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Kōrero: Apanui, Wēpiha

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Apanui, Wēpiha

fl. 1862–1880

Nō Ngāti Awa; he kaihautū, he tohunga whakairo

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Hirini Mead, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1993. I whakahoutia i te o Noema, 2010. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

He tama a Wēpiha Apanui nā Apanui Te Hāmaiwaho rāua ko Mīria Tārei o Ngāti Awa. Arā anō tētahi o ōna īngoa ko Wēpiha Te Mautaranui. Ko ia te mātāmua o ngā tamariki, tokorua he tāne, tokorua he wāhine; kāore i te tino mōhiotia te rā i whānau ai ia tae atu hoki ki te wāhi i tapahia ai tōna pito. I roto i ngā herenga whakapapa ka whai wāhi atu a Wēpiha ki a Te Whānau-a-Apanui, ki a Ngāti Hokopū rāua ko Ngāti Wharepāia hoki o Whakatāne. I whakangungua ia e tōna matua ki ngā mahi whakairo, ā, i mahi tahi rāua mō ngā tau maha tonu. Kāore i te āta mōhiotia ngā whare whakairo, ngā pātaka, ngā waka hoki nā rāua i whakairo; otirā ko ngā whare kei te mōhiotia ko Mātaatua, ko Hotunui.

I tipu ake a Wēpiha mai i tōna whānau ahurei ki ngā mahi a te rangatira pēnei i te whakairo, ā, ko ia tonu tētahi o ngā arahanga mōhio o Ngāti Awa me Mātaatua whānui i te rau tau kua huri. I te whakatūnga a Tā Hōri Kerei (George Grey) i tana kaupapa rūnanga i te tau 1861, ko Ngāti Awa tētahi iwi i tere te hopu i taua kaupapa. Ko te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa tuatahi i tū i te tau 1862, ā, i uru katoa mai a Te Tāwera, a Ngāi Te Rangihouhiri, a Ngāti Hikakino, a Te Pahīpoto me Patutātahi ki taua rūnanga rā. Kāore a Ngāti Pūkeko i kuhu atu. Na, ka tū ake he rūnanga i ia rohe, i ia rohe o Ngāti Awa. I te 14 o Mei 1862, ka tū ake he rūnanga i Te Awa-a-te-Atua, ā, ko Te Tāwera, ko Ngāi Te Rangihouhiri, ko Ngāti Hikakino i wehe mai i a rātou ki roto i tēnei rōpū. I Whakatāne ko Te Rūnanga o Te Horo tēnā, ko Hoani Poururu, ko Pauro Heipoti, ko Wēpiha Apanui ngā rangatira. I kaha te whai a Wēpiha Apanui i tēnei kaupapa.

Ko Wēpiha tētahi tangata i uru ki ngā mahi nunui i pakangatia nuitia e Ngāti Awa i ōna rā. Nō te tau 1865 ka tīmata ngā mahi a te hāhi Hauhau ki Te Rohe-o-Toi tae atu ki Te Tai Rāwhiti whānui. I riro ngā wairua o ētahi o ngā whānau o Ngāi Te Rangihouhiri me Ngāti Hokopū i tēnei kaupapa, ā, e kīia ana ko Wēpiha tonu tētahi i huri ki tērā whakapono. I Ōpōtiki a ia i te marama o Maehe 1865, i te whakawātanga a Te Whakatōhea, i roto hoki i ngā ākinga a Kereopa Te Rau, i a Te Wākana (Carl Sylvius Völkner), he Mihingare i whakapaea he pūrahorua ia nā te kāwanatanga. Nō te 2 o Maehe 1865, ka tāronahia te nanakia nei a Te Wākana e ngā Hauhau. I muri tonu mai ka tīmata a Ngāti Awa ki te whakawehe mai i a rātou i roto i ngā raruraru e pā ana ki te matenga o Te Wākana. Nā Wēpiha tonu i tuhi he reta ki a Kerei ki te whakapā atu kāore a Ngāti Awa i uru atu ki aua mahi, nō Te Whakatōhea ake te hē. Nā ngā rangatira o Whakatāne i haina te reta nei tae atu hoki ki ngā rangatira o Ngāti Pūkeko. Ko Tamarangi Toihau, ko Apanui, ko Heremia Mōkai, ko Kawakura, ko Kapaiere, ko Wēpiha Te Mautaranui ēnei.

