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Kōrero: Karika, Pā George

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Karika, Pa George

1893–1949

Nō Rarotonga; he rangatira, he karaka, he hōia, he kaiahu whenua

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Denis Fairfax, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1996. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

I whānau mai a Pā George Karika i te 1 o Ākuhata 1893, ki Avarua i Rarotonga i ngā Kuki Airani. Kāore i tuhia ko wai tana pāpā. Ēngari, ko tōna kōkā ko Takau Tuaraūpoko Mokoroa ki Aitū. Nō muri kē mai, ka tangohia ake e ia a Makea Karika Ariki hei taitara mōna. I kuraina a Karika ki te kura o te Rōpū Mihinare o Rānana (London Missionary Society) i Avarua. Nō te 14 o Hūrae o te tau 1915 i Avarua, i moea e ia a Ngāpoko Ariki o Tangiia. He īngoa anō tōna, arā, ko Ngāūpoko. E ai ki ngā kōrero, hei tamāhine a Ngāpoko mā tētahi kāpene kaipuke, ko Wirihana (Wilson) tōna īngoa; he uri anō ia nō te whānau Piltz, nō Kiel i Tiamana. He Kamoe Matiapo hoki, arā, he kaipupuri i tētahi taitara rangatira i raro iho i a Makea Nui. Tekau mā toru ngā tamariki a Karika rāua ko Ngāpoko.

I te tau 1916, i te wā he karaka tatau te mahi a Karika i te tari o te Kamupene Uniana o ngā Kaipuke Korohū (Union Steam Ship Company) o Niu Tīreni ki Avarua, i tūao a ia mō te ope tuarua o Rarotonga o te ope tānga Māori (Māori Reinforcements). Nō te 1 o Hūrae tana hainatanga hei hōia, ā, ko Pā George Karika tōna īngoa haina. Na, ka kitea he mōhio a ia ki te reo pākehā, ā, he tangata whai mana hoki ki ngā hōia o Rarotonga, me te mātau hoki ki te whakawai uepū. Nō muri i whakakakea ake a ia hei kāpara iti.

E rima rau ngā hōia o ngā Kuki Airani i wehe atu, ka hono ai ki te Ope Taua o Aotearoa (New Zealand Expeditionary Force). Ko Karika tētahi. He mea whakatū a ia ki te kamupene Rarotonga o Aotearoa (New Zealand Rarotongan Company) e noho ana ki Qantara i Īhipa i te taha o te poupoutahi mau hāmanu o ngā hōia o te rāwhiti (Eastern Force Ammunition Column). Mai i te marama o Oketopa i te tau 1917, ā haere ake nei, ko rātou mā i te mura o te ahi e hāpai ana i te neke whakamua o te ope taua o Ingarangi ki roto o Hīnai (Sinai), o Pirihitia (Palestine) hoki. Ko te mutunga iho, ka whakaraua a Hiruhārama (Jerusalem) e ngā Tāke (Turks) i Tīhema o te tau 1917. Kātahi ka whakanōhia atu ngā hōia o Rarotonga nei ki te pātere taumaha Nama 97 o te matua roera mō ngā pū repo (No 97 Heavy Battery, Royal Regiment of Artillery), hei ringaringa hāmanu. Wehi ana ngā kaimātakitaki Ingarihi ki te kaha me te hanga mōhio o ngā Māori nei ki te hiki i ngā matā taumaha. Whakamihi ana hoki mō tō rātou kaha ki te wero i te mura o te ahi, me te hanga koakoa haere tonu o te hunga nei. Nā te hanga rangatira ai o Karika, ka whakanuia ake a ia hei haihana i te tīmatanga o te tau 1917. Nō Pēpuere o te tau 1918, ka whakawhiwhia a ia ki te tohu whakahōnore DSO mō tōna tino māia, me tōna tino kaha ki te whakaū i ngā mahi, i te wā ko ia te rangatira o tētahi paratunu.

