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Kōrero: Mihi-ki-te-kapua

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Mihi-ki-te-kapua

?–1872–1880?

Nō Tūhoe, nō Ngāti Ruapani; he kaitito waiata

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Pou Temara, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1990. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

I whānau a Mihi-ki-te-kapua ki te pā o Te Tahora i Ruatāhuna. Kāore i te mau te tau ēngari ko te whakapae nō mua atu i te huringa ki te rau tau 1800 i whānau ai. Ko tōna pāpā ko Te Āihurangi o Te Urewera. Kāore i te aro te whaea ēngari e mōhiotia ana nō Tamakaimoana.

I a ia e taitamariki ana ka noho ki Maungapōhatu ki tērā taha ōna. Kei te ngaro ngā kōrero o tana taitamarikitanga, ēngari mea rawa ake kua whakamoea e tōna rahi e Tamakaimoana ki a Hikawai o Ngāti Hingāna, he hapū nō Ngāti Kahungunu. Ko Ngāti Kōtore tētahi o ngā karangatanga o tēnei hapū. Ko ia te pākūhā i herea ai te rongomau i waenganui i a Tūhoe me Ngāti Hingāna, he pakanga whenua te take. Ka noho mai te wahine rā i te rohe o tana tāne i Te Pāpuni kei te raki o te awa o Ruakituri.

Ka pakeke tā rāua mātāmua, a Māhia, ka noho hei take whakamanamana mā ōna mātua i te mea i a ia katoa ngā pūmanawa o te rangatira. Ēngari ahakoa tōna toa, ka mau a ia i te kokoti whakamoe a Matahou o Te Whakatōhea ka patua kia mate. Ko te utu ko Makawe. Koianei te tīmatanga o te pakanga i waenganui i a Ngāti Hingāna me Te Whakatōhea. I a Te Whakatōhea te pakihiwi kaha, ka rere ngā mōrehu o Ngāti Hingāna ki Maungapōhatu, ki raro i te tāwharau a Tamakaimoana noho ai. Ka wātea a Te Pāpuni i te tangata. Ka whakatūhia e Mihi-ki-te-kapua he rāhui ki aua whenua o Te Pāpuni; i reira hoki e patua ana tana tama a Māhia. Ko te tau 1819 tērā.

E rua tau i muri iho o te matenga o Māhia ka puta te aroha o Ngāti Hingāna ki ō rātau whenua ka whakatika ki te hoki ki Te Pāpuni. Kāti, i te tū tonu te rāhui a Mihi-ki-te-kapua, ka puta tana kōrero ki a Ngāti Hingāna, 'Taihoa e hoki, kei kainga e koutou ngā parapara o taku tamaiti.' Kāore i arohia ake te kōrero a Mihi-ki-te-kapua. Hoki ana a Ngāti Hingāna ki Te Pāpuni me Ruakituri, ka tahuri ki te whakaputu i ngā kai o te ngahere me te rau ake i o te awa. Ka takahia te tapu o te rāhui a Mihi-ki-te-kapua.

Ka pōuri te kuia rā ki ana hungarei ka hanga i tana utu. Ka whakaarahia a Tamakaimoana ka ara; ka whakaarahia a Ruatāhuna ka ara. Tae rawa hoki a ia ki Te Whāiti whakaaraara ai i te mea i konei kē te rahi o Tūhoe e noho ana i taua wā, e ārai atu ana i a Ngāti Pūkeko kātahi tonu nei ka tahia atu i Te Whāiti. Ka ara ngā mātua ka hui ki Maungapōhatu ki te wānanga i ngā huarahi o te kōkiri i te pakanga. Ko ētahi o ngā rangatira kāore i whakaae kia takahia te rongomau a Te Āihurangi ēngari i te kaha o Mihi-ki-te-kapua ki te whakaohooho i ana hapū, ka tau te kōrero kia rānakihia te kainga o ngā parapara o Māhia.

Ka rangatūhia te whenua e te taua o Tūhoe me Tamakaimoana ka horo a Te Whakaniwha me Mangaaruhe, ngā pā o Ngāti Hingāna i Te Pāpuni. Ka rere ngā mōrehu ki Paretangi. Ka whiria tērā o ngā pā e Tamakaimoana, ka hinga. I roto i ēnei pakanga ko te tāne tonu a Mihi-ki-te-kapua, ko Hikawai, tētahi o ngā rangatira o Ngāti Hingāna, i patua. Ko te rerenga tēnei o Ngāti Hingāna ki te matua iwi ki a Ngāti Kahungunu ki te tono utu. Kāore hoki i roa, papahoro ana a Tamakaimoana i a Ngāti Kahungunu i Pāpākai. He parekura nui tēnei i te maha o ngā pikikōtuku i whati. Koinei te muranga o te ahi i waenganui i a Ngāti Kahungunu, i a Ngāti Ruapani me Tūhoe. He taha he taha, hinga atu hinga mai. Ka uru mai a Ngā Puhi, a Ngāti Awa, a Te Arawa, a Ngāti Maru, a Ngāi Te Rangi hei hoa mō Tūhoe i roto i ngā pakanga ki te rāwhiti.

