Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Makitānara, Tuiti
1874–1932
Nō Rangitāne, nō Ngāti Kuia; he tangata mahi pāmu, he tangata tapahi harakeke, he kaiwhiriwhiri kōti whenua, he kaitōrangapū
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Anthony Patete, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1998. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Nō te 8 o Ākuhata i te tau 1874 i whānau ai a Tuiti Makitānara (Sweet MacDonald) ki te pūau o Kaituna (Havelock) ki ngā kokorutanga o Te Wairau (Marlborough). Nō Rangitāne, nō Ngāti Kuia, nō Ngāti Apa me Mua-ūpoko ōna kāwai. Ko te tamaiti tuarua, me te tama pakeke ia a Rina Puhipuhi Meihana rāua ko Teoti Hōri (George) Makitānara (MacDonald), te kaihāpai o Rangitāne i te tūnga o te Kōti Whenua Māori i te tau 1892, ki te whiriwhiri i te kaupapa tuangahuru o Te Waipounamu. He tama hoki te pāpā o Rina, a Meihana Kereopa, nā te tino rangatira rā, nā Kereopa Ngārangi o Ngāti Kuia me Ngāti Apa, rāua ko tana wahine, ko Hana Whiro, ko ia te mokopuna tuarua a te rangatira rā, a Te Horo.
Tērā pea a Tuiti i te kura i Wakamarino (Canvastown), e ruarua māero te tawhiti mai i te pūau o Kaituna, ēngari i te nuinga o te wā nāna tonu ia i ako. I takahuri a Tuiti ki te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti mō te Hunga Tapu o ngā Rā o Muri Nei (Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints), arā, ki te Hāhi Mōmona. I te ekenga o ōna tau ki te tekau mā whā i mahi pāmu rāua ko tana pāpā i Te Wairau me Tōtaranui (Queen Charlotte Sound). Nō muri he tapahi harakeke te mahi a Tuiti i Te Wairau me Te Awahou (Foxton); ka hipa nei te wā ka whakauru atu ia ki te uniana o te mira harakeke o te rohe o Manawatū, noho ake ana e toru tekau tau tana roa e mahi harakeke ana. He tope puihi, he kutikuti hipi, he keri kōura anō hoki āna mahi, ā, he tangata rongonui anō hoki ia ki ngā tākaro nei, ki te kirikiti me te whutupaoro. Nō te tau 1889 pea ia i moe ai i a Karaitiana Makerika (McGregor) he mokopuna tuarua nā Tūtepourangi, te rangatira rā o Ngāti Apa me Ngāti Kuia. I te ekenga atu ki te rau tau hou ka nuku atu a Makitānara ki Kōputaroa, e pātata atu rā ki Taitoko (Levin), pāmu ai. I Hōkio anō hoki ia e noho ana.
E tamariki tonu ana a Makitānara ka tīmata te puta haere o tōna rongo hei tumu kōrero mō Rangitāne, ā, riro ana nāna i āwhina a Te Peehi (Elsdon Best) rāua ko W. J. Elvy ki te kohi haere i ngā kōrero tuku iho o te wā kāinga. I tū anō hoki ia hei mema mō te Kaunihera Māori o te Takiwā o Arapawa (Arapawa District Māori Council), ā, tino nui ana te nuku atu o tōna mōhio ki ngā ture e pā ana ki te mahi ahu whenua a te Māori. Pērā anō i tana pāpā me tana teina, me Pita, he kanohi anō hoki a Makitānara nō tōna iwi i ngā whakahaere a te Kōti Whenua Māori. I te tau 1899, i te wawaetanga i ngā whenua tūturu o te iwi i Te Wairau ki waenganui i a Ngāti Rārua, i a Ngāti Toa me Rangitāne, tohua ana e Rangitāne ko Makitānara tō rātou kanohi. Whakatūria ana hoki ia hei kaitiaki mō ngā whenua rāhui o Rangitāne.
Nō te tau 1908 i karangatia e Mere Hapareta Rore he pakirehua hei tiro i tana whakapae, arā, te mahi hē a Makitānara, nāna tonu i āwhina te iwi ki te kohi moni hei whakatū whare karakia Mōmona ki runga i tētahi wāhanga o te whenua rāhui o Rangitāne. Ko te take whakaepaepa a Rore ko te mahi tāpuke a Makitānara me te Hāhi i tana tamaiti ki tētahi wāhi o taua whenua rā. Kore rawa i kitea e te tiati o te Kōti Whenua Māori, e Michael Gilfedder te hē o tana mahi, ēngari i tūtohua e ia kia whakatūria e ngā Māori o reira tētahi māngai mō rātou hei mahi mai i te taha o Makitānara, tirotiro ai i te tika o āna mahi.
Nō te tau 1904 i tono ai a Makitānara i te kāwanatanga kia āwhinatia a Rangitāne ki te whakamahi i ngā whenua rāhui i Panaruawhiti (Endeavour Inlet) mō ngā Māori kore whenua. I te mutunga mai kore kau i pahure te aha. I whai wāhi anō hoki a Makitānara ki ngā petihana ki te kāwanatanga me te Kōti Whenua Māori e tono ana kia whakatauria nō wai ngā poraka whenua o Tarawera me Tātara-ā-kina i Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawke's Bay), me te wete atu hoki i ngā paihere hoko atu i aua whenua rā.
