
the whole Church. The Judge replied that, rather, that place had been entrusted
to the Trustees of the Church of England in the Diocese of Waiapu. There was a
request to the Maori Land Court on 3rd April, 1917. Clifford was the
Judge, but the decision was presented during September of that year when the Judge
was the Chief Justice, Judge Jones. The Diocesan Trustee showed the parchment
title which placed that land under the trusteeship of the Church . Therefore,
no-one can make problems for that place.
The
following motion was passed:
‘That
the Diocesan Secretary write to Repanga Tupara pointing out to him that the
Standing Committee of the Hawkes Bay Archdeaconry has discussed his proposals
for the church at Tangoio. The Committee has removed him from his position as
secretary of the Church Committee, and all the money he has collected for the
church and its furnishings, and other money relating to the Church, he is to convey
to the Diocesan Secretary in Napier within fourteen days.
Peni
Hakiwai is to enquire of the people of Tangoio and Petane about money in hand for
the Tangoio Church, and to direct them to send it to the Treasurer at the
Diocesan Office to meet the debts owed tor that building.
That
the people of Tangoio an Petane discuss a date suitable to them for the opening
of that building.’
2.
Mohaka
Parish
Netane Nehemia
said that the Parish has no great projects at this time and there is nothing to
report. The Mothers’ Union is not functioning now.
3.
Te
Wairoa Parish
Rewi
Tamehana said that there is no reason to speak of this area as a parish now
because there are no ‘Missionaries’ [Church of England people] there now.
Perhaps only six ‘Missionary’ elders remain.
The
Hall. Bennett said that he
had heard that the deeds of the land where the hall was built show that it was
given for the benefit of the Church of England. However no-one from the Church
has seen that deed and the Diocesan Office does not know where the deed is.
A
motion was passed that because a great deal of Church money had been laid out
to build a minister’s house for Te Wairoa, and that money had been diverted to
the building of the hall,
[809]
this
committee believes that, as there is no clear trail for that money, this matter
should be put in the hands of the Church lawyer to look into. He is to seek to
find the deed, and report to the Secretary of the Diocese of Waiapu.
Te
Wairoa Parish
A
motion was passed: This meeting advises the Bishop that it thinks that the
Church is so weak in this Parish that it recommends:
a.
The
Parish is separated from the Parish of Mohaka.
b.
That
the Parish be linked with the Mission Areas.
c.
That a
permanent minister reside in the Parish of Te Wairoa.
4.
Parish
of Nuhaka.
The spokesmen for
this parish said that all was going well with the management and the activities.
Had they had the same support as Te Mahia they would have made the roll of honour
of ‘self-supporting’ parishes.
Running
a Mission
Wi
Pere Mataira said that the people of his parish wanted Bennett to come at the
beginning of July to run a Mission. Bennett has agreed. The date for the
Mission is July 8 – 14.
5.
Parish
of Waipawa
Mr
Pilson, the Treasurer, said that the total cost of the minister’s house was
£735. The amount collect so far is £669 10s 3d. The amount still needed is £65
9s 9d.
It
was moved that the Treasurer be authorised to take the £69 9s 9d from the
Minister’s Stipend Fund of the Parish of Waipawa to pay that debt. When the
Building Committee has the funds it is to repay this amount to the Minizter’s
Stipend Fund.
6.
Church
Committees
The
following are the members of the Church Committees for the year ending 31.3.29.
Parish of
Moteo:
For Omahu: Bob Tutaki, Pita Tiopira, Turi Tanguru,
Tame Kopu, Ratima Nuku.
For Moteo: Koti Wepa, Hikateko Tautahi, Hune Rawiri,
Matenga Kaihaere, Merata Kurupo, Reihana Karaha, Raniera Hira.
For
Wharerangi: Nirai Aporo,
Te Hau Porourangi, Tarati te Hoata, Apikaera te Hoata, Joe te Hoata.
