Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Kokoro-Barrett, Hīria
1870–1943
Nō Ngāi Tahu, nō Ngāti Māmoe; he wahine whai mana, he tohunga mahi toi, he kaihopu tītī
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Hiria Moffat, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1996. I whakahoutia i te o Noema, 2010. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Nā ngā kōrero a te whānau te whakaatu, ko Tuahiwi kāinga i Ngā Pākihi-whakatekateka-a-Waitaha (Canterbury) pea te wāhi i whānau mai ai a Hīria Kokoro Tiratahi i te 3 o Hune 1870. E pātata ana a Waipōpō ki Te Umukaha (Temuka). Koia tēnei te kāinga o tōna pāpā, o Hēnare Kokoro Tiratahi. He amokapua ia nō ngā kāwai rangatira o Ngāi Tahu me Ngāti Māmoe. Ko te whaea o Hīria ko Mere Pukuwaitai Kāhaki. He tungāne taitamariki tō Hīria ko Namana, ēngari e paku tonu ana ka mate. Ko Ngāti Huirapa, me Ngāi Tūāhuriri ētahi o ōna hapū, ā, ki te taha ki tōna whaea, ko Ngāti Pūneke. Ko tētahi īngoa anō ōna i a ia ka taipakeketia, ko Taua Hīria.
He kōhine ātaahua nei a Hīria, ā, he hinengaro pūkeke nei hoki tōna. He tino iti rawa atu ngā kōrero menā i kuraina ia, kīhai rānei, heoi anō i mōhio ki te pānui pukapuka i te reo Māori. Nā te mea ko ia te uri whakamutunga o tōna kāwai e ora ana, ka noho ko ia te whakakapi ki te tūranga o tōna pāpā. Heoi anō, he mea taumau a ia, ēngari, nō te tau 1890, ka paheke rāua ko tētahi kaimahi ā-ringa, ko Wiremu Kerei (William Gray) te īngoa. I tētahi wāhi ko Fortrose te īngoa, he wāhi e tūtata ana ki te wahapū o te awa o Mataura, koia nei te wāhi i mārena ai rāua i te 19 o Hune o taua tau. Tere tonu te muru a ōna mātua i tōna hara, hoki atu ana rāua ko tana tāne ki te pā o Arowhenua, te wāhi i whakatupuria e ia ā rāua tamāhine tokotoru, a Irihāpeti, a Mere Tī me Mākareta.
Rua tekau mā whā noa iho te pakeke o Hīria i te hinganga o Wiremu i te mate niumōnia i te tau 1895. I muri iho e waru tau nā a ia e noho ana me ōna mātua, e akona ana ki ngā tohu o te kaingārahu, hohou ake ai i ngā mahi me ngā here hei pīkauranga mā te manukura, arā, ki te rapu oranga mō tōna iwi, me te whakaū i te Tiriti o Waitangi. He mea whakaako a ia ki ngā whakapapa, ki ngā karakia me ngā waiata e tika ana mō ngā huihuinga katoa, tae atu ana ki ngā tikanga pure e pā ana ki te hauhake o tēnā tūmomo kai, o tēnā tūmomo kai, tae atu ki ngā āhua o ngā tau. Nāna anō hoki i ako ngā toi me ngā mōhiotanga o tōna whaea, ki te tapahi harakeke, ki te mahi ake i te houhi hei raranga kete, mahi piupiu, whatu korowai, whatu tīpare me te hanga korehe, ā, ki te miro ake i te muka ki tōna kūwhā, kia taea ai te whatu me te tae.
Nō te tau 1902, nō te 1903 kē rānei, ka moea e Hīria a Francis George Te Hau Pārete (ko Pāreti, ko Barrett rānei) i Te Umukaha; ko ia te mokopuna a te kaipatu tohorā rā, a Tiki Pārete (Dicky Barrett). I noho rāua ki te kāinga tupu o Hīria i Waipōpō, arā, ko Te Raupū te īngoa. Tokorima ngā tamāhine i puta ki a rāua, arā, ko Kiti, ko Hīria, ko Hine, ko Ihipera me Ema. Tokowhā nei ā rāua tama. E kōhungahunga tonu ana a Basil rāua ko Teoti ka mate, mahue ora ake ana a Hēnare Tiratahi Kokoro rāua ko Malta Tehau. Ko ēnei tamariki katoa, me ērā o te moenga tuatahitanga o Hīria he mea whakatipu mai i Waipōpō. Ko te reo Māori tōna reo ki a rātou i te kāinga, ēngari, i tonoa rātou e ia ki te Kura Māori o Arowhenua kuraina ai nā runga i tana mōhio tē whakaaetia te reo Māori ki reira.
