There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad-free.

Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondry app.

As a member of NoisorPlus at noisor.com or in Apple Podcasts,

or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com.

Music It's just after 9 a.m. on November 5, 1881, on the outskirts of Parihaka, New Zealand.

22-year-old James Wade Jr. fumbles with a cartridge as he tries to load his rifle.

He isn't a soldier.

He's a volunteer in the colonial militia, and alongside hundreds of other men, today will

be his first taste of combat. Over the last few decades, the indigenous Maori people of New

Zealand have repeatedly clash with British authorities in the country, and now tensions

might be about to boil over once again.

James finally gets his rifle loaded, just as a bugle sounds, ordering the colonial men forward.

They marched toward their target, a Maori village that is home to the respected indigenous leader, Tafiti.

But as James struggles, keep pace with the other men,

he suddenly confronted with something none of them expected. The village isn't guarded by

lines of Maori warriors. Instead, the militiamen come face to face with children, singing, dancing,

and laughing. There are adults standing silently behind them, but as far as James can see, none of them are armed or ready for battle.

James and the other men clear a path through the children by picking them up, moving them, or simply shoving them aside.

And as the soldiers then enter the village, the Maori adults suddenly move as one sitting down on the ground.

Only then does James spot the figure at their center,

an old man with a long beard to feed he himself. James raises his rifle and takes aim at the chief.

Then he waits for his commanding officers next order. His hands are shaking. His resolve was rattled

...