For
Waiohiki: Kurupo Tareha,
Dick McGregor, Kapi Tareha.
For
Petane and Tangoio:
Temuera Puna, Adam Pohio, Hami Tutu, Rangi Tutu, Rangi Moa.
For Te Haroto: Te Raroa Sullivan, Pire Pataka, Rapi Hunia.
[810]
Parish of
Waipawa:
For
Waipawa: Ihaia Hutana and
Pura Logan.
For
Porangahau: Hemi Rapaea
and Henare Edwards.
For
Takapau: Aritaku Maaka and
George Heperi.
For
Dannevirke: H M Tatere and
Hare Pine.
Parish of
Te Waipatu:
For Te
Waipatu: P H Tomoana, Hare
Nepe, Panapa Tuari.
For Te
Kohupatiki: Ihakara
Rapana, Te Hore Chadwick, Pire Hami, Riri Potaka.
For Te
Pakipaki: Pohe Hemi,
Hakopa, Poki Mohi, Hurikino Kerekere.
For Te
Hauke: Hori Tupaea,
Raniera Ellison, Tawhi.
For Waimarama: Ture Gillies, Miki Thomas.
7.
Assistant
Minister
Bennett reported
that the Rev Ra Rangiaho had been appointed to assist him so that he has
freedom to help the parishes of the Diocese.
8.
Members
for the Main Synod.
Hori
Tupaea and Henare T Hutana were appointed to represent the Maori section of the
Hawkes Bay Archdeaconry on the Main Waiapu Diocesan Synod.
Here
ended the matters relating specifically to the Parishes of this Archdeaconry.
9.
The
Bishopric of Aotearoa.
Bennett outlined
the progress of this matter, from the meeting of General Synod in Wellington,
to the Te Arawa Hui at Maketu and the Tai Rawhiti Hui at Whangara.
The following motions were passed:
10.
Thanks
to the General Synod.
This meeting asks
the Bishop of Waiapu to express the gratitude of the Maori of this Archdeaconry
to the Archbishop and the members of General Synod for assenting to the request
of the Maori People for a Bishop of their own. This meeting believes that their
agreement to this will revive the work of the Church amongst the Maori.
11.
Thanks
to Ngati Porou.
The members of
the Church in the Archdeaconry are very grateful for the efforts of Sir Apirana
Ngata in his leadership in this project for a Maori Bishop and for bringing it
to a successful conclusion, and also to all Ngati Porou who alone have helped
to ensure the stipend of the Bishop up until the end of March, 1929. We honour
them greatly for their love for the tribes of the country.
12.
Greetings
to the Bishop of Waiapu.
We greatly
appreciate our Bishop and his abiding love for the Maori people of his Diocese
[What follows is actually printed on
page 814 after the article on Mohi te Atahikoia.]
from
the time he was made Bishop to the present day. But the outstanding fruit of
his love have been his powerful speeches to get General Synod to agree to a
Maori Bishop.
13.
Greetings
to Archdeacon Herbert Williams.
We cannot
find words adequate enough to express our thanks and our love to
our father,
Herbert, whose efforts and understanding of the issues around the Maori Bishop
enabled him to take the bill through General Synod. His Maori people know that
this love and strength are given him by God. Also, he has received the spirit
of love of his forebears, the people who first proclaimed the light of the
faith to the Maori People.
14.
Greetings
to Te Arawa Tribe and the Board.
The Parishes of
Heretaunga send their thanks to the Te Arawa tribe and the Te Arawa Board for
their help in the project for the Maori Bishop. But special thanks go to the
Board for helping with the £250 a year towards the Bishop’s stipend. Thank you
Te Arawa and your Board.
15.
Heretaunga’s
Contribution to the Bishop’s Expenses.
It has been
arranged that the Parishes give £125 this year for the Bishop’s expenses. It is
agreed that each of the following Parishes raises £25: Waipawa, Waipatu, Motweo,
Mohaka and Te Wairoa, Nuhaka.