Kore rawa tētahi mea i noho hē i te whare o Hīria, mai i ngā papa pīataata, ngā paraina rākau ā-wēnīhiana me ngā ārai rēhi mā o ngā matapihi. I ngā pakitara anō e iri ana ngā whakaahua o te whānau me ngā taonga whakahirahira, arā, te kahu kiwi me te kahu harakeke. He piana anō tāna, hei whakatangi, hei whakawaiata ake māna i ngā kaihopu ika o ngā wharau o Waipōpō, ia Rātapu tuwhera tonu ai tōna kāinga ki a rātou. I waho i te whare, i mua tata atu i te iāri pereki, iāri hūkui nei, ko ngā putiputi pirīhīa e tipu haere ana i te tapa o te parani. I waho anō e kaha ana te tipu o ngā hua rākau. Ko tētahi mahi anō āna, he whakatipu otaota, he whakatipu hua kākano. He kau, he hōiho, he pīkaokao anō āna. E pupuritia ana i roto i tana tēpara ngā taputapu katoa e tika ana ki reira. Koinei te wāhi horoi i ngā kiki me ngā hānihi. I waho anō ko tētahi whata kai e tū ana. Ko tētahi kāuta i waho te wāhi tao kai.
I mau tonu a Hīria ki te nuinga o ngā tikanga a tōna iwi o mua, ā mate noa ia. Rarangatia ana e ia he whāriki harakeke hei nohoanga mōna i a ia e hanga hīnaki ana, e mahi kupenga īnanga ana ki te harakeke me te pirita. He mea whakamaroke nāna ngā īnanga, ngā piharau me ngā tuna, ā, he mea ahi rara e ia ngā kōhau ihu-parehe. I whai tonu a Hīria i te maramataka tuku iho a te Māori, arā, ko te pō hinapōuri (ngā pō e ngaro ana te marama) te wā hopu tuna, ā, i mōhio ia ki te wā ā-tau e hoki ai te tuna ki te moana. Ko te awa o Ōpihi me ngā manga o te wā kāinga ōna wāhi kato wāta kerehi, i tana kāri rānei kato pūhā ai i ngā marama o te hōtoke. He haere tonu tana mahi ki ngā roto o Waihora (Lake Ellesmere), o Wairewa (Lake Forsyth), me te hāpua o Wainono ki te hopu kātaha, taraute me te kōkopu. Ko Te Maru (Tīmaru) tōna wāhi haere ki te mahi kuku, ki te kohi pipi hoki.
Hei tāpiringa atu ki te moni a te whānau, hokohokona ai e Hīria te nuinga o ngā kai nāna i kohi. Whāia ake ana e te tangata ngā kai i mau i a ia, ā, tae rawa tōna rongo ki Ōtepoti (Dunedin), ki Murihiku (Southland) anō hoki. Ko ngā ūwhi whakamahana tīpāta e hokohokona ana e ia, nāna tonu i whatu. Nā ēnei mahi hokohoko i āwhina te whakaemi i ā rātou ratonga e hiahiatia ana mō te wā o te mahi tītī ia tau, ia tau i Taukihepa (Big South Cape Island), he motu e pātata ana ki te rae o te tonga mā uru o Rakiura (Stewart Island). He kōpuha hoki tōna i Waikawa (Niagara), ki Pounawea (Catlins), ā, ka hoki atu ia ki reira whakatā ai.
E hia marama kē nei e pau ana hei takahanga i ēnei haere. Ko tā Hīria he kohi rimurapa hei hanga pōhā tītī, he raranga kete pupuri pōhā hei kawe mai i ngā tītī i te motu. Ka tae ki Awarua (Bluff), ka whakaeke atu rātou ko tōna whānau ki runga ki tētahi poti hī ika i waenganui pō. I a rātou e hekeheke ana i te kawa o Poutama i te waru karaka o te ata, he kino kē ngā tai o reira, heoti, nā te mōhio tonu o ngā tāne ko ēhea o ngā toka kia tūpato rātou, ā, me te pēhea anō hoki o te hari pai atu i ngā wāhine me ngā tamariki ki uta mā runga poti paku.
He whare whai-parani tō Hīria i runga o Taukihepa, he hāwhe māero te tawhiti e aupiki atu ana ki Kaikaiawara. He ohu te tikanga mahi a te pahī, nā te mea, mā te mahi tahi e ora tahi ai rātou pau noa te toru marama i runga i te moutere. Ko ngā mahi a Hīria ko te whakapaipai i te whare, ko te hanga i tētahi wharau mahana, wharau āhuru, ko te whāngai i ngā tāne ki te kai, ki te whakaunu ki te tī raumānuka, me te tapahi ara atu i te whare ki roto ki ngā raurau rākau, kia taea ai ngā mahi hopu pī tītī i te awatea.
