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Kōrero: Pītau, Ōtene

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Pītau, Ōtene

1834/1835?–1921

Nō Rongowhakaata; he kaihautū

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e R. De Z. Hall rāua ko Steven Oliver, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1993. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

E ai ki ngā kōrero, nō te tau 1834, 1835 rānei a Ōtene Pītau i whānau ai. He tangata Ingarihi tana pāpā a Tāme Poto (Thomas Halbert), ā, he kaihoko taonga nei tāna mahi. I noho rāua ko Pirihira Konekone, he wahine nō Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, ki Muriwai i Tūranganui-a-Kiwa (Poverty Bay). Ka hapū a Pirihira, ā, kāre i roa i muri mai i tana rīriritanga ki a Tāme Poto ka whakarērea e ia tana hoa. Kitea ana e ia he wāhi whakaruru mōna i te kāinga o Tāmati Wāka Māngere, te kaihautū o Ngāti Kaipoho; nō muri ka moe ia i tētahi o ngā tāina o Māngere, i a Pera Tawhiti. He wā i muri mai o tana taenga ki reira ka whānau he tamaiti tāne; ka riro tērā i a Raharuhi Rukupō, tētahi o ngā tāina o Māngere, whakatipu ai, ā, ka tapaina ki te īngoa whānau, ki a Pītau. Nō muri nei, ka whakaīngoatia ko Ōtene, he īngoa iriiri pea tēnei.

Nō te takiwā ki 1840, ka eke a Raharuhi Rukupō hei kaihautū mō Ngāti Kaipoho, karangatanga hapū o Rongowhakaata. Ko tana tangata tohutohu i a ia ko Tom Jones, he taha Māori, he taha Pākehā hoki nei ōna. Ka moe a Pītau i te tuahine o tana kaitohutohu, i a Mere Whiti Hōne. E ai ki te kōrero, kāore rāua i whiwhi uri, ā, ka riro pea ko Mere Tahatū me Heta Te Kani hei tamariki mā rāua.

Te āhua nei, kāre a Ōtene Pītau i uru atu ki ngā whawhai o te tekau tau atu i 1860, i te wā i tino parekuratia ai a Rongowhakaata. Nō te tau 1869 i whakataitara haeretia ngā whenua e te Kōmihana o Tūranganui-a-Kiwa. Mahue mai ana ki waho te hunga i pakanga ki te Karauna mai i 1863. Ka uru a Ōtene Pītau ki ngā rārangi īngoa mō ngā poraka whenua huhua e whai take ana rā a Ngāti Kaipoho, a Raharuhi Rukupō tonu hoki. Kua kitea i taua wā nei, kua tohungia kētia ko Ōtene Pītau hei whakakapi mō Rukupō ā tōna wā. Ka mate a Raharuhi Rukupō i 1873, ā, ka ara ake ko tana taina, ko Pāora Kate. Nō 1880, ka mate hoki tērā. Kātahi ka noho ko Ōtene Pītau hei kaihautū, te whakamutunga o te kāwai ki a Ngāti Kaipoho.

Ko Ōtene Pītau tētāhi o ngā tino rangatira e rua i whai mana i roto o Tūranga (Gisborne), ā, mōhiotia ana rāua ko ngā whakamutunga o tēnei tū rangatira ki Tūranganui-a-Kiwa. Ko tētahi ko Hēni Materoa Carroll nō Ngāi Tāwhiri, he karangatanga hapū nō Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki. Nāna tōna whaea a Riperata Kahutia i whakakapi i te tau 1887. He kaihautū whakarae rawa atu ia, ā, i whakapau i ōna kaha ki Tūranga. Ēngari anō a Ōtene Pītau. I noho kē ia i te taha tonga o ngā whenua o Rongowhakaata, i tua atu o te pūaha nui o Waipaoa. Otirā ko tōna iwi anake i kite i tōna wanawana. Nō muri rawa i ngā aituā o te tekau tau atu i 1860 i hau ai ōna rongo, nō tana manaakitanga i te iwi i te wā e ngana ana kia mārō te tū i runga i te kotahitanga.

