Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Takarangi, Rangitaamo Tiahuia
1901–1992
Nō Ngāti Hauiti, nō Ngāti Hine; he āpiha toko i te ora Māori, he kaihautū hapori
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Angela Ballara rāua ko Liz Stretch, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2000. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
I whānau a Rangitaamo Tiahuia Taiuru i Waimoho, e pātata atu rā ki Rangiriri i te rohe o Waikato, i te 24 o Hūrae o te tau 1901. Ko tōna whaea, ko Paretauhanga Rīwhero, nō Ngāti Hine o Waikato; ko tōna matua, ko Moroati Taiuru nō Rātā i te takiwā ki Rangitīkei, ā, nā te mea he karangatanga hapū nōna a Ngāti Hauiti, a Ngāti Haukaha, a Ngāti Hikairo, me Ngāti Whiti-Tama – arā, nā ngā moetanga o ngā hapū o Ngāti Tamakōpiri me Ngāti Whitikaupeka i noho ai ko Ngāti Whiti-Tama – i whai pānga ia ki a Ngāti Tūwharetoa rāua ko Ngāti Kahungunu. I mua i tana whānautanga mai i mate katoa atu ngā kōhungahunga a ōna mātua. I te hapūtanga anō o Paretauhanga, ko tō rāua haerenga atu tēnā ki Waikato ki te uiui i a Mahuta, te Kīngi Māori. Ko te kōrero a Mahuta ki a rāua, e noho riri kē ana te tangata ki a Paretauhanga nā te mea he puhi, wahine rangatira taiohi kē ia, he mea nui ki tōna iwi tōna mārenatanga, ā, mahue noa ana te kāinga i Waikato i te haringa atu a Moroati i a ia. Ko te kī atu a Mahuta, me noho tonu rāua ki Waikato, ā, ki te whānau mai he tamaiti wahine me tapa ko Taamorangi Tiahuia Taiuru Te Rango. I muri o tana whānautanga mai, he mea karanga kē ia ko Rangitaamo. Ka noho a Rangitaamo me ōna pakeke ki Waikato, ā, kuraina ana ia ki te kura o Rangiriri. Ēngari nō te pānga mai o te mate koroputaputa, ko te hokinga atu tēnā o te whānau ki Rātā. Pihi ana te pā harakeke, tokowhitu ā rāua tamariki.
I pakeke mai a Rangitaamo i Rātā i te pāmu a tōna matua. I ngā wā kāore ia i te kura, i mahi tahi rāua ko tōna matua. He pai ake ki a Rangitaamo te miraka kau, te mahi ahu whenua, tērā i ngā mahi tahitahi whare e mahia mai rā e tōna whaea. I haere atu hoki a Rangitaamo rāua ko tōna kuia, ko Te Maari Maatūāhu, ko ia te whaea o tōna matua, ki te tūtaki whanaunga, haere kē rānei ki ngā hui a te Kōti Whenua Māori. Tekau mā whitu ōna tau, i a ia ka haere ki ngā whakakitekitenga i Taihape, ka tūtaki ia ki a Tenga-i-te-rangi Takarangi. Nō te whānau rongonui o Takarangi Metekīngi a Tenga, arā, nō Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi o Wanganui. He pānga anō ōna ki a Ngāti Whiti-Tama o Ngāti Tūwharetoa. He whanaunga tata te whānau o te matua o Rangitaamo ki ngā Takarangi, otirā, taketake mai rātou nō te takiwā kotahi. Taumautia ake ana a Rangitaamo rāua ko Tenga e ō rāua whānau. Kotahi nei tā rāua tama me te tamāhine; e rua tau te pakeke o te kōtiro nei ka mate. Nō taua wā anō (nō te tau 1932) i whiwhi tamāhine anō a Rangitaamo – tamāhine whāngai rā – ā, whakatūturutia ake ana e rāua ko Tenga tō rāua mārenatanga. I mate tā rāua tama i te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao.
