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Kōrero: Te Rangiuia, Nōpera

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Te Rangiuia, Nōpera

fl. 1835–1850

Nō Ngāti Porou; he rangatira, he tohunga

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

Ko Te Rangiuia he tohunga, he kaiārahi nō Ngāti Porou i roto i a Ūawa (Tolaga Bay). Kāre e mōhiotia tōna rā whānau, ēngari kua pakeke kē a ia i te taenga mai o J. S. Polack, te tangata hokohoko taonga, ki Ūawa i Hune 1835.

I kī a Polack, nōna te kaipuke pākehā tuatahi ki te ū ki te awa o Ūawa. E rua ngā iwi Māori i kite a ia e noho ana i ngā taha e rua o te awa. Ko Te Rangiuia te kaiārahi o te taha whakarunga o te awa. Ko ngā iwi o te taha whakararo, nō Tokomaru, ā, i noho ki Ūawa i runga i te tono a tō rātau whanaunga, a Te Kani-ā-Takirau o Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti.

Ahakoa te noho rīriri i waenganui i ngā iwi e rua nei, i noho kē mai a Te Rangiuia i te taha whakararo i te taenga mai o Polack. I eke atu a Rangiuia, me wētahi atu o tōna pā, ki runga i te kaipuke o Polack, ki te hokohoko taonga. I a rātau i runga i te kaipuke, ka whakapakūtia e tētahi o ngā tāngata a Te Rangiuia tana pū. I tēnei ka karanga atu a Te Rangiuia ki tana iwi kia hoki atu ki uta, ā, ka mauria e ia he taura. Ka whiua e ia ngā tāngata Māori e noho tonu ana i runga i te kaipuke. Ko wētahi i rere patiko i runga waka, ēngari ko te nuinga o rātau i whiua atu ki te moana. Kātahi a ia ka hoki ki te taha whakararo o te awa, i reira nei ngā taua me ā rātau pū e huihui ana; kātahi rātau ka haka, ā, ka puhipuhi i ā rātau pū. Otirā, nā te tawhiti noa atu o tētahi i tētahi kāre he raruraru i pā. I tū ngā matā ki ngā hēra o te kaipuke o Polack i mua i te taunga o te rongomau.

E rima ngā tau i muri mai ka haina a Te Rangiuia i te Tiriti o Waitangi. I tāngia e ia tana moko ki runga i tētahi tauira o te Tiriti, i mauria atu e te mihinare nei e Te Wiremu (William Williams), ki Ūawa i Mei 1840. I te marama o Hānuere 1843, ka hangaia e te mihinare nei, e Charles Baker, he teihana mīhana ki Ūawa. Nā te iriiritanga pea i a Te Rangiuia, i mau ai ia i te īngoa nei a Nōpera. Otirā i ngā rā whakamutunga o taua tau, i te pānga o tētahi o ana tamāhine i te mate, ka hoki anō ki ngā karakia tuku iho a te Māori. Ko te mate o tana tamāhine, he mate kohi. I whāngaia e Baker ki ngā rongoā quinine me te calumba. I te matenga o tana tamāhine, ka whakapae a Te Rangiuia nā Baker i paitini. Ka whakahē a Te Wiremu rāua ko James Stack i te whakapae a Te Rangiuia. Kātahi a Te Rangiuia ka mea atu kia inumia e rāua te toenga o taua rongoā. Nā te whakautu a Baker ki tā rāua pātai kāre he paitini o te rongoā, ā, kāre rāua e mate, ka inumia e rāua. Kātahi anō ka tau ngā whakaaro o Te Rangiuia.

Ehara a Baker i te mihinare e tino kaingākautia ana, ā, ko Te Rangiuia tonu tētahi kāre i rata atu ki a ia. I te tau 1844, ka totohe a Te Rangiuia kia rua utunga a Baker mō wētahi papa rākau. I runga i taua āhua, kāre a ia i aro atu ki a Te Kani-ā-Takirau, te kaitiaki o ngā Pākehā o roto o Ūawa. Otirā, i haere tonu ngā karakia Karaitiana i te whare o Te Rangiuia, ā tae noa ki te wā tōmuri o te tau 1845. Nō te mōhiotanga o ngā mihinare kai te moe punarua tonu a Te Rangiuia, ka whakamutua. I te tau 1849, he mea hari noa e ia wētahi hōiho a Baker, ā, ahakoa i tono atu wētahi Māori kia whakahokia atu aua hōiho, kāre a ia i whakarongo. I te tau 1850 ka kī a Baker ko Te Rangiuia tōna tino hoariri, nā te mea i pōwhiri kētia e ia he pirihi Katorika ki Ūawa.

Kāre he kōrero mō Te Rangiuia i tua atu i te tau 1850. He tamāhine tuarua anō tāna i mate i te tau 1843. Tēnā pea he tamariki anō āna i ora i muri i a ia. Kāre e mōhiotia te rā, te wāhi rānei i mate ai a ia.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Steven Oliver. 'Te Rangiuia, Nōpera', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/1t71/te-rangiuia-nopera (accessed 29 March 2024)