16.
The
Place for Consecrating the Bishop.
As a sign of our
appreciation of our Bishop, we are happy to have him choose the place where the
Maori Bishop will be consecrated.
The work of the hui being completed, Ihaia Hutana
congratulated the hui, and encouraged us as we are about to get our own
Bishopric.
[811]
[Photograph]
Mohi te
Atahikoia
Entered upon his long rest on 30th
June, 1928.
[812]
Mohi has
died.
‘Heretaunga
takoto-noa’
?Heretaunga
takes his rest.
Farewell, Mohi Te
Ata-i-hikoia! You take with you your importance and your greatness! Cross Te
Au-toia, Te Au-kumea. Go, taking your heart which was captured by Wisdom, and
by the thought of the people that you would live, the remaining elder, in the
vale of Heretaunga as an echoing cliff [?pari-parengarenga ?pari-karangaranga]
among your children, your grandchildren and your tribe, not beaten by the
strong winds, the gales of the New World. You are absenting yourself from what
is known as the New Century of your brother, Tamahau Mahupuku. Farewell, Koro!
You are being gathered to your line of chiefs of the Old World, who have moved
beyond the uncertainties of the World of Sorrows, the world of Intense Darkness,
beyond the ways taken by insignificant people, the different ways they trod,
and were led to gather the beautiful fruits of the Christian Faith.
You had a good
departure in the strong hands of old age, of which it is said, ‘The days of our
life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong.’ [Psalm 90.10] You
were given eighty-six years. It was your love which constrained you to keep on
living with us.
‘Yours was the
song which kept the canoe steady. You were the Magellan Clouds! Farewell!
Farewell! Mohi died on June 30th. Aotearoa, Te Waipounamu, you elderly men and
women of Wharekauri [the Chathams], you Maori scattered throughout the Moana-nui-a-Kiwa
[Pacific Ocean], this is the culmination of the remnant of elders of Ngati
Kahungunu, from the head to the tail of this fish. This saying is true: ‘The
children, the grandchildren, the tribe that is left in the New World, are all
left as orphans surrounded by the cries of the old men, the boys and the girls.
Mohi belonged to you.
He was always there for you. Which marae can say that it has not heard the
footsteps, the talk, the whispers, of Mohi, by Mohi, to Mohi, about Mohi. Therefore I have
thought to tell you that our e to Mohi, about Mohi. Therefore I have thought to
tell you that our elder has gone to his forebear, to his elder friends who have
gone before him.
During the days of
Te Moananui, Tareha, Karaitiana, Te Hapuku, Renata Kawepo, Kaiwhata, Te Ropiha,
and Henare Tomoana, Te Ua-mairangi and Mohi were the young go-betweens amongst
them, catching as they went the words and the ways by which to grasp the status
and power [mana] of humankind and the status and power [mana] of God.
In the days when
children respected their parents, this child and others were taught to accept
the sealing
[813]
of the Maori
tohunga upon them, and to recognise the ways other parts of the country were
thinking differently, and to observe how the line of chiefs was disappearing within Heretaunga.
The idea emerged
of setting up a Maori king. Flagpoles (called niu) were erected at Te Pawhakiro,
Te Waiohiki, Pakowhai, and Wheturaririki, Word went ou that people were to come
together under that movement. Heretaunga was divided at that time. Te Kawepo
and Kaiwhata contended that the stubborn people should be plundered.
Karaitiana, Tiakitai, Te Harawira and Noa said that there should be peace. Mohi was the young person who supported this good
idea. Indeed this was favoured; two years later all the tribe agreed to keep
the law under the Treaty of Waitangi. The Maori gods which were brought out
during that time were suppressed by Mohi, Rura, Riki and others. Flagpoles were
set up and flags flown which were to be honoured and knelt down to by the
‘moths’ [‘purehurehu’].
