Book review
Rangatira
Ngati Wai Chief Paratene Te Manu was one of the Maori warriors painted by Gottfried Lindauer in 1866. Paula Morris is Paratene’s great granddaughter.
The story of Paratene’s journey to England as part of a group of Maori and their subsequent adventures have been passed down through the family generations. As a writer Paula thought this would make a good short story. However once she began confirming the known facts she realised that there was much more than just a short story.
The story is in Paratene’s words. As he sits for Lindauer on three consecutive days his mind is going back over his adventures twenty years previously.
William Jenkins a Nelson cabinet maker who spoke Maori had worked a plan where he could make a lot of money by taking a group of Maori to England as a travelling show performing haka and Waiata. He got together a diverse group of Maori who had converted to Christianity, including Paratene, by totally misrepresenting his intentions. They thought that they would be ambassadors meeting important people. His true intentions were not revealed until they reached London. Without much money of their own and only one having a smattering of the English language they were trapped, at his mercy for food and lodgings.
The group travelled around England, they attracted much attention and the reluctantly performed shows drew good crowds. However Jenkins always claimed poor takings and a shortage of funds as a reason for providing poor lodging houses, which he never shared, nor any kind of payment for their performing.
The high point of their time in England was a private audience with Queen Victoria and there were many adventures both good and bad along the way. Some of the group questioned Mr Jenkins’ integrity gradually they all became disillusioned with him.
The low point was their arrival in smog filled Manchester in very cold winter conditions. Jenkins was absent for long periods, they were cold, hungry and homesick. Fortuitously their plight came to the notice of the wife of a former Anglican missionary to New Zealand and spoke fluent Maori. She came to the rescue and had the Missionary Society arrange and pay for their return to New Zealand.
The acknowledgements illustrate the lengths the author went in ensuring the facts. From these she has written an engaging and insightful historic novel. Highly recommended.
Mike Beckett
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