This article is part 5 of 7 in our series on Victorian-Era newspaper engravings from New Zealand. To see the other parts please click here.
Group of Maoris at Whangarei (1869)
The Maori by the late 1860s was regarded by many as a dying race that would eventually disappear, even though there were signs that they were rapidly coming to terms with the European way of life. The engraving exemplifies this blend, with clothing being a mixture of European and Maori, and the slab hut in the background owing more to pakeha influence than Maori. Note the girl holding an accordion, and the ‘chip’ hat at her feet.
Maori Women Fishing for Mussels (1868)
The freshwater mussel — the kakahi of the Maori — was caught by dredging with specially woven baskets. The shellfish was used as a special food for the young and the sick.
Maoris Cooking in a Boiling Spring, near Lake Taupo (1878)
In thermal areas where boiling springs were found, the Maoris made use of them for cooking purposes. So did many Euopean travellers, as for example Anthony Trollope, who recorded in his book Australia and New Zealand that on his visit to Rotomahana in 1872 he and his party cooked bacon and potatoes in a hot spring.
Catching the New Zealand Woodhen (1868)
The curiosity of this flightless bird, otherwise known as the weka or Maori hen, rendered it a comparatively easy prey to the expert Maori snarer in the nineteenth century. The weka also provided a welcome addition to the spartan diet of European explorers and surveyors.
Barracouta Curing, Otago Heads (1867)
The scene is set at Otakou, a small settlement on the shores of Otago Harbour, consisting at the time of some 50 Maoris who were principally engaged in catching and curing barracouta both for their own consumption and for sale in the Dunedin market.
Maori Wedding: Preparing the Breakfast (1878)
The blend of Maori and European customs typical by the 1870s is clearly exhibited in this engraving. The bridal couple are dressed in strictly conventional European attire, the guests had been customers at the shops of the drapers and out- fitters of the nearby town; the breakfast, prepared in the traditional manner, was to be followed by a dance in the English fashion, ‘an indecent exhibition’ in the eyes of the older Maoris. The wedding took place at Raupaki, a Maori reserve near Lyttelton.
Funeral of a Maori Chief (1874)
As in the last engraving, both Maori and Christian or pakeha customs are visible in this rendering of the funeral of ‘Pita te Hori’ at Kaiapoi — the firing party of 10 men marching with arms reversed, the standard bearer, and the Maori tokens of mourning, the white feathers and wreaths of leaves.
A Village Parliament (1877)
Described in the original caption as a Korero or talk on the subject of land sales, the scene was said to represent a typical occurrence in many Taranaki villages of the time. The standing figure was recognised as the Chief, who it seems ‘from his attitude and gesture, to be gifted with the fluency and volubility which usually distinguish the Maori orator.’
Maori Fishing Camp (1878)
The fishing camp depicted was said to be at ‘Otamake’ on the Patea River. Eel weirs cross the stream, while in the canoe are the eel-catching traps which were set at the apex of the V-shaped weirs.
War Canoe (1868)
Described in the original caption as a war canoe, the craft does not have the length or magnifi- cence present-day New Zealanders usually associate with such a craft. In pre-European days sails were only used to a limited extent, and were triangular in shape.
Canoe Shooting Rapids (1873)
The Maoris were skilful handlers of their canoes in surging river torrents as well as in more placid waters.
He Haka (1879)
The Maoris were skilful handlers of their canoes in surging river torrents as well as in more placid waters.
He Haka (1888)
Another but later drawing appearing in an Australian illustrated paper of what was called a haka. The costume and gestures appear more authentic than the previous engraving, having been copied from a photograph. Again the timing of the dancers is noted, it being stated that ‘to look at the dancers it would be thought that they were moved by machinery so exactly in accord are their gestures.’
Interior of Maori Pa (1868)
The defensive nature of the pa can be clearly seen, and possibly trouble is expected for many of the Maoris are armed, usually with rifles (includ- ing one in the foreground with bayonet fixed), although one warrior is holding a wooden spear. The pa depicted was at Matata in the Bay of Plenty, where the Hauhau murderers of the Rev. Carl Volkner took refuge. The German-born Volkner had been hung outside his Church in Opotiki on 2 March 1865, and his body mutilated. Kereopa, who had been the instigator of the murder, was eventually captured and executed.
Maori Pa of the 1880s (1883)
In Hawke’s Bay a number of pas had been rebuilt with European weatherboard dwellings boasting shingled roofs, as for example that of Pakowhai on the Ngaruroro River. However, it was noted at the time that ‘as a rule these buildings [are] intended more for ornament than use, as owners will generally be found wrapped in blankets in some smoky tumbledown old whare alongside.’
Loading Canoe for Auckland (1878)
Auckland for many years received supplies of foodstuffs from Maoris in the surrounding districts, including as far away as the Waikato. In the late 1840s and the 1850s the so-called ‘mosquito fleet’ of Maori vessels, ranging from canoes to small sailing ships, was a regular sight on Auckland’s waterfront.
Maori Market of Auckland (1873)
On the Auckland jetties Europeans looked for bargains, and haggling, arguing, and even “a little flirtation’ was part of the scene. Fruit, vegetables, watermelons, and fish all changed hands, and even well-dressed gentlemen (such as the one on the right) saw nothing wrong in walking up Queen Street carrying a couple of flounders tied with a piece of flax.
The Cold Basins, White Terraces, Rotomahana (1880)
Readers in 1880 were told that ‘These places, like the warm pools, are much used as bathing places by the natives, whose delight is to spend an hour in one of these water- holes up to their chin, in a sociable assemblage of both sexes.”
Opening Up the King Country (1882)
Scenes at a large meeting of Kingite Maoris at Whatiwhatihoe, the home of the Maori King Tawhiao, on the Waipa River, held to discuss the possible removal of the aukati line which marked the limits to which European expansion had been allowed to advance. The meeting lasted over a fortnight, but the aukati was not removed until 1885. The site of Whatiwhatihoe was a little southwest of present day Pirongia.