Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Ngāwaka, Ānaru Iehu
1872–1964
Nō Te Rarawa; he kaihautū, he minita Mihinare
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Manuka Henare, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1996. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
I whānau a Ānaru Iehu Ngāwaka, e mōhiotia ana e te nuinga ko Naru, ko Andrew Ngāwaka rānei, i te takiwā ki Whāngāpē, ki te taha raki o Te Hokianga, i te tau 1872 pea. Nō Te Rarawa ōna pakeke, a Iehu Ngāwaka, he tangata mahi pāmu, me tana whaea, me Ngāneko Mare (Murray). Nō muri iho i mōhiotia kētia a Ngāneko ki tētahi o ōna īngoa, arā, ki a Mary Ngāhemo Ngāwaka. He uri a Naru nō Ruanui rāua ko Nukutawhiti o ngā waka nei, o Māmari rāua ko Ngā-toki-mata-whao-rua. I heke iho ōna kāwai i ngā whakahononga i a Waimirirangi rāua ko Kairewa, me Tarutaru rāua ko Te Ruapounamu. Ahakoa ko tōna iwi matua ko Te Rarawa, ēngari i pā anō ia ki te huhua o ngā iwi o Te Tai Tokerau, tika tonu ki a Ngāpuhi rāua ko Te Aupōuri. Ko tōna hapū i whai wāhi nui ai ia ko Ngāti Haua; ahakoa anō, i noho huānga ia ki a Ngāti Hinerākei rāua ko Ngāi Tūmamao.
Ka moe ia i a Maraea Wētini o Ngāti Whātua ki Te Pāraki i te 21 o Noema 1894 i Whāngāpē. Tokowaru rawa ā rāua tamariki. I tautokona e Naru rātou ko tana pāpā me ngā kaumātua o Ngāti Haua, te haringa mai o te mātauranga ki ngā tamariki; āwhina ana rātou ki te whakaū i te mātauranga whai tikanga ki te takiwā o Whāngāpē. I tukua rawatia e rātou he whenua hei tūnga mō ngā kura me ngā whare, ā, āwhina haere tonutia ana e rātou te mahi ki te tiaki ia tau, ia tau.
Ko te kaingākau o Naru ki ngā take whenua, nā ōna haerenga pea i te taha o tana pāpā, ki ngā hui a te Kōti Whenua Māori i ngā tau tekau atu i 1890. Ko ia tonu te tiamana tuatahi i whakatūria mō te Poari Kaitiaki Māori o Te Tai Tokerau; i puta ngā kōrero mō tōna kaha kia hua ai te pau o ngā whenua Māori te whakamahi. Nō te tūnga ōna hei mema mō te rohe pōti o Te Tai Tokerau i ngā tau 1914, 1919, me 1922, i whakataetae ia ki a Tau Hēnare, ēngari kīhai ia i whiwhi.
Hau ana te rongonui o ngā kōrero taupatupatu a Naru ki a Apirana Ngata i te marae i Waitangi mō ngā take o te Tiriti o Waitangi. Kua herea kētia ia e tana pāpā rātou ko ōna tūpuna ki te kaupapa o te Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tīreni o 1835 me tērā anō hoki o te Tiriti. He uri whakaheke ia nō rātou i haina i ngā tuhinga e rua, arā, nā Pāpāhia rāua ko Te Huhu o Whāngāpē me Nōpera Panakareao o Kaitāia. He wā kua puta ake ia hei tohunga whakaatu mō ngā tono whenua, i kōkiritia ai ngā tikanga me ngā herenga a te Māori i raro i te Tiriti.
