Te tupuna a Maniapoto
Te tohu i a Maniapoto
E ora ana a Maniapoto i te rau tau 1600 ā, he tokomaha ngā iwi nui i whakatūria e ia. E mārama ai ngā kōrero mō te āhuatanga o tōna rironga i te mana kaiārahi o te iwi, me hoki rawa ngā kōrero ki te wā e whakahemohemo ana a Rereahu tōna matua.
Ko te tikanga o ngā wā o mua, mā te rangatira anō tana piki tūranga e tohu. Ko Te Ihingaarangi te mātāmua a Rereahu, te tama a rāua ko tana wahine tuatahi. Ko te whakapono o tēnei o ana tama, ka heke te mana o Rereahu ki a ia. Engari ka rata kē a Rereahu ki a Maniapoto, te mātāmua o ā rāua tamariki ko Hine-aupounamu. I te wā e ngaro atu ana a Te Ihingaarangi ka karangahia e Rereahu a Maniapoto.
Ka tohu a Rereahu kia ngaua e Maniapoto tana tipuaki, kua pania ki te kōkōwai. He tohu tēnei kua whakawhitia te mana o Rereahu ki a Maniapoto. Nō te hokinga atu o Te Ihingaarangi kua mate kē a Rereahu. I te kitenga atu o Te Ihingaarangi i te whero i ngā ngutu o Maniapoto, ka mōhio ia kua riro kē te mana o tō rāua matua.
Ahakoa tohe ai a Te Ihingaarangi ki a Maniapoto mō te mana o tō rāua matua, hauwarea atu. Nāwai ā, ka wehe a ia me ana tamariki ki te takiwā o Maungatautari noho ai. Ko ngā iwi o Te Ihingaarangi ki aua takiwā ko Ngāti Korokī rātou ko Ngāti Hape, ko Ngāti Haua. Engari i tōna matenga he rahi tonu tōna iwi i hoki ki Ōtorohanga. Kei reira tonu rātou i ēnei rā, kei raro i te karangatanga o Ngāti Te Ihingaarangi.
Matakore
Ko ngā kōrero o mua e pā ana ki a Ngāti Maniapoto ka hāngai ki a Maniapoto rātou ko ana teina pēnei i a Matakore, tae rawa hoki ki ana tamariki, mokopuna.
Ko rātou ngā tūpuna taketake o ngā hapū maha o nāianei, pērā i a Ngāti Matakore. Nā Matakore tōna tuakana a Maniapoto i tautoko i te wā o ngā whakatumatuma a Te Ihingaarangi; ka riro i a ia ngā whenua kei te tonga o te awa o Waipā tae atu ki te pae maunga o Rangitoto. Nā tō rāua moenga ko Waiharapepe i hono atu ai tōna iwi ki ngā iwi o Te Arawa.
Maniapoto rātou ko ana wāhine, tamariki
Tokotoru ngā wāhine a Maniapoto, ko tētahi ko Hinewhatihua, te mokopuna tuarua a Te Ihingaarangi. Nō muri rawa mai ka moea e ia a Paparauwhare, te tamāhine a Hinewhatihua; heoi, ehara ia nā Maniapoto, nā tētahi kē. Mai i tērā moenga ka puta a Rōrā te tupuna o Ngāti Rōrā i noho ki Te Kuiti.
Te Kawairirangi
Ko Te Kawairirangi te tama a Maniapoto rāua ko Hinemania, tana wahine tuatahi. Ka haere a Te Kawairirangi ki te raki ki te pā nui o Maungakiekie kei te rohe o Tāmaki-makau-rau. I reira ka moe ia i ngā māhanga a Mārei rāua ko Māroa. I kōhurutia ia i Tāmaki ā, ko tana tama a Rungaterangi i kōhurutia ki te tonga, ki te rohe o Mōkau. Nā runga i ēnei aituā ka hua ake te whakataukī; ‘Mōkau ki runga, Tāmaki ki raro’ hei whakamaumaharatanga ki a Ngāti Maniapoto. Nō muri mai ka whakahuatia te pepeha nei hei tohu mō te rohe o ngā iwi o Tainui puta noa.
He pepeha
I tōna kaumātuatanga ka noho a Maniapoto ki Te Ana-uriuri, tētehi ana pākeho kei te takiwā o Waitomo. I a ia e whakamatemate ana ka haere a Maniapoto ki Pukeroa, takiwā ki Hangatiki. I reira ka karangahia e ia te iwi kia hui. Ka whakapuakina e ia tana ōhākī, ka whakahauhia e ia ngā toa kia haka. Kātahi ka haka ana teina me ā rātou tamariki i raro i ngā tātakitanga a Te Kawairirangi. I te otinga ka tau ngā whakaaro o Maniapoto, ka tohungia pēneitia e ia tōna iwi:
Kia mau tonu ki tēnā; kia mau ki te kawau mārō! Whanake ake! Whanake ake!
He kōrero tēnei e whakarite ana i te taua ki te kawau, ka rere tika tonu tana whanake, kore he huringa atu. Koianei ia te pepeha mō te iwi.
