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Kōrero: Whitu, Wī

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Whitu, Wī

1908–1983

Nō Tūhoe; he tūmau, he parakimete, he tangata whakawhānau tamariki, he tohunga hahu tūpāpaku

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Pou Temara, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2000. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

I whānau a Wī Whitu i te 4 o Tīhema o te tau 1908 ki Maungapōhatu, i te wā e kaha ana te tātaki mai a Rua Kēnana i tana whakapono i taua takiwā. Ko ōna mātua ko Whitu Te Rangimakā (Makā) Tawa (Kanuehi rānei) – he tangata nō Hāmua i Rūātoki – rāua ko tana wahine, ko Kirikino (ko Koutu tētahi o ōna īngoa) Hikihiki nō te hapū o Tamakaimoana o Maungapōhatu. Ko Wī te mea mātāmua o ā rāua tamariki – tokowhā ngā tāne, tokotoru ngā tamāhine.

Nō te tau 1907 i tino pono ai a Makā ki a Rua Kēnana. Ko tētahi o ngā wāhine a Rua, ko tana tuahine tonu ko Pēhirangi, ā, āta tohua ana te mahi mā Makā rātau ko ōna tuākana, tēina rānei ki te whakaū i ngā akoranga a Rua. Ko tētahi o ngā kaupapa a Rua he wete mai i a Tūhoe i ngā tikanga e paihere ana i a rātau, me te whakawātea atu i ngā wāhi tapu i ngā whenua katoa o Tūhoe. Inarā, ko te mahi he hahu katoa mai i ngā tūpāpaku o Tūhoe, kātahi ka whakahoki atu ki Maungapōhatu tāpuke ai. He mea ranga wairua te tohinga a Rua i a Te Rangimakā rātau ko ōna tuākana, tāina rānei hai whakatutuki i te mahi nei. Tohia ana rātau e ngā Rīwaiti, arā, ngā pirihi a Rua ki te tikanga pure, kia pai ai tā rātau mahi, i runga i te tapu kore, i te mataku kore.

I a Wī e tupu mai ana i Maungapōhatu, ko ngā Rīwaiti i te whakahau i te tangata ki te karakia, karakia hoki ia rā, ia rā. Ka nui te takeo o Wī rāua ko tana pāpā me ōna mātua kēkē hoki i te mahi karakia ia rā, he pai kē atu ki a rātau te whakapau i ō rātau kaha ki te mahi manu, whakangau kau puihi, whakangau poaka kē rānei. I kuraina a Wī ki te kura o te mīhana Perehipitīriana, he mea whakatuwhera mai i te tau 1918. Nōna kua taikoroua kē, kātahi anō ia ka mau ki te whakapono, i tana urunga atu ki te Hāhi Ringatū i Rūātoki.

I Āperira o te tau 1916 i tae ake he ope pirihimana ki Maungapōhatu ki te hopu i a Rua, he kore e tae mai nōna ki ngā whakawānga a te kōti i a ia mō tana hara, mō te hokohoko haere i te waipiro i waho o te ture. I maumahara tonu a Wī Whitu ki ngā tāngata e noho ana i te marae, e tiro atu ana ki ngā pirihimana e hīkoi mai ana mā te awaawa, e mau ana i ō rātau kaka ōrite, me te mau pū ake hoki. Tino mīharo ana ngā tamariki o te marae ki te hōiho o te Kōmihana, o John Cullen e kanikani haere mai ana, me te Kōmihana e piupiu mai ana i tana pītara. Mahara tonu ana ia ki ngā pakūtanga o ngā pū, tana tangi hoki ki tōna pāpā me te aue me ngā poroporoaki a ngā wāhine, i a rātau ko Rua mā e haria atu ana. I te whakahua anō a Wī Whitu i ngā kōrero nei i te tau 1980, kore rawa ia i whakamau ki ngā mahi a ngā pirihimana.

