‘Tangohia mai te taura i taku kakī kia waiata ahau i taku waiata.’ I waiatahia ēnei kupu e Mokomoko, i whakapaetia hētia i te tau 1865 mō te kōhuru o tētahi mihinare. Hei whakawhiunga mō te kōhuru nei, ka raupatuhia e te Karauna ngā whenua nui o Te Whakatōhea. Ka riro ā rātou mahinga kai i te takutai, ngā mahinga kai i ngā awa, arā, te kahawai me te haku, tae rawa ki ngā kai o te ngahere, te manu me te kiore.
E ono ngā hapū o Te Whakatōhea i tēnei wā: Ko Ngāti Ruatakena, Ngāti Patumoana, Ngāti Ngahere, Ngāi Tamahaua, Ngāti Ira, Te Ūpokorehe. E 35 kiromita te whāroa o te rohe ki-tai o Te Whakatōhea kei te taha rāwhiti o Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi, atu i Te Moana-a-Tairongo (Ōhiwa) ki Ōpape. Ko Maraetōtara i Ōhope te paenga whenua ki te uru; ko Tarakeha te paenga whenua ki te rāwhiti, kei waenganui i Ōpape me Awaawakino. Huri atu ana te rohe ki te tuawhenua, ka anga ki te tonga mā-rawhiti, whakahipa atu ai i nga maunga whakahī tae noa atu ki tua tata o Matawai.
He huhua o ngā kai o te rohe o Te Whakatōhea. Ki Ōhiwa kei te uru, e karangahia ai ko ‘Te tamāhine a Te Whakatōhea’ (he kōrero whakarite mō te rahi o te tuangi, te kuku, te pūpū e kitea ana ki reira. He nui te ika ki konei.
E rua kiromita ki te taha rāwhiti o Ōhiwa ko te awa o Waiotahe, ka hau te rongo mō ana pipi mimiti kore. Kei waenganui pū i te rohe whenua o Te Whakatōhea, ko Pākōwhai me te tāone o Ōpōtiki, koinei te tūtakitanga o ngā awa o Wai-o-weka rāua ko Ōtara. I ngā wā e tika ana ka rere whakarunga te kahawai, te kanae, te haku i ngā awa nei mō ētahi kiromita. Ko Pakihi kei te tāhuna o te awa, he mōmona ngā kaimoana o tēnei wāhi.
Atu i Ōpape ki Awaawakino i te pito rawhiti ngā toka moana, kikī ana i te kuku, te pāua, te kina, te koura. E whā kiromita atu i konei ki te uru ko te awa o Waiaua, te wāhi i whakatauhia e Tāpuikākahu inā:
Te kai hoki rā i Waiaua!
He whare moenga mōu mō te tangata
Hei kume kupenga i te ākau. 1
Ko te nuinga o nga pā tūwatawata kei tātahi e tū ana, hei tiaki i ngā mahinga kaimoana o te iwi. Kāore he pā maioro i ngā pae maunga, he puni noa iho mō te kaupeka mahi kai i te wao. Kei ngā takiwā o Toa Toa, o Whitikau, o Wai-o-weka ngā wāhi e tipu ana te aruhe, ngā wāhi mahi tuna, mahi manu pēnei i te kererū, te kākā, te kōkako, te weka, te kiwi. I ngā wā o te pakanga, koinei te wāhi tāwharau o te iwi.
Ko Tarawa te tipuna tuatahi o Te Whakatōhea kia tau mai i Hawaiki. E ai ki tētahi kōrero, i kauhoe mai a Tarawa ki Aotearoa ā, pae ana ki Paerātā, ki te taha rāwhiti o te awa o Waiotahe. Ka waihohia e ia ana ika mōkai ki tētahi puna i reira. Ko te ingoa o tenei puna ko Ōpōtiki-mai-tawhiti. I muri mai ka utaina te ingoa o Ōpōtiki ki te tāone. E rua ngā pouwhenua i whakatūria kei te wāhi i ū mai a Tarawa, ko tētahi hei whakamaharatanga mō nga tāngata tuatahi ki tēnei whenua, ko tētahi mō ngā tūpuna Pākehā nō muri kē ka tae mai.
