He korero whakarapopoto
Ngā pūtaketanga
Ka hoki rā anō ngā whakapapa o Ngāi Tahu ki a Paikea. Noho rawa ai a Paikea ki Hawaiki, kei Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. I puta tōna ihu i te riri o tōna tuakana, ka rere mai ki Aotearoa mā runga i te tohorā. He tipuna nui hoki a Paikea nō te iwi o Ngāti Porou. Ka noho tamaiti a Tahupōtiki te tipuna nui o Ngāi Tahu, mā Paikea. I noho a Tahupōtiki ki Te Tai Rāwhiti o Te Ika-a-Māui.
Te heke ki te tonga
I te wehenga o Ngāi Tahu i Te Tai Rāwhiti, heke ai rātou ko tōna iwi ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara ka whakawhiti i Te Moana-o-Raukawa tau atu ana ki Te Wai Pounamu. E mōhiotia ana tērā whenua ko Te Wai Pounamu, arā te motu o te pounamu, te kōhatu whakamīharo rawa atu ki te Māori. Ka heke haere te iwi i te motu, ka pakanga ki ngā tāngata whenua, ki a Ngāti Māmoe rāua ko Waitaha. Nō te paunga o te rau tau 1700, kua tae a Ngāi Tahu ki te whaitua tonga rawa o Te Wai Pounamu ki te Ara-o-Kiwa (Foveaux Strait), tae atu ki Te Tai Poutini (West Coast).
Te whenua
Ehara nā te ringa kaha anake i toitū te noho o Ngāi Tahu ki Te Wai Pounamu. Nā ngā moemoe a Ngāi Tahu ki ngā whānau rangatira o Waitaha me Ngāti Māmoe ka tau tā rātou noho ki Te Wai Pounamu. I tahuri hoki a Ngāi Tahu ki te ako i ngā tikanga me ngā kōrero tuku iho a Waitaha, te iwi whakaheke mai i a Rākaihautū, nāna ngā roto me ngā maunga o Te Wai Pounamu i auaha mā tana kō. Ki tā rātou titiro, he tipuna ngā tohu whenua ki a Waitaha, ā, e whai pānga anō ngā hau o te takiwā ki a rātou.
Ngā riri me Ngāti Toa
I roto i ngā tekau tau 1820 me 1830, ka aratakina e Te Rauparaha ngā taua whakaeke o Ngāti Toa ki runga i a Ngāi Tahu. He mau pū ngā taua o Ngāti Toa, e whai utu ana mō ngā tao kī me ngā tao tū i whiua e Ngāi Tahu. He hiahia anō hoki nō Ngāti Toa ki ngā pounamu o te takiwā mō rātou ake. Ka kōkiritia, ka whakaekea a Ngāi Tahu. E toru marama te roa e mau ana a Ngāi Tahu ki roto i te pā o Kaiapoi i te whakaekenga o Te Rauparaha. Nā te aha ka kainga te pā i te ahi. Nui te parekura o Ngāi Tahu. Heoi, kīhai i murua ngā whenua o te iwi. I tētahi wā, ka tata mau a Te Rauparaha i te taua o Ngāi Tahu i Kāparatehau (Lake Grassmere).
Te kerēme a Ngāi Tahu
I hokona e Ngāi Tahu te nuinga o ōna whenua ki te Karauna atu i te tau 1844 ki te tau 1863. Ko te kupu oati a te Karauna, ka rāhuitia ki a Ngāi Tahu he whenua, he wāhi mahi kai hoki, ka whakatūria he kura, hōhipera mō te iwi. Heoi, kāore i mana tēnei kupu a te kāwanatanga; whāia, mō ngā tau 150 ka whai, ka arumia e Ngāi Tahu te tika me tētahi paremata. Nō te tekau tau atu i 1990 tutuki ai tēnei moemoeā.
I te tau 2013, tata ki te 55,000 ngā uri o Ngāi Tahu.