Although Mohi did
not enter the House of Learning [Whare Wananga], he still sat at the feet of the
elders who entered those Houses of Instruction in Sacred Lore [Whare Maire].
Hence his maturity and understanding when he spoke and his ability to debate in
an assembly and to recite genealogies.
In the days of the
Area Committee he was the Deputy Chairman under Henare Matua. This was a very
highly regarded group in the days after 1880.
He sat on many of
the committees which were sent to Wellington when Parliament was sitting, from
the time of [? Te Karimana ? Atkinson], Balance, and Seddon, to the present
day.
Mohi was one of
the leaders of the original Te Mana Motuhake [Separate Identity] in the days of
Te Kotahitanga [Federated Maori Assembly]. One side was arguing for an
accommodating Mana Motuhake. He was the leader of the opposition. His party [?kawanatanga
– government] promoted the Maori version of the Treaty of Waitangi as they saw
it and he asked the people on the East Coast to vote for him as the defender of
the Treaty of Waitangi. Many people supported him. Twice he stood to be a member.
He attended all of
the country’s large hui, from Te Rerenga Wairua (1891 to 1901), and at Taranaki
with Te Witi and Tohu, at Whanganui, at Parakino, in Te Waipounamu, at large
gatherings of Pakeha in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch and all the
major hui on the Tai Rawhiti.
He was one of the
first Trustees of the Tai Rawhiti Maori Soldiers Fund.
He was also one of
the members of the History Committee which met at Tahoraiti and in the
Wairarapa.
[814]
The erection of
the stone church at Te Pakipaki and the church at Waimarama owe a great deal to
Mohi’s efforts. He was one of the elders who welcomed Bishop Azariah from India
when he attended the opening of the Te Pakipaki Church.
In latter days he had turned to the
teachings of Ratana as well as the Church. He gave much help. He put much
effort into the project of building the Holy Temple at Ratana, and up to his
last days he went to meet his Creator in that belief. But although this was
objected to by some, there was a complete absence of objections in the grief
and the love shown to the last of the elders, who has been taken to join their
ranks in the life to come.
Many of Heretaunga’s
great laments were sung over him. The single precious gift brought to him was
love. Ihaia Hutana said in his farewell speech that his heart and that of Mohi
were not able to cross over together. Go with your heart and your faith in
love. The thoughts we shared between us are a beautiful treasure. He will bring
us and our brothers together under the shadow of the Creator.
Heretaunga Takoto noa!
?Heretaunga
takes his rest!
This is an important lament sung for the
elder Te Moananui, recalling the challenges delivered by him with his
quarter-staffs, [he mea Rahunga-i-te-Rangi (sic)]. On this day it was
sung over Mohi.
[I cannot find this waiata in Nga
Moteatea or identify the people mentioned and there is much conjecture in my
translation.]
Heretaunga,
taking your rest,
Where
are you?
Hika,
in your ignorance
You lit the fire at the back of the house!
Maikuku and Kairangi
Are lying there at Matahiwi!
To welcome the rod of god,
To pass by Te Mataihi-nui-a-Tane.
My
heart within me
Flies
out of my nose!
At
the call that comes to me –
‘’This
Taniwha goes forth from his cave!’
Farewell, Mohi!
Farewell! Farewell! Farewell! You have lived resolutely, you have run your
great race! You have fought the good fight! But our hearts are bruised and we
weep for Nereta and Tangior and their children, Pita, Whakaiti, Te Akonga,
Pokirangi, Harata and Rumatiki, and the grandchildren.
From
your many relatives in the Vale of Heretaunga.
(P
H Tomoana)
[815]
DOCTORS’ CONFERENCE AT HAMILTON
(Part 3)
T Wi-Repa
Rotorua High School
The
town of Rotorua has many wonderful things: Bubbling water, hot springs, cold springs,
crystal clear waters, Within the boundaries of Te Whakarewarewa and Kuirau are
all sorts of treasures: roaring steam, spouting steam, hot mud piling up, and hot
water flowing beside cold water. These are remarkable things.