Ko Tautūrangi te tipuna rongonui i tae mai i runga i te waka Nukutere e 26 whakapaparanga i mua i te tau 1900. I tau mai a Nukutere ki tētahi whanga paku e awhitia ana e te kōhatu, ka herea ki tētahi kōhatu papatahi he mā te tae, ko Te Rangi te ingoa. Ka rewa a Nukutere i Te Rangi ka huri ki Te Kōtukutuku; i reira ka pae a Tautūrangi me tōna iwi ki uta. Ko te mahi tuatahi mā Tautūrangi e riro ai te mana o te whenua, he piki mā te kōawa o Waiaua ki Kapuarangi he tihi i te tuawhenua. I reira ka whakanōhia e ia a Tamaīwaho, he atua i kawea mai i Hawaiki mā runga i a Nukutere. Ko Te Wakanui te ingoa o te iwi o Tautūrangi i ōna rā, ā, tatū rawa ki a Tūtāmure, e waru whakapaparanga i muri mai.
Nā Tūtāmure i whakatū te paenga whenua ki te rāwhiti i waenganui i a Te Wakanui me Ngāi Tai ki Tōrere, mai i Te Rangi kuhu whakauta ki Ōroi. I te patunga o tana tuahine a Tāneroa e tana tāne, ka whakaekea e Tūtāmure a Maungakāhia, te pā o Kahungunu. I tēnei pakanga ka whati te taiaha o Tūtāmure. Ka nanao a ia ki tana patu parāoa, ka ākina nga pane o te hoariri, mate rawa. Mai i tērā wā i mōhiotia ai a Tūtāmure me tana iwi, ko Te Panenehu. Ka whakatūria e Tūtāmure te pā o Poutōtara kei roto ake o Waiaua, hei aukati i nga whāinga utu a Ngāti Kahungunu. I nōhia e Tūtāmure ētahi pā ki Waiaua, ko tētahi ko Makeo, te pā koeko kei muri i te marae i Ōmarumutu.
E iwa whakapaparanga i muri o te taenga mai o Nukutere i Hawaiki ka tau a Mataatua ki te pūaha o Whakatāne. Ko Muriwai, tipuna o Te Whakatōhea, tētahi i runga i te waka. Nō te makeretanga o Toroa, te rangatira, rātou ko ngā tāne ki te tirotiro i te whenua, ka mahue ngā wāhine. Kāore rātou i aro ki te aukume, te piki me te heke o nga tai o Aotearoa. Nāwai ā, ka kawea haerehia te waka e te ia o te wai. Ka tū ake a Muriwai me tana kī, “Ka whakatāne au i ahau!” I konei ka kūmea e ia te waka ki uta. Koirā te takenga mai o te ingoa o Whakatāne.
E iwa whakapaparanga i muri mai i te taunga o Nukutere ki Aotearoa, ka tau a Mataatua ki Whakatāne. Koinei te waka i haere mai a Muriwai, he tipuna nui o Te Whakatōhea. I haere a Rēpanga, te tama a Muriwai, ki Ōpōtiki, ka moe i a Ngāpoupereta. He uri whakaheke a Ruatakena nō Rēpanga, ko ia te tipuna nui o Ngāti Ruatakena (e mōhiotia ana ko Ngāti Rua). Ka whai atu a Hine-i-kauia, te tamāhine a Muriwai, i tōna tungāne ki Ōpōtiki, ka moe i a Tūtāmure. Nā tēnei piringa, ka puta te iwi o Te Whakatōhea, i whakakotahi ai ki a Te Panenehu.
Ko Tūtāmure ki te rāwhiti, ko Kahuki ki te uru. Nō te hapū o Te Whakatāne a ia, ko Waiōtahe tōna kāinga. I whakaekea ētahi atu wāhanga o te hapū hei ranaki i te mate o tōna matua, a Rongopopoia.
