Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Puhiwahine Te Rangi-hirawea, Rihi
?–1906
Nō Ngāti Tūwharetoa, nō Ngāti Maniapoto; he kaitito waiata
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Te Aue Davis, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1993. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
O ngā wāhine rongonui katoa o Ngāti Tūwharetoa me Ngāti Maniapoto o te rau tau mai i 1800, kotahi anō te tuawahine – ko Rihi Puhiwahine Te Rangihirawea. I kite ia i te toi o ngā rangatira me ngā tapairu whaimana o tōna wā, he wā e takahia ana e ngā iwi te ara o Tū, he wā hoki e pūwhenuatia ana te motu e te Pākehā: 'E kawea ana te patu / Ki te rākau hoari / Ki te rākau pū hou.' Koia anō hoki te wā e toi ana ngā manu tīoriori. Ka waiatatia ā rātou waiata – ngā waiata aroha, ngā hahani, ngā waiata mō te rongo, mō te pakanga, ngā mahi rēhia me ngā waiata kaioraora – hei whakaatu i te āhua o tō rātou ao. Ko Puhiwahine te korokoro tūī o rātou katoa. Kei te korihi tonu tōna reo i ngā huihuinga a tōna iwi tae iho ki te rā nei.
I whānau ia i te parenga i te awa o Taringamotu i kō tata atu o Taumarunui, i te tau 1816 pea. Nā ōna tātai whakaheke i a Tūwharetoa rāua ko Maniapoto i tohu tōna huarahi. Ko tōna whaea ko Hinekiore o Ngāti Hinemihi, he hapū nō Ngāti Tūwharetoa, i Taringamotu e noho ana. Ko Rāwiri Te Rangihirawea (ko Te Wētini tētehi o ōna huanga) tōna pāpā, nō Ngāti Tūwharetoa anō. Nā tōna whaea i whāngai a Puhiwahine ki ngā tikanga a ōna iwi. Ka whakangungua ki te waiata, ki te whakakōrero i te poi, ki te whakakanohi i te pūkana a Ngāti Tūwharetoa. E kōhinehine tonu ana kua puta kē te tautōhito.
Nā te ngutu atamai me te ātahu ōna i ōkakatia ia e te katoa o te hunga e tūtaki ana ki a ia i ā rātou tini hāereere ko tōna iwi. I tētehi o ngā haerenga ki te riu o Waipā ka tūtaki a Puhiwahine ki a Hauāuru, he māhuri tōtara nō Ngāti Matakore, hapū o Ngāti Maniapoto. Ka piri rāua i te piri mate kanehe. Nā te mea kua moe wahine kē a Hauāuru, kāore ngā tungāne o Puhiwahine, a Ketu rāua ko Maraku, i whakaae kia moe rāua, nā te mea ka noho wahine tūranga iti tō rāua tuahine mā Hauāuru.
Nā ngā haere ki ētehi atu o ngā marae kāinga ka wehe a Puhiwahine i a Hauāuru. Kua rere hoki ngā whakakenakena me ngā whakaipoipo a ngā rangatira taitama. He kāinga, he whakaipoipo, he kāinga, he whakaipoipo. Ka roa nei ia i te hokinga atu ki te kāinga, ā, taro kau iho, ka heria kia tūtaki ki ōna huānga o Ngāti Toa i te tonga. Ahakoa āna haere rahi, mau tonu tōna matenui ki a Hauāuru. Nā āna waiata whakaingoingo o muri nei i whakaatu tōna aroha ki tana whaiāipo.
Ka whakapuhipuhitia a Puhiwahine e ōna whanaunga o Ngāti Toa. Nō tona whakawhititanga ki Te Waipounamu, i pōhiritia ia e Taiaroa, amorangi o Ngāi Tahu, kia haere atu ki tōna kāinga. I reira ka tūtaki ki te tokomaha o te Pākehā. Ka mau i a ia ētehi kupu Pākehā, ka whakaurutia atu e ia ki ētehi o āna waiata.
Kāore i roa i muri mai, ka haere anō rātou ko tōna iwi ki roto o Ngāti Maniapoto. I taua haere ka peka ki Paripari (e pātata ana ki Te Kūiti), ki te kāinga o Tanirau (Taonui), he rangatira nō Ngāti Rora. He huānga tata a Tanirau nō Hauāuru. Nā Tanirau i kōrero atu ki a Puhiwahine kua whiwhi wahine tuarua, tuatoru kē a Hauāuru. Nō taua wā ka waihangatia e ia āna waiata e rua hei whakaatu i tana kōingo ki a Hauāuru.
