1840: Maoris Given Negrohead Tobacco At Waitangi
February 12, 2022
By AHNZ
Negrohead was the tobacco distributed to Maoris who turned up at Waitangi to sign the Treaty back in 1840. If it were done today it would be identified as part of a Show Bag of samples everyone attending an Expo or Fair would get, perhaps including a commemorative biro pen or USB stick.
Join our Empire and you’ll get access to lots of nice flags and food and uniformed guys and tobacco like this!
“In the afternoon a quantity of tobacco (negro-head) was distributed among the Natives, or, rather, was intended to be so, for they soon upset the superintending officer (who was obliged, nolens volens, to put up with the loss of his dignity), and so got the tobacco among them, by which, however, some got a large share, and some got little, and others none at all. This occurrence occasioned much dissatisfaction among the Natives, and for some time I feared the result.”- THE AUTHENTIC AND GENUINE HISTORY OF THE SIGNING OF THE TREATY OF WAITANGI, WILLIAM COLENSO (1890); Early New Zealand Books, Auckland University
“I have estimated the costs of the presents for the natives at one thousands pounds. I hope that sum will not be considered large, bearing in mind the fact that no negotiations can be carried on with them unless propitiated by a present.” – William Hobson
Sadly, Maoris are not given any free tobacco at all at Waitangi these days. Least of all, Negrohead. Tradition has been sidelined by Political Correctness and Smoke Free interventionalism.
It is not recorded if the recipients had Identity Political objections to receiving tobacco so named. It is recorded that they leapt upon it and devoured it and those who missed out were very sorry. Is it possible that these Maoris didn’t know that they were offended? Or just that such offence was yet to be invented until our own day?
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Image ref. oldshopstuff.com
Note: Thing have escalated since. In 2025 for their Waitangi Day present some Maoris want their own Commissioner with Presidential Powers over Aotearoa. It’s the Maori Party’s ultimatum or else they will not stoop to rule us at all. Such a role would doubtless be well-funded and grow over time to supreme power so we may as well call it ‘Head of State’ or ‘Sovereign Head’ or ‘Government Head.’ It would be a nice bit of historical continuity to name the role after the tobacco brand originally given to lubricate the Treaty signatories.
2 thoughts on "1840: Maoris Given Negrohead Tobacco At Waitangi"
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More likely in todays world the product would be called TRIBALHEAD, come wrapped in tinfoil and be referred to as a bullet.
“I wasn’t going to sign, but somebody slipped me a spiked quill.”
Well, it was a better deal than Busby gave out when he had his moment. Will write about that very soon (by request.)