The Hauhau Superstition.

• 7. Amongst these southern tribes the new superstition had its birth at a time when the relations between the pakeha and the Maori were such as greatly to favour its growth. For at that time the suspicions which had from the beginning existed as to the intentions of the Government appeared to page 15many of the Natives to be clearly justified. From the very beginning it had been apprehended by some that the English Government would, when strong enough, seize the Natives lands. This suspicion was suggested to a number of chiefs by an English subject in the year 1814 at Sydney, just when Mr. Marsden was on the point of sailing for this country ("Nicholas's Voyage to New Zealand," I., 41). Once kindled it never died out. From time to time it has blazed forth, as at Waitangi and on other occasions. It was apprehended that the ministers of religion, whether knowingly or not, were employed or encouraged by the Government for the purpose of gradually weakening the power of resistance on the part of the Natives, a view which was favoured by the diplomatic habits of the Native tribes accustomed to seek by craft ends which could not be attained by force. It was seen that an active part was taken by the missionaries in introducing into the country first a Resident and afterwards a Governor. The responsibility which the missionaries in so doing took upon themselves was rightly estimated at the time by Dr. Maunsell, of Waikato (Parl. Papers, 1841, p. 99).

  In 1843 I heard these notions broadly avowed on the shores of Lake Taupo by one of the leading chiefs of that district. They gained great strength from the events of 1860. When the southern tribes set up their toll-gate on the coast road the highest tolls demanded were for ministers of religion —English or Maori. In Waikato children were withdrawn by the parents from the missionary schools which were known to be aided by grants of Government money. Mr. Gorst, with all his qualifications and resources, could draw into his institution scarcely any purely Native pupils. Many public discussions took place at Turanga and other places on the East Coast upon the conduct of the missionaries and their relations to the Government.

• 8. When the result of the hostilities in Waikato was seen, and the soldiers had taken possession of all the lands of the tribes on the Waikato and Waipa, it appeared now clear to many that the old apprehensions had been too well grounded, and that they had, in fact, been the victims of a plot in which the ministers of religion had been the agents of the Government. Along with the first bitterness of their exasperation there broke out a hope that in their extremity supernatural aid was at hand. That aid appeared to be supplied by the new revelation to the prophet Horopapera te Ua. A sort of preparation for the new superstition had been noticed by an intelligent traveller who passed through the territory of the southern tribes in 1861. After the cessation of active hostilities at Taranaki there was a widely-spread notion that supernatural help had been already vouchsafed. The vaunted energies of the pakeha had really inflicted little damage. The people stated that by our Armstrong guns only three persons had been killed. In this they saw a proof that the hand of God had been over them.

  The new superstition, having gained strength in the south-west, began to spread northward and eastward. Everywhere very many were predisposed to welcome it. Some accepted it in faith, many in wilfulness and bitterness. Some thought it true, others thought that it might be useful. Some men severed themselves from their missionaries in perfect calmness and quietness. One of the chiefs of Opotiki informed Bishop Williams of his conversion to the new creed in these words: "Bishop, many years ago we received the faith from you; now we return it to you, for there has been found a new and precious thing by which we shall keep our land" (kua kitea tetahi taonga hou a mau ai to matou whenua). A common feeling united fanatical believers with cool politicians who believed nothing, but who kept up the fervour of their brethren by false reports of miracles wrought at Taranaki, and of great loss sustained by our troops. The new religion combined men of every sort, from the ferocity of Kereopa to perfect inoffensiveness—some of the best as well as some of the worst of the race. It was accepted as the religion of all who were no longer willing to accept religion at the hands of the pakeha. As in all times of national ferment the fiercer and more determined natures got the lead.

  In the beginning of the war the Kingites had prayed for their King after the form in our Prayer Book, and that sometimes with fasting and great earnestness. Now a new form of prayer was put together, and the new worship was accepted as the bond of union amongst all who still adhered to the cause of the Maori King.