[816]
But
there is something more wonderful: it is not possible to measure the depth and
the height of our amazement at such things. God made these things and gave them
to us to be flowers, to disclose his power in this world. The human mind is
overwhelmed by the wonder of these treasures of heaven [te Po]. Perhaps
this is why they are wearied of them and become blind to the significance of
these gifts, But it is right to marvel at the great things people have done and
we are able to measure the depths and the height and the breadth of our wonder.
We people have done these things. We can look at all the things we have made.
Therefore, we honour the works of those who take a different path from most
other people. I wonder at the Rotorua High School. Its building, its teachers,
the skills taught there, are not different, don’t do things differently, from
some schools of similar status. It was the seed sown by the elders of Ngati
Whakaue, and which has grown, that makes that school remarkable. In 1883 the
chiefs of Ngati Whakaue gave the land of Rotorua for a town The section from
the Railway Station to the Grand Hotel was reserved for a school. Over the past
two years the project of building a High School for Rotorua has been
revived. The Education Department did
not give its consent.. The Pakeha of Rotorua argued for it but the
Government was adamant. Then the remnant
of Ngati Whakaue remembered that their elders had set aside land for a school.
On investigation it was found that the value had increased to £12,000. They
announced that this money should be used to build a High School for the
children of Rotorua, Maori and Pakeha. This High School was built and stands on
nineteen acres of well-tended land. Not a shilling of Government money was
given for this extraordinary project. On the foundation stone it recalls that
this was an outcome of the gift of the chiefs of Ngati Whakaue. The entrance is
carved. Taiporutu says that this gift stopped the antagonistic speeches of the
Pakeha. Children of Ngati Whakaue do not have to pay to study at this school.
One of the members of the Management Board belongs to Ngati Whakaue. This has
been confirmed in perpetuity by Parliament. Now this school is full to
overflowing with children. There was the desire to erect it. I express my wonder
at the vision of those elders, and I honour them for forseeing what these days
would hold.
THE
TRIBE’S FARMING
From
my observations as I went about amongst our tribe, Maori are energetic when it
comes to farming. At Te Rotoiti, under the guidance of Taiporutu, the land has
been divided up for dairy farming as desired by this hapu of Te Arawa.
[817]
At
Maketu I was taken by Tai and Raniera Kingi to see the Te Arawa dairy farm. It
is run by the Lakes Board. Here they have all breeds of pig – Tamworth, Dewvon,
Berkshire, large and small white Yorkshire. The pigs from this Farm won all the
prizes at the Te Puke Show. If any Maori ‘cockatoos’ want pigs then buy them
from this farm of ours. Let Maori ‘cockatoos’ know that they should buy from our
‘cockatoos.’ Tuhoe, Ngati Awa, Te Whakatohea are also milking cows. Ngati
Hokoipu have abandoned their marae, Whare-o-toroa, and are working on farms.
There are many folk dairy farming at Te Wairoa and Nuhaka. Ture Kara and Kingi
Winiata have exemplary pig farms like that of Te Arawa. Some of the Tai Rawhiti
‘cockatoos’ ought to come here to buy pigs. There are some dairy farmers in
Turanga. But the major farming business in Turanga is the Mangatu Corporation
under the Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki Committee. It is a large area of land and is
being very well managed by Tutepuaki and his committee. And there are some good
Maori farms at Tokomaru. But, for me, the most remarkable farm in all of Tai
Rawhiti is the Mangahauwini Corporation. I have said this before. It has become
a farm without bad vegetation; even though it is very hilly it is good. There
is no tauhinu or manuka, only grass. This, to mwe, is an example to Maori
practitioners of farming. I praise without limit the managers and the committee of the
corporation for their knowledge and the efforts they have made to make this
land so good. Waiapu has seen the growth of dairy farming besides sheep
farming. However, Waiapu’s problem with dairy farming is that it is dry in
summer. But a remedy is being sought for this. Earlier in the year root
vegetables are being planted to provide moist food so that when it comes to
January and February, the dry months, the cows have food. That earlier planting
is in October and November. In these months corn, lucerne, Japanese millett,
Sudan grass and sugar cane are planted. [? It is in the morning, the time one
awakes, that the severity of the season is troublesome.] From Te Kaha to Raukokore
people are now milking cows.