Ko Wēpiha tētahi o ngā tāngata nāna i haina te reta a te āteha o Ngāti Pūkeko, arā, a Hōhaia Matakahokia i tuhia i te marama o Maehe, hei tautoko i te kōrero a Ngāti Awa. E pānui atu ana te reta nei ki a Te Arawa kua whakatūria he aukati i te rohe o Ngāti Awa, arā, kua rāhuitia te whenua. Ko te āhua nei kua mōhio a Ngāti Awa e whakatika ana a Te Arawa i raro i te maru o te kāwanatanga ki te whakaeke i tō rātou rohe. I te tau i mua atu nā Te Arawa i aukati ngā hokowhitu e haere atu ana ki te āwhina i a Ngāti Maniapoto, i Ōrākau. I taua wā nā te kāwanatanga a Te Arawa i āwhina ki te pū, ki te manuao mau pū, ā, kāore hoki a Ngāti Awa i wareware ki te āhua o ēnei taonga whakamīharo me te mana i puta ake i te ngutu o te pū.

Na, i Hūrae o te tau 1865, i haere ake a Hēmi Te Mautaranui Fulloon ki Te Rohe-o-Toi ki te mauhere i ngā tāngata nā rātou a Te Wākana i patu. He whanaunga a Hēmi nō Wēpiha, arā, he irāmutu, ēngari ko ngā mahi a te tangata nei ko ngā mahi torohū a te hōia. I a ia ka tae ki Tauranga, ka karangatia atu kia kaua a ia e haere ki Whakatāne kei patua ia. Ēngari, kāore i whakarongo, ā, anā haere tonu ana ki te mate. Nā te rongo o te kāwanatanga i ēnei mahi ka whakatakotoria ngā ture hōia i te marama o Hepetema. Nā tētahi ope hōia ā-iwi i whakaeke Te Rohe-o-Toi. Kāore a Wēpiha i uru atu ki roto i ngā pakanga o muri mai. He nui ngā whenua o Ngāti Awa i murua, i raupatutia, ā, ka tūariarihia ki ngā iwi kāore i whai wāhi atu ki roto i ngā raruraru, ā, ki ngā rangatira hoki i tautoko i te kāwanatanga. I muri mai i tēnei ka nekehia ngā pakanga ki ngā kōti o te kāwanatanga o ngā Pākehā i haere mai ki te kimi whenua mō rātou. Ko Wēpiha tētahi i kaha ki te pakanga, ā, he maha ngā kēhi a te iwi i whawhai ia. Nōna hoki tētahi īngoa ka kitea nuitia i roto i ngā rārangi īngoa mō ngā tāngata whai pānga whenua.

