1849 - Hursthouse, C. An Account of the Settlement of New Plymouth - CHAPTER III: Natives...

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CHAPTER III.

THE natives of this Settlement form a portion of the broken and scattered Ngatiawa tribe, formerly very powerful here; but in 1834, attacked by the Waikato, under Te Whero Whero, a large and warlike tribe, dwelling more to the north, numbers were killed, many led into slavery, whilst others, retreating to the south, settled along Cook's Strait and around Port Nicholson, so that when the first settlers landed, there were scarcely fifty natives in the place. By degrees, however, as the scattered fugitives gained confidence from the presence of the white man, and were attracted by the advantages derivable from an European community, many of them returned to their old country; and the Waikato, influenced by the missionaries, manumitted their slaves; so that the number now dwelling in the Settlement is about 700.

They live in settled habitations called Pas, one of which, near the village, covers about an acre of

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ground. It is surrounded by two rows of strong split paling, three feet apart, and about twelve high; the entrance is by two or three narrow gateways, and the interior divided by similar paling into several little courts and passages: here are the houses, potato caves, cooking ovens, stacks of firewood, and small sheds for the drying and preservation of various edibles. The houses are chiefly built of raupo, a kind of rush; some of the most ambitious with a door and window, but in general they have only a low entrance serving for both. This pa contains a native-built Wesleyan chapel, has about twenty houses, with from eighty to one hundred inhabitants, and is merely noticed here as a common specimen of an ordinary native village.

These 700 natives have between four and five hundred acres of land in cultivation, of which three-fourths may be devoted to the growth of wheat and potatoes, and the remainder to maize, onions, taro, kumeras, melons, and other garden produce. They subsist chiefly on potatoes, but are becoming large consumers of flour, and are very fond of tea and sugar. They dislike spirits, rather preferring wine or beer, but all are inveterate smokers. They carry on a brisk trade with the settlers, and formerly, before there was much European cultivation, entirely supplied them with potatoes and other vegetables. Now, however, their chief article of sale is pigs, of which they possess great numbers, self-fed, principally on fern-root; these they drive from house to

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house, and sell with great judgment and acuteness. They also carry round bundles of firewood, baskets of potatoes, wheat, maize, and melons; occasionally, pigeons, parrots, and fish; excellent flax lines, mats, well-plaited kie-kie hats, and useful flax baskets. The proceeds of these various articles are now chiefly invested in blankets, prints, calico, and tobacco. They are good judges of what they buy, examining everything minutely. The purchase of a blanket is undertaken as a grave business, requiring the advice of sagacious friends; even a pipe is not to be lightly bought, and the patience of storekeepers is often sorely tried in effecting the sale of one.

In personal appearance the men are superior to the women; their carriage is free and erect, and they are generally tatooed, though this custom is going out of fashion, and will not obtain with the rising generation. In complexion, many are no darker than gipsies; they are rather taller than Europeans, and perhaps stronger, though it may be questioned whether they possess the same power of endurance--equally good, or better, for a "dash," they would probably flag sooner under long-continued hard exertion. The women are of small stature, and generally of mean appearance. Willing drudges, the females work hard and undergo considerable hardship, so that their beauty soon fades; in fact, it is difficult to picture anything less attractive than middle-aged women who have led a

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strictly native life; they look quite old, and are certainly dirtier than the men. Young girls, however, taken early from the pa, and attached to Europeans, gain habits of cleanliness and order, and improve surprisingly in appearance. Although rarely beautiful, they are good-tempered, lively, and affectionate.

The usual dress of both sexes is the blanket; but the handsome flax mat, with a rich black fringe and tags, is still occasionally seen. They prefer European clothing for great occasions, and seem to be aware that it is necessary to suffer a little in order to be fine. Some few speak broken English, but as enough of their language for common purposes is easily acquired, all intercourse with them is carried on in the Maori tongue. The natives of this settlement have already made such progress in education, chiefly through the philanthropic exertions of the Episcopal and Wesleyan ministers, that, of males between fifteen and thirty, it is estimated that three out of four can both read and write. They are becoming anxious to acquire stock, and already possess a few horses and several head of cattle, of which they take great care. The Taranaki tribe, inhabiting the country south of the settlement, and who are rich in native wealth, contracted with our millwrights for the erection of three small grist mills, two of which, lately completed at a cost of 300l., have been paid for entirely in pigs.

Hitherto, it has been found difficult to induce

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natives to work steadily for hire, and employers must expect some trouble with them at first; but as they are rapidly advancing in civilization, the time is probably not far distant when they will be made most "efficient helps"--a consummation devoutly to be wished, not more for the advantage of the European, than for the true interest of the native. 1 They are remarkably quick in learning any manual operation, are becoming acquainted with harvest work, and such capital axe-men, as to fell timber in a style far superior to the European. In short, the native possesses such ability for becoming useful, that settlers should not be deterred by slight difficulties in endeavouring to bring him forward, but should use every effort to develop his capacity for work; recollecting that "native labour" is not only most valuable as labour, but that European pay and employment is the surest bond of amity between the races; and, far more than missionary teaching, a means of weaning the savage from the barbarism of his race.

The natives in this Settlement deserve great praise for their honesty, sobriety, and peaceful habits. With the exception of some petty robberies committed directly after the promulgation of Mr. Spain's

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award, as a kind of comment thereon, scarcely a single case of theft has occurred in four years among a population of 700. I have seen but three or four cases of intoxication, and the most serious battle was occasioned thus: by accident, a carpenter broke a ramrod belonging to a native, who, considering it was done designedly, retaliated by breaking the carpenter's pipe, who thereupon knocked him down; the native brought the case into court, and succeeded in fining his adversary 30s., but was much disgusted at the whole amount going to the Queen.

