Dictionary of New Zealand Bography logo

Kōrero: Tahu, Matiu Parakatone

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Tahu, Matiu Parakatone

?–1863/1864?

Nō Ngāi Te Rangi; he tohunga, he kaiako i te mīhana

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

Ko Tahu he tohunga rongonui, whakamataku nō Ngāi Te Rangi. Nō ngā hapū o Ngāi Tūkairangi me Ngāti Tapu. Ko ana kāinga i Ōtamataha, i Te Papa. Kāore i kitea he kōrero mō ana mātua. I te tāorotanga a Ngāti Maru o Hauraki i te pā i Ōtamataha i te tau 1828, kotahi anake te whare i waiho kia tū ana. Ko tō Tahu. I whāia e Tahu ngā āhuatanga Karaitiana i tōna whakapiringa ki ngā mihingare a te Rōpū Hāhi Mihingare (Church Missionary Society), i te whare mīhana i Te Papa. Nā W. R. Wade i whakatū taua mīhana i Ākuhata o te tau 1835. Nā runga i ngā pakanga a Te Arawa ki a Ngāi Te Rangi, ka noho ko ngā kaikarakia anake ki te mīhana mai i te Mei 1836 ki Hānuere 1838. I noho kē mai ā rātou whānau he wāhi kē.

I waimarie ngā mihingare i whakapiri atu a Tahu ki te āwhina i a rātou, ki te whakamārama i ngā tikanga a tōna iwi ki a Wade, ki a Parāone (A. N. Brown) me TeWirihana (J. A. Wilson). Pērā anō ki ētahi atu e peka ana ki te mīhana. Ko Lady Mary Martin tērā, ko Te Koreneho (William Colenso), ko wai ake. I tuhituhia e rātou ētahi o ngā mea i kōrerotia e Tahu ki a rātou. Ko te kōrero a Te Wirihana mōna: he tangata poto, pakari, māia ia. Kua porohewa haere. E 45 pea ōna tau. He tangata ngāwari, kamakama. He tangata mātau. Tāna tū, ko te tū a te rangatira, e kī ana a Lady Martin. Ko te mahara ake o Te Wiremu (William Williams) o te Rōpū Hāhi Mihingare mōna, he hau ora, he kaha.

Nā, i te mea i whai pānga a Tahu ki te whenua e tū rā te mīhana, ko ia tētahi i haina i te pukapuka tuku i taua whenua. I tukuna ki a Parāone te māngai o te Rōpū Hāhi Mihingare. E rua ngā wāhanga i hokona atu – kotahi i te tau 1838, ko tētahi i te tau 1839. Ka taka ki Te Paraire Pai, i a Maehe 1839, ka iriirihia a Tahu e Parāone. Ka tapaina ko Matiu Parakatone. Hei tohu ki te ao kua whakarērea e ia ana mana tohunga katoa, utaina ana he ipu tunu kai ki runga i tōna māhunga. I muri tata tonu mai ka neke ia ki te pā i Ōtūmoetai. Ka tū hei kaiako mā te mīhana, ā tae noa ki te tīmatanga o te tekau tau mai i 1850. I konei ka hiki rāua ko tana wahine, ko Mākareta Āneta Poho ki Ōhuki. I a Maehe 1846 ka whakapūmautia e Pīhopa Herewini (G. A. Selwyn), ka noho hei kaiako piripono mā Parāone.

Ko Matiu Tahu tonu te hoa haere o Parāone ki te mau i te Rongopai ki ngā iwi; ki Taupō i te tau 1841; ki Rūātoki i te tau 1846. I haere ko tana kotahi ki Pārāwai (Thames) i te tau 1842, ki Matamata hoki i te tau 1849. I ō rāua haerenga tahitanga, ka whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro rāua mō ngā āhuatanga o tēnei whenua. Me te whakariterite hoki i ngā tikanga me ngā āhuatanga Māori ki ō te Pākehā. I tō rāua haerenga ki Rūātoki i te tau 1846 ka mea atu te kaumātua rā ki a Parāone: 'Kāore i te tau ō whakaaro mō mātou. Hoki ake, hoki ake ko tō āwangawanga kei ō mātou ngutu noa iho tō mātou whakapono. Kāore i hou rawa ki ō mātou whatumanawa. E wareware ana koe ki tō mātou āhua i mua, ki ngā mea kua whakarērea e mātou. Ko te patu tangata tēnā, ko te kai tangata, ko te patupatu i ngā tamariki, me ō mātou tapu. Koinei rā hoki ō mātou atua. He aha koia kei te aukati i a mātou kia kauaka e hoki ki ērā mea? Ko te Whakapono.'

I te marama o Āperire i te tau 1851 ka haere rāua ko Parāone ki Hauraki i roto i te ope nui o Ngāi Te Rangi i raro i a Hōri Kīngi Tūpaea. E haere ana ki te hohou i te rongo ki a Ngāti Maru. I te karakia o te Rātapu i a Tahu te kauhau. Ko tana rārangi kōrero i tīkina atu i te Rongopai a Hoani 17:12. I roto i ngā raruraru, pērā me te tautohe ki a Te Arawa mō te moutere o Mōtītī i te tau 1852, tino mārama ana tohutohu ki a Parāone. Ko Matiu Tahu tonu hoki te kaikōrero mō ōna iwi.

Kāore i te mōhiotia nō nahea a Matiu Tahu i mate ai ki Ōhuki, i Tauranga. Nō te paunga o te tau 1863, nō te tīmatanga rānei o te tau 1864. Kāore ōna uri ake. Ko tana tamāhine whāngai i kaingākautia e ia, ko Hārete Parāone nō te tau 1847 i mate ai. Nō Charlotte Brown tōnā īngoa. Ko tana wahine, ko Mākareta, i mate i mua tata tonu atu i a ia. I tōna matenga, ka mihi, ka poroporoaki a Parāone ki a Tahu. Me kī e pēnei ana te ia o ana kōrero. 'Haere taku whakaruruhau i ngā tau 25 ka hori ake nei! Haere te tangata pai! Haere te tangata i ū tonu ki te whakaako, ki te tohutohu i tōna iwi!'

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Alister Matheson. 'Tahu, Matiu Parakatone', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/1t1/tahu-matiu-parakatone (accessed 29 March 2024)