E rua ngā whare whakairo nā Wēpiha i āwhina te whakairo, te hanga, ā, e kore e wareware ēnei taonga tuku iho āna. Ko Mātaatua te whare tuatahi. He nui te koha a ngā whanaunga o Apanui ki te whare nei, ā, ko Wēpiha tonu te tohunga matua nāna i waihanga te whare, nāna hoki i whakakōrero ngā rākau. E whā tau te roa ka oti, ā, ka whakatuwheratia i te 8 o Maehe 1875. Ko Te Mākarini (Donald McLean) te minita mō ngā take Māori i taua wā, ā, ko ia hoki te manuhiri tūārangi o te rā. He nui ngā karoretanga o Mātaatua whare. E kīia ana hoki he mea takoha te whare nei ki a Kuini Wikitōria, ēngari kāore rawa e kitea he kōrero hei tautoko i tēnei whakapae, ā, kāore hoki e kitea he kōrero i tukua he pepa, he aha rānei ki te Kuini. I tū te whare nei mō ētahi tau ki Whakatāne, ā, nō muri mai ka wāwāhia, ka tukua hei mātakitaki mā tauiwi i Poihākena (Sydney), i Rānana (London). Nā te pukuriri o Wēpiha ki ēnei mahi a te kāwanatanga ka tono ia kia hokona te whare nei, ēngari kāore te kāwanatanga i whakaae ki te hoko. I tōna wā, ka noho a Mātaatua ki te whare taonga o Wikitōria me Arapera i Rānana. Nō muri rā anō, ka kitea e H. D. Skinner e takoto ana i reira, he kāinga nō te pūngāwerewere, ā, nāna ka whakahokia mai ki Aotearoa i ngā tau pātata ki 1920. Nā te kāwanatanga i tuku ki te whare taonga o te whare wānanga o Ōtākou (i nāianei ko te whare taonga o Ōtākou), ā, nā rātou i whakapaipai te whare. I ngā tau kua huri he rite tonu te tono a Ngāti Awa kia whakahokia tō rātou whare ki a rātou, ā, i tutuki taua wawata i te tau 1996.

Nā Wēpiha mā hoki i waihanga, i whakairo te whare e kīia nei ko Hotunui. Nō te tau 1878 i mahia ai hei taonga tuku ki te tuahine o Wēpiha, ki a Mereana rāua ko tōna hoa tāne, he rangatira nō roto o Ngāti Maru, ki a Wīrope Hōtereni Taipari. He nui tonu ngā rākau i whakairohia mai i Whakatāne. He rahi tonu hoki te tira o Ngāti Awa, 70 rātou, nā rātou i mau atu ngā whakairo ki Pārāwai, kei te takiwā o Hauraki. Nō muri mai ka kī a Mereana nā tōna matua, nā Te Hāmaiwaho i hanga te whare, ehara nā Wēpiha; na, ahakoa he tika tonu tāna kōrero, ko te mahi nui i taka mai ki a Wēpiha, nō te mea kua koroua tana matua i taua wā. Kei te whare taonga o Tāmaki-makau-rau e tū ana a Hotunui i ēnei rā.

Ko tētahi o ngā kaupapa kei roto i a Hotunui, he mihi ki a Te Hura Te Taiwhakaripi o Ngāi Te Rangihouhiri, he kaihautū i roto i ngā pakanga o te tekau tau mai i 1860. E whakaae ana a Ngāti Awa, a Ngāti Maru, e mau ana te āhua o Te Hura ki runga ki tētahi o ngā poupou i te roro o te whare; he tohu whakamaumahara ki a ia, ā, ki te parekura nui i pā ki a Ngāti Awa i te murunga o ēnei whenua.

E rua ngā whare nāna i whakairo kei te tū tonu, ā, he hōnore nui tēnei ki te tohunga whakairo o tērā rau tau. Ko te mea tino mīharo rawa atu ko te waihanga i ēnei whare ātaahua i te wā tonu e pēhia ana a Ngāti Awa e ngā raruraru nui o aua wā. E tū nei a Mātaatua rāua ko Hotunui hei tohu maumaharatanga mō ngā pūmanawatanga o Wēpiha ki ngā mahi whakairo.

Kāore e tino mōhiotia ana te rā i mate ai a Wēpiha, ā, i mate hoki ki hea. Kāore ōna uri, ā, nā tēnei āhuatanga ka riro te mana i ngā uri o tōna taina, o Hoani. Ko Hurinui Apanui, tama a Hoani, tētahi rangatira rongonui o Ngāti Awa. Kāore hoki ōna uri nō reira ka noho hei whare ngaro te kāwai o Apanui, ka taka kē mai te mana ki te ūkaipō. Ahakoa he whare ngaro, ka tū tonu a Wēpiha hei tangata rahi.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Hirini Mead. 'Apanui, Wēpiha', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1993, updated o Noema, 2010. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/2a11/apanui-wepiha (accessed 29 March 2024)