Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Jaram, Matekoraha Te Peehi
1902–1978
Nō Ngāti Maru, nō Ngāti Awa, nō Ngāti Pūkeko; he wahine raranga, he wahine mahi kaka, he poutoko iwi
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e E. M. Tutua, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2000. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Nō te 27 o Pēpuere o te tau 1902 i whānau ai a Matekoraha Te Peehi Rangihika, ko Bessie tōna īngoa e mōhiotia ana, i Whiritoa, he kāinga Ringatū pakupaku noa nei i waenganui i Waihī me Whangamatā. Ko Rangihika Kereopa tōna pāpā, ko Ngāti Maru tōna iwi. I Parihaka ngā pakeke o Rangihika e noho ana, ā, nō te wā o te murunga o ngā whenua i te rau tau mai i 1800, i hūnuku atu rāua ki Hauraki. Nō muri rawa mai, i tāpaehia atu e ngā kuia o Rangihika, e Pakanga rāua ko Niwa – he wāhine rāua ngātahi nō Taranaki – he whāriki hei poapoa i a ia kia hoki mai ki Parihaka, kia whakahoua ai ōna hononga ki te hapori rā; kāti, nā te kore i whai take i kore ai ia i hoki atu. Ko te māmā o Matekoraha, ko Mihimere Mōkai, hei mokopuna tuarua mā Mōkai, te rangatira o Ngāti Pūkeko, nāna rā i haina te Tiriti o Waitangi i te toka o Pōhaturoa i Whakatāne.
I tipu ake a Matekoraha me ana tungāne, tuākana, tāina, tokowaru katoa nei rātau, e kōrero Māori ana, me te whakapono kaha anō hoki ki ngā whanonga tika. I te tau 1909 ko ia tētahi o ngā tauira tuatahi ki te kura Māori o te kokoru o Mataora, he mea whakatū i taua wā tonu mō te iwi kāinga. I reira i tōkia a ia kia tino pai ai tana kōrero me te tuhi i te reo Ingarihi. I tino mātau anō hoki ia ki ngā akoranga pāngarau, me te mātai matawhenua, ā, i a ia e taiohi tonu ana i mōhio ai a Matekoraha ki te tika o te whai mātauranga i roto i te ao e kaha ake nei te whakatopatopa o te Pākehā.
Nō te mutunga o tana kura, i hoki ai a Matekoraha ki ngā whenua o tana māmā i Whakatāne noho ai, i reira i whakaakona ia ki te mahi raranga e tōna whaea (he mōhio hōhonu anō hoki ōna ki ngā tipu). I tohutohungia anō hoki ia ko tēhea o ngā otaota, rākau kē rānei hei whakatae i te harakeke, i te kiekie, me ngā mea tika anō hoki hei mahi rongoā. I a ia ka pakeke haere, i pūmau tonu ia ki te tuku atu i ana mōhio ki ētahi atu, me tana āta tohutohu anō i te taha tikanga Māori mō ērā tū mahi.
Nō te 11 o Tīhema i te tau 1919, i Whakatāne, i moea e ia a Narsay Jaram, he tangata nō Īnia, he whakahekenga iho nō ngā Gujarati o Bombay. I tīmata mai te mahi a Narsay, ko Ned te īngoa kārangaranga, i Te Kūiti, he tuitui kaka, mahi uhi tana mahi. Nō muri iho i huakina e ia ētahi toa anō i Te Puke me Whakatāne. I ngā tau ruarua tuatahi o muri tonu mai i tō rāua moenga, i pau katoa te kaha o Narsay ki te whakahaere i ēnei toa e toru, ēngari i te mutunga mai toe noa ana ko te toa i Whakatāne. He tangata i aro nuitia a ia e te hunga pakihi o te rohe, ā, he tangata i tino mōhiotia mō tōna pai ki te mahi kaka. Ka haere nei, ka puta hoki te rongo o Matekoraha ki te mahi kaka me tana āwhina anō hoki ki te whakahaere i tā rāua pakihi. He nui ngā tono ki a rāua i te rā tonu i mua atu i tētahi hui nui, ki te whakatika, ki te tuitui mai rānei i tētahi kaka. Pai noa ana te oti i a Narsay te hūtu toru pīhi nei i te rā kotahi, he mīhini waewae takahi noa tana mīhini tuitui.
He wahine ngākau kaha a Matekoraha, he huatau, he wahine i kaha tana whakauru atu ki ngā mahi a te iwi whānui. Ko ia tētahi o ngā kaiwhakaara i te kīhini me te whare kai hei mahi moni mō te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao, ā, i tino tautokona hoki e ia te Rīpeka Whero (Red Cross). Ko ērā atu anō o ngā rōpū nāna anō i āwhina atu, ko te rōpū whakapaipai i Whakatāne (Whakatāne Beautifying Society), ko ngā matataua taitama me ngā kaiārahi wāhine, ko te rōpū āwhina i ngā tamariki hauā o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Crippled Children Society), ko te rōpū hītori o Whakatāne me ōna rohe (Whakatāne and District Historical Society) me te rōpū tiaki ngahere, tiaki manu o te motu (Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand). Noho ake ana a ia hei tino pononga mā te Hāhi Mihingare, tino hoa pūmau hoki ia ki te minita Mihingare, ki a Wharetini Rangi.
