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The Pa Maori

Water Supply

Water Supply

Absence of a water supply that could be included within the lines of defence never prevented the Maori occupying such elevated positions as hill tops, headlands, cliff summits, or isolated rocks, so long as water could be obtained at some place not far distant from the defences. But few of the pre-European fortified hamlets contained a water supply within the lines of defence. Nor must it be supposed that such pa were constructed on the smaller hills, or lower ridges only; they were often made by scarping the highest peaks of ranges of considerable altitude, at a noteworthy height above plain or valley. This was rendered feasible by our humid climate and generous water supply, for, in many cases, water springs or little rills, are found within a short distance, perhaps 200 hundred yards of such peaks, more especially when the hill is covered with dense vegetation, forest, scrub, or bracken fern, as was generally the case in pre-European times. Such a water supply is generally found in the heads of the gullies radiating out from such hill peaks. New Zealand is emphatically a well watered country.

It is thus seen that, in most cases, the water supply of a fort was outside the defences, and usually at a lower altitude, as most pre-European pa were hill forts, hence the water had to be carried up hill, and often by paths of very steep grade. The commonest form of water vessel was a large variety of gourd (hue); the vessel being known as a taha. Great efforts were made to procure a supply of water and food when an attack was expected, and great suffering has resulted from long sieges in many cases. Sometimes the want of water brought about the fall of a place e.g. the Tutae-nui pa at Turanga; many of such occurrences are mentioned in tradition.

In some cases, when a desperate rush was made out of a besieged pa in order to obtain water, baskets full of Phormium fibre were taken and dipped in the nearest water. The fibre retained a considerable amount of water, which, on the return of the men to the fort, was sucked out by the women and children.

The following quotation is from Dr. Marshall's book: Two Visits to New Zealand in 1834:—"It is somewhat singular that a people so constantly involved in wars with one another, and driven in consequence to the fastnesses of rock and mountain for security and page 132a home, should make no provision for supplying themselves with water in case of a siege, unless indeed the siege forms no part of New Zealand warfare, or unless the besieged consider the flow of a natural stream round the base of every pa, which is almost invariably the case, as always accessible. Beyond a few gourds, which served them as water vessels, we found nothing to contain that simplest and best of drinks."

Dieffenbach, a writer of the fifth decade of the last century, remarks:—"The houses of the natives are generally collected into villages, which are either fortified by walls and trenches, or with high double or treble fences. Such a place is called a pa and is inhabited chiefly in disturbed times, when the whole tribe assembles in it. Being generally situated on the top of a hill, the pa are deficient in water, which the slaves have to fetch from below, at the risk of being shot by the besieging party. Within these walls are the houses, of which several, belonging to one family, stand in an enclosure. … The different families are thus separated in their fenced yards, which are, however, connected by stiles leading from one to the other, and by paths between the fences."

It must be here explained it would be an extremely small tribe that could occupy a single fortified village, such as were commonly erected. As a rule such a village accommodated merely a clan or sub-division of a tribe.

Of Te Whetu-matarau pa on the west side of the Awatere river, Mr. Smith writes:—"Te Whetu-matarau … the summit of which is about 700 ft. above the sea. This place is very strong by nature, being surrounded by inaccessible cliffs, excepting in one, or perhaps two, places. It is about ten acres in extent on top, and nearly flat. Here the people had cultivations of kumara, etc., whilst a spring of water rises quite close to the top. Very little work in the way of scarping would make the place impregnable, and such Pomare and Te Wera found it. … The besieged amused themselves by rolling down stones on the beleaguers. This siege continued for months." This stronghold is situated near East Cape.

The water supply of a besieged pa might be rendered unavailable in the following manner. When the Otaka or Nga Motu pa at New Plymouth was besieged by the Wai-kato natives, the latter slew a woman belonging to the inmates of the fort and, having cut up the body for cooking, washed the portions in the stream that supplied the garrison with water. This rendered the water tapu to the besieged folk, who could no longer use it, though, fortunately for them, they were enabled to obtain water by sinking a well. See Maori History of the Taranaki Coast, p. 474.

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