In 1881 Parihaka was the setting for non-violent resistance to Pākehā (European) colonisation, by Māori under the leadership of Te Whiti-o-Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi. The Maori attempts at resistance were not successful.
“On the morning of 5 November 1881, some 1600 volunteer and Armed Constabulary troops invaded the settlement. More than 2000 villagers sat quietly on the marae as a group of singing children greeted the force led by Native Minister and Wanganui MP John Bryce, who had described Parihaka as ‘that headquarters of fanaticism and disaffection’. Bryce ordered the arrest of Parihaka’s leaders, the destruction of the village and the dispersal of most of its inhabitants.”
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/1600-armed-police-and-volunteers-attack-pacifist-settlement-at-parihaka
Every year in January, the people at the Parihaka International Peace Festival
remember the actions of Te Whiti-o-Rongomai and Tohu and their people. Their actions also inspired this mix.
