The international trade routes made the islands an important port of call for vessels from United States, Britain, Portugal and France. The naval sea Captain Lieutenant William Broughton, arrived in 1791 and stopped long enough to do some trading, raise the British flag and to name the islands after his brig, H M S Chatham. This brought the islands under the watchful eye of the British until 1842, when under threat of sale to an astute German businessman, the British quickly iisued a Letters Patent modifying the Charter of the 1839 Colony of New Zealand to include the Chatham islands. The islands were brought into the NZ jurisdiction by an Order in Council.
By the time the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1842, seal colonies were largely depleted and trade had dropped off. The Islands abundant food resources however, continued to attract attention and this included the attention from the tribes of NZ who had heard tales of the bountiful supplies, from members who had worked the whaling and sealing boats.
As the new settlers arrived in droves from Britain seeking better life styles for their families, so too did the tribes of NZ, under threat of war and the wanton taking of their land for the new settlers, look for safer places for their people to live.
It is this same story of survival that drove Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri as part of a confederation of tribes from Taranaki, to search for land to re-settle their whanau. The journey took them south to Whanganui-a-Tara and into the bowels of Te Wai Pounamu before eventually arriving at the Chathams in the 1830's.
Despite discussion and debate in many forums over the nature and outcome of the battles on the Chathams, a lot of issues remain unresolved. What I can say is that in listening to whanau talk, tribal historians and family histories about the settling of last century, that despite agreements on settling the Islands between those who left Port Nicholson /Whanganui a Tara (now called Wellington), the agreements were broken. Ngati Tama leveraged their advantage and took the islands before Ngati Mutunga arrived back from Wellington with the second contingent of tribe.
The much talked about war against Moriori, that has been so richly embellished with Mutunga cannibalism and acts of genocide, notwithstanding it was a war fought on the accepted codes of custom of that time, was in fact, the work of Ngati Tama. They bled on the land.
Yet who can forget the Television documentaries of the 'victims' of the victory feasts piled high in a synchronised monument ? The locals said nothing. My mother was shocked when she saw them on television. She then told of many things. Of course there are burial places and caves, but that knowlege stays with those who are the keepers of the knowledge. And they are certainly not piled high like balls in a bowling alley!
Understanding the dual interplay of the physical and spiritual world requires a deep silence and awareness of things past present and future, to maintain the balance needed for day to day life.
Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri have continued to prepare their people for burial and departure from this physical world. While our current experts have learnt more modern processes since the 1990's, the skills and knowledge has been passed down within whanau responsible for that taonga, that skill , that knowledge.
As one born into such a whanau, I grew up thinking what I knew and saw was what everyone else knew and saw. My father was taught by my grandfather. My mother told of how much her father loved his job. He would talk and sing and crack jokes as he worked. His understanding , knowledge and knowing of the interconnection between physical and the spiritual was acute. It was as normal as day follows night in the scheme of things and it required skill to ensure the release was completed properly and balance was maintained for the security of those going and those staying.
Within our family, there was always a sense of something really big and important going on when the phone rang for Dad. All work stopped on the farm, Dad would issue instructions to my brother to ' let the sheep out ' or' shift the mob somewhere else' or 'kill a mutton' and Mum would fuss over his clothes and his food each day. And the stories I heard each time he came home were unique. I know that now- but back then, it was just normal.
So why am I telling this most intimate whanau story?
For those who know, the television documentaries showing skulls piled high somewhere, reveal as much about the ignorance of those telling the story as the political & commercial power of a story that touches a core human sense of moral indignation.
For us in one whanau who had responsibility for the completion journey of those who leave this physical life, it was a violation of the rights of those who had long gone into another world where they would continue their journey. It had its parallel in recent times when the burial of the koiwi taken as trophies of war.
Simply put, here's the thing to do - just return the disembodied parts to the land that holds the rest of the body so that they can go in peace and get on with their journey - at last!
I was once asked by a television reporter, " Are you sorry?" and my response was "For what?" I wondered what her tupuna were doing at that time of our history ?
The major war that followed was between Mutunga and Tama, not Moriori.
The story of the battle is our taonga - our whakapapa. It has not been told in Tribunals or High Courts. It is our history known only to us. The story of tribal warriors who fought back to back as a single unit; of the path of the battle around the island and the final defeat of Tama by Mutunga and the agreement to end the war, to gather up the dead and place in the lake which remains today.
Or will the story of the real impact of introduced diseases ever be told and evidenced by those places on farms that belong to our whanau ,who protect and honour those who were here before and are now gone or those who still wait for the return of their disembodied parts.
So, who will put right the books of the myths and legends told that continue to pit Mutunga against Moriori for political and commercial advantage?
My deepest concern is that the myths have become a moral code against which government policies and access to government funding, has been leveraged to a level bordering on a fiscal scandal.
