How War Was Declared Between Tainui And Arawa

We had left the Arawa canoe laid up by its crew at Maketu, where they had landed, and the people who had arrived with the Arawa spread themselves over the country, examining it.

Some penetrating to Roto-rua,

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some to Taupo,

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some to Wanganui,[the local Wanganui people do not WH their words, hence the spelling]

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some to Ruatahuna,

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and no one was left at Maketu but Hei and his son, and Tia and his son,

The usual place of residence of Ngatoro-I-rangi was on the island of Motiti.

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The people who had come with the Tainui were still at Kawhai, where they had landed.

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One of their [Tainui] chiefs, named Raumati, heard that the Arawa had been laid up at Maketu, so he started with all his own immediate dependents, and reaching Tauranga, halted there.

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In the evening again, he pressed on to Maketu, and reached the bank of the river, opposite that on which the Arawa was lying, thatched over with dry reeds and dried branches and leaves.

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Then he slung a dart, the point of which was bound with combustible materials, over to the other side of the river,

The point of the dart was lighted, and it stuck right in the dry thatch of the roof over the Arawa, and the shed of dry stuff taking fire, the canoe was entirely destroyed.

The night that the Arawa was burnt by Raumati, there was not a person left at Maketu, they were all scattered in the forests, at Tapu-ika and Waitaha, and Ngatoro-I-rangi was at that moment at his residence on the island of Motiti.

The Pa or fortified village at Maketu, was left quite empty, without a soul in it,

The canoe was lying alone, with none to watch it, they had all gone to collect food of different kinds, it happened to be a season in which food was very abundant,

For that reason, the people were all scattered in small parties about the country, fishing, fowling, and collecting food.

At night, as the Arawa burnt, the people, who were scattered about in the various parts of the country, saw the fire, for the bright glare of the gleaming flames was reflected in the sky. Lighting up the heavens.

They all thought that it was the village at Maketu that had been burnt, but, those who were near Waitaha, and close to the sea-shore near where the Arawa was, at once said

“That must be the Arawa which is burning, it must have been accidentally set on fire by some of our friends who have come to see us”.

The next day they went to see what had taken place, and when they reached the place where the Arawa had been lying, they found it had been burnt by an enemy, and that nothing but the ashes of it were left them.

Then a messenger started to all the places where the people were scattered about, to warn them of what had taken place, and they then first heard the bad news.

The children of Hou, as they discussed in their house of assembly, the burning of the Arawa, remembered the proverb of their father, which he spoke to them as they were on the point of leaving Hawaiki, and when he bid them farewell.

He then said to them, “O my children, O Mako, O Tia, O Hei, harken to my words, there was but one great chief in Hawaiki, and that was Whakatauihu.”

“Now do you, my dear children, depart in peace, and when you reach the place you are going to, do not follow after the deeds of Tu, the god of war.”

“If you do, you will perish, as if swept off by the winds, but rather, follow quiet and useful occupations, then you will die tranquilly a natural death”.

“Depart, and dwell in peace with all, leave war and strife behind you here,”

“Depart, and dwell in peace, it is war and its evils which are driving you from hence, dwell in peace where you are going,”

“Conduct your selves like men, let there be no quarrel-ling amongst you, but build up a great people”.

These were the last words which Houmai-tawhiti addressed to his children, and they ever kept these sayings of their father firmly fixed in their hearts, “Depart in peace to explore new homes for yourselves”.

Uenuku perhaps gave no such parting words of advise to his children, when they left him for this country because they brought war and its evils with them from the other side of the ocean to New Zealand.

But, of course, when Raumati burnt he Arawa, the descendants of Houmai-tawhiti could not but help continually considering what they ought to do.

Whether they should declare war upon account of the destruction of their canoe, or, whether they should let this act pass without notice.

They kept these thoughts always close to mind, and impatient feelings kept ever rising up in their hearts.

They could not help saying to one another, “It was on account of war and its consequences, that we deserted our own country, that we left our fathers, our homes, and our people, and war and evil are following after us here”.

“Yet we cannot remain patient under such an injury, every feeling urges us to revenge this wrong”.

At last, they made an end of deliberation, and unanimously agreed that they would declare war, to obtain compensation for the evil act of Raumati in burning Arawa.

Then commenced the great war which was waged between those who arrived in the Arawa, and those who arrived in the Tainui.

Info From Sir George Grey

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-spread-of-the-descendants-of-hoturoa

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/tainui-canoe-travels-from-hawaiki-to-new-zealand

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/myths-and-legends-of-new-zealand-intro

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-this-series-began

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-warrior-deeds-of-kaihuma

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-kaihamu-killed-his-enemies-at-waiatapu

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/tupahau-goes-fishing-at-marokopa

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/maki-s-battles-in-tamaki

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/karewa-s-fights-with-the-ngapuhi

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-continuing-battles-of-the-tainui-people

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-story-of-maru-tuahu

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/continuing-maru-tuahu-s-story

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/kiki-and-tamure-the-two-sorcerers

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/te-rauparaha

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/some-of-the-stories-of-tawhaki

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/some-more-of-the-stories-of-tawhaki

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/rupe-s-ascent-to-heaven

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/kae-s-theft-of-the-whale

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-murder-of-tuwhakararo

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-legend-of-rata

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-life-and-times-of-whakatau

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-legend-of-toi-te-huatahi-and-tama-te-kaoua

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-legend-of-poutini-and-whaiapu-or-the-discovery-of-new-zealand

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-voyage-to-new-zealand-part-1-arawa

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-voyage-to-new-zealand-part-2-arawa

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-voyages-of-the-arawa-canoe-around-new-zealamd-and-the-revenge-of-rua

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/continuing-the-story-of-tama

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-ngatoro-brought-forth-thermal-fire-from-hawaiki

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-ihenga-found-lake-roto-rua

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