Tae rawa atu ki ngā tekau tau atu i 1880, kua kaha kē te ora mai o Rongowhakaata, ka maranga ake tēnā o ōna hapū, tēnā o ōna hapū, huri noa. I kitea ai te tohu o te oranga ake he whakatūtū wharenui te mahi. Nō 1883, ka kawaina e Ngāti Maru tō rātau wharenui i Manutūkē; ka huaina te īngoa ko Te Mana‑o-Tūranga. Ka ngana hoki a Riperata Kahutia ki te hanga marae i tōna whenua i Awapuni ki te taha pā whakarua, he wharenui, he whare karakia me tētāhi kāinga: i whakaīngoatia te wharenui ko Te Poho‑o-Materoa. Nā ēnei mahi, ka tahuri hoki a Ōtene Pītau ki te whakahaere i te hanga wharenui hou ki Pākirikiri; ka tapaina ko Te Poho‑o-Rukupō hei whakamaharatanga ki te īngoa o Raharuhi Rukupō me āna mahi. Nō waenganui o te marama o Pēpuere 1887 i hikitia ai te tapu; he mano tini ngā iwi i tae atu ki te whakatuwheratanga. I wehea he rā hei kōrerotanga i ngā take e pā ana ki ngā whakaaro o te tangata mō Te Kooti puta noa atu ki ngā kauwhau kimikimi pōti a Timi Kara rāua ko Wī Pere, te taina o Ōtene Pītau, arā hoki he whaea kē tōna. I whai kupu a Ōtene Pītau ki te whakahē i te whakakoro o Te Kooti kia hoki mai anō ia ki Tūranganui-a-Kiwa i te tau 1887; ēngari, kāore ōna hē ki ngā apataki Ringatū a Te Kooti. Nō muri mai, ka nekehia Te Poho‑o-Rukupō ki Manutūkē ki te wāhi kei reira tonu i nāianei.

Ōrite tonu te ohonga mai o te mauri o te iwi me te whakahauora anō i tō rātau whakapono ki te Hāhi Mihingare. I te tomokanga o Te Poho‑o-Rukupō, i pānuitia, ā, i whakaaetia e Ōtene Pītau i reira ngā hoatanga mō te whakatū whare karakia mō te Hāhi Mihingare ki Manutūkē. Ko te tikanga, mō Rongowhakaata katoa te whare nei. I whakatauria me whakamau atu ngā poupou o te whare karakia Māori i whakatuwheratia i te tau 1863, ēngari i te wāwāhitanga i 1881 kua pirau kē. Ka oti te whare karakia nei, me te whakahirahira hoki o te matapihi ōpure, ā, ka whakatuwheratia i te tau 1890, i tōna tūranga i te taha hauāuru o te wāhi kei reira te whare karakia i nāianei. Nā runga i ngā kaha o Ōtene Pītau, i whakaurua atu ia ki te poari o te whare karakia Māori o te pīhopatanga o Waiapu.

Nō te tau 1894, i riro nā Ōtene Pītau i whakatau te hui a te Pāremata o te Kotahitanga ki Pākirikiri. Ka noho hei kōrero pūrākau te nui o te tangata i tae atu; nuku atu i te kotahi marama e taki hui ana. I te tau 1903, ka uru a Ōtene Pītau hei mema mō te Kaunihera Whenua Māori ā-Rohe o Te Tai Rāwhiti (Tai Rāwhiti District Māori Land Council). Nō 1906, ka whakaīngoatia ia hei kaitohutohu mō te Kaunihera Māori o Tākitimu; nō taua tau anō, ka whiriwhiria ko ia tētāhi o ngā māngai o Te Tai Rāwhiti i uru atu ki te tokomaha o ngā Māori o Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu i tae atu ki te tangihanga mō te Pirimia, mō Te Hētana (Richard Seddon).

Ahakoa kua hipa atu a Ōtene Pītau i te 70 tau, kāore anō kia puta te tino take i rangona nuitia a ia, i te wā ko ia te kaihautū mō Rongowhakaata. Nō te tau 1910, ka wera te whare karakia i whakatuwheratia i Manutūkē i te tau 1890. Waimarie he mea inihua e te pīhopatanga te whare, kātahi ka hangaia anō tētahi. Nō te paunga haere o te tau 1912, ka pānuitia e Ōtene Pītau ki roto i Te Pīpīwharauroa, te nūpepa Māori a te Hāhi Mihingare, kotahi whārangi te roa, e pōwhiri atu ana i ngā iwi katoa kia tae atu ki te hui e whakatuwheratia ai te whare karakia hou i te Rātapu, te 9 o Maehe 1913. Arā noa atu te tokomaha o ngā iwi i rūpeke atu ki Manutūkē i te 5 o Maehe. He mōhio nō te kāwanatanga Reform, tērā e tae atu ngā ope Māori i ngā wāhi katoa o Aotearoa, ka poka noa rātau ki te whakaara i tā rātau take kia komokomotia te Māori rāua ko te Pākehā. He roa tonu te minita mō ngā take Māori a Te Hērihi (W. H. Herries) e whai kupu ana mō taua take me te kaupapa mō ngā whenua. I taua hui anō a Māui Pōmare, a Timi Kara (James Carroll) me Apirana Ngata.

E waru tau te roa o te oranga atu o Ōtene Pītau i muri i te whakatuwheratanga o te whare karakia ka hemo. Nō te 13 o Ākuhata 1921 i mate ia ki Manutūkē.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

R. De Z. Hall and Steven Oliver. 'Pītau, Ōtene', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1993. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/2p20/pitau-otene (accessed 29 March 2024)