Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Te Rangi-i-pāia II
fl. 1818–1829
Nō Ngāti Porou, nō Te Whānau-a-Apanui; he wahine whai mana
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Steven Oliver, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1990. I whakahoutia i te o Ākuhata, 2011. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Ko Te Rangi-i-pāia he wahine nō ngā tātai rangatira o Ngāti Porou, o Te Whānau-a-Apanui. Ko te whakaaro i whānau mai ia i Tokomaru. Hai mokopuna te wahine nei mā Te Rangi-i-pāia I, uri ō Tūwhakairiora rāua ko Ruataupare. Ko tana pāpā ko Te Pori-o-te-rangi, ko tana kōkā ko Hinerori. Ka noho whanaunga ki ngā iwi o Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti i Te Tai Rāwhiti.
I moe a Te Rangi-i-pāia i a Ngārangitokomauri he rangatira nō Ngāti Porou, ka puta ko tā rāua tamāhine ko Mākere Te Materonea. I te whakaeketanga a Ngāpuhi i a Ngāti Porou i te tau 1818 i waimarie rāua kāore i mau hereheretia, ahakoa i tino patua a Ngāti Porou e te hoariri. He maha ngā mea i hinga. Ā, e hia rau kē i mau herehere ka whakahokia ki roto o Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands). Ka taka ki te tau 1820, ka hoki anō ki Te Tai Rāwhiti he waitau nō Ngāpuhi i raro i a Pōmare I me Te Wera Hauraki rāua ko Tītore. Ka whakatahi a Ngāti Porou ki ō rātau pā i te Awatere; wētahi ki Ōkau-whare-toa i te taha rāwhiti, wētahi ki Te Whetū-matarau ki te uru o te awa. Ko Te Rangi-i-pāia i rere ki Te Whetū-matarau whakaruru ai. E ai ki ngā kōrero tipuna a Ngāti Porou, i puta te kōkiri a Te Whetū Kamokamo, tētahi o ngā rangatira toa o Ngāti Porou, ki a Pōmare. Arā, mā rāua e whakatau te riri. Me whawhai rāua anake, te tinana ki te tinana, te rākau ki te rākau, ko wai ka mate kua riro i tētahi te tāhuna. Ka whakaaea. I te hekenga mai o Te Whetū Kamokamo i Te Whetū-matarau ko Pōmare tērā me tana pū. Hopu tonu atu te nanakia nei ka whanaia te parahua, te puehu ki roto ki ngā whatu o Te Whetū Kamokamo, kātahi ka pūhia. Rere ana ōna toto ka tere a Te Whetū Kamokamo ki te awa, ko te Awatere tōna īngoa i ēnei rā. I te karapotitanga a Pōmare i Te Whetū-matarau ka mea ake ki a Ngārangitokomauri: 'Moe mai rā e hoa i tā tāua wahine i tēnei pō; a tērā pō te riro ai i a au.' Ka horo te pā, ka mate a Ngārangitokomauri, ka kahakina a Te Rangi-i-pāia e te hoariri ka moea e Pōmare hai wahine māna. Ka mauria ki tana kāenga i Matauwhi i kō tata atu o Kororāreka (Russell). Hai aha ngā kōrero kei te pukapuka Pākehā. Ki ngā kōrero tipuna a Ngāti Porou, kāore i puta he uri. I rongona ai te kōrero mīharo mō te toa o Te Rangi-i-pāia.
Kei ngā kōrero tipuna anō a Ngāti Porou e kī ana, ko tētahi o ngā mea aroha i puta i tēnei karapotitanga o Ngāpuhi i Te Whetū-matarau, ko te huri o Ngāti Porou ki te kai tonu i a rātau tamariki. Nā te tino mate kai hoki. He mea āta tuari haere ngā tamariki nei kia kore ai te hunga kai e mōhio. Ko wai mā o ngā tamariki nei kei te kainga e rātau. Kei te ngau kino tonu tēnei āhuatanga ki te ate o Ngāti Porou. Me te whakapae anō kore rawa atu rātau e mōhio he aha rā te take o te urutomo a Ngāpuhi me ā rātau pū, i pēnei rawa ai te anea o Ngāti Porou e te mamae.
