Post by New Zealand on Jul 17, 2011 7:33:25 GMT
Event: Avenging Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne's death during his visit to New Zealand.
Date and Location: June 1772: Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand.
Summary: After the murder of Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne and 26 others and the cannibalism that followed by local Maori, the rest of du Fresne's expedition wanted to avenge their deaths...
Aotearoa walked through the bush heading for the beach. He had given the people who were currently looking after him the slip, and was travelling of his own accord. They had said the world outside the village was no place for a little child, but Aotearoa was no ordinary little child. He had lived here for centuries, and he knew every inch of these lands like they were a part of him. He made his way through plants taller than he was, and tried to ignore the feeling of worry that was growing within him. Something was wrong, and he had to find out what was happening out there.
He knew that pale-skinned strangers had arrived recently and initially got along with the local tribes. He also knew about them breaking tapu in Tacoury's Cove, and had seen that the ones who disturbed the dead were killed and eaten. His own people would've left it at that, and viewed it as maintaining the tapu on that cove. Then again, his people understand tapu, and these strangers, these pakeha don't. They might feel the need to avenge the deaths of their people to restore the balance in their minds.
The last lot of pale-skinned strangers he had met included a strange man with big eyebrows. Aotearoa had felt a strange feeling when he saw that man, like there was some kind of connection between them but he didn't know what it was. It was something he didn't feel around his own people or around Eyebrows Man's people; just Eyebrows Man made him feel that way. A long time ago there had been another lot of pale-skinned people too, but Aotearoa didn't get to meet them. His people scared them off before they even got ashore.
Aotearoa's thoughts were suddenly broken by sounds that were like thunderclaps. He immediately looked up at the sky and saw no clouds, and it wasn't raining, so where was that thunder coming from? He changed direction and walked towards where the thunder seemed to be coming from. As he got closer he heard screams, battle cries, and the thunder was getting louder!
He shifted some grass aside, and was shocked by what he saw. The pale-skinned strangers had sticks that made thunder, and a lot of his people were falling to the ground. Most of them didn't move again after they fell, and he could tell they weren't breathing. He didn't try to count them, but he knew there was way more than rua-tekau-ma-whitu people lying on the ground. Then he felt that feeling again, like the one he felt when Eyebrows Man came to visit. It seemed to be coming from a tall man with long blond hair who was also using one of the thunder sticks. Aotearoa didn't know whether to leave his hiding place and go to the man or not. If he left he'd have to avoid the thunder sticks, but if he stayed he'd have to watch more of his people die while he did nothing to try to help.
He quickly made up his mind. He left the cover of the long grass, and ventured out onto the battlefield. He didn't like the noise of the thunder sticks, but he walked around bodies where no one was fighting any more to try to reach the man. His eyes filled with tears when he saw the bodies, but he tried not to cry.
"Please!" He struggled to keep the tears from affecting his voice. "Stop killing my people!"
Date and Location: June 1772: Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand.
Summary: After the murder of Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne and 26 others and the cannibalism that followed by local Maori, the rest of du Fresne's expedition wanted to avenge their deaths...
Aotearoa walked through the bush heading for the beach. He had given the people who were currently looking after him the slip, and was travelling of his own accord. They had said the world outside the village was no place for a little child, but Aotearoa was no ordinary little child. He had lived here for centuries, and he knew every inch of these lands like they were a part of him. He made his way through plants taller than he was, and tried to ignore the feeling of worry that was growing within him. Something was wrong, and he had to find out what was happening out there.
He knew that pale-skinned strangers had arrived recently and initially got along with the local tribes. He also knew about them breaking tapu in Tacoury's Cove, and had seen that the ones who disturbed the dead were killed and eaten. His own people would've left it at that, and viewed it as maintaining the tapu on that cove. Then again, his people understand tapu, and these strangers, these pakeha don't. They might feel the need to avenge the deaths of their people to restore the balance in their minds.
The last lot of pale-skinned strangers he had met included a strange man with big eyebrows. Aotearoa had felt a strange feeling when he saw that man, like there was some kind of connection between them but he didn't know what it was. It was something he didn't feel around his own people or around Eyebrows Man's people; just Eyebrows Man made him feel that way. A long time ago there had been another lot of pale-skinned people too, but Aotearoa didn't get to meet them. His people scared them off before they even got ashore.
Aotearoa's thoughts were suddenly broken by sounds that were like thunderclaps. He immediately looked up at the sky and saw no clouds, and it wasn't raining, so where was that thunder coming from? He changed direction and walked towards where the thunder seemed to be coming from. As he got closer he heard screams, battle cries, and the thunder was getting louder!
He shifted some grass aside, and was shocked by what he saw. The pale-skinned strangers had sticks that made thunder, and a lot of his people were falling to the ground. Most of them didn't move again after they fell, and he could tell they weren't breathing. He didn't try to count them, but he knew there was way more than rua-tekau-ma-whitu people lying on the ground. Then he felt that feeling again, like the one he felt when Eyebrows Man came to visit. It seemed to be coming from a tall man with long blond hair who was also using one of the thunder sticks. Aotearoa didn't know whether to leave his hiding place and go to the man or not. If he left he'd have to avoid the thunder sticks, but if he stayed he'd have to watch more of his people die while he did nothing to try to help.
He quickly made up his mind. He left the cover of the long grass, and ventured out onto the battlefield. He didn't like the noise of the thunder sticks, but he walked around bodies where no one was fighting any more to try to reach the man. His eyes filled with tears when he saw the bodies, but he tried not to cry.
"Please!" He struggled to keep the tears from affecting his voice. "Stop killing my people!"
- A quick note: One of the sources I listed below mentioned the French were ambushed by 450 Maori, but NZ doesn't know that this battle was an ambush gone wrong.
- Translations!
Aotearoa = NZ
Tapu = sacred. Anywhere that is declared to be tapu is not to be entered or disturbed, and nothing is to be taken from there.
Pakeha = foreigners. Also used these days to describe NZers of European ancestry.
Rua-tekau-ma-whitu = 27, literally twenty and seven. - By the time the French were done a village had been destroyed, and 250 Maori were slain.
- Some stuff I looked at while working on this post. ^^
From Tasman to Marsden Chapter 5: Marion's Visit to the Bay of Islands. 1772
Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne - France 1724 (approx.) - 1772
French Exploration of NZ in the wake of Captain Cook
Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne (Bio at Te Ara)