Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Taupopoki, Mita
1845/1846?–1935
Nō Tūhourangi, nō Ngāti Wāhiao; he rangatira
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Peter Waaka, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1993. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Nō te tau 1845, 1846 rānei a Mita Taupopoki i whānau ai ki kō tata atu ki Rotorua. Ko tōna pāpā ko Hēmana Te Whareiro nō Ngāti Wāhiao, he hapū nō Tūhourangi, tētehi o ngā pūmanawa o Te Arawa. Ko te kāinga noho o Hēmana ko Te Whakarewarewa, ēngari he nui āna mahinga kai i ngā whaitua katoa o tērā takiwā. Ko Kanea II tōna whaea, he wahine rangatira nō Tūhourangi, nō Ngāti Tūnohopū, he hapū nō Ngāti Whakaue. Ko Tōpia te tuakana o Mita; kotahi tōna tāina, ko Makiha; kotahi te tuahine i moe i a Rotohiko, he rangatira nō Ngāti Rangitihi. E kīia ana tērā pea nā tētehi Pākehā e āwhina ana i tōna iwi ki te kimi kōura i Horohoro a ia i ako ki te kōrero pukapuka i te tau 1858. Nō muri mai pea, ka riro nā tētehi mihingare Katorika, nā Pā François Boibieux i ako; ka whakanōhia a Boibieux e Tūhourangi i Waipā i te tonga o Rotorua moana. Otirā, ko te mātauranga Pākehā tērā. Nā tōna pāpā ake me ngā koeke i whāngai ki ngā kai mārō a tōna iwi, ā, whakangaua rawatia ki te paepae.
I te tau 1864, ka uru atu ki roto i te puni hōia o Te Arawa e whawhai rā mā te kāwanatanga. Nā tōna toa ka whakawhiwhia ki te Mētara o Niu Tīreni mō Tūmatauenga (New Zealand War Medal) me tōna penihana hōia. Ka hoki ia ki te kāinga i te tau 1874, ka āwhina ki te hanga whare karakia Katorika i Moerangi. Ka taka te wā, ka turakina, kātahi ka whakatūria ki Te Whakarewarewa. Nō taua wā ki te tau 1880, ka moe i a Herena. Kotahi tā rāua tamaiti, ko Kanea III; nō muri iho ka mōhiotia ko Mere, ko Guide Mary rānei.
I te tau 1883, ka noho a Mita hei waha kōrero mō ētahi karangatanga hapū e toru o Ngāti Wāhiao – mō Ngāti Huarere, mō Ngāti Tūkiterangi, mō Ngāti Hinganoa – i te Kōti Whenua Māori. Ko te take e kōrerotia rā i mua o te kōti ko te poraka o Rotorua–Pātetere–Paeroa e kerēmetia ana e Ngāti Whakaue. Ka uru atu hoki a Te Whakarewarewa ki tēnei poraka, ka tau te tautohe nui. Nā te kaha o Mita, ka whakatauria ngā whenua i te rāwhiti o te awa o Te Purenga ki a Tūhourangi, ēngari ko tētehi whenua atu i hoatu ki a Ngāti Whakaue.
Nā tōna angitu i te kōti, tae noa ki te matenga o tana tuakana i te tau 1864, me tōna pāpā i ngā tau pokapū o 1880, ka tau te mana ki a Mita. Tū ana ko ia hei rātā whakamarumaru mō Ngāti Wāhiao me Tūhourangi. Nō te putanga o te Ture mō ngā Takiwā Ngāwhā (Thermal-Springs Districts Act) 1881, ka noho tārewa te mana o Te Arawa ki aua whenua waiariki. I te tau 1885 ka tae a Te Paranihi (John Ballance), minita mō ngā take Māori ki Te Whakarewarewa. Ko Mita tētehi o ngā kaikōrero ki reira. Ko ia anō te kaikōrero i te kōkiritanga a Tūhourangi kia kōtitia ngā kerēme ki te poraka nui rawa o Rotomahana– Parekārangi. He wāhanga nui tēnei nō ngā whenua o Tūhourangi. Ka tono rātau kia riro mā te Komiti Māori o Rotorua hei uiui ngā taitara ki tēnei poraka tae atu ki te poraka o Paengaroa. Ka tono anō kia whakamanahia ā-turehia te komiti o Tūhourangi i raro o te Komiti Māori o Rotorua. Ka tono hoki a Ngāti Wāhiao kia whakatūria he whare kura ki Te Whakarewarewa.
