Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Niniwa-i-te-rangi
1854–1929
Nō Ngāti Kahungunu; he wahine whai mana, he ētita
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Angela Ballara, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1993. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
I whānau a Niniwa-i-te-rangi i Ōroi i te tai rāwhiti o Te Wairarapa. Ko tētahi tonu o ōna īngoa whakahuahua ko Niniwa Heremaia. E kīia ana ko te 6 o Āperira i te tau 1854 tōna rā whānau. Ko ia te mea pakeke o ngā tamāhine i te ora tonu a Heremaia Tamaihotua, he rangatira nō Ngāti Hikawera o Ngāti Kahungunu. Ko Ngāpūruki tētahi o ōna īngoa. Ko te māmā o Niniwa ko Ani Kānara, arā, ko ia tētahi o ngā wāhine tokotoru a Heremaia.
Nā Hirini Taraawauhi pea i whakaako ki te pānui me te tuhituhi, ina hoki he kuramāhita tana mahi. He kuramāhita anō hoki te tungāne pakeke o ngā whanaunga tata o Niniwa, a Wī Hikawera Mahupuku. Ko ia anō pea tētahi i whaiwāhi ki te ako i a ia. I a Niniwa e kōhinehine ana, ko Whatamanga i Te Wairarapa tōna nohoanga. I a ia i reira, ko Hikawera te tangata o tōna reanga e kitea ana ngā pūmanawa, whakanohoia ana e ōna kaumātua hei mau i ngā mahi a te hapū. I tipu ake a Niniwa i te wā e whakahaeretia ana e Hikawera a Waikoukou hei teihana hipi mō Ngāti Hikawera, ā, i te wā hoki kua tīmata te nui haere ake o āna mahi whakahaere i ētahi atu o ngā take a te hapū.
I ngā tekau tau atu i 1860, ka haria a Niniwa rāua ko tana taina e tō rāua pāpā ki ngā whenua o tō rāua whaea i Ākura noho ai hei whakapū i tō rātou mana ki aua whenua. I ngā tau tīmatanga o te tekau tau atu i 1870, ka moe a Niniwa i tētahi Pākehā kāore i te mau tōna īngoa. Nō te huringa ki te tau 1874, ka neke rāua ki Kehemane (Gethsemane), e karangatia ana i nāianei ko Tablelands. I reira ka hangaia tō rāua whare, ka taiepatia te whenua 30 eka te nui. I muri tonu mai, ka whakarērea e ia tana tāne Pākehā, whai kē atu ana i a Kāwana Rōpiha (ko Kāwana Hūnia rānei), o Mua-ūpoko me Ngāti Apa. Ka whāia atu e Hikawera ki Pōneke (Wellington), ā, i reira kowhetetia ana e ia he mea hari whānako kē mai a Niniwa. Ēngari noho tonu rāua ko Kāwana mō ngā tau 10 i te takiwā o Rangitīkei. Nō te tau 1885 ka hoki rāua ki Kehemane. Te taenga atu ko Tamahau Mahupuku kei runga i tōna whenua; ka whawhai rāua, ka panaia atu a Tamahau.
He wā poto nei rātou ko ōna kaihana e pai ana ki a rātou, arā, i ngā tau i 1885 ki 1888. Nā tōna mana ngārahu i waenga i tōna hapū ka whakawhiwhia e Hikawera ki ngā taonga a te hapū, ki ngā meremere pounamu e rua, māna e tiaki. Ēngari, i a ia e ngaro rā, ka pāngia tana pāpā e te mate, kua kāpō, takoto tonu i tana moenga. Nō muri mai ka kōrero a Niniwa, he haurangi te mahi a tōna pāpā, ā, ko Hikawera kē ki te utu i āna nama, kia noho hei mōkai māna.
Nā konei i puta ai ngā kino ā-whānau, ā-hapū mō ngā whenua o Te Poraka-nui‑o-ngā-waka-a-Kupe, he whenua nui, 62,700 eka te rahi haere atu i Hūpēnui (Greytown) ki te tai rāwhiti. Ko te īngoa kārangaranga ko Ngā-waka-a-Kupe. Nō te tau 1890 i kōti tuatahitia ai. Nā Paratene Ngata i whakahaere te kerēme a Ngāti Hikawera; ka riro mai i a rātou ngā hea nui o taua poraka, tae atu ki Pārororangi, ki Hauokoeko, ki Tahuroa, ki Wainuiorū me tētahi wāhi o Rangataua.
