Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Te Rāhui, Ānaha Kēpa
?–1913
Nō Te Arawa, nō Ngāti Tarāwhai; he rangatira, he tohunga whakairo
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Roger Neich, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1990. I whakahoutia i te o Māehe, 2011. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
I whānau ā Ānaha Kēpa Te Rāhui, arā, a Ānaha Mātao, i te tīmatanga o te tekau tau mai i 1820 i te pā i Te Koutu, i Okataina, i ngā tau tōmua mai i 1820 pea. He uri-whakaheke nō Te Rangitakaroro rāua ko tana wahine tuatahi, ko Rangipare. Ko tana pāpā ko Te Rāhui, ko ia tētehi o ngā kaihautū o Ngāti Tarāwhai, o Te Arawa, ā, he tangata rongonui hoki mō te tārai waka. Ko te whaea o Ānaha ko Rangihōnea, nō Ngāti Pikiao, nō Te Rotoiti. I pakeketia a Ānaha rāua ko tana tuakana, ko Wiremu Kīngi Te Ohu, ki Okataina; ā, nā tō rāua pāpā tonu rāua i ako ki ngā āhuatanga huhua, ki ngā mahi whai take.
E taitama tonu ana a Ānaha, i te nohoanga o Ngāti Tarāwhai i raro i a Te Iwimōkai i Ruatō. Arā, i te taha tonga o Te Rotoiti. Nohonoho tonu ai a Ānaha ki reira, ki te taha o ana whanaunga o Ngāti Pikiao. Nō te tau 1835, ka tīmataria e Te Hāpimana (Thomas Chapman) ngā mahi a te mīhana Mihingare ki Rotorua. Ka whakauru atu a Ānaha me tana whānau katoa ki ngā karakia hou. Tae rawa ake ki te tau 1838 kua noho kē mai a Ānaha i Tāhunapō, he wāhanga anō nō te mīhana a Te Hāpimana. Ko rātau ko Houa Te Hauiti mē ētehi atu o Ngāti Tarāwhai i tohungia hei kaiwhakaako i ngā mahi Karaitiana. Ko ia tētehi o ngā mea i hoki ki Te Koutu i te wā i whakaeke atu ai a Ngāti Pikiao ki te ngaki i te mate o tō rātau whanaunga, o Te Wharepurupuru. Nā Tangatauia o Ngāti Tarāwhai i patu. Torutoru noa iho ngā pupuhitanga i ā rātau pū, ka hoki a Ngāti Pikiao.
Ka noho mai a Ānaha i Te Koutu i te moana o Okataina mō ngā tau e hia rā ki te ngaki i ngā māra. Ki te whakarongo ki ngā tohutohu a ana pāpā, te hunga mōhio. Ki te tārai waka mō ngā iwi tono mai. Ko te waka tuatahi i mahi ai ia, ko Te Arapaenga. Nō te tau 1847, ka whakaheke anō tana whānau mē ētehi atu o Ngāti Tarāwhai ki Te Ngae. Kia tata atu ai ki tērā o ngā mīhana a Te Hāpimana. E noho mai ana a Te Ohu hei kaiwhakaako i ngā mahi Karaitiana i Okataina, e noho atu ana a Ānaha i Te Ngae, e ahu whakamua ana hei kaihautū mō te iwi. Ka moe i tana wahine, i a Wahia, tamāhine a Te Iwimōkai, ka whanawhanau ā rāua tamariki i Rotorua, i Okataina, i Te Rotoiti.
I ngā tau 1861, 1862 rānei, ka whakatūria a Ānaha hei āteha ki Okataina i te kaupapa hou whakatūtū rūnanga a Kāwana Hōri Kerei (George Grey). Ka whakarērea ana māra kai kia ū ai ana mahi mā te iwi i Okataina, i Ruatō. I āta tono rawa a Te Waata Taranui o Ngāti Pikiao kia noho tonu a Ānaha ki Ruatō hei āwhina i a ia i ana mahi mā te kāwanatanga. Huaki rawa ake ngā pakanga i te tau 1864, kua tū ko Ānaha hei kaihautū mō Ngāti Tarāwhai. Nāna i ārahi tana iwi i te tūnga atu o Te Arawa ki te āwhina i te kāwanatanga i ngā pakanga. Ka noho rāua ko Kāpene Tawa (Gilbert Mair), hei hoa piri pono i roto i ā rāua nekenekehanga.