It cannot be doubted, that when once the question of "land" is amicably settled with the natives, their presence in a district is highly advantageous; every year affording a better supply of labour, and materially increasing trade and exports. It has been superficially observed, that New Zealand would be a noble country if the aborigines were extinct; I believe that "native labour" will ultimately be found one of the most important elements of its prosperity. In estimating the character and disposition of these people, they have, however, been judged too favourably as to what they are, but not so as to what they may become, by proper treatment. It is said, that they have renounced cannibalism and heathenism in favour of potatoes and Christianity, whereupon "Exeter Hall" has declared them a regenerated and noble race. It is true that they are no longer cannibals, and true that they have made such advances in Christianity as to be already divided into Catholics,

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Episcopalians, and Dissenters. The abolishment of cannibalism is a great step in civilization, and obedience to the "forms" of religion may tend to humanise the savage; but it is a great error to suppose, that as a people the New Zealanders are yet converts to Christianity, in aught save mere externals. The novelty has its charm, and they quickly see that, by professing conversion, they more readily obtain the countenance and support of missionaries, and other Europeans, which leads to trade, and the easier acquisition of what they covet. The New Zealander sees Christianity as clothed in blankets, stripped of which, and the novelty gone, it is to be feared that the neophyte would frequently relapse into darkness: it is well said, that true conversion must follow, or be subordinate to civilization; and the missionaries, who have done much good, would have done more had they always acted in the spirit of this truth. A Christian or "missionary native," as the term is, would not be deterred from injuring the European by any religious scruples arising from his so-called conversion; but during the attempt to convert him, he would acquire a taste for luxuries difficult to forego, a love of trade as the means of gratifying it, and possibly some slight knowledge of the simpler arts, causing a desire for more--all dependent on the European; who thus, in former days, was perfectly safe when surrounded by savages able to execute anything they willed: and these influences continue so strong, that unless friendly natives were much

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excited by some provocation, they would be a complete safeguard against the attack of any hostile tribe.

The future fate of the New Zealanders is a question fraught with interest. Will they, like other savage races, be swept away before the monopolizing progress and hostility of the white man; or will his humane policy for their welfare, aided by their own superior nature, ensure the preservation of the race? The New Zealander is naturally passionate and capricious, but not selfish; he has warm affections, is acute, eager to learn, and, for a savage, not averse from labour. These last two qualities, as capable of influencing his fate for good, are inestimable, and, if properly encouraged, may save the race; but true it is, that the remarkable fitness of this people for civilization has been neutralized, in some measure, by the effects of their misgovernment. In our further efforts to promote their welfare, we should, I think, first establish our supremacy over those immediately connected with the various settlements, leaving the more distant tribes entirely to their own ways and means, to the insecurity and physical suffering incident to savage life. This accomplished, the first, ruled as children, kindly but with firmness, being, as before remarked, desirous to learn and not averse from labour, would soon so improve their condition as to become objects of envy and admiration to the outside tribes; who, courting the power which had so advanced their

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fellows, would be anxious to attract European settlements among themselves. Thus, perhaps, their entire civilization might be peacefully effected; and their partial amalgamation, following as a consequence, would form an "Anglo-New-Zealand" race, which, physically at least, would vie with any in the world.

On the other hand, it may be said that, independently of emigration, the white population is fast increasing; and if the next generation, which naturally will be more warlike and better able to cope with the wild man than their progenitors were, should often or ever be horrified by such an instance of revolting ferocity as was displayed by the natives at the "massacre of Wairoa"--never to be forgotten by the present race of settlers--such a feeling of deadly hatred would be engendered, that no legislation of the Imperial Government would save the natives from a fearful retaliation, or prevent their gradually becoming an "oppressed people," in time to dwindle away like other aboriginal tribes when brought into contact with the Anglo-Saxon race.

In contemplating the state and condition of these beautiful islands seven years after the commencement of their colonisation, all men must feel indignant that the former hostility of the Colonial-office to the New Zealand Company--servilely copied by the early Colonial Governors; and the settled hatred of the "missionary clique" to any interest but its own--virulently expressed by Mr.

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Protector Clarke--should have caused the ruin of so many of the early settlers, the pioneers of civilization; should have driven away hundreds of excellent men to other colonies, and so fearfully blasted the early prosperity of the country. Nor is it to be forgotten that under these rulers and their missionary prompters the "native" interest, that which they professed specially to foster, did in reality suffer more than any other. They found the natives peaceful savages, wanting only a kind but firm rule to develop their many excellent qualities, and to enable them to make such advances in civilization as in a few years would have elevated them to a state approaching social equality with the European. But, under the protective legislation of the local Government, the natives imbibed such monstrous ideas of their rights, as rendered all fair dealing with them impracticable; and the "Land Question" was made to assume that shape under which it has since led to such deplorable results. It awakened old quarrels among the natives, by recalling the bloody feuds of which land had frequently been the ostensible cause--excited their worst passions--deadened all desire for improvement in knowledge and civilization. And when, by such policy as caused the partial sacrifice of some settlements--the abolition of customs' duties--the passing over the revolting massacre of Wairoa--the cupidity and bad passions of the savage could no longer be allayed, and the local Govern-

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ment did flounder into the war of its own creating, what a spectacle of incapacity was displayed!

Happily for the true interest of the native race, Sir George Grey here appeared upon the scene; and, though no human power could at once quell the storm his predecessors had raised, he has done all his reputation promised. Should he rule New Zealand for a few years, and be left unfettered by the Colonial office, he will do much to change 120,000 semi-savages into civilized and loyal subjects of the Queen, and thus render them of immense service in developing the resources of these splendid islands which now own her sway.