TRIBAL GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION.
Though from my increased knowledge of the language, I was enabled to hold
longer conversations, I could not discover that the New Zealanders had
any universal form of government: there appeared to me to be no public
bodies, or any functionaries employed by the people. Each chief seemed to
possess absolute power over his own slaves, and there his authority
terminated. Wealth made him feared by his foes, but gave him no influence
over his friends. All offence offered to any one of a tribe (or clan) is
instantly followed by some act of retaliation by the aggrieved party; and
if one tribe is too weak to contend against the one from whom they have
received the injury, they call in the aid of another. But should the
offence be of a very aggravated nature, and several families be injured
by it, a meeting of the chiefs is called. They assemble in one of their
forts, and, after a discussion, decide either for an amicable adjustment,
or for an exterminating war. Thus these misguided beings are continually
destroying each other for some imaginary insult.
I became acquainted with a few venerable men of truly noble and
praiseworthy characters, such as would do honour to any age, country, or
religion. They had passed their whole lives in travelling from one
chieftain's residence to another, for the purpose of endeavouring to
explain away insults, to offer apologies, and to strive by every means
in their power to establish peace between those about to plunge their
country into the horrors of war. I have several times met these
benevolent men journeying through the country on these pacific missions;
and twice during my residence here they have been the happy means of
preventing bloodshed. Although the New Zealander is so fond of war, and
possesses such war-like manners, yet are these peacemakers held in the
highest respect, although they do not hold any sacred function--indeed,
no order of priesthood exists amongst the natives. I have never
discovered any symptoms of religion in these people, except it consists
in a great variety of absurd and superstitious ceremonies. Before I
visited this island I used to imagine, from seeing so great a variety of
carved figures which had been brought from this country, that they were
idols, to whom they paid their devotions; but in this I was deceived.
They were merely the grotesque carvings of rude artists, possessing a
lively fancy, and were a proof of their industry as well as genius. Every
chief's house is adorned with an abundance of these carved monsters. One
of their favourite subjects is a lizard taking hold of the top of a man's
head; their tradition being that that was the origin of man. The lizard
is sacred, and never injured by them. Several of their chiefs assured me
they believed in the existence of a great and invisible spirit, called
Atna, who keeps a constant charge and watch over them; and that they are
constantly looking out for tokens of his approbation or displeasure.
There is not a wind that blows but they imagine it bears some message
from him. And there are not wanting crafty men who pretend to a much more
intimate knowledge of his sentiments than the generality, and they easily
work on the minds of the credulous and the ignorant. These imposters
obtain great consideration, and their counsel and advice is most
anxiously sought after by those about to undertake any important
business; but, like ancient astrologers and modern gypsies, they speak
only in ambiguous terms; so that whatever may be the result, their
prediction may still correspond with it.
Like all rude and ignorant people, the New Zealanders seem more to fear
the wrath of their God than to love his attributes; and constant
sacrifices (too often human ones) are offered up to appease his anger.
They imagine that the just and glorious Deity is ever ready to destroy,
and that His hand is always stretched forth to execute vengeance.
These sacred, or, more correctly speaking, these "cunning" men and women,
who pretend to see into futurity, and to hold an intercourse with the
Great Spirit, are here (in one way, at least) turned to a good and useful
account. As they themselves are held sacred, everything they wish to have
taken particular care of, they can render sacred also. All the chiefs
find these people of the greatest use in protecting their property, for
they possess the power of tabooing, and when once this ceremony is
performed over any person or thing, no one dares to touch either; and for
a sufficiently good bribe they will impart their sacred power to any
chief, who, by means of this device, thus can protect a field of potatoes
or grain, at fifty miles distance from his settlement, more securely and
effectually than by any fences, or number of persons he might place to
guard it.
This ceremony of taboo, which is common to the whole of the South Sea
Islands, seems the principal part of their religion, and it is really
difficult to walk without trespassing or infringing on some spot under
this influence. All those who touch a corpse are immediately taboo'd, and
must be fed like an infant, as their own hands must not touch anything
that is put into their mouths. In fact, as we strolled through the
village at the time of their evening repast, it appeared as though some
dreadful disease had suddenly struck the greater part of the inhabitants,
and deprived them of the use of their limbs, most of them being either
fed by their slaves, or lying flat down on the ground, and with their
mouths eating out of their platters or baskets. The canoe that carries a
corpse to the place of its interment is, from that time, taboo'd and laid
up; and if any one by chance touches it, he does so at his peril.
All those chiefs who were under the operating hands of Aranghie, the
tatooer, were under this law, and all those who worked upon their war
canoes were similarly situated. Unfortunately for me, I one day took away
a handful of chips from their dockyard to make our fire burn clearly. I
was informed they were taboo'd, and upon my pleading ignorance, and
sorrow for the misdemeanour, together with a promise not to renew the
offence, I was pardoned. A poor hen of ours did not escape so well; she,
poor thing, ventured to form a nest, and actually hatched a fine family
of chickens amongst these sacred shavings! Loud was the outcry, and great
the horror she occasioned when she marched forth cackling, with her merry
brood around her. She and "all her little ones" were sacrificed
instantly. What became of their bodies we could never learn; probably the
workmen were not too fastidious to eat them.
I have observed, since my residence here, one circumstance which proves a
kind feeling in the natives, and shows they are not averse to the
preaching of the missionaries, or the doctrines they inculcate.
