Nga Tatarakihi o Parihaka

Nga Tatarakihi o Parihaka (Summary)

The government's men were here talking to Te Whiti while Rarawa was in the kitchen kneading bread dough and aunty Maata was blabbing about how the pakeha are always coming and going saying the same things. As Api placed the bag of flour onto the bench, they read out some sort of proclamation stating: “ You have two weeks before the soldiers come.” Te Whiti and Tohu called a meeting so more bread needed to be made. Aunty Maata shooed api outside to check on the loaves. Aunty Maata smiled at Rawara and told her to go and have a swim. It’ll wake you up. So she left and plunged into the still cold october water. Her friend joined her and said “ Did you hear that?” It was the soldiers marching towards the village. When the pakeha government came, they destroyed fences and crops and the people of pakeha did not fight back with violence as they government expected.The tried to talk to them. Then the soldiers came and marched through the village while Rarawa was swinging her poi’s through the men.