Ko Te Mamaku he rangatira nō Ngāti Hāua-te-rangi. Nō te whakapaunga o te rau tau 1700–1799 pea ka whānau ia ki Makakote i te pūtahitanga o ngā awa o Whanganui me Rataruke. Ko Te Ora Kairākau tōna matua, ko Kahukarewau tōna whaea. Ko tana tipuna ko te toa rangatira, uri o Tamahina, ko Whakaneke. I pā ia ki a Ngāti Maniapoto, ki a Te Āti Awa, ki a Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi. Ētahi atu o ana īngoa ko Te Karamū, ko Ngātai, ko Te Ika-nui-o-roto-o-te-kupenga.
Ko te pā o Te Mamaku i te raki ki Taumarunui. He mea whakatāiri ki runga ki ngā maunga i Tūhua i te awa i Ōhura i kīia ai tōna kōrero: 'Unuunu te puru o Tūhua, māringiringi te wai e puta'.
I te tekau tau mai i 1820 i whakaaro rawa a Te Mamaku kia whakauru atu rātou ko tana iwi ki te heke a Te Rauparaha, a Ngāti Toa ki Kapiti. Heoi, nā Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi i whakapāhunu a Te Peehi Tūroa, kore ana i haere. Nō te karapotitanga a Te Rauparaha i Pūtiki i te tau 1829 tū tonu atu a Te Mamaku ki a Ngāti Toa, ki a Ngāti Raukawa. I waimarie te ora o Te Mamaku mē Te Peehi Tūroa mā, ka rere whakarunga i te awa o Whanganui.
He wā ka haere iho a Te Mamaku ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara i te tīmatanga o ngā tau tekau mai i 1840. Taka rawa ki te tau 1846 ka puta a Te Mamaku me ana toa o Ngāti Hāua-te-rangi ki te āwhina i a Te Rangihaeata i a Ngāti Rangatahi i tō rātou tohenga ki ngā Pākehā kua pūwhenuatia ki Te Awakairangi (Hutt Valley). E rua rau tana ope. I te ata pō o te 16 o Mei 1846 ka riro ki te marau i ngā hōia e noho tōpū ana i te pāmu a Almon Boulcott i Naenae. Tokoono ngā hōia i matemate, tokowhā i taotū, ka puta atu te ope whakahirihiri a ngā Pākehā. Ka taieritia a Te Mamaku mā. Heoi i wherū tonu atu ngā Pākehā. Ka tukuna e Te Mamaku ana karere ki ngā rangatira o Whanganui kia haere mai ki te āwhina i a ia. Ka kotipua ana pānui, tau kē atu ki te kāwanatanga. Nā te mihinare nā Te Teira (Richard Taylor) i hoatu tētahi o aua reta ki te kāwanatanga. Nā aua pānui ka tipu te whakaaro ki a Kāwana Hōri Kerei (George Grey) kia hopukina a Te Rauparaha ki te herehere.
I te whakapaunga o te marama o Hepetema 1846 ka hoki whakarunga a Te Mamaku i te awa o Whanganui. Kua whakanoho mai e 200 ngā Pākehā ki te tāone o Whanganui. Ka waiho atu tana kupu ko ia hei whakaruruhau mō rātou. Ēngari mehemea ka nohoia a Whanganui e ngā hōia, kātahi ia ka tahuri atu ki a rātou. Nō te marama o Tīhema ka tonoa ngā hōia ki Whanganui. I te marama o Āperira 1847 ka pā he raruraru. Nā ētahi taitama Māori i patupatu te whānau a J. A. Gilfillan; ka whakawākia, ka tāronahia. Nō konei ka marau haere ngā Māori; ka toua ngā kāinga ki te ahi; ka patupatua ētahi o te hunga i ngā pāmu. I te marama o Mei ka katikatia te tāone o Whanganui e Te Mamaku me ētahi o ngā rangatira, kia kauaka e uru atu he tangata. Ā, nō Hūrae, ka pakanga mārika ki te take o Kaierau (St John's Hill), ka mate tokorua ngā hōia, ka taotū te tekau mā tahi. Pērā anō ki te taha Māori. Ka kīia kua ea. Ka tū te rangaawatea. Ka mau ka ū te rongo ā tae noa ki te tau 1864.