I te 10 o Hune o te tau 1886, ka hū a Tarawera maunga. Parekuratia ana a Tūhourangi; pōkia iho ngā whenua e te paru, ngaro katoa. Ka rere ngā mōrehu ki a Mita i Te Whakarewarewa whakaruru ai. Ko ētehi i haere ki Ōhinemutu. Nā te pōkia o ngā whenua e te paru, ka ngaro ngā mahinga kai, ka ngaro ngā kai mā ngā kararehe, ka tārewa hoki ngā mahi tūruhi. Ka tukua e Hoani Nahe rāua ko Wīrope Hōterini Taipari, he rangatira nō Ngāti Maru, he whenua hei mahinga kai mā Tūhourangi i Tairua i te pukerae o Moehau (Coromandel Peninsula). Ka tukua hoki te take o aua whenua ki a Te Keepa Te Rangipūawhe, ariki o Tūhourangi. E hia tau i muri mai, ka akiakitia e Mita tēnei wāhanga o Tūhourangi kia hoki mai ki te kāinga, he aha te noho atu i reira. Kua tū te whare a Wāhiao II i tēnei wā, ā, kua tū hoki a Mita i te tūranga amorangi. Te hokinga mai o te iwi rā, ka hahua ā rātau tūpāpaku ka whakahokia mai ki Te Whakarewarewa tanu ai.
He tangata haere a Mita ki ngā kōti whenua Māori i Taupō, i Horotiu (Cambridge), i Maketū ēngari ko ngā take nui e pā ana ki tōna iwi i kōtitia ki Ōhinemutu. Nō Maehe o te tau 1887, ka kōtitia tuaruatia te poraka o Rotomahana–Parekārangi i tonoa rā i te tau 1885. E 211,000 eka te nui. Ko te take a Tūhourangi, he kerēme i taua poraka katoa, ā, ka riro ko Mita hei kaikōrero mō ōna hapū 20 te maha. E hia marama a Mita e uiui ana i ngā kaiwhakaatu o ngā ope tāwari 21 (he māngai ki ngā hapū kē, 33 te maha). Koinei ngā hapū o Ngāti Whakaue, o Ngāti Rangitihi me ētehi atu o ngā pūmanawa o Te Arawa. Ko ia anake te kaiwhakautuutu mō Tūhourangi. Kitea ana te hua o ngā kai mārō a ōna koeke; he rā tipu e whakapapa ana kia tuhituhia ngā īngoa tīpuna. Ka kitea tōna matatau ki ngā tātai whakaheke i ngā iwi katoa o Te Arawa e tāwari rā i āna kerēme. E hia nei ngā wiki e kōrero ana te koeke rā. Nō te whakataunga a te kōti i te 20 o Ākuhata i te tau 1887, ka riro i a Tūhourangi te matū o te whenua; he pitopito o ngā paetapa i hoatu ki ngā kaitāwari.
I haere tonu a Mita ki ngā kōti o muri mai. I te tau 1889, ka hua ka tini te iwi kāinga ki Te Whakarewarewa, pūheki ana. Ka wāhia te whenua e te kōti; ki a Ngāti Whakaue te wāhanga nui, ēngari ka whiwhi a Ngāti Wāhiao ki tētahi wāhanga whakarawe. I te tekau tau atu i 1890, ka whakahauhau a Mita i tōna iwi o Te Whakarewarewa kia hangaia ngā whare hou, ko ētehi he whare whakairo. Nāna ka tū he tīma hutupāoro, ka tautokona e ia te rōpū whakatangitangi pūkāea Pākehā, ka tū hoki i a ia te takatūnga whakatapu waipiro. He wāhi nui tonu tāna i roto i ngā whakahaere kia hangaia he whare nui hou. Ko 1900 pea te tau i whakatūria.