• 9. No spot in the Island was better prepared to receive this fanaticism than Opotiki, in the Bay of Plenty. The people of that place had sympathized with the Waikato, and some of them had taken part in the war. Various circumstances had caused their minister (Mr. Völkner) to be suspected of being in secret correspondence with the Government on the subject of their disaffection. The feeling of the people became more bitter when their leading chief, Aperotanga, who had been wounded and taken prisoner by our allies, was murdered by a woman of that tribe (the widow of Pekama Tohi), in revenge for the death of her husband who had fallen in the war. Yet this provocation did not at once lead them to retaliate on Mr. Völkner. Even two men of the offending tribe, who had come into the district of Opotiki from the eastward in ignorance of all that had passed, were spared. The cry for blood which arose from the widows was rebuked by a woman, and the men were fed, conducted to the western boundary of the district, and sent on their way.

  Mr. Völkner, having again visited Auckland, was continually troubled by the thought of the miserable condition of his people. Their cultivations had been neglected, and a low fever, caused by lack of food, had carried off more than 150 persons. It appeared to be worth while to try the effect of an attempt to minister to them in their distress. He resolved, therefore, to revisit them, carrying with him wine and quinine, though, as he said, "It was doubtful whether, in their then state of mind, any one would take such things from his hands." These were amongst the last words I heard from his mouth. In the meantime a party of the Hauhaus from Taranaki had crossed the country to Opotiki. They had determined early in the year (1865) to carry the war to the opposite extremity of the Island, and to divert part of our troops thither. So they marched across to Taupo Lake, and thence to the Bay of Plenty. On their way they passed near to the station of a missionary (Mr. Spencer), who has remained through all these troubles unharmed at his station on Tarawera Lake. They reached Opotiki seven days before the vessel which carried Mr. Völkner thither. Every night the leaders of the party harangued the people on the conduct of the missionaries. One who heard them reports that the burden of their discourses night after night was the same. "These men," said they, "were always telling us, 'Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth;' and so, while we were looking up to heaven, our land was snatched away from beneath our feet." After two days the house page 16of the missionary was plundered, and the goods sold to the bystanders. After five days more a small vessel was seen entering the river, and it was discovered that Mr. Völkner was on board. As the people clustered on the banks of the river the Hauhau leaders pointed to the Vessel as a proof of the magical power of the new worship which had so brought their betrayer into their hands.

• 10. Even after this foul crime the superstition continued to spread. Patara, who was himself not present at the murder, proceeded with his party to Turanga. He kept Kereopa in the background, and spoke of the murder as a misfortune—a great blow to a good cause. Even then men, who had for years exhibited a sober, thoughtful character, were induced to join, carried away by what the Maori calls aroha ki te noi (pity for the people)—what we should call a strong sympathy with the national cause. The Maoris were strongly affected by the novel practices and the burden of the worship, and especially by the bitter crying and wailing for their countrymen slain and their land seized by the pakeha.

  It is plain that this delusion has no real strength, and that Maoris, drawn by various motives and influences to support it, do not fight as well as others have done who believed their quarrel to be just. And we see that those who have recently submitted and taken the oath to the Queen have, as a matter of course dropped at the same time the Hauhau worship. Moreover, this very crime has roused into action a body of Native allies in the same part of the Island—a resolute minority, whose bravery and knowledge of the country have proved of essential service. A like effect was produced, as you are well aware, in Hawke's Ba? and elsewhere. Perhaps the Government may not be aware that some Native Magistrates from the Gulf of Hauraki and the Thames came up to Auckland to propose a combined expedition of "all the churches" (as they worded it), for the purpose of crushing the guilty tribe. At that time there was no person in Auckland to represent the General Government. The resistance, then, on the East Coast is less formidable than that on the West; still, that radical evil remains of which the acceptance of the Hauhau creed was an indication and a measure. The practical fact with which we have to deal is this: The old feeling of distrust and exasperation towards our Government has been strong enough to lead thoughtful men, incapable of being parties to such acts, to join the Hauhau cause, even after the commission of the great crime at Opotiki. This is our real difficulty; the same in kind as ever, but greater in degree. I believe that this feeling is now more deep and more widely spread than at any time. I believe there are now many who are convinced that we are determined, even by fraud and violence, to get possession of their land, and force our dominion upon men who have never consented to it. Many, therefore, on their part, determine to hold their own as best they may, and are content to sacrifice their lives in the contest. The state of the case is this: We have put too great a pressure upon these people, more than they can bear—more than we can continue to exert; we have driven many of the Natives into a state of determined resistance, bordering on desperation; we have brought upon ourselves the necessity of bearing burdens beyond our strength.