Tokorima ngā wāhine a Te Mamaku. Ko Tahanga, ko Te Ngohe, ko Rea, ko Anakarangahu me Hera Matahinewau. Hei tuahine a Hera ki a Te Kere Ngātai-e-rua, te tohunga, te rangatira hoki o Ngāti Tū. Ka haere te wā, ka iriirihia a Te Mamaku e Te Teira i Pūtiki i te Rā Whānau o Te Karaiti i te tau 1853. Ko Hēmi Tōpine (James Stovin) tōna īngoa iriiri. Heoi, ahakoa te iriiri kīhai i whakamutua ana mahi pakanga. Ka taka ki te tau 1855 ka mārenahia rāua ko Hera ki Pūtiki-wharanui i te 24 o ngā rā o Tīhema. Ka puta ko tā rāua tama ko Wharawhara Te Mamaku.
I aua wā anō ka tautohetohe a Te Mamaku mē tōna iwi ki a Te Kere Ngātai-e-rua mē tōna iwi. Pakanga rawa ki te pā tawhito i Kirikiriroa i te taiwhakaroto o te awa o Whanganui. Ka mutu ka heke iho ki te pā o Ngāti Tū i Puketapu. Kāore e mārama ana te pūtake o te riri. He whakamanioro rānei, he whakamanamana rānei mō te mira parāoa e whakatūria ana ki Maraekōwhai. Kia matemate rawa te tokowaru, kātahi anō ka whakatūria te rangaawatea.
I te tau 1857 ka whakaīngoatia ko Te Mamaku hei Kīngi Māori, kāore ia i whakaae. Heoi nō te tau i muri mai ka whakauru atu ia ki ngā mahi a te Kīngitanga. I a Mei 1864 ka whakaekea te iwi i Moutoa e Mātene Te Rangitauira o Taumarunui me tana ope Hauhau. He motu tērā kei te awa tonu o Whanganui, kei waenganui o Hiruhārama me Rānana. Kīhai a Te Mamaku i reira. Ēngari i Pēpuere 1865 ka tū atu a Te Mamaku ki te āwhina i a Te Peehi Pākoro Tūroa me ngā Hauhau i tā rātou pakanga i Ōhoutahi i raro mai o Pipiriki.
Na, ko te kaiwhakawā takiwā o Whanganui i te tau 1873 ko Richard Woon. Ina ana kōrero mō Te Mamaku: 'he tino hoa nō mātou. I whai tonu ia kia tau te rangimārie.' Ko tōna mana i mōhio whānuitia, he ihumanea he punenga. Ko tā Woon ki a Te Mākarini (Donald McLean), te minita mō ngā take Māori: 'He pai kē atu ki a au ngā momo tāngata pēnei i a Te Mamaku nei. He tangata rawe, he tangata hūmārie. Kāore i pērā ngā rangatira tamariki ake. I te wā i a Te Kooti, ka tū tahi atu a Te Mamaku rāua ko Tōpia Tūroa ki a ia. Kāti, kāore tonu hoki rāua i whakaae kia uru atu ngā Pākehā ki te Rohe Pōtae noho ai. Ka whakapau te tau 1878 ka whakatūpato atu rāua i te tangata mahi paura, hao whenua, ki a William Moffatt, kia kauaka e hoki ki te Rohe Pōtae. Tē whakarongo mai a Moffatt. Patua ana i te tau 1880. I taua tau anō, ka whakauru atu a Te Mamaku hei kaitiaki mō te rāhui whenua a Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui. E rua miriona eka ki te taha rāwhiti o te awa o Whanganui tā Te Keepa i whakahau ai kia puritia.
I tōna kaumātuatanga, ū tonu te tautoko a Te Mamaku i ngā āhuatanga hou kua eke mai ki Whanganui, ki te Rohe Pōtae. Nāna tonu i akiaki kia rere ngā tima i te awa o Whanganui. Nāna anō hoki i tohe kia whakatūria he kura ki Taumarunui. Ko te kōrero 100 te pakeke o Te Mamaku i tōna matenga i a Hune o te tau 1887. I mate ki Tāwhata i te takiwā ki Taumarunui. Kei Makakote e tāpuke ana.