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Kōrero: Christy, Hirini Whaanga

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Christy, Hirini Whaanga

1883–1955

Nō Ngāti Rākaipaaka, nō Ngāti Kahungunu; he kaiārahi Mōmona, he tangata mahi pāmu, he kaiwhakamārama reo, he kaihautū hapori

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Huia Koziol, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1998. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

Nō te 16 o Ākuhata i te tau 1883 i whānau ai a Hirini (Sidney) Whaanga Christy i Nūhaka, ka mokopuna ki a Īhaka Whaanga, he rangatira nō Ngāti Rākaipaaka, nō Ngāti Kahungunu. Ko tōna whaea, ko Mihi Mere Whaanga te mea pakeke o ngā tamāhine a Hirini Te Rito Whaanga rāua ko tana wahine tuatoru, ko Mere Hunonga Mete (Schmidt), nō Ngāti Te Kauaha, he hapū nō Ngāti Rākaipaaka o Nūhaka. Ko te pāpā o Hirini ko Hūpa Hēnare Christy, te mea pakeke o ngā tama a Wiremu Kahukura Christy, nō Ngāti Rākaipaaka anō, rāua ko tana wahine, ko Mere Hārete (Hallett). Nō te taha o tana koroua, o Te Apatū-o-te-rangi, he uri a Hirini nō te tupuna rongonui, nō Te Rauhina.

Riro ana a Hirini hei tamaiti whāngai mā ana tūpuna, mā Hirini rāua ko Mere Whaanga. Nō te tau 1894 i haere ai rātau ko ētahi whanaunga ki Utā (Utah); ki reira ngā mātua tūpuna o Hirini mahi ai i roto i te temepara i Salt Lake City, tuhi ai, whakaū ai hoki i ngā whakapapa o te iwi. I tō rātau taenga atu ki Salt Lake City, pōhēhētia ana he whānau punarua kē tēnei. I taua wā kua whakamutua kētia rā e te Hāhi Mōmona te moe punarua. Noho ake ana tēnei hei take whakamā i a rātau kāore i te mōhio he aha te whānuitanga atu o te whānau ki te Māori. Atu i konei, ka nekehia rātau ki Kanab ki te taha tonga o Utā, ā, nā runga i te whakawhirinaki heahea, mahi pokanoa ki te whakanui ake i tā rātau tahua, i ngaro ai te nuinga o ā rātau moni. E whai oranga ai rātau, kitea ana e Hirini me ērā atu o te whānau he mahi mā rātau i runga pāmu. Riro ana nā te mihinare o mua atu, nā Benjamin Goddard – e mōhio ana ia ki te whānau me tō rātau rangatiratanga ki roto i te ao Māori – i āwhina tō rātau hokinga mai ki Salt Lake City. I reira ka kuraina a Hirini, ā, nō muri iho i puta ia i te whare wānanga o te Hāhi Mōmona (Latter Day Saints University). Tino mōhiotia ana ia i te whare wānanga hei kaiwhakataetae toa.

I muri i tana whiwhinga i tana tohu mātauranga, mahi ake ana ia i runga pāmu i Montana, haurapa kōura atu hoki i Nevada. Kātahi ia ka riro hei kaiwaiata hīanga, reo ike, i roto i te pēne o Hawaii (Hawaiian Band) a tōna whanaunga, a Wātene Mete (Walter Smith), e taka haere ana i Amerika. I whai wāhi anō hoki a Hirini ki te koaea o te temepara Mōmona o Salt Lake City (Salt Lake City Tabernacle Choir), waiata ai. Nō te 16 o Hānuere i te tau 1907, i moea ai e Hirini a Kate, arā, a Kathleen (Kātarina) Welsh i Salt Lake City. Nō Airana me Ngā Puhi mai ōna tātai heke iho, haria ake rā e ngā mihinare hei whāngai mā rātau ki Salt Lake City, noho ai. Ina koā rā, tekau mā whā te nui o ngā tamariki a Hirini rāua ko Kātarina. I Forest Dale rātau me ētahi atu o te whānau e noho ana, ā, he karaka te mahi a Hirini.

Nō te tau 1918 i hoki mai te whānau ki Nūhaka noho ai, ā, i reira noho ana hei kaiārahi mō ngā mahi a te Hāhi Mōmona. Kāti, riro ana ko Hirini te Māori tuatahi i whakatūria ki te kaunihera whitu tekau (Council of Seventy) o te Hāhi, ā, noho ake ana ia ki te āwhina i ngā rōpū ā-rohe, ā-takiwā, rōpū mihinare hoki. Ahakoa te whai oranga o Hirini i te mahi pāmu, tino nui ana hoki tana mau i ngā mahi a tōna iwi. He kaiwhakamārama reo, he kaitohutohu nei tana mahi i te Kōti Whenua Māori, ā, he mema anō hoki ia i runga i te Poari Takiwā Whenua o Te Tai Rāwhiti (Tairāwhiti District Māori Land Board). I tua atu i tēnā, i riro ko ia hei tiamana, noho ake rānei hei mema ki runga i ngā komiti ā-iwi, ā-marae rānei, me ngā koporeihana whenua Māori hoki. Riro ana ko ia anō hoki ki te āwhina ki te whakataka ake i ngā kerēme me te whakarāpopoto i ngā kōrero, hei tāpae atu ki te kōti. I te tau 1936, rahua ana tana kēhi ki te Karauna mō te iwi o Ngāti Rākaipaaka e kerēme nei rātau i tētahi wāhi o te poraka o Nūhaka Nama 1; nō muri i noho ai tēnei ko te tino take o te kerēme i tukua atu rā ki te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi (Waitangi Tribunal).

Nō te tīmatanga o te Pakanga Tuarua, i tonoa ngā mihinare Mōmona kia hoki ki te Kotahitanga o Amerika. Taumaha ana te kawenga o ngā mahi a te Hāhi Mōmona i runga i ngā pakihiwi o ngā tāngata o Nūhaka, o Te Māhia me Te Wairoa. Nō muri mai o te pakanga, i hiahia te Hāhi Mōmona ki te whakanui i ā rātau mahi. Nō Hirini rāua ko tōna hoa aroha, ko Āpirana Ngata te whakaaro kia tū he whare whakairo hei whakamaumaharatanga ki ngā hōia mōrehu kua hoki mai i te mura o te ahi. Nā te Hāhi i hoatu he tahua moni hei whakaako i a rātau ki ngā mahi toi Māori. I tuwhera te whare nui nei i Nūhaka i te tau 1949; nō te mea i arohaina, i whakaaro nuitia a Hirini, ko tērā kaupapa he take i tutuki pai.

Atu i te tau 1939 ki 1945, ka riro ko Hirini te heamana o te peka o te rōpū tautoko i ngā Mahi Māori mō te Whawhai (Māori War Effort Organisation). I te tau 1949, nāna i whakahaere ngā hui pōti a Turi Kara (Carroll) mō te tūru Māori o Te Tai Hauāuru, mō te taha ki te Rōpū Nāhinara o Aotearoa. Hei kaitiaki anō hoki ia mō te marae o Te Wairoa. Nō te 1 o Hūrae i te tau 1955 i mate ai a Hirini Whaanga Christy ki Te Wairoa. Nō mua kē ake, nō te tau 1940 i mate ai a Kātarina. O ngā tamariki a Hirini, tekau mā tahi e mahue tonu ana.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Huia Koziol. 'Christy, Hirini Whaanga', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1998. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/4c20/christy-hirini-whaanga (accessed 29 March 2024)