Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Ellison, Thomas Rangiwāhia
1866–1868?–1904
Nō Ngāi Tahu, nō Te Āti Awa; he kaitākaro whutupaoro, he rōia
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Atholl Anderson, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1993. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
I whānau a Thomas Rangiwāhia Ellison, arā, a Tāmati (Tame) Rangiwāhia Erihana, i Ōtākou i te takiwā o ngā tau atu i 1866 ki 1868. Ko tōna whaea ko Hana Wēra (Nani Weller) te huatahi a Nīkuru rāua ko Edward Weller, nāna nei te teihana patu wēra i whakatū ki Ōtākou i te tau 1831. Ko Nīkuru te tamāhine a Te Mātenga Taiaroa rāua ko Hineiwhāriua o Ngāi Tahu, o Ngāti Māmoe. Ko tana pāpā, ko Rāniera Tāheke Erihana, he tamaiti nā Thomas Ellison rāua ko Te Ikairaua (Te Ikaraua) o Ngāti Moehau, he hapū nō Te Āti Awa. Ko Tame Erihana te mea tuatoru o ngā tamariki, hui katoa tekau mā rua rātou. I huaina ia ki te īngoa o tōna tupuna kēkē, o Rangiwāhia, he toa rongonui nō Taranaki.
I haere mai a Rāniera Erihana ki Ōtākou ki te kimi kōura. Nō te tau 1862 i kitea e ia me ōna hoa, e Hākaraia me Hēnare Patukopa, he kōura i te wāhi e karangahia ana i nāianei ko Māori Point i te awa o Shotover. E kīia ana e 300 aunihi i riro i a rātou i te rangi kotahi. Nō te toronga mai o Te Whiti rāua ko Tohu ki te Kāika (Kaik) i Ōtākou i te tau 1882 i huri ai a Rāniera ki te tautoko i ā rāua tikanga. He mea pana mai ngā tokorua nei i Parihaka. Nā Rāniera Erihana ā rāua apataki i whāngai, e mau hereheretia ana i Ōtepoti. Nāna anō te tono ki ngā mana whakahaere kia tukua te hunga nei ki te whakatū i ā rātou hui ā-marama. I muri mai tinitini nei ōna toronga atu ki Parihaka, ā, nāna hoki i hoatu he moni hei whakatū anō i taua kāinga rā.
Ahakoa he wā anō mō Tame Erihana hei kawe i ngā māharahara o tōna pāpā mō ngā mamae o te iwi Māori, ko tana tino toa kē he purei whutupaoro. Nō te tau 1881, pea, nā ōna kaihana i te Kāika i whakamōhio ki taua tū tākaro. Tērā ko Jack Taiaroa tētahi i puta hei tino toa i te tīma whutupaoro tuatahi mō Niu Tīreni i te tau 1884. Nō muri kē mai i uru atu ai a Riki Taiaroa ki te 'Native Team' o te tau 1888‑-89 i haere tahi ai rāua ko Erihana ki tāwāhi. I te whiwhinga a Erihana ki te karahipi Mākarini i te tau 1882 ka tonoa ia ki te Kāreti o Te Aute, i Heretaunga. I te tau 1883, 1884 hoki, i purei ia mō te tīma tuatahi o te kura. Nō te tau 1885 i kuhu ia ki te Karapu Whutupaoro o Pōneke (Wellington). Ka purei hoki ia mō te tīma porowini mai i te tau 1885 ki te 1889, ā, i te tau 1891 ki 1892 hoki. Ko tana urunga atu ki te 'Native Football Team' o Niu Tīreni, te wā tuatahi i whakataetae ia ki ngā toa o ngā whenua kē. Ā, i utua rawahia rātou. I haere taua tīma ki Ingarangi me Ahitereiria i te tau 1888‑-89. Kātahi te haerenga uaua ko tērā. Inarā 107 ngā kēmu i ngā wiki e 54, ā, pau noa te 16 wiki i te huarahi. Ko ia te toa tuarua o taua ope, nāna nei te nuinga o ngā kaitōpū. Kotahi rau, tekau mā toru āna kaitōpū, e 43 āna tarai.