I ēnei pakanga, e noho ana ko Mihi-ki-te-kapua tētahi o ngā wāhine whakahau i a Tūhoe kia pūmau ki te riri. Nō konei tōna tīmatanga ki te tito i ana waiata. I roto i ētahi o ngā tukinga a te ito i a Tūhoe, ka maninohea ngā toa. Ka titoa e ia tana waiata hei whakaoho i te ngoi, kia nanaiore ai rātau ki te ikeiketanga o te toa.

Taku rākau ē
Tau rawa ki te whare
Ka ngaro a Takahi ē
Te whare o te kahikātoa
Hei ngau whakapae
Hei whakapae ururoa e hau mai rā
Kei waho kei te moana
Kāore aku mihi ē
Aku tangi mō koutou
Mau [pau] puku ko te iwi ē
Ka mōwai tonu te whenua
E takoto nei.

 

E whakahau ana a Mihi-ki-te-kapua i ngā toa o Tūhoe kia maumahara ki ngā kahikātoa e tipu haere ana i ngā taha o te roto o Waikaremoana, ā, kia pērā hoki tō rātau kaha ki taua rākau, i te mea koinei tētahi o ngā rākau e mahia ai te taiaha. Kia whakaaro nui hoki a Tūhoe ki tā te ururoa pakanga, kia kaua e mate ā-tarakihi, ēngari mā te ūpoko pakaru rawa e mutu ai. Ki te kore hoki e pēnei, ko te whenua ake ka toe. Inātata, i kaha ai. Ka riro a Waikaremoana me Te Pāpuni i te rau o te patu o Tūhoe ka hangaia ngā pā hei pupuri i aua whenua. Noho mai ana a Mihi-ki-te-kapua i Te Matuaahu, he pā i te raki o Waikaremoana.

Nō te 1828 ka whakatūria te tatau-pounamu ki Te Kūhātārewa e Te Āhuru o Tūhoe me Hīpara o Ngāti Kahungunu hei tinei i te ahi o te pakanga. Kore rawa hoki i huakina.

Nō te rūruhitanga o Mihi-ki-te-kapua, ka puta tōna rongo ki te tito waiata. Ko te wairua o ana waiata, he whakamomori i a ia ka noho tahanga. Kua haere katoa hoki ana tamariki me ana mokopuna, noho ana ko tana kotahi. Ka titiro ake te kuia rā ki ngā tītī o tana kāinga e rere ana, ka aroha ki ana huānga, ka oti he waiata, i te mea, ēngari ake anō te tītī e whai kūao ana. Tēnā ko ia, anō tōna rite ko te hua kiwi i mahue i te kātua. Ka titiro ake ki ngā whetū ka mihi ki te ārau tini o Matariki, ka whakamomori ki tōna takakau, ka oti he waiata. Ka kite atu i ngā waka e pōteretere ana i tana moana, ka mate kanehe kia mauria a ia ki te toro i ana mokopuna, ka oti he waiata. Ka titiro atu ki te karahiwi o Te Waiwhero ka pōuri te kuia rā, i te mea kei te aukatia mai te ara tirohanga atu ki Whakatāne, te wāhi kei reira nei e noho ana ētahi o ana karawa, ka oti he waiata. Hei tōna hokinga ki tana wharepuni i ngā ahiahi, ka moemoeā e kauruki mai ana ōna uri i ngā paetara o te whare, ka oti anō he waiata. Kei roto hoki i ana waiata te hōhonutanga atu o ōna whakaaro, ā, ka whakairohia ki te ngako whakataukī a te Māori, ka rōreka te matū o ana waiata ki te ngao o te hinengaro.

Ko ōna karawa ka kīia ko 'te whānau a Te Mihi', kei roto o Tūhoe me Ngāti Kahungunu e tūtakitaki ana i ngā ahi. Ko te hanga whare te pūmanawa o ngā mea kei Ngāti Kahungunu e noho ana, ā, he nui ngā whare nā rātau i whakatū i ngā rā i muri tonu iho i a Mihi-ki-te-kapua tae noa mai ki nāianei. I 1878 ka tikina atu rātau i Ruakituri e Te Whenuanui o Tūhoe hei hanga i a Te Whai-a-te-motu e tū mai rā i Ruatāhuna. Nā ngā mokopuna a Mihi-ki-te-kapua rāua ko Hikawai tēnei whare i tū ai. Nō te 1982, nā ō rāua uri anō i hanga Te Poho-o-Tūhoe e tū mai rā i Waikaremoana. Ko ana waiata me ngā whare o Tūhoe rāua ko Ngāti Kahungunu ngā taonga tuku iho a tēnei kuia ki ōna iwi.

Kāore i te mōhiotia te tau i mate ai a Mihi-ki-te-kapua ēngari ko te kī nō waenganui i te tau 1872 ki te 1880 i mate ai ki Te Whāiti.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Pou Temara. 'Mihi-ki-te-kapua', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/1m43/mihi-ki-te-kapua (accessed 29 March 2024)