Saturday April 11th 1868
Part IV
Te whenua kei nga tangata of te pakanga: (addressed to Raota Te Tahiwi). I have not heard of a reserve having been arranged by Dr. Featherstone for us at Tawhirehoe. I have not yet poken about a reserve, to Dr. Featherstone.
At Kakanui and Tawhirihoe, houses of a ‘pakeha’ of Te Hakeke were burnt by Rangihaeata and sheep sent off by myself and Henare and others of Ngatiraukawa. After this sale of north Rangitikei, the houses were burnt by Rangihaeata after the treaty of Waitangi. I did not hear that the song I referred to was about Te Horo. I was present at meetings at Maramaihoea. Hori Te Anaua asked for the land this was following up the word at Te Awahou “Nepia and Ngatiraukawa homai taku whenua” Ngatiraukawa replied “waiho e dore e hoatu, engari kua haria ki roto ki toku whare ki a kite te wahine” and “te tamaiti”. I did not understand that it was refused. Matene said that, I did not hear anything more of it, it was this that made Ngatiapa ‘uaua’ to come over to this side.
Heard about mill at Makowhai. I heard Nepia propose to have a mill at Makowhai to be joint property of themselves and Ngatiapa. There was a dispute at first about it and a pa was built there by Mohimahi. I did not hear of Mohi asking for land from Nepia to rent. I was still in my ‘whare here here’ at Te Awahou. Ngatima Te Raotea had some of the money from Awahou block for moutoa.
The men named by me as cultivating at Himatangi are of Patu Kohuru. This was before the treaty and te Kuititanga. We all left Puketotara and Te Kiri Kui and Himatangi together with the 3 tribes. The latter came a little lower down to Papakiri and Opiki and we came to Te Maiu. After this they came down lower still, to KutiKutirau, and after that we all went to Te Awahou together. Patukohuru ceased to cultivate but the 3 tribes continued to cultivate. I have cultivated at Opiki since the treaty. Ngatiapa ceased from the time when we went up at Haowhenua. I don’t know if they came back to catch eels.
I heard they burnt Taratoa’s houses. There are no eels at Himatangi, the houses were Maori houses. This is Parakaia’s place of residence – Otaki – he goes up to see Taraotea and the rest.
I had slaves of Ngatiapa at the time of the treaty. I don’t know about the ‘mana’ of Ngatiapa at the time the slaves were taken. I let my slaves go. After the treaty of Waitangi, Ngatiawa had no ‘mana’ over the Rangitikei Manawatu block at the time of sale. Ngatitoa have, through Matene and Tamihana. The arrangement for the sale would be for me (Ngatiraukawa) and Matene and Tamihana would have a voice. Ngatitoa have ‘mana’ but no right to sell.
I could not tell how many of Ngatikauhata have sold or not sold. Tapa Kereama Paoe are the chiefs, the rest are ‘puwha’, I call them so because they did not go to Parewanui. Te Ara Takana is a ‘puwha’. I only know those as chiefs who joined in the sale.
There is a ‘hapu’ of Ngatiraukawa called Matewha a branch of Ngatipikiahu named by me. Te Rangatahi is a section of Ngatimaniapoto named by me. Te Mateawa is the principal name of a hapu of which the Parengaere named by me is a section. Ngati Tukorehe, is another ‘hapu’.
The Ngatiraukawa share of the purchase money was paid to me. I sold the whole block. The money was ‘pau ia au’. I divided it among the Ngatiraukawa. I offered to (3 hapu’s) some and they would not take it. I called all the ‘hapu’s to go to Parewanui. I set apart £2000 for them and spent my own share.
I did not go to whitirea when Mr. Williams went because Paratene and Parakaia and the rest were there to attend to that business. I did not go to the Oroua boundary for a similar reason.
By Court
The persons named by me as persons of my tribe who cultivated are all living. Some of them represent persons who are dead, who cultivated.
Muaupoko were living in pa;s. Taueki was their chief and Te Atua. Te Whatanui was also living there. They had separate pa’s. Ngatiapa had part of the purchase money. I gave it to them ‘hawhe of to ratou whenua i hokona e au’. There was never a boundary line from tohitirea to Paepae and on to the sea.
The Whitirea boundary was fixed by Mr. Williams as a ‘rohe whenua’ between the 2 tribes and the 3 tribes named by me. The boundary post put in by Nepia at Puratatua near Rakehou was intended to mark as a boundary between him and Ngatikauhata. Ngatiapa would not have it.
Court adjourned at 5 pm till Monday April 13th.