Ahakoa he take nui tēnei i taea e Ngāti Hikawera, kāore tonu i māha ngā hiahia o Niniwa. Ka tono ki a Hikawera rāua ko te tiati, ko Te Make (Alexander Mackay), kia wehea mai kia 500 eka mōna anake i Kehemane. I te whakakāhoretanga mai, ka whakakīkītia e ia ngā tāngata kia katia te wāwāhi a Hikawera i te whenua, ā, tutuki atu hoki tana tono kia whakaarahia anō te kēhi rā; nō te 26 o Hānuere i te tau 1891 i rangona anō e te kōti. Kāre rawa mai he pakanga kōti i Te Wairarapa pēnei rawa te rere o te kino, te tutū o te puehu. Ka whakapaetia e Niniwa kua kore e taea e Hikawera te wehewehe āna ake rawa i ngā rawa a te hapū, ā, kei te raweketia e Hikawera ngā hipi me ngā moni. Ka tahuri ia ki te wehe i ōna kaihana e rua i runga i ngā pakanga o mua; ka kī hoki nā Hikawera i whakakīkī tana pāpā a Heremaia kia kore e pai ki tana tamāhine, me te aha, riro kē atu te mana o Heremaia i a Hikawera. Whakahokia rawatia mai e Niniwa he rīriri nō neherā anō ka noho hei take whawhai i waenga i ō rāua tūpuna tonu. Hei utu, nā Tamahau i whakakite, i tino pakanga kē a Niniwa rāua ko tana pāpā. I te whakataunga a te kōti i te 13 o Āperira 1892, ka tino wenerautia a Niniwa mō āna mahi torotoro pakanga, ēngari he nui ngā hua i puta ki a ia. Hoatu ana e te kōti e 25 eka i Uwhiroa; ka uru atu hoki ia ki ngā pānga o te rāhui a Ngāti Hikawera i Kehemane, 1,053 eka te rahi. Ka whakawhiwhia ia ki te 1,000 eka o te poraka o Ngā-waka-a-Kupe; koinei tōna ake hea. Ka hui katoa ōna pānga kia kotahi-waru o ngā hea o tana pāpā.
Heoti ki a Tamahau, he hanga noa ngā mahi a Niniwa i te kōti. Kua kite ia i te pai o Niniwa ki te kōrero, ki te whakapapa, tōna mōhio ki ngā tikanga, me te kaha o tōna ngākau me te kore hoki e mataku ki te tautohe. Ki a Tamahau, he pūmanawa ēnei mō ngā mahi kei te tū mai i Te Wairarapa. Tae rawa ki te tau 1894, kua tau te puehu i waenganui i a rāua, kua tahuri a Tamahau ki te whakatū i Pāpāwai hei wāhi tiringa i ngā mahi tōrangapū. Ko wai atu hoki hei ringaringa mōna i a Niniwa? I te Kirihimete o taua tau, ka momoho a Tamahau ki te whakatū i ngā komiti wāhine i Te Wairarapa. Ko Niniwa tētahi o ngā mema o te komiti tuatahi, arā, te Komiti Wāhine a Hinehauone (Hinehauore, Hineahuone rānei). Nā tēnei komiti me ētahi atu e toru i whakahaere te nuinga o ngā mahi nui i Hepetema o te tau 1896, hei whakatangata whenua i a rātou mō ngā hui a te Pāremata Māori o te Kotahitanga i te tau 1897 me 1898, i Pāpāwai.
Nā Niniwa i whakatū te komiti tautoko i ngā nūpepa Māori, i Te Puke ki Hikurangi, me Te Tiupiri. Ko ia tētahi o ngā kaipupuri tokorua o te tahua mō taua komiti. Ko tana tāne, ko Kāwana Rōpiha te tiamana, ko tōna whaea tētahi o ngā mema. Ko Niniwa te ētita mō ngā kaupapa e pā ana ki ngā wāhine, ko ia anō hoki te kaitātari i ngā kōrero o tāwāhi i roto i ngā nūpepa Pākehā, hei whakamāoritanga kia pai ai te whakauru atu ki ngā nūpepa Māori. He nui ngā reta i tuhituhia e ia ki aua nūpepa e rua, e tono moni ana kia haere tonu ai aua pepa. Pānuitia ana hoki e ia ngā hui ki Pāpāwai me ērā atu nāna tonu i whakatū i wāhi kē; pānuitia ana hoki e ia ngā kaupapa o te wā i wānangatia.
