Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Gage, George
1895/1896?–1961
Nō Ngāti Maniapoto, nō Te Whānau-a-Apanui, nō Te Whakatōhea; he kaiwhakaora, he tohunga Ringatū
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Tairongo Amoamo, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1998. I whakahoutia i te o Hune, 2012. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Ko te āhua nei nō te tau 1895, 1896 kē rānei i whānau ai a George Gage, arā, ko Hōri Te Kou-o-rehua Keeti, te īngoa karanga a te Māori i a ia, i Kihikihi i Waikato. Nō Ngāti Maniapoto tōna matua a Hōne Keeti (John Gage). Ko tōna whaea ko Rea Waitāuhi Nikorima, he wahine rangatira, wahine tapu hoki, nō ngā iwi o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui me Te Whakatōhea kei te taha rāwhiti o Te Moana-a-Toi-te-huatahi (Bay of Plenty). He wāhine kahurangi a Waitāuhi me tōna tuakana a Ngārori rāua ko te taina, tuakana rānei ko Mōkeke, nō ngā whānau rongonui nei, nō ngā Keeti, nō ngā Teramea (Delamere) me ngā Paraki (Black). Rite tonu ki te mōhio o te maha o ōna whanaunga te mōhio o Waitāuhi ki te matua tangata rā, ki a Te Kooti, ā, he tūnga tonu nei tō Waitāuhi ki roto i te Hāhi Ringatū. Riro ana nā Waitāuhi rātau ko ētahi atu i whakaū te taha raupapa me te whakahaere o te Hāhi, tae atu ki te tiaki i te hunga tūroro. He tohunga hoki a Waitāuhi ki tōna iwi, ā, ka nui kē nei ngā tohu painga āna ki a Hōri.
I whakatipua mai a Hōri Keeti i Kāwhia, tokowhitu katoa ngā tamariki. I te matenga o Hōne Keeti, hoki atu ana a Waitāuhi ki tōna iwi, ki a Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. Hei whakatau i te whānau o tana tāne, waihotia ake ana e Waitāuhi a Hōri ki a rātau, ka riro nā Te Kou-o-rehua i whakatipu, ā, e mau nei a Hōri i tōna īngoa.
Ko te āhua nei, he paku iti noa tana kuranga tuatahitanga, hore kau noa rānei, ā, nā te mea i noho ia i roto i te takiwā, ko te nuinga kē he Māori, i kūare ia ki te kōrero Pākehā. E ai ki ngā kōrero a te whānau, mai i Kāwhia tōna mōhio ki te mahi rongoā, hei painga mōna ā mate noa ia. I muri i te matenga atu o Te Kou-a-rehua whakahokia mai ana a Hōri e tana māmā ki te kāinga, haere tonu ai te ako a Waitāuhi i a ia ki ngā tikanga whakaora, hohou atu i a ia ki roto i ngā whakahaere o te Hāhi Ringatū. Nāwai rā riro ana ko ia hei piki tūranga tohunga tākuta mō tōna māmā i roto i te Hāhi.
He whakawātea whenua hei pāmu tētahi o ngā mahi nui o tēnei wā, ā, i tīmata ake te tope puihi a Hōri i te takiwā o Ōmarumutu atu i te taha rāwhiti o Ōpōtiki. I reira i tūtaki ia ki a Katerina Punua Te Whakatātare o te hapū o Ngāti Ruatakenga o Te Whakatōhea, ā, tae atu ki te tau 1914 pea kua moe rāua. Ko te aho tātai matua o Katerina nō te rangatira rā nō Tūtāmure mai, heke iho ana ki a Ūpokohapa, ki a Kāwhata me Whakatātare. Tokorua ngā tamāhine me te tama kotahi a Hōri rāua ko Katerina. Whakatūria ana e rāua tō rāua kāinga tuatahi ki Kauae, ā, nō muri ka neke atu rāua ki Pūriritahi i Ōtūwhare, i kō tata atu i Ōmāio, tīmata ai te mahi pāmu a Hōri. Nā te urutā rewharewha i hinga ai a Katerina i te tau 1918. Tekau mā waru ngā tau i muri mai, ka moe a Hōri Keeti i te pouaru nei, i a Harihari Rauwharangi o Ngāi Te Rangi, i Ōtūwhare i te 29 o Hūrae 1936; tokorua ā rāua tama.
Āta piki haere nei te rongo tohunga o Hōri, arā, tō te tohunga matakite, me tō te tohunga whakaora tūroro hoki. Nō te tau 1942 te wā i āta rēhita tuatahitia ai a Hōri hei tohunga Ringatū i raro i tōna īngoa o Hōri Keeti; ā mate noa ia e mau tonu ana i taua tūranga. Ko Ōmāio tonu te wāhi i noho mahi ai, ā, i tino tutuki tonu i a ia tana mahi whakahaere i te mate Māori, inarā he mate ahurea, he mate wairua kē ēnei mate, ehara i te mate tinana. Mahi tahi ai a Hōri rātau ko ngā tākuta; i ētahi wā tonoa ana e te tākuta Māori nei e Te Kōrana (Golan) Maaka o Whakatāne ana tūroro ki a Hōri. Mō te hunga e pāngia ana e te mate, ā, i kore ai e tae ā-tinana tonu mai kia mahia e Hōri, kōrero ā-waea noa atu ai ia ki a rātau. Waeatia mai ana ia e tētahi tūroro o Ngāpuhi e pōkia ana i te pō e te tokotoko e pātōtō haere ana i roto i tōna whare. Hoi anō tā Hōri ki a ia me haere ia ki te kōrero ki te minita o tōna ake Hāhi, kei a ia rā ngā karakia mō tērā tū āhua. Rerekē anō te whakaaro o tētahi minita o te rohe kāinga, ka rongo nei ia ko ētahi tāngata tonu o tōna pāriha e haere ana ki te kite i a Hōri. E ai ki tāna i kauwhau ai, he ōrite tonu nei te tohunga ki te tohunga mākutu.
