Dictionary of New Zealand Bography logo

Kōrero: Te Wherowhero, Piupiu

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Te Wherowhero, Piupiu

1886/1887?–1937

Nō Ngāti Mahuta; he wahine whai mana

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

Tērā pea ko 1886, ko 1887 kē rānei te tau o te whānautanga mai o Piupiu Te Wherowhero ki Whatiwhatihoe kāinga i Waikato. I puta ia hei tamāhine mā Te Wherowhero Tāwhiao o Ngāti Mahuta; ko ia te tamaiti tuatoru, tama tuarua hoki a Tāwhiao Matutaera Pōtatau Te Wherowhero. Nō Ngāti Tamaoho o Te Kūiti tōna whaea a Tamirangi Manahi.

He iti ngā tuhinga e mau ana mō te wā o tōna taiohinga me te wā i whakatupuria ai a ia. Ko te whakaaro he wā pea nei ia e kuraina ana i te kura tuatahi o Te Paina (Mercer). He rite ia ki tōna tuakana, ki a Te Puea Hērangi, he wahine pūkeke, he wahine whakatopatopa. Ki te whakaaro o te tini o ngā nūpepa Pākehā o taua wā, he pirinihi tonu a Piupiu. Nā te mea i tukua e tōna matua kēkē, e Mahuta (te tuatoru o ngā Kīngi Māori) te kīngitanga ki tōna teina, ki a Te Wherowhero, arā, ki te pāpā o Piupiu, mai i 1903 ki 1910, ka nuku kē atu te tūranga rangatira o Piupiu. Koia ēnei ngā tau i tū ai a Mahuta i roto i te rūnanga matua o te kāwanatanga me te Kaunihera Ture (Legislative Council). Mai i a ia e tamariki ana i waia tonu ai a Piupiu ki te mahi whakahōnore, whakanui a te tangata i a ia, tae atu ki ngā hui ōkawa, hui wehi nei te tapu me te wairua. I ētehi wā nei ka mau kē te wehi o te momo kākahu e mau ake ana ia, e rite ana ki te tikanga o taua wā. Ēngari, he tino iti rawa atu ngā moni a te Kīngitanga Māori hei pou i a rātou, ā, nā ngā whenua i murua rā i kaha ake ai te rawakore o tōna ake iwi tēnā i ngā iwi o wāhi kē. I ētehi wā anō, ko rātou ko Te Puea me ngā wāhine ēnā, kei ngā māra kai, kei ngā hereumu kē rānei e mahi ana.

Nō te tata paunga o te tau 1911, ka mate te matua o Piupiu. Tekau mā tahi marama i muri iho, ka hinga mai a Mahuta. Ka whakawahia ko te tangata whakatōngā nei, e rite tonu nei te pāngia e te mate, ko Te Rata, hei Kīngi hou. He wāhi nui tō ngā wāhine o te kāhui ariki; ko Te Marae (te whaea o Te Rata) rātou ko Te Puea me Piupiu ētehi e ārahi ana, e waha ake ana te kawenga o te kīngitanga o Te Rata. Ko te āhua nei, nā Te Marae i whakarite te mārena o Piupiu ki a Kainuku Vaikai, ki te whanaunga o Mākea Nui o te whānau ariki o Rarotonga. Ko te tāne tuarua a Piupiu ko Hīroka Hetet, i mōhiotia anō ko Hīkaka Hetet. Ko Ngātai Ruihi Hetet rāua ko Mata Lana ngā mātua o Hīroka. Ahakoa nō Ngāti Maniapoto tahi rāua, he hononga anō ō rāua ki a Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Nō muri mai i tana mārenatanga ka karangatia a Piupiu i ētehi wā ko Piupiu Hetet. I puta ake ētehi uri i ana mārena e rua.

I a Piupiu e noho ana i roto i a Ngāti Maniapoto, koia tōna pānga ki te whakapono o Rātana. Ko Piupiu te amorangi o tētehi wāhanga kaha o ngā pononga a Rātana i roto i te Kīngitanga. Ko ōna hoa tino tata o te whānau i roto i taua rōpū nei ko Tupu Taingākawa rāua ko te matua kēkē o Piupiu, ko Haunui Tāwhiao. I kite a Rātana ko Piupiu te ara mā reira nei e kume mai a Te Rata ki roto ki te kaupapa Rātana. Kāore e kore i Waahi a Piupiu i te Hepetema o 1922, i te wā o tētehi whakamātatau maikiroa ki te hohou i te rongo i waenganui i ngā ngārahu tokorua nei. Nō te wā o taua toronga nei, mahue mārika ana i te tira Rātana te kawa tika te whai. E ai ki te Kīngi metōna kāhui he mahi whakaiti taua mahi i a rātou. Pū ana te riri i whakawehe mai i te kaupapa Rātana i tērā o te kaupapa Kīngitanga, ā, kīhai rawa i whakatauria tūturutia te maungārongo i waenganui i aua kaupapa nei i te wā i a Piupiu e ora ana.

Hei aha mā Piupiu, ka whai tonu ia i tōna huarahi i roto i te Kīngitanga. Puta noa i te wā i a ia e ora ana i ū tonu tana piripono ki a Rātana. Riro tonu ana ko rāua ko Haunui Tāwhiao ki te manaaki i ngā hui Rātana, ā, nāna tonu i tuku ngā tono ki ngā manuhiri kia haere atu, me ko te reo kōrero ia mō te Kīngitanga katoa. Nā ēnei mahi āna i tutū haere tonu ai te puehu i waenganui i a rāua ko Te Puea. Kīhai a Te Puea i mōhio menā he poropiti tūturu rānei a Rātana, he tangata tinihanga noa iho rānei, ā, he mea ātete tonu e ia ngā whakamātautau a Piupiu me tōna wehenga Rātana kei riro noa i a rātou te whakahaere o te Kīngitanga.

