Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Wero Tāroi
fl. 1860–1880
Nō Te Arawa, nō Ngāti Tarāwhai; he tohunga whakairo
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Roger Neich, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1990. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Ko ngā īngoa o tēnei tohunga, ko Wero Tāroi, ko Wero Mahikore, ko Karu. Nō Ngāti Tarāwhai, nō runga i a Te Arawa waka. Ko ia tētehi o ngā tino tohunga whakairo o tōna wā. E hau ana ngā rongo o ana mahi. Takitahi ngā korero mō Wero i tua atu i ana mahi whakairo.
Te āhua nei i whānau a Wero ki Okataina i te tīmatanga o te rau tau mai i 1800. Ko Mahikore te pāpā, ko Marukore te whaea, nō Ngāti Tarāwhai tahi rāua. Ka tatakina iho tana whakapapa mai i a Te Rangitakaroro rāua ko tana wahine tuatoru, ko Hingānga. I pakeketia mai a Wero ki Okataina, i waenga i te hunga tārai waka, i ngā tāngata whakairo o Ngāti Tarāwhai. Nā ana tuākana tonu ia i ako, nā Te Amo-ā-tai rāua ko Tara Te Awatapu i te wā e apohia ana ngā whao a te Pākehā, he rino. Ko ngā toki me ngā whao o te ao Māori kua parea ake ki rahaki. Ana mahi katoa, nā te whao Pākehā i karawhiu.
Ko tana tino mahi he tārai waka taua mō ngā iwi o te rohe o Mātaatua, o Hauraki, o Te Tai Tokerau, me Te Arawa. Eke rawa ake ia ki te tohungatanga mō tērā mahi, kua whakamutumutu ngā pakanga, kua kore e mahia ērā waka. Kua huri kē ngā iwi ki te hanga whare whakairo, pērā anō a Wero me tōna rahinga.
Nō taua wā, ka taki heke a Ngāti Tarāwhai i ō rātau whenua i Okataina, noho rawa mai i Ruatō, i Te Rotoiti tata atu i te huarahi i Rotorua ki te takutai. Riro tonu nā Wero ētehi mahi nunui i ārahi. Ko te kōrero nāna i tīmata, i whakahaere te kura whakairo i tū ki Ruatō e kārangarangahia nei ko te Kura Whakairo o Okataina. Ā, kua tīmata hoki ia ki te kawe i ngā karakia a ngā tohunga. Nā runga i ana mahi whakairo, ka noho ia i roto i ngā iwi o te rohe o Mātaatua, mē tōna rahinga anō hoki tae noa ki Tongariro. Ka manaakitia ia, ka utua ki te taonga, ki te moni.
He maha ngā whare i whakairongia e ia. Ko te nuinga o rātau kei te tū tonu. Ko Uenuku-mai-Rarotonga i whakatūria ki Maketū, nō muri mai ka nekehia ki Punawhakareia, i Te Rotoiti. Ko te Rangitihi tuatahi, i tū ki Te Tāheke i te taha raki o Te Rotoiti. Kei te whare pupuri taonga i Ākarana (Auckland Institute and Museum) e putu ana te nuinga o ngā whakairo i nāianei. Kotahi te poupou kei te whare taonga kei Leningrad, he tāone nui kei Rūhia. Ko Houmaitawhiti, te whare tuarua o tēnei īngoa, i nukuhia ki Maketū, kātahi ka whakahokia mai anō ki tōna kāinga tupu, ki Ōtaramarae, i te taha raki o Te Rotoiti. Ko Hinemihi tuatahi i Te Wairoa e tū ana i te wā o te hū o Tarawera i 1886. Kei Ingarangi e tū ana i nāianei, kei Guildford. Ko te whare mō Arama Karaka Mokonuiārangi, o Ngāti Rangitihi i Matatā e tū ana, i hokona ki te Pākehā, ka tapaina ki a Nuku-te-apiapi. Ka whakatūngia ki te hōtēra Geyser, i Te Whakarewarewa hei mātakitaki mā ngā iwi o te ao, hei whare whakangahau. Kei te whare a te poari o Te Arawa ētehi o ngā whakairo; ko ētehi anō kei te whare pupuri taonga o Rotorua. He pātaka anō tētehi i mahia e ia i Maketū ko Te Puāwai-o-Te Arawa. Tērā atu ētehi whare, ko Tokopiko-whakahau, kei Tāpapa, ko Tiki-o-Tamamutu, kei Taupō. I te mahinga o ngā whare tuatahi o Houmaitawhiti, o Uenuku-mai-Rarotonga, ko ngā pakeke, ko Te Amo-ā-tai, ko Tara Te Awatapu mā ngā tohunga. Ēngari anō i a Te Arawa, i a Hinemihi, i Te Puāwai-o-Te Arawa, ka mahi a Wero i tōna rau kotahi. Ko ana ākonga, ko Ānaha Te Rāhui rāua ko Tene Waitere ngā mea e mōhiotia ana.
Ko te nuinga o ana mahi he mea tono mai nā Te Arawa rāua ko Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Kāti, ahakoa tana pā ki a tauiwi, kāore rawa ia i mahi taonga hei hoko ki ngā tūruhi i Rotorua. Kāore he whakaahua o tēnei tangata. Kāore hoki e mōhiotia ana nōnahea i mate ai. Ko tētehi kōrero nō ngā tau i muri tonu mai i 1880.
I mīharo ai te tangata ki ngā whakairo a Wero Tāroi, nā te huhua o ngā whakapakoko me ngā haehae; nā te tū me te hanga o aua whakapakoko. Nā te hōhonu o te ngau a te whao, tae atu ki tana mārama ki te whao haere kia noho he whakapakoko ki runga i te whakapakoko. Nā runga anō i ana rongo, ka utaina te īngoa o Wero ki ngā mahi a ētehi i mahi tahi ai rātau, ahakoa kāore i rite rawa. Nā tōna māramatanga, nā tōna tohungatanga mō te whakairo ka puāwai ngā mahi, ka hau hoki ngā rongo o Ngāti Tarāwhai. Nā te ū o āna ākonga, mē ngā kaiwhakairo ki ana tohutohu, ka takoto i a Wero te tauira mō te mau whao a Te Arawa. Ka tau 'ki te mau whao a te motu' i akona ai i te kura whakairo i Rotorua, mai i ngā tekau tau mai i 1930 me 1940.