Kōrero: Ngāti Porou

Whārangi 2. Ngā roherohenga, me ōna rawa

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Ko te rohe whenua o Ngāti Porou kei te taha rāwhiti rawa o Te Ika-a-Māui, kei roto i ngā rohe whenua o ngā waka o Horouta me Tākitimu. Ko te rohe whenua o te waka o Horouta ka tīmata mai i Te Taumata-ō-Apanui i te raki, ka ahu atu ki te tonga ki Paritū, ka anga atu ki te tuawhenua ki ngā whenua o Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana, kātahi ka tahuri atu ki te raki mā te pae maunga o Raukūmara ki Te Taumata o Apanui. Ko Tūranganui-a-Kiwa te haumitanga o Horouta me te waka o Tākitimu.

Ko te rohe whāiti o Ngāti Porou i tēnei wā i whakaritea i te ture whakamana o Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou (1987), ko te rohe mai i Pōtikirua ki te raki ki te Toka-ā-Taiau, arā, ki te pūwaha o Tūranganui.

Ko ngā whenua o Ngāti Porou e mau nei ināianei, 200,000 heketea. He whenua maunga, he whenua pukepuke, he whenua ātaahua tōna takutai moana. Ko ngā wao-nui-a-Tāne, i topea i ngā rā o te tīmatatanga o te ahuwhenua ki Ngāti Porou. Nō muri i te tau 1950 ka whakatipuria ngā uru rākau paina.

Ko tētahi o ngā mea whakahī ki tēnei iwi ko tōna tū wehenga mai i te ao, ko tōna tū ki runga i tōna tino rangatiratanga – mana motuhake.

Rohe hōu

I ngā tau o te 1800 ka neke ētahi o Ngāti Porou ki Harataunga i Moehau, ki te whenua-tuku a te rangatira, a Paora Te Putu. Koinei anake te heke a Ngāti Porou ki waho ake i tōna rohe noho ai. He takoha tēnei whenua ki a Ngāti Porou, i te mea ka hoki mai rātou i Tāmaki-makau-rau, ka peka atu ki te whakaruru ki Harataunga. Ka tohatohaina e Ngāti Porou ngā painga o te haerenga ki te mahi hokohoko. I tua atu, kua whakawhirinaki mai ki a Ngāti Porou, i runga i te mea e kaha ana hoki ki te mau pū.

Ko te pepeha o te iwi

Ko Hikurangi te maunga
Ko Waiapu te awa
Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi.

Koinei te pepeha nui e rongona ana i roto i ngā huihuinga a Ngāti Porou. Kātahi ka kīnakitia ki ngā waiata e pā ana ki ngā tīpuna pērā i a Māui me tana waka, i a Nukutaimemeha, pērā i a Paikea me tōna kōrero nui.

Ko ngā hapū o Ngāti Porou e kaha ana ki te whakahuahua i a rātou ake pepeha, waiata hoki, i roto i ngā huihuinga.

He pukahu ngā kāinga noho kei ngā whenua tuakahiwi, me ngā takutai moana. Kei ia kāinga ōna kōrero, ōna whakataukī, me ōna pepeha. Koinei ngā tohu whakaū i te mana o ia hapū, o ia whānau.

Ngā maunga me ngā awa

Ko Hikurangi te maunga tino whakaihiihi o te iwi, no te mea e here atu ana ki ngā kōrero o te hīnga mai o Te Ika-a-Māui. I te hīnga ake i tana ika, ko te wāhi tuatahi i puea ake ko Hikurangi tonu. Ka pae tana waka, a Nukutaimemeha ki reira. Ko Hikurangi ano te wāhi whakaahuru o ngā iwi i Te Tai a Ruatapu, i tukua mai hei patu i ngā mōrehu o Te Huripūreiata. Ko te ingoa o Hikurangi kei Rarotonga, kei Tahiti ano.

E whakanuia ana anō te maunga o Hikurangi ki roto i te haka a Ngāti Porou, a Rūaumoko. He mauri tau te ia o te haka i runga i te ngarue o te whenua me te tinana:

He atua! He tangata! He atua! He tangata! Ho!

Ko te awa o Waiapu te awa rongonui o te iwi. Pērā i a Hikurangi, ko te ingoa o Waiapu kei Tahiti. I ngā wā ka tū he pakanga ka huihui ngā iwi, ka whakaruru ki te riu o Waiapu, ā, e mau nei i te whakataukī :

Hoake tāua ki Waiapu ki tātara e maru ana.
Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Tamati Muturangi Reedy, 'Ngāti Porou - Ngā roherohenga, me ōna rawa', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/ngati-porou/page-2 (accessed 29 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Tamati Muturangi Reedy, i tāngia i te 8 Feb 2005, updated 1 Mar 2017