The Treaty of Waitangi; or, how New Zealand became a British ColonyBuick, Thomas Lindsay
History
The Treaty of Waitangi; or, how New Zealand became a British Colony
Buick, Thomas Lindsay
New Zealand -- Politics and government; Treaty of Waitangi (1840)
"If your thoughts are as our thoughts in Christ, let us be one. We
believe your hearts to be good. The _Pakehas_ bought all our
land, and we have no more," were the words of Matiu Huhu.
The speech of Paratene Waiora (Broughton) concluded those of the minor
chiefs.
"There is only one great man," he said, "who cannot be killed, that is
the tongue; it often stirs up great wars. My father, Nopera, was
sitting in his house reading his Bible when they said he was gone to
the north to kill the people. I say send away Pikopo (Bishop
Pompallier). Send him back; he is the cause of strife amongst us."
Nopera Panakareao, the most powerful chief in the district, who had
accepted the not inappropriate baptismal name of Noble,[107] then rose
and delivered the great speech of the meeting--a speech if not the
most influential in guiding the native mind at a critical moment it is
at least so rich in worldly wisdom, so happy in poetic simile, so full
of fervent loyalty, that it has become one of the Maori classics, and
deserves to be preserved amongst the finest examples extant of
old-time native oratory:
"Here all of you _Pakehas_ and Maoris. This is my speech. My desire
is that we should be all of one heart. Speak your words openly; speak
as you mean to act; do not say one thing and mean another. I am at
your head. I wish you all to have the Governor. We are saved by this.
Let every one say 'Yes,' as I do. We have now some one to look up to.
Some say it will be the _Pakehas_ who will offend, I say no; it will
be the Maoris. My grandfather brought the _Pakehas_ to this very spot,
and the chiefs agreed with what my grandfather did. He went on board
the ship and got trade. He spread it through the land. Let us act
right as my ancestors did. The _Pakehas_ went to the Bay of Islands
and were murdered. Let us do them no harm. What has the Governor done
wrong? The shadow of the land goes to the Queen, but the substance
remains with us. We will go to the Governor and get payment for our
land as before. If the Nga-Puhi commit evil they will suffer. We have
always been friendly with the _Pakehas_. We never went in ships to
England or Port Jackson to buy arms to kill our countrymen. If you
want to be cut off, go and fight the Governor. Do not, like the chiefs
at Hokianga, wish to kill the Governor. Live peaceably with the
_Pakehas_. We have now a helmsman, one said, 'Let me steer,' and
another said, 'Let me steer,' and we never went straight. Be jealous:
look well into your own hearts and commit no evil. The natives did
wrong at the Bay and suffered. What man of sense would believe that
the Governor would take our goods, and only give us half of it? If you
have anything else to say, say it; but if not, finish, and all of you
say, 'Yes'--say 'Yes.'"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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