Kōrero: Ngāti Rongomaiwahine

Whārangi 1. Ngā tīpuna rongonui

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Rongomaiwahine

Ko Rongomaiwahine te tipuna matua o ngā iwi o Te Māhia. He ariki tapairu ia ka heke iho i a Ruawharo, te tohunga nui i runga i a Tākitimu, rāua ko Popoto, te rangatira o Kurahaupō. Ko Rapa tōna matua, ko Moekakara tōna whaea.

Ruawharo i Te Māhia

Nā Ruawharo te ingoa o Te Māhia i tapa, he rite nō te āhua o te kūrae ki Te Māhia-mai-tawhiti, tetahi wāhi kei te kāinga tūturu o tōna iwi. I ngā rā o muri mai ka mōhiotia tēnei wāhi ko Nukutaurua, he ingoa e whakahuatia tonutia ana i ēnei rā.

Ko Ruawharo te tohunga, te kaitiaki o ngā atua i mauria mai e te waka Tākitimu i Hawaiki. I mahue nga rango o te waka a Tākitimu ki roto i te hōpua o Maungawhio me te manga o Te Papa kei Te Māhia. Nā Ruawharo i waihanga te whare wānanga tuatahi, ki Waikawa, ko Ngāheru-mai-tawhiti. Koinei te wāhi wairua mō te tai rāwhiti puta noa i ōna rā.

Ko Wahatoa te pā tuatahi o Ruawharo, kei runga ake o Ōraka. Ko Tūtara-kauika tōna pā tuarua, i te taha raki o te kūrae. I moe ia i a Hinewairakaia ka whānau mai ā rāua tama tokotoru: ko Matiu, ko Mākaro, ko Moko-tū-a-raro. I whakanōhia rātou hei mauri whakawhānui i ngā tauranga ika: ka whakanōhia a Matiu kia tata ki te whanga o Waikokopu, ko Mākaro i whakanōhia ki Arapāoanui, ko Moko-tū-a-raro i whakanōhia ki te pūaha o te awa o Ngaruroro.

Te whai a Kahungunu i a Rongomaiwahine

I noho a Rongomaiwahine rāua ko tōna hoa tāne tuatahi a Tamatakutai ki Tawapata, kei te taha rāwhiti o Te Māhia. He tangata whakairo a Tamatakutai. Tokorua ā rāua tamāhine ko Rongomaiwahine, ko Rapuaiterangi rāua ko Hinerauiri. I te hapū a Rongomaiwahine i a Hinerauiri i te whakamatenga a Kahungunu i a Tamatakutai.

I whānau a Kahungunu ki Kaitaia. Ka taka te wā, ka haere whakatetonga ia ka moe wāhine haere mai. I tana taenga ki Nukutaurua, ka ngana a Kahungunu kia riro māna a Rongomaiwahine, ahakoa te mea kua moe tāne kē ia.

Ka matika a Kahungunu ki te whakarata i te iwi o Rongomaiwahine mā te kohi aruhe kia nui rawa atu. Kātahi ia ka piki i te puke i muri o te pā o Tawapata, ki reira mātaki ai i ngā karoro e ruku ana i te wai; ka whakangungu ia kia rite tana kuku hau ki tā ngā manu kuku hau. Mai i tēra wā kua mōhiotia taua puke ko Puke Karoro. Kātahi a Kahungunu ka haere ki te ruku. Kikī ana ngā ipu ki te pāua hei toha mā ngā tāngata katoa o te pā. Nō tōna pueanga ake i tana ruku whakamutunga, kua piri katoa te pāua ki tōna uma. Mīharo ana te iwi.

Kātahi ka whakatika a Kahungunu ki te whakaara raruraru i waenganui i a Tamatakutai rāua ko Rongomaiwahine. Ka kainga e ia te puku pāua, ka haere huna ki te moenga o te tokorua rā patero ai. Ka oho te tokorua rā ka tautohetohe rāua ki a rāua anō.

Aoake i te ata ka haere a Kahungunu rāua ko Tamatakutai ki te reti waka. Ko Kahungunu te kaiurungi; ka taupokina e ia te waka i tētahi ngaru nui. Kīhai a Tamatakutai i mōhio ki te kauhoe, ka toremi.

Nāwai, ka moe a Rongomaiwahine ki a Kahungunu. Ko tō rāua pā matua ko Maunga-a-Kāhia (Maungakāhia), nā Kahungunu i hanga. Tokorima ā rāua tamariki; tokotoru ngā tama, a Kahukuranui rātou ko Tamatea-kōtā, ko Māhakinui; tokorua ngā tamāhine, ko Rongomaipapa rāua ko Tauheikurī.

Nā te nui o te mana o Rongomaiwahine, ka mau tonu te iwi o Ngāti Rongomaiwahine ki tō rātou ake tuakiri. Ko ētahi o ngā uri mōhiotia ai nō Ngāti Rongomaiwahine rāua ko Ngāti Kahungunu, engari ko ngā uri heke tika iho i ana tamāhine tōmua ka kī nō Ngāti Rongomaiwahine taketake rātou.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Mere Whaanga, 'Ngāti Rongomaiwahine - Ngā tīpuna rongonui', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/ngati-rongomaiwahine/page-1 (accessed 20 April 2024)

He kōrero nā Mere Whaanga, i tāngia i te 8 Feb 2005, updated 10 Feb 2015