Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Hikairo, Wiremu
?–1851
Nō Te Arawa, nō Ngāti Rangiwewehi; he kaihautū, he kaihohou i te maungārongo
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Jenifer Curnow, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1990. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
I whānau a Hikairo i roto i ngā tau mai i te 1780 ki te 1790 i Puhirua, i Te Awahou rānei, i te taha raki o te moana o Te Rotoruanui-a-Kahumatamomoe. I tōna wā ka tū ko ia hei rangatira mō Ngāti Rangiwewehi, tētehi o ngā hapū nunui o Te Arawa. Mai i te tau 1806, ka puta ōna rongo.
I heke iho a Hikairo i a Rangitihi, i a Uenukukōpako. Ki te taha ki tana pāpā, ki a Whēkiki, i heke iho ia i a Rangiwewehi mā roto mai i a Kererū, i a Wehiwehi, i a Te Whatu rāua ko Te Ngaro. I kīia ai nō Ngāti Kererū hapū o Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Ko tōna whaea, nō Ngāti Pūkeko o Mātaatua. I pā anō a Hikairo ki a Ngāti Pikiao, ki a Tapuika, ki a Tūhoe. Ko tōna īngoa i mōhiotia ai ko Te Tuatahi-a-Whēkiki. Nō muri noa mai, ka kārangarangatia ko Wiremu, ko Te Wiremu rānei. Kāore he kōrero mō tōna whanaketanga. I te taenga mai o ngā mihingare ki Te Koutu i te tau 1835, ka riro nāna anō ia i ako ki te kōrero pukapuka. I mōhio whānui ia ki ngā karaipiture.
Nā te tohunga nō Ngāti Rangiwewehi, nā Te Rangikāheke te kōrero, e toru ngā wāhine a Hikairo. Ko Rangikauamo i heke iho anō i a Rangitihi. Nā rāua, ko Te Mete Hikairo, i kīia rā ko Wiremu Mita Hikairo i te tūnga hei āteha mō te Kōti Whenua Māori. He wahine anō, ko Maea-te-rangi, ka puta he tama, ko Heketoro. Ko te wahine tuatoru ko Te Apuhau. He tamāhine anō tā Hikairo, ko Pīnenga; ēngari kāore e mōhiotia ana ko wai tōna whaea. Kei te pukapuka o Ngā mōteatea te kōrero a Hēmana Pōkiha, ko Ngārangikamaea kē te whaea o Heketoro, o Mākari me Mita Hikairo.
Nō te tau 1806 pea, e tū ana te riri i waenganui i a Ngāti Rangiwewehi rāua ko Ngāti Whakaue, ka mate i a Hikairo a Te Kōhuru o Ngāti Whakaue. I mate ia ki Weriweri i te uru o te moana o Rotorua. Ka ngakia tērā mate, ka hinga a Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Kāore i roa i muri mai, ka houhia te rongo. I te horonga o Mokoia i a Hongi Hika i te tau 1823 ka rere a Hikairo mā. Ka pō, ka taki hoki mai. He whanaunga a Hikairo nō Te Ao-kapurangi, te wahine a Te Wera Hauraki. Aoake i ngā whakawhitiwhitinga kōrero, ko Hikairo te waha kōrero mō Te Arawa. Ka whakataungia e Hongi Hika me mutu te patu tangata. Ko te hokinga tēnā o Ngāpuhi.
Ka taka te wā ka whakaekengia a Tūhua (Mayor Island) me Mōtītī e Te Haramiti o Ngāpuhi. I muri mai, i te tau 1832 ka tahuri a Hikairo ki te whakakotahi i a Te Arawa rāua ko Ngāi Te Rangi o Tauranga, ki te whawhai i a Ngāpuhi. I tohe ētehi o ngā hapū o Te Arawa. Kāti, ko Ngāti Rangiwewehi i hono atu ki a Ngāi Te Rangi, i hinga ai a Ngāpuhi i te tīmatanga.