Nā te hirahira o tōna āhua me ōna pāhau mā, nā tōna mana me tōna matatau ki te whaikōrero, ki te whakapapa me ngā tikanga, tae noa hoki ki tōna kanohi kitea i ngā wāhi e haerea ana e te tūruhi, ka hau tōna rongo huri i te motu i te ohinga o te rau tau mai i 1900. Noho ana ko ia hei tauira i te āhua o te rangatira Māori. Rere kau ana ngā tono kia haere atu ki ngā hui i Rotorua, i Te Whakarewarewa, i hea ake, i hea ake. I te tau 1910, ka haere ki Ahitereiria, ki Ingarangi, ki Amerika me te kapa haka a Mākereti Papakura. He roa te wā e ngaro atu ana. Ahakoa mau i te kākahu Māori (he kahu tāniko me te kahu kiwi), i te pōtae hiraka teitei me te koti waero nei o te Pākehā, i ngā kākahu rānei o te tangata whenua o Amerika, he ao te rangi ka ūhia, he huruhuru te manu ka tau. Muia ana e te tangata i runga i te whakamīharo. Te taenga ki Ingarangi, rokohanga ko te koroneihana o Kīngi Hōri V, ka whai wāhi atu a Mita ki ngā whakahaere.
I a Mita e ngaro ana, ka māuiuitia tana mokopuna, ka mate ki Poihākena (Sydney). Te hokinga mai, ka tauatia a Mita ki te taua muru i runga i te whakapae nā āna mahi i mate ai tana mokopuna. Ka rere te wero a te tohunga nō Ōhinemutu, kia whakamātauria a Mita. Ka kapea mai ngā ngārehu o te ahi ka tahuna ngā makawe o ngā māhunga tapu. Kātahi ka rorerorea ngā taewa ki aua ngārehu ka kainga. Tōna tikanga me mate a Mita i roto i te toru rā menā nōna te hē. I te tuatoru o ngā rā i te ora tonu ia, ka rere ōna whakapehapeha ki te tohunga, ka peia atu i te marae.
I a ia ka koeketia, i te kaha tonu ki te ārahi i tōna iwi, i a Tūhourangi me te iwi kāinga i Te Whakarewarewa; kāore tētehi take e ara, māna rawa e whakamana. I te tau 1929, ka kōrero tahi rāua ko Apirana Ngata ki te whakanoho i ngā tāngata o Nūhaka, o Te Wairoa, o Waikato me ngā mea o Tūhourangi e noho pūheki mai rā i Te Whakarewarewa, ki runga i ngā whenua o Tūhourangi. Ka whakaaetia e Mita a Horohoro hei nohoanga mō te whakakotahitanga o Ngāti Kahungunu–Tūhourangi. E 20 tau ia e pakanga ana kia mahia he putanga para mō Te Whakarewarewa, tae atu hoki tana kauhau i tēnei kaupapa i roto i ngā hākari a te Pākehā mō āna manuhiri tūārangi o tāwāhi. Nā tēnei āhua, ka tutuki tana take i te tau 1934.
Haere tonu tana whakamanuhiri i ngā uri o te kāhui ariki o Ingarangi me ngā rangatira Pākehā e haere atu ana ki Te Whakarewarewa. I tūtaki ia ki a Rōre Bledisloe, kāwana tianara i Waitangi. Nā te mīharo o Bledisloe, ka āta haere mai ki Rotorua ki te whakaahua i a Mita i roto i ōna kākahu Māori. I te tau 1933 ka peitatia e C. F. Goldie tōna āhua. I mate ia ki tētehi hōhipera motuhake i Rotorua i te 14 o Hānuere i te tau 1935. E rua mano ngā tāngata i tae atu ki tōna tangihanga i te rā o mua i te nehu, he mea whakarite i runga i ngā tikanga hōia.