Let
me point out to the readers of ‘Te Toa’ that some of the remnant of the people
are turning over the soil and making farms. My heart is glad, and those of some
of the leaders of the people, rejoice at this. Be courageous! Take the path recommended by the proverb:
He toa taua, he toa pahekeheke:
he toa mahi kai, he toa mau tonu.
A warrior friend
one can let go; but a friend who cultivates food is one to hold on to.
[818]
CHILDHOOD
DAYS
R[eweti]
T K[ohere]
Childhood
days are the best days of a man’s life. When someone is a child he can look
ahead to the many years that stretch before him. He mistakenly thinks that people
live for a very long time in this world; when he gets old he looks back and
realises that life is very short. For many years he is learning at school.
School finishes and he learns his occupation, and he seeks the learning
available in the world. And he finds himself wondering at how short this life
is, how little time there is to rest or to eat the fruits of his work. During
childhood the man desires the honour he will gain as an adult, but before he
attains those honours he has become old, he sleeps less, his teeth have dropped
out, he can no longer taste the sweetness of food, the body has become weary,
and there is no gratification in those honours. Lord Byron observed this and his
words have become known throughout the world, and will continue to be.
O talk not to me of a name great in
story;
The days of our youth are the days
of our glory;
And the myrtle and ivy of sweet two
and twenty;
Are worth all your laurels though
ever so plenty.
When
a man is young his body and heart are active, he has no pains or anxiety. His concern is with playing and pleasure. His
food is desire and love. The world to him is like a playground. It is true that
young people do many foolish things. Does that worry him when he doesn’t know
they are foolish? However, when he gets old he is ashamed of those foolish
things he did in his youth. The foolishness of youth is better than the
foolishness of the old man.
Although
a man gets old his heart looks back, he surveys the days of his youth: what he
did, his games, his friends – some of whom are no longer in this world, his
girlfriends. He feels affection, he feels sadness, and wonders at the glorious
days of his youth. The friends of those days stand in a line before me – the
friends with whom I chased goats on the steep cliffs. There is Te Whetu-mata-rau,
with whom I sailed flax boats at Waitatari. When we launched the boats we began
the incantation to bring the wind:
Violent gusts of wind, give me wind
for what I’ve made.
Violent gusts of wind, give me wind
for what I’ve made.
We
truly believed that we would not be denied and that a wind would come. We kept looking
for the wind,
[819]
and
the wind would come! The boats would fly across the water as we ran shouting
along the land. Waitatari has gone but its image is imprinted deeply on my
heart; it will not fade.
One
favourite activity of children in past times was swimming. In these day when
people swim they dress up; in those days the only clothes we wore was our skin.
In summer we didn’t stop swimming from dawn until sunset. If we got tired of
swimming we would wriggle about unencumbered in the sand. We would lie flat,
join hands, and as we dug our hand into the sand we would chant:
It drops down, it drops down, the crayfish
kit of Hinetungoungou-rangi.
It drops down, it drops down, the
crayfish kit of Hinetungoungou-rangi.
When
we finished the sand would be in heaps and undulating.
If
we didn’t do this, we would lie down and find a flat round stone and spit on it.
This was a competition to see whose spit would dry soonest in the sun. There
was also a chant for this game:
Be extinguished, sun; shine, sun.
Be extinguished, sun; shine, sun.
