Hoki atu ai ngā whakapapa o Ngāti Awa ki ngā iwi e noho ana i Aotearoa i mua i te taenga mai o ngā tīpuna i heke mā runga i a Mataatua. He maha ngā takiwā kua nōhia e te iwi nei. I ēnei rā, kei te rāwhiti o Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi ngā kāinga o Ngāti Awa, arā, kei ngā takiwā o Whakatāne, o Te Teko, o Etikamu (Edgecumbe), o Matatā, o Kawerau.
Ngā tīpuna taketake
Ko ngā tīpuna tūturu o Ngāti Awa ko Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga rāua ko tōna uri a Te Papa-titi-rau-maewa. Nō muri i a rāua ko Tīwakawaka, te kaihōpara tuatahi kia noho ki ngā whenua o Kākahoroa (Whakatāne). Ko Te Aratauwhāiti tōna waka, ā, ka mōhiotia ōna uri ko Ngāti Ngainui, ko rātou te iwi tuatahi ki Whakatāne.
Tekau mā rua ngā whakapaparanga whai muri i a Tīwakawaka ka puta ko Toitehuatahi (Toi). I noho ia ki te pā o Kaputerangi, kei runga ake o te tāone o Whakatāne. Koia te tipuna taketake o te rahi o ngā iwi o Te Ika-a-Māui. Ko Rauru te mātāmua o ngā tamariki a Toi. Ko Huiarei tōna whāea. Ko Awanuiarangi I te tama tuarua a Toi, ko Te Kuraimonoa tōna whāea. Ko ngā uri o Awanuiarangi I ko Ngāti Awa ki Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi, ko Ngāti Awa ki Te Tai Tokerau, ko Te Āti Awa ki Taranaki.
Mataatua
E ai ki ngā kōrero tuku iho a Ngāti Awa, i tana hekenga mai i Hawaiki, i ū a Mataatua ki Whakatāne. Nā ngā tāngata o runga i a Mataatua te kūmara i mau ki Kākahoroa; ko tētahi atu mea i heria mai e rātou, ko tētahi kapunga oneone mai i Rangiātea, i waihotia ki Matirerau, tō ratou māra i Whakatāne.
Ko Toroa te rangatira o runga te waka a Mataatua, koia tētahi o ngā tipuna nui o Ngāti Awa. Nā Toroa ko Ruaihona, nāna ko Te Tahinga-o-te-rā, nā Te Tahinga-o-te-rā ko Awanuiarangi II, te tipuna nui o ngā hapū katoa o Ngāti Awa. Mai anō, he huānga a Ngāi Te Rangi rāua ko Ngāti Awa, e kaha tonu nei ngā hononga kei waenganui i a rāua i ēnei rā.
