Maori 19th Century ;Gunners

There are many written accounts of battles of the 'Musket Wars' (1807-1842) and the 'New Zealand Wars' (1842-1872)- and there is considerable variation in the details from the different authors - but almost without exception they are written by Europeans who mostly fail to give much credit to the Maori. It was a wild and dangerous place to live.

Although they are credited with extensive use of muskets and well constructed Pa - built to withstand both musket and cannon fire, and with clever use of trenches and heavy palisades - little is said about tribal use of cannon by and against attacking armies.

Spiked 'cannon' at Ruapekapeka Pa

Many relic cannon are attributed to the pakeha ships from where they came - ignoring the fact that they were either salvaged from wrecks or bought by chiefs and then extensively used in inter-tribal war and indeed some were turned against the white settlers and their armies.

'Boyd' Carronade in Te Papa Museum.

These naval guns were heavy and often had been sold to tribes because they were worn and faulty - or were badly rusted by immersion in sea-water. - They were dragged for large distances over rugged terrain strapped to canoe hulls or sleds to then be mounted defensively - but their use was always hampered by shortage of powder and balls - in many cases the cannon-balls were replaced by loads of rounded stones and in some cases the chiefs had learned to make their own gun powder using charcoal, bird guano and sulphur gleaned from volcanic activity.

Blowing-up of The 'Boyd' by Maori 1889.

 

Some such cannon were used on meat gathering raids and transported to enemy strongholds complete with powder and cannon-balls - to lay siege while attempting to breech defences and fill the attackers hangi ovens with the slain.

My early story (HMS Alligator .. 8th January) about "The Harriet Affair" when in 1834 Captain John Guards whaling ship was driven ashore and wrecked on the Taranaki coast tells the story of how they were attacked by local Ngati Ruanui maori on the beach and twelve of the crew were cooked and eaten. There were many deaths on both sides of this conflict.

 - The Ngati Ruanui salvaged  / captured two 'cannon' which they used in coming years. However when HMS Alligator landed a revenging party to rescue Guards young wife - the guns were hidden by burying when they had to abandon their position. Maori of this era held the ownership of such cannon as high 'mana'.

The later recovered  half-pound cannon (used as a swivel gun), is held in Puke Ariki Museum - but its four-pounder companion mounted on the cliff near Opunake signal station was destroyed by vandals on 30 August 1909 - attempting to fire it.

 

 Mount Taranaki
 

Reference: 'Tribal Guns and Tribal Gunners' by Trevor Bentley. wilsonscott publishing 2013

 

Marty K