Chapman. — On the Working of Greenstone. 519 



My observations are limited to the Maoris oa the shores and islands 

 of Fovcaux Strait. The pieces of greenstone in the raw state came, and 

 still sometimes come, from the West Coast, where it is broken out of the 

 rocks ; but how it is imbedded there I cannot tell. When, forty or fifty 

 years ago, the South Island was frequented by European whalers and 

 sealers, some young Maori men went with them in their vessels to the 

 West Coast, and brought pieces of raw greenstone back. A Captain 

 Anglem, of that time, who lived in retirement on Stewart Island, told me 

 that he had blasted greenstone rocks with gunpowder on the West Coast. 

 But before that greenstone had been brought here, very likely, both over- 

 land and by sea, in canoes. 



When I came among the Maoris here in 1844 there were still some 

 real tohungas (wise men) living among them. Some men were learned 

 in old tales ; some were skilful in works of art : but such very high art as 

 has been found in the North was never produced here in the South. Let 

 us now look at one of those old artists such as I observed thirty-seven 

 years ago. He is advanced in years, and hard labour no longer agrees 

 with him. Sitting and doing nothing, his nerves will not be quiet ; so he 

 takes in hand a piece of rav? greenstone, looks at it, and thinks what can 

 be made of it. By-and-by he begins to rub it on a buitable stone. It 

 takes a long time before a bright smoothness appears ; but even a very 

 slow progress cheers his mind, and the monotonous rubbing quietens his 

 nerves. When he feels tired he ceases rubbing and enjoys rest. So it 

 goes on through, perhaps, many years. By-and-by the idea which had 

 been conceived in his mind begins to gain shape in the greenstone. Then 

 fresh ideas about detail come into his mind, and he has to work with 

 different stone tools — large and small, thin, and pointed. To bore a hole 

 or to make fine depressions he has a wooden staff about 18in. or 2ft. long ; 

 at the lower end is fastened a sharp splinter of a hard stone ; in the middle 

 of the staff is fastened a small fly-wheel ; round the upper end he winds 

 a cord, and holds the two ends of the same one in each hand. Now, 

 while comfortably sitting, and the greenstone being fastened below him 

 with the sharp end of the bore upon it, he skilfully balances the latter in 

 an upright position, and as he draws alternately with his hands the tool 

 revolves in fast motions forwards and backwards. Formerly time was 

 not considered among the Maoris — no one knew how old he was. Many 

 old I\Iaoris were engaged in similar hobbies, which, as they had no litera- 

 ture, were blessings to them. 



The old Maoris were good judges of the quality of greenstone. They 

 also showed and explained to me the goodness and defects thereof ; but I 

 did not learn enough of that science to be able to give a description of the 

 same. All those old Maoris are now dead, and the present generation 

 has adopted the ideas and fashions of the Europeans. They therefore 

 leave the polishing of beautiful stones to European artificers. Some raw 

 greenstone may still be in the possession of Maoris here, but I think very 

 little is left of works of art. 



You ask, "Was greenstone really the object of Te Rauparaha's in- 

 vasion?" My answer is that very likely Te Rauparaha may have boasted 

 that he would conquer the Wahi Pounamu, but I think he and his people 

 were only continuing the savage history of the South Island. Long ago 

 there came from the North a tribe called Ngatimamoe. They killed and 

 ate of the Maoris found by them in the South. After them came the 

 Ngatitahu Tribe from the North Island, and began to kill and eat the 

 Ngatimamoe on the South Island. They had nearly finished them when 

 Te Rauparaha and his people came to kill and eat the Ngatitahu, but 

 were stopped by Christianity and by European immigration and civilised 

 government. Yours, &c., 



F. R. Chapman, Esq., Duncdin. J. F. H. Wohlebs. 



