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Kōrero: Te Ao-kapurangi

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te Ao-kapurangi

fl. 1818–1830

Nō Te Arawa, nō Ngāti Rangiwewehi; he wahine whai mana, he kaihoukura

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

Ko tēnei wahine rongonui ko Te Ao-kapurangi i heke iho i a Tamatekapua, i a Hoturoa. Nō ngā hapū o Ngāti Rangiwewehi, o Tapuika. I whānau pea ia i ngā tau whakamutunga o te rau tau 1700–1799. Ko ōna mātua pea, ko Te Whangongo rāua ko Parepūwhenua. Ko tana tāne tuatahi ko Rauru nō Tapuika anō. Tokorua ā rāua tama, ko Tarakawateipu tō mua, ko Te Hihiko tō muri. Nō te iriirihanga o Te Hihiko ka tapaina ki a Hōne. E ai ki te kōrero, he tohunga tūāhu ngā tungāne o Te Ao-kapurangi, a Te Kōhuru rāua ko Te Waro.

I te tau 1818 i a Hauraki rāua ko Te Morenga e ngaki ana i ō rātau mate i roto o Mātaatua, i Te Tai Rāwhiti hoki, ka mau herehere a Te Ao-kapurangi i a Hauraki. Ka mauria ki Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands), ka moea hei wahine māna. Kotahi tā rāua tamaiti i wera i te ahi, karangahia ana a Hauraki ko Te Wera.

Mea ake, ka haere a Te Ao-kapurangi ki ngā pakanga a Ngā Puhi. I te tau 1822 ka patua e Tūhourangi a Te Pae-o-te-rangi, me ētehi o tana ope o Ngā Puhi, i te moutere o Motutawa i Rotokākahi. Ko ngā mea i whati nā Ngāti Whakaue i patu ki Ōhinemutu. I te marama o Pēpuere 1823 ka tū mai te ope taua nui tonu ki Pēwhairangi, ka whakatika mai ki te ngaki i ngā mate nei. I Tauranga ka pā te rongo kua whakatahi te nuinga o Te Arawa ki Mokoia. I Waihī ka huri whakauta te ope taua ka whai i te whārua o Pongakawa. Ka āwangawanga a Te Ao-kapurangi ki tana rahinga o Ngāti Awa e noho ana i reira. Ka whakapā atu ki a Te Wera kia tukuna ia kia kōrero ki te kāhui rangatira o Ngā Puhi. Whakaae tonu a Te Koki e kakari kē ana ia ki a Ngāti Whakaue, ki a Tūhourangi, te hunga nā rātau i patu tana irāmutu.

I Rotorua, ka pātai a Te Wera ki tana wahine, me pēhea ana whanaunga. Ka tukuna anō e ia a Te Ao kia kōrero ki a Ngā Puhi. Ka whakamahara atu anō a Te Ao ehara nā ōna iwi o Ngāti Rangiwewehi, o Tapuika rānei a Te Pae-o-te-rangi i patu. Ka whakaae anō a Te Koki. Ka hoki anō ki tana kupu, e riri kē ana ia ki a Ngāti Whakaue, ki a Tūhourangi. Pērā anō hoki ētehi o Ngā Puhi. Ka tukuna e Te Wera a Te Ao-kapurangi rāua ko tētehi anō o ana wāhine, ko Taku, ki Mokoia. Ka whakatata atu tō rāua waka, ka kitea mai ko Te Ao-kapurangi. Ka inoi ake ia ki a Hikairo me nuku ana whanaunga ki tētehi wāhi kē, kia ora ai i a Ngā Puhi. Ēngari, ahakoa te mīharo o Hikairo ki te whakaaro rangatira o Ngā Puhi, kāore ia mō te whakarere i tana iwi.

Ka hoki a Te Ao-kapurangi ki a Ngā Puhi ka mea atu me tae tinana tonu ia ki te pae o te pakanga kia ora ai ana whanaunga. Ko te kupu a Hongi Hika ko ngā mea anake e mau ana i ngā kūwhā o Te Ao-kapurangi ka whakaorangia. Aoināke ka kōkirihia a Mokoia. Tau atu ana a Te Ao-kapurangi, ka rere ki a Tamatekapua, ka piki ki te tuanui o te whare, ka wherahia ana kūwhā, ka karanga i tana iwi kia tomo ki te whare. Kātahi ka whaowhina te whare, kī tonu i te tangata. Ka tukuna e Ngā Puhi kia kuhu atu ana; ka waihotia hei wāhi ruru. Koia nei te pūtake o te whakataukī a Te Arawa, e whakahuatia ai i ngā wā e pūheki ana te whare i te tangata. 'Anō ko te whare whawhao a Te Ao-kapurangi.'

Ko Hikairo, ko Te Waro, ko Te Hihiko mā ētehi o ngā mea i taki rere i Mokoia. Nō te pō ka hokihoki mai ki ngā mōrehu i roto i a Tamatekapua. He rangi mai anō ka whakatūria e Te Wera Hauraki me tana iwi o Ngā Puhi te tatau pounamu ki a Te Arawa whānui tonu. Ka inoia a Ngā Puhi kia waiho ngā whenua raupatu. Pērā anō ngā taurewa – me tuku, kaua hei whāia. Hou tonu te rongo ki a Te Wera rāua ko Hikairo. He rongo ā whare rā, nā Te Ao-kapurangi.

Ka haere a Te Ao-kapurangi rāua ko tana rangatira me ngā tama a Te Ao-kapurangi ki Te Tai Rāwhiti. Noho rawa mai i Nukutaurua. Ka riro ko Te Wera Hauraki hei whakaruruhau mō ngā iwi huhua o tērā takiwā. I ana whawhai maha, nā ngā tama a Te Ao-kapurangi i āwhina a Te Wera. Ko te roanga ake o ngā kōrero mō te wahine nei kāore i mau. Kīhai hoki i mōhiotia te wā i mate ai ia. Heoi, nā tana mokopuna nā Rangiwawahia te apakura mō tana tipuna. Kei Ngā mōteatea (II, 200) tēnei waiata:

Whakarongo! Whakarongo ana
Māua ko taringa,
Ki ngā rongorongo taua
I piki mai i Hautere, ē ī,
Ko Ngā Puhi pea?
Ka tanuku kei raro,
Te tihi ki Mokoia, ā ī.
Takoto mai rā, ē,
E te kiri-kahurangi i au, ē ī.

 

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Angela Ballara. 'Te Ao-kapurangi', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/1t25/te-ao-kapurangi (accessed 29 March 2024)