Mai i Paripari ki Ōrāhiri i Ōtorohanga, ka tae ki Ahuahu i te tonga mai o Kāwhia. I reira ka māpuna te aroha o te rangatira nei o Te Poihipi ki a Puhiwahine. I tana whakaatutanga i tō rāua hiahia ki te moe, kāore tōna iwi e whakaae nā te ngaro atu o Ketu rāua ko Maraku. Kātahi ka neke atu ki Whatiwhatihoe i te take o Pirongia maunga. He wāhi huinga tēnei nō ngā iwi, ā, nō te taenga atu o Puhiwahine mā, e hui ana hoki ētehi iwi i reira. I reira hoki tētehi o ōna huānga, a Te Mahutu Te Toko o Māruapoto. He tangata tau te taha, purotu ana te kanohi kūpara, he pūkōrero maringi noa te kupu i a ia, ā, he pai hoki ki te waiata. Ka whai i te whakahiango o te ngākau, ka piri rāua i te piri whakaipoipo mō te wā roa tonu. Ehara, nō te taenga ake o ngā tungāne ka rongo i tō rāua piri. Whakatika atu ka mauria tō rāua tuahine ki Taupō mā Kihikihi, mā Pārāwera, mā Ōwairaka. I reira e noho ana mō ngā rā ruarua. I konei ka waihangatia e Puhiwahine tana waiata aroha mō Te Mahutu. Kei te waiatatia tonutia taua waiata i ngā mārena me ngā poroporoaki.
E rua tau i muri iho i tōna hokinga atu i Whatiwhatihoe ki Taupō ka tūtaki a Puhiwahine ki tētehi Tiamana, ki a Te Kati (John Gotty); tētehi anō o ōna īngoa ko Johann Maximilian Goethe. Ka moe rāua, ka noho ki tōna iwi i Meringa mō tētahi wā poto i mua o te nekenga ki Whanganui. Ko Rihi, ko Elizabeth rānei ngā īngoa o Puhiwahine e mōhiotia ana e Te Kati. Tokorua ā rāua tamariki, he tāne, ka moe i ā rāua wāhine o Ngāti Parewahawaha i Rangitīkei. E kīia ana ko Te Kati te kaihokohoko taputapu ki ngā hōia a Peretānia i te rohe o Whanganui i te tekau tau atu i 1840. I ngā wā o te maungārongo, ko ia te kaiwhakahaere i te Rutland, he hōtēra i Whanganui. I te tīmatanga o te tekau tau atu i 1870 ka noho rāua ki Matahiwi.
I te matenga o Te Kati i te tau 1893, ka mau a Puhiwahine i te parekawakawa mō tē hia marama. Ka takoto tana kupu ki āna tama mō tōna hiahia ki te hoki ki tōna iwi me tōna whenua tupu. Nā tana pekepoho, nā George ia i whakahoki ki Meringa. Te rongonga o Ngāti Maniapoto ka pā tā rātou pōhiri ki te iwi o Puhiwahine kia heria atu ia ki Oparure, kia pai ai tā rātou whakatau i te mate o tana tāne.
Ka tae ki te marae ka tangi. Ka mutu te tangi, ka hoki te iwi – te hunga kāinga me te manuhiri – ki te pae o te marae, ka mahue iho a Puhiwahine. Ka roa, ka ara ake te māhunga o te rūruhi rā – e tū mai ana a Te Mahutu. Ko rāua anake e tū ana i te marae. Kātahi ka tukua tana hōro kia taka i ōna pokohiwi, ka hihiri ake ōna whakaaro, ka hoki mai tona āhua i a ia e taitama ana, te reka o te reo, te whakakurepe o ngā ringa, te ātanga o te pūkana. Ka hikitia te reo ki tana waiata whaiāipo mō te kuikatanga o tōna ngākau ki a Te Mahutu, ā mutu noa. Kātahi ka noho, ka riringi ngā roimata. Arā a Te Mahutu e tū ana, ka mau ki tana mere, ka tukua āna maimai aroha ki te taupuhi o tōna manawa, ki a Puhiwahine. Ka takahia mai te marae ki te nohoanga o Puhiwahine, ka hongi ki a rāua. Kāti, i wā rāua nei hoki ka paenga te āhua o tā rāua whai o mua.
Ka hoki a Puhiwahine ki Ōngarue, ki reira noho ai me tana tama, me George ā mate noa i te tau 1906 i te 18 o Pēpuere. I tāpuketia ki Ōngarue, ēngari i hahua kia whakahokia mai ki te rua kōiwi o tōna whānau i Te Takapau-tīraha‑o-Tūtetawhā i Ōruaiwi, kia takoto ki te taha o tōna whaea.