Kore rawa a Hōri i utua mō āna mahi, ēngari tiakina tūturu tonutia ana ia e ana pononga. Ko tētahi whānau tino tiaki i a ia ko ngā Tangaere o Ngāti Porou. Kāore he mea i kō atu i te pounamu hinu ōriwa noa nei tā Hōri e whakaae ana hei koha mai ki a ia, ka nui kē tana whakamahi i te hinu hei whakaora i ngā tūroro. I whakaae anō hoki ia ki te takawai wai moana hei whakamānawa māna i te tūroro, hei hiki rānei i te tapu, mahue ana te wai māori ki rahaki. Ko tāna anō tā te tohunga he tohutohu i ngā wāhine e hiahia ana kia hapū, tae atu ki te whakatau i ngā taonga, aha noa rānei a te hunga kātahi anō ka mate atu: ko te tikanga me tāpuke tahi te tūpāpaku me āna taonga, ā, me ka mahue mai, kia kaua rawa ngā uri e pāpā atu. Mehemea e whakarongo ana ngā tūroro ki ana ture, ka ora pai noa rātau. I ngā wā i tinihangatia ana tikanga, i tino aituā nei ana tūroro; hemo atu ana ā rātau tamariki pērā i tāna i kī ai, i pā rānei ko ētahi kē atu aituā.
Hau ana hoki te rongo o Hōri Keeti, mō tōna kaha ki te whakaora māhorahora noa nei i te tangata. I tētahi wā i kitea tonutia atu he tamaiti hauā e wahaina mai ana ki roto i te whare nui, ko Hōri tonu e whakahaere ana i ngā karakia; whakatapua ana e ia te tamaiti rā, tū mārika mai ana ko ia e puta atu ana i te whare kāore he āwhina, kāore he aha. Mō te whare nui nei mō Rongopai, i whakatūria rā i Tūranga (Gisborne) i te tau 1887 hei karanga i a Te Kooti, whakahaungia ana e te tohunga rā, e Hōri Keeti ko te kōtimana kua peitatia i roto i te whare me peita atu a runga kia kore ai e kitea, ko te take he tipu karanga mate kē taua kōtimana rā.
Nō te tau 1955 i mate ai a Harihari Keeti, ā, nō te 11 o Ākuhata i te tau 1956 i moe ai a Hōri i a Agnes Georgina Winkelmann o Ngāti Porou i Ruatōria. Tokotoru ā rāua tama, kotahi te tamāhine. Nō te tau 1956 eke ana a Hōri ki te taumata o ōna kaha, i tīmata te tiro atu a te tangata ki a ia hei whakakapi wairua mā Te Kooti rāua ko Rua Kēnana. I taua tau anō i te hui huri tau o te koroneihana o Kīngi Korokī i te 8 o Oketopa, ko Hōri Keeti i runga i te marae o Tūrangawaewae e whaikōrero ana. I taua wā hoki kua noho kē mai ia i Tātaiāhape i te taha tonga mā hauāuru o Ōpōtiki. Kua tino roa kē nei ia i reira e hautū ana he wāhanga tauwehe mai i te Hāhi Ringatū, e mōhiotia nei ko te Rangimārie. Tae ake ana te kaihautū nei o Te Tai Rāwhiti a Tame Te Maro ki Tātaiāhape. Hei hēkeretari anō hoki a Tame Te Maro mā te takatūnga nei, mā te Kotahitanga o te Tiriti o Waitangi, ko te kaupapa he whakakotahi i te iwi Māori i raro i te mana o te Atua ka tahi, me tō te Kīngitanga Māori ka rua. Kāti, he wā anō i hanumi ai ngā rōpū nei.
I haere tonu te mahi whakaora a Hōri Keeti, ā, piki ana hoki te maha o te tangata i whai mai i a ia. Whakatapua ana e ia te hunga e taetae ake ana ki tōna kāinga ki te wai moana, ā, he 'nēhi' anō wāna hei romiromi i ngā tūroro wāhine ki te hinu ōriwa. Mō te mamae o te tangata, purihia ai he aikiha ki te waha ka pupuhi atu i te tūroro, he tohu whakatau, hei pare atu i te mamae. I tēnei wā, ko ētahi e tae ake ana, tumeke noa ana ka rongo nei rātau i te kaha o te mauri e rere mai ana, e puta kē mai ana rānei i a ia. Ki te whakaaro o ētahi tāngata ko ia tonu te whakatinanatanga o muri atu o te Mīhaia.
Nāwai ā, tauwehea noatia ana te takatūnga a Keeti, ka hoki atu ia ki Ōtūwhare. Ahakoa, i mau tonu te tae atu o te tūroro ki te uiui me te whakamihi hoki ki a ia. Nō te 3 o Hune o te tau 1961 i hemo ai a Hōri Keeti, mahue ake ana ko tana wahine, me āna tamariki mai i ana moenga e toru. Kei Ōmāio ia e tāpuke ana.