Ko ngā māramatanga o Hikairo ki te whakahaere tikanga, ki te whakaaro nui ki ngā tumanako o te iwi i roto i ngā pakanga, i puta ake, ā, ka hua i te tau 1835. I patua a Te Hunga, he whanaunga nō Te Waharoa i Parahaki. I kīia nā Haerehuka o Ngāti Whakaue i patu. Na, ko ngā whawhai i waenganui i ngā hapū o Te Arawa, nā Hikairo rāua ko Korokai o Ngāti Whakaue i ārai. Ka tono a Hikairo ki a Tūhourangi, hei hoa mōna ki te patu i a Ngāi Te Rangi i tō rātou pā i Te Tūmū. He hoahoa hoki a Ngāi Te Rangi rāua ko Ngāti Hauā. Nō Mei 1836, ka whakaekea a Te Tūmū mā tētehi o ngā tomokanga e toru. Nā Hikairo tonu i ārahi tana iwi. Kātahi ka peke ki mua tonu, pūkana ai, hāmama ai, me te tātaki i tana haka. Ka horo a Te Tūmū i a Te Arawa. Kāore i roa i muri mai, ka houhia e Hikairo te rongo ki a Te Arawa rāua ko Waikato. Ka tukuna tana tamāhine, a Pīnenga, hei wahine mā te tama a Te Waharoa, mā Te Ārahi. Nā te mea he whenua pai mō te whakatupu harakeke, ka waiho tonu a Maketū hei tautohetanga mā ngā iwi. Ahakoa i uru atu a Hikairo ki ngā whawhai tautohetohe i ngā tau i hipa atu i te 1840, i āraia katoa atu e ia ngā hapū o Te Arawa i tana rohe. Ko tana kupu, kaua rawa hei takahia mai tōna rohe ki te ngaki mate i a Ngāi Te Rangi rāua ko Waikato. I kore ai i pakanga. Nō te tau 1841 ka whakamātau a ia ki te hohou i te rongo ki a Ngāi Te Rangi. Ka whai kupu atu ki a rātau i tō rātau pā. He aha te aha. Nō Hepetema o te tau 1845 rā anō kātahi ka tatū mārika te rongo.
I ngana tonu a Hikairo kia mau te rongo. Nō Hūrae 1845 ka karangatia e ia tētehi hui nui ki Puhirua. E waru rau ngā mea i tae atu, nō Waikato, nō Tauranga ētehi. Ka haere ngā kōrero kia mau te rongo. Ko te whakatau kia kore ai e whawhai ā muri atu, me whakawhiu ko te hunga kōhuru. Ka manaakihia e Hikairo ana manuhiri. Kei whea rawa mai! Ka whakahaerea he katikīhama, he hīmene. I te tau 1847, ka karanga hui anō a Hikairo kia kōrerongia te kōhurutanga o Te Mānihera rāua ko Kereopa, i te marama o Maehe. He Karaitiana ēnei nō Ngāti Ruanui. E taki haere ana ki Taupō, ka pūhia i te huarahi ki Tokaanu. Ko te whakaaro o Hikairo me whakamutu rawa atu tērā mahi, te kōhuru. I te tau 1848, i ngā tautohe whenua a Ngāti Whakaue rāua ko Tūhourangi, ka inoia e ia kia tau te rangimārie.
Tino mōhio atu a Hikairo ki ngā āhuatanga Karaitiana, nā reira ka whakapaua tana kaha kia ū, kia hora te rangimārie. Ēngari, kia whakaae ia ki te iriiri? Kore rawa. He wehi nōna, kei taupatupatu ngā atua Pākehā ki ngā atua Māori, ka heke tōna tipu. I mate a Hikairo ki Puhirua i te 28 o Oketopa 1851. Ka tanumia ki te urupā i te tihi o Ōrangikāhui, e tū tata atu rā ki Te Awahou.