He wahine i whakapau i ōna kaha ki te whakapai ake i ngā āhuatanga o te Māori: whakauru atu ana a ia i a ia ki ngā komiti marae o tōna rohe, ā, nāna hoki i tīmata te peka o te rohe nei mō te Rōpū Wāhine Toko i te Ora (Māori Women’s Welfare League) i te tekau tau atu i 1960. Nāna anō i hāpai ngā mahi toi Māori, he whakahau nei tana mahi i ngā wāhine ki te whakaatu i ā rātau mahi ā-ringa i ngā rā whakakitekite o ngā rōpū ahu whenua o te rohe. I ngā tau tōmua o te tekau tau atu i 1950, i kitea e ia he wāhi putunga nui o te paru pango, tino kaitā kē nei, i ngā taha o te awa o Whakatāne, he pai nei hei tae whītau; taetae ake ana ngā kairaranga i ngā wāhi tawhiti pērā i Tūranga (Gisborne) ki te tiki i taua paru. Nā runga anō i te tikanga ake o te paru nei, i āta tohua ai tēnei wāhi e te kaunihera takiwā tāone o Whakatāne (Whakatāne Borough Council).
He pērā anō hoki te aro nuitia o Narsay i roto i tōna ake iwi. Ahakoa e ngau tonu ana ngā tikanga wehe i ngā tātai ki waenganui i ngā tāngata o Īnia kātahi anō ka ū mai ki Niu Tīreni, nā tōna rawe i pōtitia ai ia hei māngai ki te rōpū matua mō ngā tāngata o Īnia i roto o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Indian Central Association). Ko te nuinga o ana kaipōti he kaimahi ahu whenua, he tāngata mahi pāmu, me ērā atu hoki he hoa kaipakihi nei nōna.
He wāhi tuwhera tonu tō rāua kāinga ki te hunga haere, hiahia moenga rānei, wāhi kapu tī rānei i te wā e hokohoko ana te mahi i te tāone. I ētahi wā e noho tahi ana te Māori, te Pākehā me ngā tāngata o Īnia i tō rāua kāinga. He auau tonu te mahi whakatū rā hokohoko a Matekoraha, arā, mā tēnā tonu e hari mai āna rawa hei hoko atu, hei hoko mai rānei. He pērā anō ngā mahi toi. Ko ia anō hoki ki te toha rongoā atu mō ngā mate itiiti noa nei, pērā i tētahi rongoā pani i mahia mai e ia i te pūngāwhā me te hinu, hei pani i ngā mate pēnei i te ipuipu nei, me ngā rongoā i mahia mai e ia i ngā otaota māori mō ngā mate kōea, mate kōreke me te niho tunga. Otirā i tino whakapono ia kia riro mā ngā tākuta, kua tohua nei ki tērā mahi, ngā mate taumaha e whakaora.
Tokoono ā rāua tama, tokotoru ā rāua tamāhine, ā, e hia atu hoki ngā tamariki whāngai nā rāua i āwhina te whakatipu. He wahine i whakapono a Matekoraha ki te hua o te mātauranga, i riro katoa mai nei i ana tamariki i roto i ngā kura. Tokotoru ā rāua tama i haere ki te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao; i uru rātau ki te taua noho i te whenua o Hapanihi; i muri iho ka whakawhiti tētahi ki Kōrea. Tokorua ana tama i haere hei āpiha toko i te ora mā te Tari Māori; tokotoru i noho hei kaiwhakahaere mā te kamupene o Tāhimana (Tasman Pulp and Paper Company). He āpiha matua mō ngā pirihimana tētahi o āna irāmutu, he mea whāngai e ia.
He rite tonu a Matekoraha ki ngā wāhine i moe tāne nō whenua kē, he rite tonu te aro nuitia e te Māori, e te Pākehā me ngā tāngata o Īnia, i taea e ia te tango mai ētahi tikanga a tēnā, a tēnā hei painga mōna. Mau pono ia ki te tapu o te whānau, me tana whakapono anō me whai wāhi tonu ia tangata ki te whakapau i ana kaha mō tana hapori hei painga mō te katoa. Kāore a Matekoraha i whakawhiwhia ki ngā tohu whakahōnore, ēngari kitea noatia tōna aroha ki tōna iwi i te aro nui atu o te tangata ki a ia. I mate ia ki Whakatāne i te 20 o Hepetema i te tau 1978, ko ana tamariki ana whakarerenga iho. Ko tana tāne ko Narsay Jaram, tekau mā rima tau te matenga atu i mua i a ia.