Tribal rituals and processes are being replaced by local government agencies ,with approved consultants from NZ as excavations are done without respect for the histories known to the tribe.
Or will the story of the real impact of introduced diseases ever be told and evidenced by those places on farms that belong to our whanau ,who protect and honour those who were here before and are now gone or those who still wait for the return of their disembodied parts.
So, who will put right the books of the myths and legends told that continue to pit Mutunga against Moriori for political and commercial advantage?
My deepest concern is that the myths have become a moral code against which government policies and access to government funding, has been leveraged to a level bordering on a fiscal scandal.
Tribal rituals and processes are being replaced by local government agencies ,with approved consultants from NZ as excavations are done without respect for the histories known to the tribe.
Policies based upon historical accounts recorded in the Waitangi Tribunal , approved settler historians and current approved institutions for such issues, e.g. Te Papa have replaced the traditional processes where local Kaumatua were called to give advice and perform appropriate rituals. There are few public urupa on the islands, most are on private family land as was the custom and are still used generations later - we all want to be buried in the whenua on our papakainga. Changing government systems may well alter the way we have done things.
Is this part of the new 'hidden economies ' that we read about ? New ways of doing the same thing?
It is the reason I am telling the story.
One of the fastest growth industries in the world is the 'Who am I ' industry. A government grant of $6 million in an economic recession, for the purpose of reviving moriori culture, now embedded in the infamous Waitangi Tribunal Report 'Rekohu', was tantamount to a kick in the guts for the economic survival of Mutunga families and indeed, the survival of the Chathams.
That s $6million for how many people? How many on their register?
Ohhh '...I see...! That's why they need Ngahiwi Dix to be a moriori - they need her descendants for numbers on their register. Its a bit like the fish isn't it! You know- the 'quota 'whakapapa that some people have! I wonder where they got it from? Wikipedia?
Pae kare! Clever! Too clever for me!...
More critically, 3 years ago, Chatham Island Maori Farmers failed to get $100,000 from a government fund source, to complete a feasibility study to build an on Island meat processor for the benefit of all Chatham Islanders,. The project had targeted key areas for development including, alternative fuels, employment, local butchery, fertilisers and a host of subsidiary benefits.
As a consequence of the failure to activate the project, the young families are now moving off the islands to find work, farm labour is consequently scarce, only 1 school remains, there is no butcher on the islands and meat is imported from NZ for domestic use and dog food and the list goes on. These problems could have been reduced if the on Island processor project had been completed. The total estimate for the project was approximately $2.2 million.
So what do you think ?
More critically, 3 years ago, Chatham Island Maori Farmers failed to get $100,000 from a government fund source, to complete a feasibility study to build an on Island meat processor for the benefit of all Chatham Islanders,. The project had targeted key areas for development including, alternative fuels, employment, local butchery, fertilisers and a host of subsidiary benefits.
As a consequence of the failure to activate the project, the young families are now moving off the islands to find work, farm labour is consequently scarce, only 1 school remains, there is no butcher on the islands and meat is imported from NZ for domestic use and dog food and the list goes on. These problems could have been reduced if the on Island processor project had been completed. The total estimate for the project was approximately $2.2 million.
So what do you think ?
What is the real priority of government to developing Chatham Island ? Of developing Chatham island Maori? And what benefit has the $6 million brought to the Islands?
Maybe it is to develop the Islands as a tourist place- you know.. like a World Park , or a Adventure Park destination - no people , no pests, just flora, fauna and DOC? Maybe? Probably cheaper too..eh! oh well!
Or was it to pay bills?
Who knows?
On Tuesday I received an email invitation to participate in the Maori Economic Summit convened by Hon Dr Pita Sharples, Minister of Maori Affairs, at 9.30 am the next morning. The summit was convened at short notice to address the extreme economic challenges facing the nation now,that will have a major effect upon our families. The Minister is looking for initiatives that utilises Maori resources to sustain Maori as they will be hardest hit. I was part of the Primary sector group and the information will be feed back to the Prime Minister next week.
What would you have done if you had received the invitation?
What primary sector imitative would you have suggested to the Minister as economically sound, sustainable, could start now and provide a win-win solution for the Islands?
The Summit was very successful and we have an opportunity to get our project up and running BUT my view is there has to be one Ngati Mutunga group..
What do you think?
My view is the Runanga and Ngati Mutunga Trust should agree by signing a Heads of Agreement, to form one Ngati Mutunga Wharekauri entity for the purpose of designing and developing durable solutions to survive the severe economic crisis.
But will the members of the Boards of the Runanga and Ngati Mutunga Iwi Trust, hear the message? They have a unique opportunity to turn things around for the Islands. but will they?
Against the backdrop of the incredible history of Mutunga , their lack of leadership, in these times is an anathema. They must lead.
What do you think?
Evelyn
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