If
we were weary of swimming we would go to eat peaches at Te Waipae, or Kaihoera,
or Tokotoko. In those days peach trees were everywhere in the open country. The
peaches in those days were very sweet; not like today’s peaches. When our
stomachs were full we would return to swimming and we would race to see who
would get to the deep pool first. What with the energetic running and racing,
we would not even be close to the water before we began to shed our clothes and
put them in a heap so that, when we arrived at the water, we were naked. That
was fine. We didn’t think it was wrong – we were children. We were like Adam
and Eve in the garden of Eden; we didn’t know that one shouldn’t go about
naked. That was when they were innocent. It was after they sinned that they were
ashamed and put on fig leaves. Notwithstanding, the skirts of Pakeha women have
now reached knee-length. Perhaps this is the Pakeha’s doing. This is not
because people are sinless like Eve and like us in the glorious days of
childhood. Farewell, those days!
Such
are the occupations, the games, and the pleasures of past days: canoeing on the
sea, playing darts with fern stalks, [?
dashing about, playing in waterfalls], catching eels, cooking eels on a spear
or in a shallow oven. These kinds of activities have been forgotten by the
children in this new world. One game from those days that has not been
forgotten is stealing water-melons. Perhaps this game is played throughout the
world.
I
am a man who loves to eat water-melons; I am also a man who grows water-melons.
So it is not right to say, ‘Perhaps RTK is devoted to eating.’ I do like
eating, but I also work. So my children don’t know about stealing ….. [The article ends abruptly here.]
[820]
TYPHOID
FEVER
T
Wi-Repa, MB, ChB.
[The
first part of this article appeared in the April paper, p. 768.]
The
Symptons of Typhoid Fever.
There
are many symptoms of this illness. However, these are the symptoms I write
about here. First: The skin is hot. If there is a high temperature for
three days the be very observant. If it persists for four or five days then go
to the doctor or nurse. If the high temperature lasts for a week it is typhoid
fever. Second: A headache. It continues for a whole day, a second day, a
third day, a fourth day and a fifth. After a week that headache begins to
disappear. Third: There is bleeding from the nose during the first week.
Fourth: The tongue swells and is white on the surface for three days. After
four days the tongue appears dirty. Fifth: Diarrhoea.
But
the important thing is that temperature. If it persists then tell the doctor or
nurse. The first name for this illness
is ‘Continued fever.’ It can last for three to six weeks. Therefore a person
must always be aware; if you have a high temperature, pay attention to it.
After only two days of high temperature you should consult the nurse. There is
no charge for going to the nurse or for calling her out. And if it is not typhoid
fever there is no harm done by being cautious. Don’t trifle with this illness.
It happens that you may not feel ill and you go to work. This is the
extraordinary thing about the illness. A
person should not rejoice in his physical strength and behave irresponsibly. It
is such doings that exacerbate this illness. The stronger the recalcitrance, the worse the illness. It is
those who are irresponsible about the illness at the beginning who suffer the
worst effects of it. That is the law of the typhoid fever.
The
Serious Symptoms.
The
following are the signs of the seriousness of the disease.
1.
The
stomach is bloated.
2.
The
lips are hot.
3.
The
temperature reaches 104 degrees F for more than three days.
4.
Blood
emerges from the anus. That blood is black like charcoal.
5.
The
person cannot sleep at night or during the day.
6.
Diarrhoea:
more than six excretions a day.
Nursing
and Medicines for Typhoid Fever.
This
is one of the diseases that can be avoided, that is, one of the illnesses the
experts call ‘preventable diseases.’ People should not suffer from preventable
diseases. If a person in a pa gets one of these diseases then not enough has
been done to prevent it. If the person dies of the ‘preventable disease’ it is
to be lamented because those responsible did not prevent it.
[821]
Consider
the Pakeha. It is rare to hear that one of them has contracted typhoid fever. Why
is that? They understand how to combat this disease. Our first concern must be
to prevent the disease.