E ai ki ngā kōrero heke iho anō a Ngāti Porou, nō muri mai i ngā tekau tau 1860 ki 1870 pea, ko Rāpata Wahawaha tērā. He toa, he hōia. Ka tono ia ki ngā kaiarataki o Ngāpuhi o taua wā, kei te hanuta a ia. Arā, kua whai pū hoki a Ngāti Porou. Ko tana wero kei te haere atu a ia – me ana hōia me ana pū hei utu mō Te Whetū-matarau me ētahi atu o ngā pā nā rātau i whārona awatea. Na, ko te whakautu mai a Ngāpuhi: 'E mutu noa nei kei a mātau, ko te Paipera kei te ringa mauī, kāre he patu he pū kei te ringa katau.' Kāti ka tohetohe tonu a Rāpata Wahawaha. Ka rongo te kāwanatanga o taua wā ka tukuna mai he kaipuke ki te aukati i a ia, kia kore ai e puta.
Ka haere te wā, ka tupu te whakaaro i a Pōmare kia houhia te rongo ki a Ngāti Porou. Ka hoki rāua ko Te Rangi-i-pāia ki Te Kawakawa (Te Araroa) i a Hepetema o te tau 1823. Ko te iwi e noho whakaruru ana mai i ngā puke o Taitai i te takiwā ki Hikurangi maunga. I te āhuatanga o te hohou i te rongo, ka tukuna atu a Te Rangi-i-pāia ki tana iwi. He toa nō Ngāpuhi, ko Taotaoriri tōna hoa haere. Ka takatū tētahi ope nui tonu ka hoki mai ki Te Kawakawa, ka mau te rongo. Nā tērā āhua i uru mai ai ngā mahi Karaitiana ki roto o Ngāti Porou. Ko te tangata nāna i para te huarahi, ko Piripi Taumata-ā-Kura nō Ngāti Porou tonu. I te wā i noho ai ia i Pēwhairangi, ka huri hai Karaitiana. I tōna hokinga ki te kāenga ka ruia ngā purapura o Te Rongo Pai ki tana iwi.
Ka takoto te tatau pounamu, ka whai a Te Rangi-i-pāia i tana tāne i ana mahi taiapu. I a Mei 1826 i te pakanga a Ngāpuhi ki a Waikato ka mate a Pōmare rāua ko tana tama ko Tītaha i te awa o Waipā. Nō muri mai ka moe a Te Rangi-i-pāia i a Te Kariri o Ngāti Hauā ka noho rāua ki Maungatautari. Nō te tau 1829 ka hoki rāua mō te wā poto nei, ki Wharekahika (Hicks Bay). I tōna haerenga ki Whakawhitirā i Waiapu, ka tūpono atu he tamaiti whānau hou ka tapaina e ia ko Te Karuharare. E ai ki ngā kōrero i whakapurua e Te Whānau-a-Apanui ngā karu o te papa angaanga o tana matua, o Te Pori-o-te-rangi, ki te harare pūwhero. Ka pakeke taua tamaiti, ka tū hei minita Mihingare rongonui mō Te Tai Rāwhiti, e mōhiotia nei ko Mohi Tūrei. Na, ko te tamāhine a Te Rangi-i-pāia ko Mākere. I mahue mai a Makere i te kahakitanga a Pōmare i tana kōkā i te tau 1820. I moe a Makere i a Ēnoka Te Pōtaeaute tētahi o ngā kaihautū o Ngāti Porou.
E ngaro tonu ana i tēnei wā ngā kōrero mō ngā rā whakamutunga o te wahine rongonui nei o Te Rangi-i-pāia, arā, te tau i mate ai me te wāhi i tāpuketia ai. Kai ngā kupu o tana mōteatea te tohu o te kōingo me te tangi a Te Rangi-i-pāia ki tōna whenua tupu. Heoi anō ngā kōrero mō Te Rangi-i-pāia:
E kainga iho ana e au ngā kai ki raro rā
Tūtoko tonu ake e aku tini mahara.
He mea koroukore i te wā i ora ai, ē
Taria me mate, ka hao au te mahara, ē.
Kai wawewawe atu e te mate i ahau, ē
Ki wawe te wairua te tae ki Taupō;
Koi noho i te ao kairangi atu ai, ē
Ki te ao o te tonga e kōheri mai rā
Nā runga ana mai te hiwi ki Tikirau
Kei tua koutou ota ora i ahau.