Jack refers to an ‘english language version’ and a ‘Maori language version’
To understand what he is talking about we need to know some history.
If we don’t understand our history, we’ll never know what the activists are up to.
So here we go…
Hobson arrived in New Zealand on Wednesday the 29th of January. The Treaty was signed on the 6th of February.
Between the 29th Jan and 6th of February, a team of people worked on drafting the Treaty in English.
At 4pm on the 4th of February, 1840, the final draft of the treaty in English was given to missionary Henry Williams and his son Edward to translate into Maori.
The translation was completed that night, the 4th of February 1840.
Henry Williams had been in NZ since 1823, working as missionaries. Henry and his son were first class linguists and translators. Henry produced a ‘Dictionary of Maori Words’ of which I have a copy
Historian Bruce Moon describes Williams as “highly experienced and competent ”1 Williams’ biographer, Hugh Carleton, had said that Edward was a scholar in the Maori language “without peer”.
Carleton actually used the Latin tag: “facile princeps ” (Pronounced far-killer prin caps) which means “easily first” or “acknowledged leader”2
On the night of the 5th, Hobson asked another missionary Rev. Taylor to transfer the Treaty in Maori from paper onto dog skin, which he did.
Dog skin was much more durable than paper
That night, the 5th, the chiefs retired to Tii Marae to discuss the Treaty. 3
Henry Williams and his son went with them.
Writing about that night, Henry Williams reported the following. 52 chiefs signed this Treaty the next day, the 6th of February at Waitangi.
1 Bruce Moon. New Zealand. The Fair Colony. 2022. Page 63
2 Bruce Moon. New Zealand. The Fair Colony. 2022. Page 79
3 Bruce Moon. Twisting the Treaty. The Tribal Grab For Wealth And Power. Tross Publishing, 2014, page 35
Hobson recorded the following in his notes.
The next important date is the 17th of February 1840. Hobson asked printer Colenso to print 200 copies of the Treaty in Maori. Why? These copies were to be distributed to Maori chiefs prior to them officially signing
In total, 7 dog skin copies were made.
Delegations of the British were sent off around the country, mostly on ships, with one of these copies to gather the signatures of the chiefs. They also took Colenso’s 200 copies on paper with them.
Here is a map of all the locations where the Treaty was signed.
This happened between February and September.
In total, over 500 signatures were gathered.
OK, that’s enough for today.
Summary:
Jan.29, 1840:
Hobson arrived in NZ.
Jan 29 – February 4: The Treaty in English is being formulated
February 4, 4pm: Final draft in English is ready. Translation begins into Maori. Henry Williams and son are the translators.
February 5 am: The Maori version is on paper.
February 5 am: Hobson instructs Rev. Taylor to transfer the Treaty in Maori from paper to dog skin
February 5 pm: The chiefs and the Williams father and son retire to Tii Marae to help the chiefs fully understand the Treaty.
February 6, noon: 52 Maori chiefs signed the Treaty at Waitangi.
During February, 1840: Six more copies of the Treaty in Maori on dog skin were made. Eventually, there were 7 on dog skin.
February 17: Colenso printed 200 copies of the Treaty in Maori on A4 paper.
February to September 1840: Ships sailed around NZ, meeting with chiefs, signatures being gathered. By the end of September 1840, over 500 chiefs had signed.