I
have been a doctor for twenty years. During those years I have treated mor than
200 people with this disease. Three of those people died under my personal
care. The articles I have written about caring for the sick tell of things that
are in my heart and are the result of my caring for those 200 sick people over
those twenty years. Therefore, perhaps it is right that the voice of the doctor
who has had such a long and close experience of this disease, is heard.
First
Matter. The disease must
be contained in the area in which it occurs, whether it is one of the members
of a family or in the pa. Its contagiousness cannot be brought to an end in
under three to six weeks. It is a long illness. Now our job is to prevent it
from infecting another person, to put up a fence around other members of the
family or of the pa lest they catch the disease. This requires some expertise. If the house has only one room then a tent
should be erected for the sick person at some distance. The tent should be low
so that it is not ripped or blown down by the wind. One or perhaps two members
of the family should do the caring. The little children of the family shouod
not be allowed in that space.
Dishes. The
utensils for food used by the sick person should be set apart, that is, the
plates, the cups, knives, forks, spoons and other things. Cups for feeding the
sick are available from shops everywhere. When the sick person has eaten and
has drunk his water or milk, tip what remains into a separate vessel such as a
kerosene tin. Boil all his eating utensils, soaking them for ten minutes in
boiling water. When they are dry, heap them up on a separate table in his room.
The remaining food an water in the kerosene tin should be boiled for ten
minutes before being thrown away outside. His dining linen and face towels are
for his use only. Do not wash his eating utensils in the same water as is used
for washing the eating utensils used by everyone else.
The
Nurses. But the best thing
is for a registered nurse to look after someone with typhoid fever. She will
have been taught the ways of dealing with this disease. Therefore, if there is
a nurse in the vicinity, ask her to come and nurse the patient or give advice.
These instructions are for people without a nurse or doctor nearby, that is,
the people of Maunga Pohatu, Te Whaiti, Ruatahuna, Maraenui, Omaio, Te Kaha,
Raukokore, Whangaparaoa and Potaka. First: Clothing. Sew a calico smock
to cover the clothes of the carer; like the white surplice of the minister
taking a service.
[822]
When
they go into the room they should wear that gown, and take it off when they
come out. Second: The Hands. Use a separate basin of hot water to wash
their hands. If there is no basin, use a kerosene tin. Almost fill it with
water. Pour in some Jeye’s Fluid. As a guide, use as much as will fill a tablespoon.
Whenever the hands have been touching the sick person they should be washed
afterwards. This instruction must be strictly obeyed. If it is disregarded the
germs of the fever may cling to the hands and if food is handled they will cling
to that food. If the carer then eats that food the germs will enter her and she
will be infected. But if she has previously suffered the disease, there is no
need for these precautions. Typhoid Fever does not affect a person twice. However,
if she has to carry urine or excrement or just handle the clothes of the sick
person, she should wash her hands afterwards. She should use a separate towel. Third:
The drinking water and the milk drunk by the family should be boiled to
kill the germs of the disease. Fourth: The best practice is for no-one
to go into the sick-room. If a person does go in they must not hongi or
kiss. Wash the hands after shaking hands. Fifth: Those who have not had Typhoid
Fever should go and be inoculated by the nurse with the inoculation provided by
the Department of Health. However if this is done when the person is in close
proximity with someone suffering the disease, that inoculation may have a
malign effect on the person. Therefore stay far away from those suffering the
fever before one goes to be inoculated. Sixth:
Protect people’s food from flies. Cover it with butter-muslin ofr brown
paper, or a towelling bag, or with clean cloths. A way of stopping them is to
make a cupboard using perforated tin and wire gauze on the sides. Anyone not wanting
to have the injection against Typhoid Fever should not dismiss these
instructions.
The
Sick Person.
Lay
the sick person on the bed. He should not get up for six weeks. Two people
should nurse him – one during the day and one at night. Do not leave the sick
person alone lest he does something bad. He should not leave the bed even to defecate
or urinate.
(To be continued.)
