Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Rikihana, Wiremu
1851–1933
Nō Te Rarawa; he kaiārahi, he kaitōrangapū
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Henare Arekatera Tate, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1996. I whakahoutia i te o Tīhema, 2005. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Nō te tau 1851 i whānau ai a Wiremu Rikihana i Kaiawe, kei kō tata tonu ki Waireia, kei te raki o Te Hokianga. Ko Te Rarawa me Ngāti Te Rēinga o Waihou ōna iwi; he tino hapū nō Te Tai Tokerau tōna hapū a Te Tāwhiu. Ko Hārata te īngoa o tana māmā, ā, ko tana pāpā ko Rikihana, he tama nā Whakarongouru, te teina o Te Huhu, o Pāpāhia me Ngākahuwhero. Nō te tau 1835 i hainatia e Te Huhu te Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tīreni (Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand) i Mangungu; nā Pāpāhia i haina te Tiriti o Waitangi; ko Ngākahuwhero i moe i a Muriwhenua, ā, nā tā rāua tama, nā Ngāniho Te Tai anō te Tiriti i haina. Mō te taha ake ki te mokopuna a Te Tai, arā, ki a Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia, taihoa ake nei, ngangahau ana ia i roto i te Kotahitanga, ā, takina ana e ia te kaupapa o te mana wāhine kia whiwhi ai i te pōti.
Ahakoa i tipu ake a Wiremu i Waireia i te nuinga o te wā, he wā anō a ia i te takiwā kāinga o tōna whaea i Taikarawa e noho ana. Ahakoa te mōhio he toa kaiwhakataetae a ia, kei te ngaro kē ngā kōrero mōna, i a ia e tamariki ana. He tumu here waka tana pāpā ki tōna iwi, ā, he mea tuku iho tēnei tūranga ki a Wiremu. Nō te marama o Tīhema 1873 a Wiremu i te Kōti Whenua Māori, ko tana pāpā i reira e tuku ana i āna kōrero whakaatu mō tana taha ki te kēhi o Te Kauae o Ruru Wahine. Nō te matenga o tana pāpā, o Rikihana, ka riro nā Wiremu i haina te tīti i Rāwene i 1875, hei hoko atu māna i te poraka whenua ki te Karauna.
I hiahiatia e Herewini Te Toko rāua ko Wī Tana Pāpāhia, kia moea e Wiremu Rikihana te tamāhine a Ihapera rāua ko Rāpata Harimana (Hardiman), a Raiha, arā, ko Tahuripō anō tōna īngoa. Ahakoa rā ko tana tungāne tonu ko Hōri Harimana kāore i whakaae. Ēngari nā te akiaki a Herewini, ka whakarērea e Raiha tōna kāinga, ā, mārenatia ana ngā tokorua nei ki Waireia. Noho ake ana rāua ki Waireia, ki te rae o Rangi (Rangi Point) rānei, ā, i reira hua ai te pā harakeke; tokorua ngā tama tāne. Nō te tau 1879 i nuku ai te whānau ki Kaihū, ā, noho ake ana i reira i runga i te poraka whenua 200 eka te rahi, i hoatu rā e Parore Te Āwhā ki te pāpā o Wiremu rātou ko tōna iwi mō āna nei mahi mā te iwi o Ngāti Whātua. Riro noa ana taua poraka nei hei papa tāone. Kīhai i mahue taketake i a Wiremu a Waireia me te rae o Rangi, ā, he hokihoki tonu tana mahi ki tōna kāinga me tōna whānau i Te Hokianga.
I te tūnga o te Kōti Whenua Māori i te tau 1903, ko Wiremu te kaikōrero matua mō ngā kaikerēme i ngā whenua o Waihou me Whakarapa (Panguru). He mōhio tika nōna ki te whenua me te hunga i reira, e hia kē nei ngā pānga whenua i riro mai i a ia. Ko ia anō te kaituku kōrero whakaatu ki te aroaro o te kōmihana o Taute (Stout) rāua ko Ngata i te tau 1908 mō ngā whenua o Manuwhētai me Whāngaiariki.
I te tau 1913 ko Wiremu Rikihana anō te kaikōrero matua mō te take uaua e pā ana ki te whenua o Waireia. Ahakoa ake ngā whakaaro o ngā kaiwhaipānga, ko te whakataunga a te Kōti Whenua Māori he tuku atu i te poraka D o Waireia kia hokona. Ēngari he whakatūpato anō ā te kōti, arā, me waiho hei wāhi kāinga e nōhia tūturutia ana, ā, mehemea ka nuku atu te utu i te tahua moni kua oti nei i ngā kaiwhiwhi te kohi mō te rūri i te whenua, me riro mā te kaihoko e utu te katoa o te toenga atu. Tāpiri atu ki tēnā, me wāriu anō te utu o ngā rākau mira, kia wehe ake tēnei i te utu o te whenua. Ko te tūmanako tonu o Wiremu Rikihana me ētahi atu, kia mau tonu i a rātou tētahi wāhanga o ō rātou hea. Kore rawa i tutuki tā rātou i whakahau ai – kore rawa i utua ngā rākau – ā, atu i te tau 1914 noho ai a Waireia hei take kerēme ki te Karauna me te kaihoko. Nō te tau 1919 te tukunga a Rikihana i tana petihana ki te mema Pāremata, ki a Tau Hēnare, kia tirohia e te Komiti mō ngā Mea Māori (Native Affairs Committee). Nō te tau 1920 i tukua atu ai ki te minita, ēngari mahue noa ana i konā. He mea tāpae he petihana anō ki te Pāremata i te tau 1925. Nō te tau 1932 te whakatau a te Kōti Whenua Māori, arā, kātahi te mahi hē ko tēnei. Taka rawa mai ki te tau 1987, kātahi anō ka whakahokia a Waireia ki a Te Rarawa.
He tino tangata Katorika a Wiremu Rikihana. Nō te marama o Oketopa i te tau 1882 i iriiria tana wahine me ā rāua tamariki. Nō muri mai i moea e tana tama, e Eruera a Ani Kātete (Cassidy). Hei mokopuna a Ani mā Maraea Te Kurī o Waimā; e ai ki te whakaaro, ko Maraea tētahi o ngā Māori tuatahi i riro hei Katorika. I piri hono a Wiremu Rikihana ki te whānau Katorika o tōna hoa, o Hōne (John) Bidois o Te Puna, e tata tonu ana ki Tauranga. Piri hono ake anō a ia ki te iwi o Ngāi Te Rangi. He mea whakarite nāna kia whā ngā mārena i waenga i ngā tamariki wāhine o Kaihū me ngā tamariki tāne o Te Puna. Ka toru i tutuki pai.
Mai i te tau 1923 ki 1930 he mema a Wiremu Rikihana nō te Kaunihera Ture (Legislative Council). I tōna ekenga atu kua māuiui kē a ia, ā, ko tēnā pea te take i kore ai a ia i whakatūria anō. Ka torutoru noa nei āna whakaputa kōrero. Heoi anō, nō te tau 1926 i kaha tana whakahē kia whakaakona te whakapono ki roto ki ngā kura kāwanatanga. He mataku nōna kei noho hei take tauwehe kē i ngā hāhi, ā, ki tōna whakaaro, he pai kē atu te waiho mā ngā mātua, tēnā kē mā ngā māhita e ako. Nō te 10 o Hūrae 1933 i hinga mai a Wiremu Rikihana i Kaihū, ā, nehua ana a ia i te urupā Katorika o reira. Kua mate noa atu tōna hoa wahine me ā rāua tamariki, ēngari tekau mā tahi āna mokopuna i mahue ake i muri i a ia.