I te tīmatanga he kauaro ia; i muri mai he toru-koata. He hāwhe-pēke ia mō Pōneke i te tau 1891, ā, nā reira i whakatupuria te tūranga kauaro-pākau, kia kore ai e āhei te whakararu i te maka paora atu i te take o te kirimiti. Mau wawe ana i a Pōneke taua tikanga, ā, i tere hoki te mau i ngā wāhi katoa o ngā motu e rua. Ka ngaro atu tērā ka uru mai ko te kirimiti tokowaru i te tau 1932.
I te tau 1893 ko Erihana te kāpene o te tīma tuatahi i tapaina ko te Tīma o Niu Tīreni. I mua i te whakawhitinga atu ki Ahitereiria ka mōtini ia i te hui ā-tau tuatahi a te Uniana Nui o te Whutupaoro Rakapī o Niu Tīreni me kākahu te tīma ki te poraka pango he rau kaponga hei tohu, kia pango hoki te pōtae me ngā tōkena, ā, kia mā kē ngā tarau. He pēnei anō ēnei i ngā kaka o te tīma Māori o mua. Ēngari nō te tau 1901 i huria kētia ngā tarau kia pango. Mai i tēnā wā e tino mōhiotia nei tēnā ko te kākahu o ngā All Blacks.
I te tau 1898 ko Erihana tētahi o ngā kaitākaro tuatahi ki te tono kia utua te hunga tākaro haere ai ki tāwāhi, ā, kia rite te moni ki te utu ā-mahi. Nō te tau 1902 i tāia e ia tana pukapuka, ko The Art of Rugby Football te īngoa. Hei pukapuka whakaako tēnei ki te purei whutupaoro. Kei taua pukapuka anō ōna whakaaro mō ngā tīma me ngā haere i uru ai ia. Ka mutu, 117 ngā kēmu whutupaoro a Erihana (e 68 ngā kēmu karaehe tuatahi). Hui katoa 160 āna kaitōpū; e 51 āna tarai.
I ngākau nui rawa atu a Tame Erihana ki ngā kerēme whenua a Ngāi Tahu: nō te tau 1886 ka whakatūria ia hei kaiwhakamāori mō te Kōti Whenua Māori. Ahakoa e toru ana whakamātau kia uru ia ki te Pāremata hei Mema Māori mō Te Tonga, kāore i taea. Mai i te tau 1891 he mahi rōia tana mahi. I te tau 1902, i a ia e mahi ana mā Brandon Hislop me Johnston, he kamupene rōia i Pōneke, ka eke ia ki te paepae o ngā rōia e kīia ana ko te Bar. Ko ia tētahi o ngā Māori tuatahi i eke ki taua tūranga. Nāwai rā kua waia noa te tangata ki a ia e haere atu ana i Ōkiwi (Eastbourne) ki tana wāhi mahi mā runga i tētahi o ngā motukā tuatahi i kitea ai ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Nō te 22 o Maehe 1899 ka moea e Tame Erihana a Ethel May Howell i Pōneke. He tamāhine ia nā John Howell rāua ko tana wahine tuarua, nā Caroline Brown o Ngāi Tahu me Ngāti Māmoe. He kaipatu wēra, he kaitiaki kararehe hoki te mahi a John Howell i Riverton. Tokotoru ā rāua tamariki. E kōhungahunga tonu ana ka mate te tokorua. Nō te tau 1900 i whānau a Hinemura, ā, nō te 1989 i mate ai. I te wā e hangaia ana tō rātou whare i te puke ki Muritai ka haria a Tame Erihana ki te Whare Pōrangi i Porirua. Nō te 2 o Oketopa 1904 i mate ia ki reira, e tata ana ōna tau ki te 40. Ka meatia kia nehua ki Karori, ēngari, i te teihana rerewē i Porirua, ka haukotia te tūpāpaku e te iwi o ōna mātua. He mea whakaae mai e Ethel Ellison rāua ko te Kaitiaki o Te Motu (Public Trustee) kia haria ki te tonga ki Ōtākou ki reira nehua ai. Nō te tau 1906 i moe a Ethel i a Percy Braithwaite.