I kuraina a Tenga Takarangi i te kura tuarua o Wanganui (Wanganui Collegiate School), ā, ka whai mahi nei ia hei tauira pāmu, hei kaimahi ahu whenua hoki. He tino kaihautū ia nō te marae o Pūtiki, ā, i te marae anō hoki a Rangitaamo e mahi ana. Tīmata mai ana tana mahi i te wāhi tunu kai me te whare kai hoki. Taihoa nei, ka ako ia i te kawa o te marae, ā, nāwai, nāwai, ka tonoa ko ia hei kaikaranga i ngā ope whakaeke. Ko tētahi o ana pōwhiri tuatahi ko tērā ki ngā hōia e hoki mai ana i te Pakanga Tuatahi o te Ao. Ko ia tētahi o ngā mema whakapūmau o te karapu Māori o Pūtiki (Pūtiki Māori Club), ā, taihoa ake ka noho nei ko ia hei kaiwhakaako i ngā mahi waiata, i te mahi karanga me te whaikōrero. I whai wāhi atu anō hoki ia ki ngā mahi tukutuku, hei whakarākei i ngā whare nui o ngā marae o Kai Iwi me Koriniti, i te whare karakia Māori i Pūtiki, i te Whare Karakia Nui o Hoani Te Kaikauhau (St John’s Cathedral) i Ahuriri (Napier), me te Kāreti o Hato Pāora (Hato Pāora College) i Aorangi (Feilding).
Nō te tau 1942 i uru atu a Tenga hei kaimahi mā te Tari Māori (Native Department). Nā runga tonu i ōna pūmanawa kaiārahi, me tana tūranga i te marae o Pūtiki e hiwa tonu nei, tāpiri atu ki te whānuitanga o ngā mahi me ngā tūhonohono tangata a tōna hoa rangatira, i hua ai te whakaaro, arā, ko Rangitaamo tonu te mea tika hei whakakī i te tūranga āpiha toko i te ora mō te rohe o Wanganui. Ko tēnei tūranga i whakatūria i raro i te pekanga hou e kīia nei ko te wāhanga toko i te ora Māori (Māori Welfare Division) o te Tari Māori. Nō te marama o Mei o te tau 1947 i tīmata tana mau ake i āna kawenga hou. Ko tōna rohe mahi, ko tērā mai i Pūtiki e piki atu rā i te awa ki Taumarunui, ka tata nei te tae atu ki Te Kūiti. Kapi katoa a Taupō, tētahi wāhanga o Taranaki me te rohe o Turakina i te taha tonga o Wanganui i a Rangitaamo. Ko ngā kaupapa nui āna ake he whakarite whare noho, me te tiaki i te hauora o te hunga Māori e noho pōhara ana. I tua atu i tēnā, i whai hoki ia kia tōtika tonu te āhua o te whakaakoranga mō ngā tamariki. I whakapau ia i te wā nui tonu ki te whakatū me te tautoko i ngā peka o te Rōpū o te Ora (Women’s Health League). E whā tekau mā whitu te maha o ngā peka i tōna rohe, e rima nei e hono ana ki te komiti tumuaki o Rotorua (Rotorua Central Committee). I ngana ia ki te whakatōpū i ngā peka kia iti iho te maha, kia rahi kē ake te hanga o aua peka, kia tōtika kē atu hoki te whakahaere. Nā te mea he pai kē atu ki ngā hapori pakupaku noa nei te mahi mai i roto i ō rātou peka ake i kore, ki tāna, i pahure.
I te tau 1948, i tonoa atu a Rangitaamo kia haere ki te hui a te Rōpū o te Ora, ki te kawe atu i te whakaaro ki a Te Arawa me Tūwharetoa, kia whakatūria he rōpū Māori toko i te ora. Ko te titiro, ka taea e tēnei rōpū te kōrerorero tika atu ki ngā tari kāwanatanga he tiaki nei te mahi i ngā whare noho, i te hauora, i te whakaakoranga me te whai mahi hoki. I whakatakotoria atu e Rangitaamo te kaupapa nei ki mua i te aroaro o ōna whanaunga tonu o Tūwharetoa i te reo Māori, ko tōna hiahia mei i kore e mau tonu ngā paihere atu ki te komiti tumuaki o Rotorua. Nō te tau 1951, i huri haere ia i tōna rohe, āta whakawhere ai i ngā peka o te Rōpū o te Ora kia huri kē mai hei peka mō te Rōpū Wāhine Toko i te Ora (Māori Women’s Welfare League), kātahi anō ka whakatūria atu. I mua tata o te hui tominiona a te Rōpū Wāhine Toko i te Ora, i whakahaerea e Rangitaamo tētahi hui hira kē nei i Pūtiki i te tau 1951, ka tīmata rā te arongia atu o te rōpū hou nei. I te whakatūranga o te Rōpū Wāhine Toko i te Ora, whakanōhia ana a Rangitaamo hei mana whakahaere mō āna mahi i tōna rohe. I ngā tau tōmua o te tekau tau atu i 1950, i tukua atu e ia ngā tono ki te Tari Māori (Department of Māori Affairs) kia whakatūria he peka hou. Ā mutu noa ake te mahi mā Rangitaamo he haere ki te nuinga o ā rātou hui, he āwhina i ngā mahi. I tae atu anō hoki ia ki ngā hui tominiona katoa a te rōpū. Whakaritea ana ko Rangitaamo, ko Rūmātiki Wright me Ema Ōtene te tokotoru hei tiaki i ngā manuhiri kātipa.