Nō muri mai, ka tau te noho a Ānaha ki Te Ruatō; ā, he wā ka hāereere ki Okataina, ki Rotorua rānei. Ko ana tamariki i kuraina ki te kura o Te Rotoiti i whakatūria rā ki Tāheke i te tau 1871. Ahakoa i haere tonu ana mahi whakairo, i pau kē ōna kaha ki ngā whakahaere a te Kōti Whenua Māori. He wā e noho āteha ana, he wā ko ia tonu te kaitono. Mārama atu, hāngai tonu, tau ana te whakatakoto i ana kōrero ki te Kōti. Nāna ka rohea, ka rāhuitia ngā whenua tupu o Ngāti Tarāwhai. Mē ngā ngahere i Okataina hei rāhui kanohi mā te mano. I ērā wā, he maha ngā mea o Ngāti Tarāwhai i huri ki te Hāhi Ringatū. Ko te whakaaro koia rā anō te wairua o Ānaha.
Hāunga rā, kua ū kē a Ngāti Tarāwhai ki te hanga whare whakairo mō Ngāti Pikiao, me ētehi atu. I mahi tahi hoki a Ānaha i a rātau. Ko ngā whare e tino mōhiotia ana, ko Ānaha tētehi o ngā tāngata whakairo, ko Rangitihi. Nō ngā tau 1867–71. I tū i Tāheke, ēngari kei te whare pupuri taonga i Ākarana (Auckland Institute and Museum) kē ngā whakairo e takoto ana i nāianei. Kotahi te poupou kei St Petersburg. Ko Tokopiko-whakahau anō tētehi. I Tāpapa. Nō te tau 1877 tērā. Kāore e kitea he kōrero mōna. Ka taka ki te tau 1897, me te tau 1904, ka mahi tahi rātau ko Tene Waitere, ko Neke Kapua, ki te whakaoti i ngā whakairo mō Rauru, mō Nuku Te Apiapi, mā te Pākehā o te Geyser Hotel i Whakarewarewa, mā Charles Nelson. Ko ēnei whare i hangaia hei whakangahau, hei mātakitaki mā ngā iwi o te ao. Ka tata ki te rau tau mai ki 1900, ka tahuri a Ānaha ki te whakairo taonga itiiti nei, hei hokohoko ki ngā Pākehā. He ipu, he kumete, he waka huia, he paipa hei kai tōrori, he pouaka māti, me ētehi taonga hei whakaahua i ngā mea o te ao tawhito. I tae rawa mai ngā tono a ngā whare pupuri taonga i Ākarana, i Pōneke (Wellington), kia whakairongia he taonga mā rātau hei whakaata i ngā mahi waihanga a te Māori.
He tohunga tonu a Ānaha. I a ia ngā kōrero o nehe rā. Me te aha? Nāna ka takoto ki te aroaro o te Kōti Whenua Māori ētehi kōrero nui whakaharahara mō te iwi. I taua wā anō hoki, nā ngā whakaakoranga i te mīhana ka matatau ia ki ngā āhuatanga Pākehā. Nā ana mahi hoki mā te Kōti Whenua. Whakaata tonu te rere o ana kōrero i tōna wairua, i tōna āhua. Ka tatau haere i ana take, me te whakatūpato kia mārama, kia ū tonu. Kāore ana whakarahi ake i te kōrero. Āta karo haere ia i ngā whakahē. He huhua ana whakaahua, kua roa hoki ia e noho ana, e mahi tahi ana i waenga i ngā Pākehā. He tangata ātaahua, he mau pāhau i tana kauae, he hurungutu hoki.
I mate a Ānaha ki Ōhinemutu i te 30 o Hepetema o te tau 1913. Nuku atu pea ōna tau i te 90. He mea tanu ki Ruatō. Ko ia te whakamutunga o ngā tohunga tārai waka o Ngāti Tarāwhai. I ōna rā, he tangata nā te iwi, he kaihautū, he tohunga whakairo, he tangata kaha ki te kawe i ngā take a te iwi.