Ko te mātauranga anō hoki tētahi o ngā aronga o Makitānara. Atu i te tau 1895 i whai wāhi rāua ko tana teina, ko Hōri ki te Komiti Kura Māori o Te Wairau (Wairau Native School Committee); mai i te tau 1901 i noho ai ko Makitānara hei tiamana mō taua komiti. Nō te tau 1907 i puta ai te whakapae a Makitānara rāua ko Rewi Maaka mō te mahi uruhi a te Hāhi Mihinare i ngā tamariki o ngā kura o Whangarae me Ōkoha ki te haere ki ngā karaehe tohutohu i te whakapono. Kore rawa i kitea he mahi pērā a te Hāhi e te poari whakaako o Te Wairau (Marlborough Education Board).
I te pakarutanga mai o te Pakanga Tuatahi i whai wāhi anō a Makitānara ki te whakataritari i ngā Māori ki te haere ki te whawhai. Ruarua nei ana irāmutu i hinga atu i te pae o te pakanga; i hoki hauā tonu mai tētahi o ana tama, ā, kore rawa hoki i pai ake. Nā runga i te kore i tika o te tiaki me te kore i tika o te whakanohonoho i ngā hōia Māori ka hoki mai nei ki te kāinga, i kōhau ai a Makitānara nāna nei rātou i tono kia haere ki te whawhai.
Nā te kaupapa Reipa i uru atu ai a Makitānara ki ngā mahi tōrangapū. Nā te mea he kaiuta kaipuke tana mahi, i whai wāhi pea ia ki te porotū nui o te tau 1913, ā, whāia hoki ka rihariha katoa nei ia ki ngā pūrongo a te Rōpū Riwhōma (Reform Party). Ki tāna hoki he tauaro kē te mahi a te rōpū nei i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Nō te tau 1925, i tautohea e ia te tūru mō te rohe Māori ki Te Tonga, ā, nā te paku nui noa ake o ngā pōti i mau tonu ai i a H. W. Uru tōna tūranga. Nō te tau 1928 i tū ai a Makitānara mō te Rōpū Unaititi (United Party), ā, nā runga i te pōti kotahi a te āpiha kaute ka rahua e ia a Eruera Tirikātene. Mau tonu ana i a ia tana tūru i te tau 1931, ā, nuku atu te rahi o ngā pōti i riro i a ia. I tū anō hoki ia hei mema mō te Poari Whakapapa (Board of Māori Ethnological Research) me te Poari Whakamana mō te Tahua Take Māori (Māori Purposes Fund Control Board). I te tau 1930 i uru atu anō hoki ia ki te mahi whakakaupapa i tētahi petihana Rātana hei whakature i te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Tino whakamīharo ana a Makitānara ki a Apirana Ngata. Ki tā Makitānara hoki hāunga anake mō te Māori te pai o ngā mahi ahu whenua a Ngata, ēngari hei painga kē mō te motu katoa. Nō te tau 1930 i haere tahi rāua ko Ngata ki ētahi nohoanga Māori i Te Waipounamu, ā, ko te mutunga mai, whakaurua mai ana ngā whenua o Te Wairau, o Ōraka me Kāwhakaputaputa ki te kaupapa nei. Nā te kaikiri o Ngāi Tahu i Murihiku (Southland) ki ngā kaupapa e ahu mai ana i te kāwanatanga, i kore ai rātou i pai i te tuatahi ki te take a Makitānara rāua ko Ngata.
Nō te tau 1925 i tū ai te Kōti Whenua Māori ki Tuahiwi hei whakarite ko wai e whai wāhi ana ki te moni e £354,000 te nui, he mea utu mai hei kāpeneheihana mō te hokonga a Te Keepa (H. T. Kemp). Inarā, nō te tau 1848, i hokona mai e Te Keepa tētahi whenua rahi tonu nei i Ngā Pākihi-whakatekateka-a-Waitaha (Canterbury). Tino tautohea ana e ngā pakeke o Ngāi Tahu te tono a Makitānara nā runga i tana tātai heke iho mai i ētahi o ngā hapū o Ngāti Māmoe, kātahi ka āhei ia ki taua tahua rā; ki aua pakeke hoki i waho kē atu i te rohe i hokona atu rā ngā tūpuna o Makitānara e noho ana. Ahakoa kāore i whakaaetia tana kerēme me tērā a tōna whānau, kore rawa i mutu āna tonotono ki te Pāremata kia whakatutukitia ngā mamae o Ngāi Tahu. Nō te tau 1929 i whakatūria ia hei mema mō te Poari Kaitiaki o Ngāi Tahu (Ngāi Tahu Trust Board). Ā, i runga i āna tohutohu, i tū he komiti hei āwhina i te kōti ki te whiriwhiri i ngā āhua me te whakatikatika hoki i te rārangi īngoa o te hunga whai pānga.
Mate ohorere noa ana a Tiiti Makitānara i te 24 o Hune 1932 i Hōkio e pātata ana ki Taitoko. E hia tau kē nei ia e pāngia tonutia ana e te mate. Nā te Hāhi Mōmona ia i tuku ki te kōpū o te whenua, ruarua nei ngā rangi i muri mai o te matenga. He mea tāpuke ia ki runga puke i te urupā o te whānau i Hōkio, ā, ka mahue ake ko tana wahine me ā rāua tamariki tokowaru.