I haere tonu āna mahi hei āpiha toko i te ora mō ngā tau tekau mā whā, he haere nei tāna ki ngā hui a te Rōpū Wāhine Toko i te Ora, tae noa ki ngā hui a ngā rōpū maha noa i te takiwā o Pūtiki, ko ngā take rā he tiaki i te hunga e māuiui ana, he whakaako i ngā whāea ki te tiaki tika i te whakatipu mai o ā rātou pēpi, ki te atawhai i te hunga kore kāinga, hunga rawa kore kē rānei, he rapu mahi mā te hunga kāore i te whiwhi mahi, tae noa ki tana hiki i te wairua o te tangata ko ia nei hei kaiwhakaako i ngā āhuatanga katoa o ngā tikanga Māori. Nō te tau 1962, i mana tana whakatā, ā, nō taua tau anō i mate atu tōna hoa rangatira a Tenga. Pūmau tonu te kaha o Rangitaamo ki te waha ake i ngā taumahatanga o te tangihanga ki a Tenga, tae noa ki te hurahanga o tana kōhatu whakamaumaharatanga.
Ahakoa te matenga atu o tōna hoa me tana whakatā iho, i mau tonu te nui o āna mahi. I Ākuhata o te tau 1964, ko ia tētahi o te rōpū wāhine Māori tokowhā nei i rere atu ki Tonga, ki te tekau o ngā hui ā-tau o te rōpū wāhine mō Te Moananui-a-Kiwa me Āhia Paeroa (Pan Pacific and South-East Asia Women’s Association), ko te kaupapa ake o te rōpū rā, ko te tūranga mō te wahine hei pupuri i ngā tikanga tuku iho a te uri tangata. Nā rāua ko Te Arahori Pōtaka – he wahine anō nō Wanganui – i hautū te ope mai i Aotearoa ki ngā mahi waiata, ki ngā mahi poi me ngā haka o te wāhanga ngahau o te hui. Ko te mea tino nui a te hui ki a Rangitaamo, ko tana tūtakitanga ki a Kuini Salote; noho ake ana rāua hei tino hoa.
I ngana tonu te whakaako a Rangitaamo i te reo Māori, tae atu ki ngā mahi toi me ngā mahi hanganga ā-ringa hoki, me tana noho mai anō hoki hei kaumātua mō Pūtiki. Nō te tau 1982, i tonoa a ia kia noho hei kaiwhakaako i ngā tikanga Māori ki a Piriniha Eruera (Edward) i te wā ko ia rā tētahi o ngā kaiwhakaako iti ā-whare i te kura tuarua o Wanganui. I te tau 1984 ka whakawhiwhia a Rangitaamo ki te tohu hapori o Wanganui (Wanganui Community Award). I taua tau anō, i whakawhiwhia a ia e Tā Kīngi Īhaka o Te Waka Toi (Council for Māori and South Pacific Arts) ki te tahua moni $700 mō āna mahi whakatairanga i ngā toi Māori, tikanga Māori, tito waiata atu hoki. Mō āna mahi anō hoki mā te iwi i whakawhiwhia a ia ki te Mētara Whakanui Ratonga a te Kuini (Queen’s Service Medal) i te tau 1986. I mate a Rangitaamo Takarangi ki te Hōhipera o Wanganui i te 5 o Hune o te tau 1992, e iwa tekau ōna tau. I mahue mai tana tamāhine, me te tokomaha o ngā uri whakaheke. I te mutunga o te tangihanga i te marae o Pūtiki, i nehua tonutia a ia ki te urupā o te marae.