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In answer to the King’s question on why the Maori should have a British Queen instead of their
own king, Reischek continues his diplomacy:
Ich erwiderte, daß die Engländer die Rechte der Maori nicht schmälern würden, wenn sie friedlich
mit ihnen lebten und nur jene Mörder auslieferten, denen sie jetzt noch Asyl in ihrem Gebiete
gewähren.
Tawhiao sagte, er sei zwar zu friedlicher Gemeinschaft bereit, er werde aber die Mörder
nicht ausliefern, da sie seine Stammesbrüder seien. Die Weißen seien nach Neuseeland
gekommen, ohne daß die Maori sie gerufen hätten. Als sich später die Maori gegen die Ländergier
und Herrschsucht der Weißen aufgelehnt hätten, seien sie von den Europäern bekriegt worden. Da
diese bessere Waffen gehabt hätten, hätten die Maori naturgemäß unterliegen müssen. Nun gälten
sie als die Schuldigen, weil sie die Schwächeren seien. (187)
Following the conversation, Reischek is further observed and treated with every courtesy as an
“Ehrengast”, albeit confined to his immediate surroundings: “Diese Gefangenschaft war mir nur
deshalb peinlich, weil ich keine Beobachtungen aufzeichnen konnte, wollte ich nicht das
Mißtrauen der Maori gegen mich wecken. Daß sie mich als Geisel verwenden würden,
befürchtete ich weniger, da ich das vornehme Wesen und die Anständigkeit der Maori kannte”
(188). 176 King criticises Reischek for implying the whole gathering, horse race and feast were
held in his honour, when the contrary is the case, as the ‘hui’ was primarily set up to resolve the
dispute between Waikato and Ngati Maniapoto over recognising Tawhiao’s authority and whether
to seek land matters out through the Native Land Court:
Rather than offer an account of a major dispute that was to affect the future character of the King
Movement, and whose outcome was awaited by the New Zealand Government with some anxiety,
Reischek chose instead to speak as if he were stepping back into an exotic past where time and
progress were unknown concepts. He was concerned about superficialities, and particularly
superficialities that would weave the kind of narrative he wanted to write. Again this was a
consequence of his being out of his depth, and a lack of training that would have helped him
recognise the significant aspects of what was happening around him. It was probably also an
attempt to render the booty of this expedition more attractive and more valuable in the eyes of his
European readers. 177
Granted the reliability of any explorer with an insufficient knowledge of Maori must be taken into
account, the role of Reischek junior, which again comes to the fore, is, however, no less
important. Reischek, for example, states in “Meine Reisen auf Neu-Seeland” the nature of his
nightly discussions with the King and his advisors during his three weeks under observation:
“[Z]ur selben Zeit [waren] die Maori gegen die Europäer sehr gereizt […], weil das Militär den
176 This statement led Priday to overdramatically label a chapter “A Hostage of King Tawhiao”. No mention of
“Gefangenschaft” appears in the original manuscript however (unpublished manuscript, II: 448f.).
177 King, Collector, 77.
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