Nō te matenga o Tamahau i te tau 1904, ka tāia a Te Puke ki Hikurangi i raro i te mana whakahaere o tētahi rōpū nā Niniwa ake. I taua tau, ka tāia e ia he poroporoaki whakanui i a Tamahau. Rerekē ana tēnei i tōna āhua o te tau 1891. Ka kīia e ia ko te Ture Kaunihera Māori 1900 he whakaūtanga i ngā kaha i pau mō te mana motuhake Māori i whāia ai e Tamahau i a ia e ora ana. Ka whakanuia hoki e ia a Tamahau mō te whakataunga i te raruraru i pā ki ngā moana o Te Wairarapa. Ki a Niniwa, koinei tētahi take i noho raruraru ai te Māori me te Pākehā mō te 30 tau.
I Noema o taua tau anō, ka riro nā Niniwa i utu te whakatūtanga i te Māori Record, he nūpepa i tāia ki te reo Ingarihi, ā, ko tōna tikanga he anga whakamua i te Māori. Ko Tāmihana (R. S. Thompson) te ētita. Ka riro nā tēnei nūpepa i whakaara ake ngā hē e pā ana ki ngā whenua Māori, e ai ki ngā kaupapa here a te kāwanatanga o te wā. Kāore i roa, ka whakataha a Niniwa i tēnei nūpepa, nā te kaha rawa pea o te aki i te kāwanatanga.
Mai i te pito o te tekau tau atu i 1890, ka uru a Niniwa ki ngā tūranga nui. Anō tōna rite ki a Wī Pere, ki a Hēnare Tomoana, ki a Paratene Ngata, ki a Tūreiti Te Heuheu Tūkino i roto i ngā take Māori. Ko ia anake te wahine i whakaritea hei whakatakoto whakaaro i te wā i uiuitia ai e te Komiti mō Ngā Mea Māori (Native Affairs Committee), te Pire mō te Whakatau, Whakahaere hoki i ngā Whenua Māori (Native Lands Settlement and Administration Bill) o te tau 1898. He tū ia ki te kōrero i runga i ngā marae titiro korotaha ki tēnei tikanga. E mōhio whānuitia ana ia nā te wā nā Tamahau i tuku hei kaitakawaenga mō Pāpāwai ki te motu ki te whakaaraara i te iwi kia haere ki ngā hui a te Pāremata Māori. He nui hoki tōna mōhio ki ngā whakapapa me ngā tikanga, ā, ka whai wāhi ki ngā mahi a te komiti o Tānenui-a-Rangi i whakatūria ai e Tamahau hei tuhi i ngā kōrero me ngā whakapapa. Ahakoa i āwhina a Niniwa i tēnei komiti, ehara ia i te mema.
Nō te huringa pea o te rau tau mai i 1900, arā, i muri i te matenga atu o Kāwana Rōpiha, ka moe a Niniwa i a Tamaihotua Āporo. Rite tonu ki ērā atu o ōna mārenatanga, kāore he tamariki. Noho ana ko te tamāhine a tana tāne me āna whāngai hei tamariki māna. Kei te kī ngā uri o aua tamariki i heke iho rātou i a Niniwa.
Taka iho ki te rau tau mai i 1900, ka riro i a Niniwa ngā tikanga whakaomaoma hōiho a te Mahupuku, ā, ka pai hoki ki a ia te motukā. Whanake ana tōna rongo i Te Wairarapa toro ana ki Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawke's Bay) me Te Moana-a-Toi (Bay of Plenty); mō tētahi wā nei ia e noho ana ki Maranui (Lyall Bay) ki Te Ūpoko-o-te-Ika. I a ia ka kuiatia ka riro nā tana irāmutu, nā Maata Hirini i manaaki. Ko ia anake te mea āhei ki te kuhu atu ki te rūma o Niniwa ki te whāinu i a ia. Tino uaua ana te taha whakahaere o āna moni; ina ka mate ia ka nui ōna whenua me āna rawa i mahue mai, ēngari pōkia ana ēnei e te nama. Nō te 23 o Maehe i te tau 1929, i mate manawa ai a Niniwa ki Pāpāwai. I tāpuketia ki Hikawera.