The Baptist headlight., 1894-07-18
MAORIS SLOWLY DISAPPEARING.
The Finest of the POlynesianS No Longer
Bar Out White Visitors.

The Finest of the Polynesians No Longer
Bar Out White Visitors
The barriers reared by the Maorls
of New Zealand against the outside
world are at last Frustrated, says the
New York Sun. 1t will surprise all
who know their strange story to hear
the news that Mr. Seldom, the pre-
mier Of New Zealand, brought to
Wellington a month ago. He had
been travelling through the King
Country, which for many years was
forbidden ground to all white men.
Chief after chief told him that here
after there would be for them only
the law of the Queen Of England.
Tawhiao, Maori King, also wrote,
asking for an interview and saying
that he wished to follow the example
Of the chiefs: so the king and the
most important men in the big Maori
district has been invited to visit
Wellington during the next session
of Parliament. Forty years ago,
when the MaOris drew the aukati, or
sacred bOundry line, the English in
New Zealand were not desirOuS to in
cur the opposition of over 80, 900 ma
tives. Exclusive possession of their
lands had already been promised to
the tribes; and the Europeans made
no protest when the natives drew
their boundary line around large
part of this reserve, named it the
King Country, declared that the white
men should make no roads within
the area, and forbade them, under
penalty of death, to enter the land.
Until quite recently the Maoris
conducted themselves as they pleased
in the King Country. Eleven years
ago this large district in the North
Island had not been surveyed, its re-
markable geographical and geOlOgi-
cal features weIe almost unknown,
and the maps Of it were merely out
lines. Then the Englishman Kerry
Nichols was bold enough to enter
the country in spite Of the prohibit
tion of the Maori king. After
journey of 600 miles, during which
be collected great deal Of fresh in
formation, he returned unscathed.
After this the government secured
permission from the ntaive chiefs to
survey a route for a railroad through
the King Country.
the North Island, but for many years
thousands of natives have confined
themselves to the region from which
they have wholly excluded the white
race, that has pressed closely around
the forbidden area. 1t is not until
this late day, when the white pOpu-
latiOn of New Zealand numbers about
100000 souls, when it is no longer
possible for any of the native tribes
to retain the role of semi-independ-
ence. that the proud Maors have at
last bowed to their inevitable fate of
complete subsection to the will of
the white. cOnquerOrS. We are in
clined to think that the latest phase
of the Maori question will only
hasten their determination. The
finest specimens OF the Polynesian
race, they, like all their kinSmen
scattered over the Pacific, are hasten
ing on the way toward total extinc-
tion. All of them, outside the King
Country, are nominally converts to
Christianity, and have adopted many
of the ways of Caucasian civilization.
Those who have been most influenced
by contact with the white newcomers
have most rapidly diminished in
numbers. and now the last strong
hold of the Maoris will before long be
permeated by the influences of civil
izatiOn, which seem TO have upon
the hapless Polynesians the effect of
poisonous atmosphere in which
they cannot live.