Tātarakihi

You have probably heard cicadas chirping and singing in summer? The Maori name for cicada is tātarakihi and this was the nickname given to the children at Parihaka. Just like cicadas their role was to sing and dance and make people feel welcome.
On the morning of November 5 1881, the first party of 109 soldiers reached the main entrance to the village.  They were met by 200 little tātarakihi, Parihaka children who were lined up waiting for the troops. The children sang songs, played with their spinning tops and skipped with skipping ropes in groups. Some children carried baskets of bread and offered the bread to the soldiers.
The soldiers tried to move forward but stopped when they could see that the children were not going to move. The leader of the group decided to call in the cavalry- but the horses were spooked by the children playing in front of them. Some of the children were hurt by the horses- including a five year old named Maui Pomare (find out more information about him) who lost a toe when it was trod on by a horse's hoof.
In the end. some of the soldiers picked up the children and moved them to the side of the road.
The advance party moved to the marae area where they found 2500 people sitting silently waiting for them.

Source: Ask that Mountain, the story of Parihaka by Dick Scott.