It was the custom of all the Europeans settled here, on the beach at
Kororarika, to refrain from all kinds of work on the Sabbath; to shave,
and dress themselves in their best habiliments; and if any of the
missionaries came over, they went forth to meet them, and hear divine
service. Several of the natives generally assembled and witnessed the
ceremony; and as they observed it came every seventh day, they called it
"the white taboo'd day, when the pakeha (or white men) put on clean
clothes, and leave off work;" and, strange to say, the natives also
abstained from working on that day. Nothing could induce them to the
contrary; not that we wished to persuade them to work, but merely
endeavoured so to do to ascertain the strength of their politeness. Not a
bit of work would they do upon a Sunday, although it was a critical time
with them; for all the chiefs were unprepared with their war canoes for
the approaching expedition. At length we discovered that their cunning
was as conspicuous as their politeness. They had observed we generally
lay longer in bed on a Sunday morning than any other; they accordingly
were up by break of day, and had completed many hours' work before we
made our appearance; but the moment one of us did appear the work was
instantly left off. This degree of outward respect, though craftily
managed, was infinitely more than could be reasonably expected from a
rude and turbulent savage. It is mere respect than we Europeans pay to
any religious ceremony we do not understand. Even their taboo'd grounds
would not be so respected by us, if we were not quite certain they
possessed the power instantly to revenge any affront offered to their
sacred places.
Of all animals introduced by the Europeans, the most unserviceable, and
indeed injurious, have been the dogs. They have increased rapidly; every
spot was crowded with poor half-starved curs, that were all night long
committing depredations on the poultry, pigs, and goats; and if some
effectual means of diminishing this pernicious breed is not soon resorted
to, the island will be cleared of every other quadruped. Goats were
beginning to increase, and the craggy heights round the bays formed a
favourite retreat for these interesting wanderers. Captain Duke put
himself to great expense and trouble, and effected the importation of
some sheep from Van Diemen's Land; but the dogs soon destroyed them all.
THE MASSACRE OF THE FRENCH NAVIGATOR MARION AND PARTY.
Our friend George generally paid us a visit after the business of the day
was over, and took a cup of tea; wine or grog he detested: so, while he
sipped his beverage, we lit our pipes, and managed, with our slight
knowledge of his language, together with his imperfect English, to keep
up a sort of conversation. Sometimes this was rather wearisome; but
occasionally it became interesting in the extreme. He told us that, when
Captain Cook touched here, he was a little child; but that his mother
(old Turero, who was then with him) remembered his coming well. The
French navigator, Marion, he recollected perfectly, and made one of the
party that murdered him and his people. His observation was, "They were
all brave men; but they were killed and eaten."
He assured us that the catastrophe was quite unpremeditated. Marion's
entire ignorance of the customs of the New Zealanders occasioned that
distressing event: as I have before observed, that strangers, not
acquainted with their religious prejudices, are likely to commit some
fatal error; and no action is more likely to lead a party into danger
than an incautious use of the seine, for most of the beaches (best suited
for that purpose) are taboo'd. This led to the dreadful fate of Marion
and his party. I understood from George, that when Marion's men assembled
to trail their net on the sacred beach, the natives used every kind of
entreaty and remonstrance to induce them to forbear, but, either from
ignorance or obstinacy, they persisted in their intentions, and drew
their net to land.
The natives, greatly incensed by this act of impiety, vowed revenge; and
the suspicions of the French not being roused, an opportunity soon
presented itself of taking ample retaliation. The seine being very heavy,
the French required the assistance of the natives in drawing it on shore.
These wily fellows instantly consented to the task, and placed themselves
alternately between each Frenchman, apparently, to equalise the work.
Consequently, in the act of pulling, each native had a white man before
him; and, on an appointed signal, the brains of each European were
knocked out by a tremendous blow of the stone hatchet.
Captain Marion, who, from his ship, was an eye-witness of these horrid
murders, instantly hastened on shore with the remainder of his crew to
avenge the slaughter of his countrymen. Led on more by ardour than
prudence, he suffered himself to be surrounded; was overpowered by
numbers, defeated, and every one was put to death!
This account of George's does not, I acknowledge, exactly agree with the
published narrative of that unfortunate event, nor does his age agree
with the dates. Only a few years elapsed between the time of Cook and
Marion, yet he declares himself to have been a child at the death of the
navigator, and a man at the murder of the latter; but as it was voluntary
on his part to give me the above detail, and even if he were not present
himself, he most probably had the facts from one who was, I thought it
worth inserting, as tending to throw light on one of the most melancholy
events which ever took place on these coasts.
George also related to me the dreadful tragedy of the ship Boyd, and,
horrible as these relations were, I felt a particular interest, almost
amounting to pleasure, in hearing them related by an eye-witness; one who
had been an actor in those bloody scenes which I had before read of:
narratives which from my very childhood had always possessed particular
charms for me; and at this time I was not only looking on the very spot
the hero of my imagination, Cook, had trod, but was hearing the tale from
one who had actually seen him; and was listening to every particular
concerning the transactions of Marion and his men, as though they had
just taken place.
Even in the dreadful destruction of the Boyd, George laid the blame
entirely on the English, and spoke with great bitterness of the
ill-treatment of Philip, the native chief, who came as passenger in the
ship. He described and mimicked his cleaning shoes and knives; his being
flogged when he refused to do this degrading work; and, finally, his
speech to his countrymen when he came on shore, soliciting their
assistance in capturing the vessel, and revenging his ill-treatment. Over
and over again our friend George, having worked up his passion by a full
recollection of the subject, went through the whole tragedy. The scene
thus portrayed was interesting although horrible. No actor, trained in
the strictest rules of his art, could compete with George's vehemence of
action. The flexibility of his features enabled him to vary the
expression of each passion; and he represented hatred, anger, horror, and
the imploring of mercy so ably that, in short, one would have imagined he
had spent his whole life in practising the art of imitation.