He mea tino nui rawa atu te mana o te kaupapa Karaitiana i taua takiwā, mai i te tīmatatanga tūturu o te whakapono i te tau 1827. Heoi, i runga i te kaha o te mana me te tapu o Naru, i āta whakaaro anō ētahi o ngā whānau, āe rānei me noho tonu ki te Hāhi Mihinare, me whakarere rānei. Hāunga anō i tūpono noa tana meatanga, ka whakaririkatia e ia tētahi wahine o Ngāti Haua i ngā tau tekau atu i 1920, ā, ko te huringa tēnā o te nuinga o ngā whānau rangatira, whai kē ana he momo hāhi kē. Kātahi ka whakawhiti atu rātou i te aka o Whāngāpē ki Pāwarenga i te tau 1923, kia iriiria rātou ki te Hāhi Katorika. Ahakoa pēhea ana whakapāha, taki i te maungārongo, kore rawa i taea e Naru te whakahoki mai te āhuatanga o mua.
Nā te mana o te minita rā, o Hōne Tana Pāpāhia, ka whakaarotia me whakawahi a Naru hei minita mō te Hāhi Mihinare. Ko ia te Māori tuatahi i whakawahia hei rīkona ahakoa kīhai tōna haerenga i te tuatahi ki te Kāreti o Hoani Te Kaikauhau (St John's College) i Ākarana (Auckland), akona ai. Nō te 12 o Mei o te tau 1940, i whakanuia he rā mōna ki Ōtīria marae i Moerewa. Kua tata ōna tau ki te 70 i tērā wā. Nā te Pīhopa o Aotearoa, nā Pēneti (Frederick Bennett) i whakahaere te karakia; nāna anō hoki i whakawhere te pīhopa o Ākarana, a W. J. Simkin kia whakaaetia te whakawahi. I whakamanahia noatia a Naru ki te whakahaere i āna mahi minita i te rohe Māori o Whāngāpē anake. Kāore a Simkin i whakaae kia whakawahia rawatia a Naru hei minita, nā te mea he kore kaha nōna ki te whakarite i ōna whakaaro mō ngā mahi a te tohunga ki ngā mahi a ngā minita Karaitiana. Kāore he raruraru pērā mō Naru, ā, ka whakahaerea e ia āna mahi minita, ngātahi wā te ao Māori me wā te ao Pākehā anō, tae atu ki te whakaora tangata hoki. I puta rawa ōna haerenga mai i tētahi pito o te motu ki tētahi atu, ā, nō te wā i tīmata ai ngā mahi i Rātana pā, ka peka atu ia. Nō te hiahiatanga o Wiremu Tahupōtiki Rātana kia noho ia hei minita mō te whakapono hou, kāore a Naru i whakaae. Ka mate a Maraea, te wahine a Naru, i te tau 1941; e 65 tōna pakeke. Nō te 26 o Pēpuere o te tau 1944, ka moe a Naru i a Ngārui Heiwari (arā, ko Ngāhiraka Rāpata anō tōna īngoa), i Whāngāpē. Kua tae ōna tau ki ngā tau tōmua o tana tekau tau whitu tekau i taua wā, ā, kua 62 kē a Ngārui. I mate a Naru Ngāwaka ki Whāngāpē i te 15 o Ākuhata 1964, tanumia ana ki reira. Ka mahue ki muri i a ia ko tana wahine, ko Ngārui me ngā tamariki a rāua ko tana wahine tuatahi, tokorua ngā mea wāhine, tokorua ngā mea tāne.
He puna mātauranga tonu a Naru nō te whakapapa, nō ngā tikanga Māori, nō ngā mate tūroro, tae atu ki ngā wāhi tapu, me te taha anō ki te Tiriti o Waitangi, me te Paipera hoki. Mō tōna tau ki te whaikōrero me te kauwhau ki te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā, ko tōna tino pai kē. Ko ōna kaha ki te whakaora tangata me te matakite i heke iho i ōna tūpuna, i a Tiari, i a Ere me Iehu. He kaihāpai ia mō te kaupapa whakamahi tōtika i ngā whenua Māori, ā, i eke ia ki te taumata mō te toa ki te kōkiri i ngā tikanga a te Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ko ia tonu tētahi o te whakatupuranga hou o ngā kaihautū Māori e whakatika ana, e ārahi ana i te iwi ki roto i te rau tau rua tekau, pērā i a Apirana Ngata, i a Te Rangi Hīroa (Peter Buck), i a Te Puea Hērangi me Whina Kupa (Cooper).