Nō te 20 o Maehe 1919, i whakawāteatia mai a Karika i te Ope Taua o Aotearoa i Pōneke (Wellington). I te mate tana pukapuka mauī i te mate kohi. Nō te hokinga atu ki Rarotonga, kāore i hoki ki tana mahi mā te Kamupene Uniana, ēngari ka huri kē ki te ngaki i ngā whenua o ōna mātua. Ahakoa rā, he mea tohu ia kia whiwhi penihana, nā te mea i pāngia e te mate kohi i a ia e hōia ana. Ahakoa rā, pērā i te nuinga katoa o ngā hōia o Kuki Airani, kāore rawa i whai penihana.

E kī ana te kōrero, tērā pea i ora wawe a ia i taua mate, ina koa tana kaha korikori, me te nui o ngā mahi i tutuki i a ia. Nāwai rā, ka riro a ia hei mema kaingākau nui ki roto ki te Hāhi o te Rōpū Mihinare o Rānana. Ko te īngoa o taua Hāhi i nāianei, ko te Hāhi Karaitiana o ngā Kuki Airani (Cook Islands Christian Church). He toa a ia ki te purei kirikiti, tēnehi hoki. He tangata whai mana anō i roto i ngā rōpū kaipāmu, i ngā rōpū hāhi, me ngā mahi tākaro hoki. Tāpiri mai ki ēnei, i ētahi wā i waenganui i ngā pakanga nui o te ao, ko ia te kanohi o tōna whaea, hoa haere tonu rānei i tōna taha ki Aotearoa. Nō te tōmuatanga o te tau 1934, tērā tētahi haerenga rongonui. Toru tekau ngā tāngata o Rarotonga whai mana i tae mai ki Aotearoa nei. Nā Apirana Ngata a Karika me tōna whaea mā i ārahi i te nuku o Te Ika-a-Māui. He tini ngā marae i pōwhiritia rātou, tae rawa hoki ki Tokomaru, ki Waitangi me Ngāruawāhia hoki.

I te wā o te Pakanga Tuarua, he mema a Pā George Karika nō te taua tautiaki i te toiwhenua o ngā Kuki Airani (Cook Islands Local Defence Force). Nō te tau 1942, i te matenga o tōna kōkā, ka noho ko ia hei ariki mō Te Au o Tonga, he rohe nō Rarotonga. Nā te mea, ko ia te Makea Karika Ariki, ka whai tūranga a ia ki runga i te Kaunihera o te Motu o Rarotonga (Rarotonga Island Council), taka atu ki te tau 1949. Ko te āhua nei, kāore a ia i tautoko i te rōpū kaikaha o ngā Kuki Airani (Cook Islands Progressive Association), he tāina rangatira nei te kāhui whakahaere. Mai i te tau 1940, ko te arotahi o taua rōpū, ko te mana motuhake me te tino rangatiratanga o ngā Kuki Airani. I mate a Pā George Karika i te 5 o ngā rā o Mei i te tau 1949. I te ora tonu tana hoa rangatira i taua wā. Tekau mā tahi ā rāua tamariki i mahue mai e ora tonu ana.

Te āhua nei, ko ia te tangata Kuki Airani anake o te Pakanga Tuatahi i whakawhiwhia ki te hōnore mō ngā mahi a Tūmatauenga. Kāti, e rua ngā tohu e whakaatu ana i te mana o te rangatira nei: tuatahi, he ariki nō ngā kāwai whakapapa o Rarotonga; tāpiri atu ki tēnā, ko ia tētahi o te itinga iho o ngā hōia o ngā Kuki Airani i whakawhiti atu ki tērā tōpito o te ao, e hia mano māero kē mai i te kāinga e pakanga ana.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Denis Fairfax. 'Karika, Pā George', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1996. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/3k2/karika-pa-george (accessed 30 March 2024)