I te tau 1924 i whai ia i tana pāpā me tana rahi ki te kimi mahi i ngā teihana hipi i te takiwā o Tūranga (Gisborne), ā, he tunu kai tana mahi. Kia mutu āna mahi ka haere ia ki tana pāpā ki te ako i a ia ki te mahi parakimete me te mahi kāmura. Mutu ana te tau kutikuti hipi, hoki atu ana rātau ki Maungapōhatu, ki Te Waimana, ki Rāhitiroa rānei. Hai ēnei wā kua akona a ia ki ngā tikanga mahi rongoā, tikanga whakawhānau tamariki me ētahi atu tikanga he mea whakahau e ngā tohunga o Maungapōhatu. Ahakoa te aha, he karakia tonu te mahi, he karo kē ake nei tāna.

Nō te tau 1930 pea, i moea e ia a Rāwinia Rangiaho (Maitaranui rānei) o Ngāti Rongo i Rūātoki, ā, ko Rūātoki tonu tō rāua kāinga. Whai mahi ana ia i ngā pāmu Pākehā i Ōwhakatoro, i Te Waimana, me Ōpouriao. Nō te tau 1932 i whānau ai tā rāua huatahi, he tamāhine.

He tangata poto, tūmārō, tino mārohirohi kē te hanga o Wī Whitu. Inā hoki te nui o ōna ringa, arā, ngā ringa hoki o te tangata mahi parakimete. Ēngari ka tae ana ki te whakawhānau tamariki, āta ngāwari noa ana te whāwhā atu o aua ringa anō i te pēpi. Ka hia kē ngā tamariki nāna i whakawhānau, ā, me ka uaua ana te whakawhānau mai e mōhio ana ia ki ngā tikanga tuku iho hai whakangāwari ake. He tautōhito a Whitu ki te whāwhā hōiho. Nō te takiwā o te pokapūtanga o te tekau tau atu i 1940, i noho ia hai kaimahi tēpara, ko tana mahi he whakamau atu i ngā hū māmā ki ngā hōiho i mua i te rēhi, ā, hai tango mai anō i te mutunga kia whakakapia ai ki ngā hū taumaha kē atu; e ai ki te kōrero, e waru meneti noa tana roa ki te hū ake i te hōiho. Ahakoa te okeoke, te uaua rānei o te hōiho, i mau tonu te rite o te pakō tonu mai o tana hama. He kokoti anō tāna mahi i ngā hōiho, he poka i ngā raho o ngā tāriana, ā, nāna anō tana rongoā hai whakapai ake i ngā hōiho me e pāngia ana e tētahi tūmomo mate rūmātiki. Nā te kore whai tāngata hauora mō ngā kararehe i taua wā, i tīkina atu a Wī Whitu e ngā Pākehā mahi pāmu o Ōpouriao hai whakaora i ō rātau hōiho.

He tangata whakakatakata, tinihanga hoki te āhua o Wī Whitu. I tētahi wā i riro i a ia te mahi tāpuke i tētahi tūpāpaku, nā rāua ko tana kaiāwhina i mau atu ki te urupā. I ērā wā pāmamao kē atu ngā urupā o Tūhoe i ō rātau marae, arā, i rō ngahere kē te nuinga, ā, nā runga i ngā tikanga a Rua ka mutu mai i ngā kaikari noa i te rua ngā mea hei hari atu i te tūpāpaku ka tāpuke. I tīmata te kari a Wī i te rua o te tangata, nāna tonu i nehu ki reira i ngā tau o mua atu. I te karinga a Wī, ka kari, ka roa, ka kitea e ia tētahi tini, ka huakina. Kikī ana te tini nei i te moni, he mea tāpuke i te taha o te tangata nāna aua moni. Hei hiki i te tapu, i mua i tō rāua haerenga atu ki te pāparakāuta o Tāneatua, he mea tāuwhiuwhi e Wī ngā moni ki te wai awa, me tana mea anō ki tana hoa, kua tino mataku kē nei tērā, kia kopi tonu ōna ngutu. I te taenga atu ki te hōtēra, anā kē te nui o ngā kāho pia i hokona mai e rāua, ā, i te haringa atu ki Te Waimana pārekareka ana te unu me te taka haurangi haere a te tangata i ngā unu a Wī Whitu.

