1861: Hauhau
June 6, 2019
By AHNZ
Te Ua Haumene, one of New Zealand’s greatest cult leaders. Founded the Hauhau in c.1861 which savagely attacked and slaughtered New Zealanders; Maoris and Settlers alike.
Te Ua and other leaders were all ex-Wesleyan converts on the rebound. The theological result was a special fusion of Old Testament Judaism and the in-crisis remnants of the Maori witchdoctor caste. The script of The Bible gave them back an identity and it was as Jews breaking free of captivity, God’s chosen people, taking back their homeland having suffered captivity and exile.
According to past New Zealand Prime Minister (ie ‘Premier’) Sir William Fox: The Hauhau (aka Pai Marire) faith was synthesised out of..
“a large infusion of Judaism, some leading features of Mormonism, a little mesmerism, a touch of spiritualism, occasional ventriloquism and a large amount of cannibalism.”
As with, for example, The Munster Rebellion of 1534, this Maori population suffering culture shock reacted with a solution set that is perhaps a universal reaction for any human society under existential pressure:
- They re-instituted cannibalism
- Polygamy and prolific breeding
- Elevated singular leaders with special powers to commune with God
- Named themselves the only chosen people
- Relied upon the impending Last Judgement for victory.
Tu Ua instructed his flock they could make themselves bullet-proof in battle by raising their right hand and chanting. According to James Cowan (1922) the same break with reality has been observed in Asia, in Africa (Mau Mau¹,) and with the American Indians. I’m sure the Germans in the Munster Rebellion would have had the same basic failure to recognise human limits over ballistic metal had they been shot at too!
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1. Mau Mau and Hauhau; Makes you think doesn’t it?
Image Ref. Te Ua with right-hand raised; Alexander Turnbull Library
Image Ref. Jan Matthys, of Munster, with right-hand raised; commons.wikimedia
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Ref. Wesleyan Methodist Church
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