Ina whakatika atu ana a Hīria ki te hopu tītī ia rā, kua tata kē ia ki raro ngōki mai ai i tētahi rua ki tētahi. Me kī ka oti pea i a ia te 80 pī tītī te hopu, ka herepūtia e ia kia 10 ki te pū. He maha tonu ngā manu, nā te mea e mau ana a Hīria ki te tikanga me waiho ētahi, kia whai manu anō hoki i te tau i muri iho. Ko tētahi mahi anō āna i mua i tana whakarerenga i te moutere, he whakatō rākau pakupaku nei hei whakaora ake i ngā wāhi o te ngahere i tūkinotia.
I te mutunga o te tina o ia rā, ka noho a Hīria ki te huhuti manu. Ka oti, ka whakairia mō te roanga ake o te pō ā awatea noa, kia mārō ai. Waihotia ai e Hīria ngā puku ki roto ki ētahi o ngā manu; he tino kai tēnei nā ngā kaumātua. Kātahi ka tāpaetia ki rō rimurapa, ka waiho ki reira pakari ai mō tētahi wā, atu ki te tau te roa. He mea kōtutu anō hoki e ia ētahi o ngā manu. Ka mutu, ka tāpaetia ēnei ki rō hinu mātao ki rō rimurapa, kātahi ka waiho kore hau ai, ka herea kia piri. Ko ngā manu i totea, kāre i mahia ki te hinu nā te mea, he pīkara tonu nei te wai e whakaputaina ana e te tote. I ngā pō rama manu ko Hīria tētahi e haere ana, ēngari nā te makariri me te haukū o te rangi nāna ia i whakapāhunu kia kore e matara te haere. Ko ētahi o āna mahi i te moutere he hopu haere, he kohi haere rānei i ētahi atu momo kai, arā, i te kekeno, i te kina, i te pāua, i te pākirikiri, i te mararī, i te kohikohi me te weka. Koia tēnei te āhua o te noho a Hīria atu i Maehe ki Hune o ia tau; ka mutu, ka hoki ki Waipōpō whakangā ai.
I a ia e taikaumātua haere ana, ā, kua wehe kē atu tōna whānau, ka mau tonu a Hīria ki ngā tikanga a te ao tawhito, ēngari, ko tētahi anō o āna whāinga he whakatipu i tētahi tūmomo kaiārahitanga hou. Na, ko tana tamāhine, ko Mere Tī i moe ki a Pāora Temuera, (taro ake, ko ia te kēnana o Rangiātea, te whare karakia Mihinare kei Ōtaki – nō nā tata tonu nei ka kainga e te ahi), ā, nāna i tono kia noho ia hei minita ki Arowhenua. Nā āna mahi tonu i whakahau a Pāora kia haere ki wāhi kē minita ai. Nā te kaha hinapōuri o Hīria, kore rawa ia i hoki atu ki te hāhi i muri atu. I whakaatatia e ia ki te ao hou te āhua o te wahine whanonga pai, tēnā rawa ia, i ana haerenga atu ki te Kōti Whenua Māori i Te Umukaha mā runga kiki hou, e mau ana i ngā pūeru e hiahiatia ana e ngā wāhine huatau o taua wā. Ko Hīria tonu tētahi o ngā kaiwhiwhi whenua tino nui i te takiwā o Arowhenua, ā, i whakaaturia e ia tōna hiahia, e mau tonu ai tāna kī taurangi ki tōna pāpā, arā, kaua e noho hoko atu ai i tētahi wāhi o aua whenua ki waho o te whānau. He mea tapa ki a ia te huarahi a Barrett i Waipōpō.
I ngā tau o muri mai, he tinitini ngā torotoro atu a Hīria i Waikawa (Niagara). Kua moke nei te āhua o tana noho, ā, noho ai ko tōna kotahi i rō tāwharau hangahanga, i tana kōpuha rānei, i a ia e hī ika ana. Ko 'The Water Lady' te īngoa a te nuinga mōna. Nō te hōtoke o 1943, ka pāngia ia e te mate niumōnia. Nō muri i tana tono unu whakamutunga māna, arā, he kapu kawhi, kia wera, kia reka, kia pango, ka mate ia i Waikawa i te 4 o Hepetema. Nā te tīkera i runga i te ahi i waiata te waiata whakamutunga a Hīria.