Pērā i a Te Puea rā, i whāia e Piupiu te ara i takahia e tērā ki te whawhai i ngā kino o te noho kore whenua, kore kāinga, o te tahumaero me te rawakore i waenganui i tōna ake iwi. Ko te tekau tau atu i 1920 tonu pea te wā i whakahauhautia ai e Te Rata a Piupiu ki te whakatū kāinga hou anō, ko Kēnana te īngoa tuatahi, ki runga ki te whenua ake o Piupiu. He mea hanga ngā whare tuatahi ki te pēke, ā, he pouaka penehīni nei ngā tūru. Kore nei tētehi paku āwhina i puta mai i te kāwanatanga, i tētehi atu wāhi rānei. Tino uaua te mahi a te iwi o Kēnana ki te ahu i te whenua, ki te rui ki te karaihe, ki te hoko kau mai hei miraka. Kia ora noa ai te tangata he mahi anō ko te whakatupu i ngā hua kai, arā, i te rīwai, i te kūmara, i te paukena, i te kamokamo me te kānga hoki. He whenua kōreporepo taua wāhi, ā, waipuke ai. Taihoa ake ka nekehia e Piupiu te papanga o taua kāinga nei ki tētehi wāhi kei runga ake. Kāore ngā mahi i mahia e Piupiu i rīpoatatia e ngā nūpepa Pākehā pērā i ā rātou rīpoata mō ngā mahi a Te Puea, ā, mō te roanga ake o tōna koiora ko ia tēnā e whakapau ana i ōna kaha, hei mahi noa ake, kāre i kōrerotia, kāre he aha.

Nō te tau 1931, ka tautokona e Piupiu tētehi o ngā wheao a Rātana, a Pēpene Eketone hei kaiwhakauru ki te Pāremata mō te tūru Māori o Te Tai Hauāuru. Nā tēnei mahi āna i whakaatu, arā, e ātete ana ia i ērā katoa atu o te kāhui ariki, nā te mea, e manako tonu ana hoki ērā ki a Māui Pōmare. I te tau 1928, i hiahia kē a Rātana ko tāna tama ake, ko Tokouru hei kaiwhakauru, ēngari i whakaae ia me unu a Tokouru i te tūru, kia āhei ai te tuku ki te tangata tautapa i a Te Rata. Ko te āhua nei e rangirua tonu ana ngā whakaaro o te kāhui ariki tae noa ki te pōtitanga o 1931, ā, nā whai anō rā i tarea tonutia ai e Piupiu a Eketone te tautoko.

I ngā tau o 1932 me 1933, i mua tata tonu i tōna hinganga, i whakamātau a Te Rata ki te wete mai i a Piupiu, e ū pono tonu nei ana ki te kaupapa Rātana. Heoi anō, ū kaha tonu ana a Piupiu rāua ko Haunui ki te kukume mai i a Te Rata ki te whakapono o Rātana. Tau rawa ki 1934, ko Piupiu tēnā e whakawhere ana i tōna awe ki runga ki te Kīngi hou, ki a Korokī, te pikitūranga o Te Rata. Kāore i roa i muri iho kua ara mai anō he tautohe hou. Nā Haunui rāua ko Piupiu i akiaki a Korokī kia haere atu ki Rātana pā, te whakaae kē ai ki te tono a Ngāti Porou kia haere atu ki Tokomaru ki te whakatuwhera i tō rātou whare nui. Nō te taenga atu o tētehi ope kāwai ariki o Rarotonga ki Tokomaru, ka tukua mā rātou kē e whakatuwhera. Whakatakariri tonu nei ana a Te Puea me ērā atu o ngā kaiārahi o te Kīngitanga mō te whakahāweatanga i a rātou, ā, i muri tonu mai pakaru ake ana tētehi riri nui i waenganui i te kāhui ariki. I taea e Apirana Ngata te hohou te maungārongo i waenganui i ngā wehenga o te Kīngitanga i tana ārahitanga atu i te tira o Rarotonga ki reira.

Rima tekau ngā tau o Piupiu Te Wherowhero i tana hinganga mai i Arapuni i te 29 o Oketopa 1937. I haria te tūpāpaku ki runga o Taupiri Maunga nehu ai i te 2 o Noema. I mahue mōrehu mai ko tana hoa tāne, ko Hīkaka Hētet, me ngā tamariki 10 te maha o ōna mārena e rua. Nō te tau 1959 a Hīkaka i mate ai. He hanga tū anō te wahine nei a Piupiu, arā, he manawanui, he pūkenga, he tū motuhake, ā, ko ia nei te tohu o ētehi take i kōkiritia: arā rā, ki te whakahoki ake i te ora ki te iwi rawakore nā te muru raupatu i whakangoikore, me te hanga hou i tā rātou noho; ki te tuku anō kia whakaaetia te whakapono o Rātana i waenganui i ngā kaingārahu me te iwi o te Kīngitanga. He tauira anō hoki a ia mō ngā āhuatanga o te kaiārahi kaha rawa e whakaaturia mai ana e te huhua noa o ngā wāhine o te kāhui ariki o Waikato.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Angela Ballara. 'Te Wherowhero, Piupiu', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1996. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/3t26/te-wherowhero-piupiu (accessed 19 March 2024)