He wā anō i tautohe rāua ko tētahi tangata ahu pāmu mō te kore i utu i a ia. Waihoki te take i whānakotia e Wī ētahi o ngā kau a te tangata rā, ā, kia kore e kitea ngā takahinga, i āia atu e ia ngā kau i roto i te awa mō tētahi wā roa, ka mutu, ka āia atu e ia mā te puihi ki ngā taraka, hai mau atu ki Ākarana (Auckland) hoko atu ai.

Ka tae ki te mahi whāwhā, mahi hahu tūpāpaku rānei, kāore he tangata i tua atu i a Wī rāua ko tōna pāpā mō tērā tū mahi. Ko te wā pōuri o te ata pō te wā tika ki te hahu tūpāpaku, he mahi me oti tonu i mua o te awatea, arā, me ka kore ka muia e te ngaro. Me he take anō me mahi te tūpāpaku i te awatea, kāore te hunga hahu e papaki i ngā rango, waiho kē ana e rātau kia rērere haere tonu i ō rātau māhunga. Me ka kore e pērā ka mau tonu te horohū haere o ngā ngaro, he tikanga ka taea e te tohunga whai mana anake te whakatika. Ko ngā kōiwi e uaua ana te hahu mai ko ērā o ngā ringa, inarā, nā te nui rawa o ngā kōiwi ringa. Ēngari he mea whakarite anō he tikanga, me ka tika te tiki atu i tētahi kōiwi anake, kātahi ka āta kukume noa mai, ka whai noa mai ngā kōiwi katoa o te ringa.

Kātahi hoki te nui o ngā tūpāpaku he mea hahu tonu e ia anake. Nō te tau 1940 i hahua mai e ia te tūpāpaku o tētahi kaikutikuti hipi, e whā tau e tāpuke ana i Ōtāne, ka whakahokia atu e ia mā runga hōiho ki Maungapōhatu. I muri tonu mai i tētahi Kirihimete i te tekau tau atu i 1950, i āwhinatia e ia ngā pirihimana ki te whakawātea mai i te tūpāpaku a tētahi tangata i tētahi whare i Rūātoki, nāna tonu a ia i patu. He pōrearea nō te autaia nei i ngā mahi harakoakoa a Wī Whitu, i kangaia e Wī Whitu te tangata nei.

Nā runga i te āhua o te mahi i tino tapu ai ngā kaihahu tūpāpaku, he wā anō e wehe kē ana te noho mai, ā, riro ana mā te tangata kē rātau e whāngai ki te kai e mau ake ana i te pito o te rākau. Ēngari kāore a Wī i tuku i a ia kia whāngai pērātia, nā te tinihanga o ngā mea whāngai i a ia, arā, i te tukunga atu o te kai ki tana waha, e whakatika ana ia ki te kai, kūmea kētia mai ana te rākau. Ko tēnei te take i tahuri ai a Wī ki te mau karapu, ki te mau naihi, pāoka mai hai whāngai i a ia, ā, pārekareka ana tana kai. Ko te āhua o te whakatika ake a Wī Whitu i a ia i te tapu, he noho roa tonu e āta horoi ana i ōna ringa.

Pau noa ōna rā, pukumahi haere tonu ai a Wī, ā, e ai ki te kōrero, i rite tonu tōna manawa ki tō te hōiho. Nā rāua ko tana wahine ētahi māra manga, kāri puāwai, tino pai kē nei i Rūātoki. Kai te mahara tonu te tangata ki tōna ngākau manawareka, ki tōna kaha ki ngā mahi ringa wera i ngā marae, me tana pai ki te manaaki tangata. Ahakoa kotahi noa tā rāua tamaiti ko Rāwinia, i neke atu i te rua tekau wā rāua mokopuna, tamariki whāngai i whakatipua e rāua. Nō te 31 o Mei o te tau 1983 i mate ai a Wī Whitu ki Whakatāne, ā, he mea nehu tonu a ia i te urupā e tātata tonu ana ki te marae o Waikirikiri, i te wāhi tonu o tana tangihanga. Kotahi wiki i muri mai ka mate a Rāwinia, ā, tāpuke kētia ana a ia i te taha o tā rāua tamāhine i Tauarau i Rūātoki.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Pou Temara. 'Whitu, Wī', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2000. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/5w28/whitu-wi (accessed 30 March 2024)