Ka hoki a Kahuki ki Waiōtahe ka whakatū i tōna pā kia tata ki te awa. Ka noho ngā mōrehu o Te Whakatāne, o Ngāti Raumoa, o Te Ūpokorehe ki Waiotahe me Ōhiwa i raro i te mana o Kahuki. He wā anō ka whiua a Te Ūpokorehe e ngā taua o Ngāi Tūhoe rāua ko Ngāti Awa e tomo mai ana i te uru. I ngā wā o te raruraru ka rere a Te Ūpokorehe ki Ōpōtiki maru ai. Ko te whawhai mutunga i waenganui i a Te Whakatōhea me Ngāi Tūhoe rāua ko Ngāti Awa i tū Ōhope. Nā Te Rupe a Te Whakatōhea i ārahi kia puta. Ko tana haka ko ‘Te kōtiritiri te kōtaratara!’
Nā Te Rupe te haka nei. I hakaina e Te Whakatōhea i mua i tētahi whawhai i Ōhope i toa rātou ki a Ngāi Tūhoe.
Te kōtiritiri te kōtaratara ki Ōhope e
Haere tītaha ana te kaha o te kupenga ki uta rā e
Hurahia te tangata mate
Hurahia te tangata mate
Houhoua e te ure
Ki roto ki te onepū
Kei motu tī kariri i te tūpere ha!
I whawhai tonu a Te Whakatōhea i te paenga rāwhiti, ki te aukati i a Ngāi Tai ki waho o Waiaua. I Awahou te riri whakamutunga. Ko Punāhamoa te kaingārahu o Te Whakatōhea. Ko te wā tēnei i mua tonu i te taenga mai o te Hāhi Karaitiana. Ka patua a Ngāi Tai ki Awahou, ka poroa te māhunga o tō rātou rangatira a Tūterangikūrei. I hoatuna he toki pounamu e Ngāi Tai hei utu mō te ūpoko o tō rātou rangatira. Ko Te Waiwharangi te ingoa o taua toki pounamu; i tēnei wā kei te Whare Pupuri Taonga o Whakatāne e puritia ana.
He rite a Te Whakatōhea ki te nuinga o ngā iwi Māori, i koa rātou i te whakatūnga o ngā ture Pākehā me te Hāhi Karaitiana, hei whakatau i ngā pakanga ā-iwi. Tino kino ngā pakanga i waenganui i ngā iwi i te whā tekau tau atu i te huringa o te rau tau 1800, te wā o ngā ‘Pakanga Mau Pū’.
He wā pai te wā o te hainatanga o te Tiriti o Waitangi me te taenga mai o ngā mihingare
I whakatūpato a Te Whakatōhea i a Te Wākana kia kaua e hoki ki tō rātou rohe nā te whakapae he heri kōrero a ia mā te kāwanatanga. Nō te tau 1865 i e raruraru ana te tāone o Ōpōtiki e ngā Hauhau, ka whakamatea a Te Wākana. Hei utu mō tōna mate, ka raupatutia e te kāwanatanga te e 144,000 eka i raro i te Ture mō te Whakanoho i te Hunga Mārie (New Zealand Settlement Act) o 1863. Ko tētahi anō take e hiahia ai te kāwanatanga ki aua whenua, hei whakanoho i ngā tāngata whai mai tāwāhi. Ka raupatutia te takutai atu i Maraetōtara ki te awa o Waiaua. Ka whiua ngā hapū kia noho ki tētahi rāhui whenua iti ki Ōpape.
Nō te tau 1952 utua ai e te Karauna tētahi wāhanga o te paremata mō tēnei hara, i tukuna he pūtea e 20,000 pāuna ki Te Whakatōhea. Nā tēnei tahua ka tū te Poari Kaitiaki o Te Whakatōhea.
E ono ngā hapū o Te Whakatōhea kei te ora i ēnei rā: Ko Ngāti Ruatakena (Ngāti Rua), Ngāti Patumoana, Ngāti Ngahere, Ngāti Tamahaua, Ngāti Ira, Te Ūpokorehe.
Ko te Poari o Te Whakatōhea te kaiwhakahaere o ngā rawa o te iwi, pēnei i ētahi whare nunui me ētahi pāmu e rua. I tua atu, kei te āwhina te Poari i ngā whare kōhungahunga me ngā ratonga hauora a te iwi. Kua tū ētahi kaupapa whakaako i ngā mahi pāmu, te whāngai manuhiri, te ahuwhenua, te ruku moana tae noa ki ngā mahi arumoni, te whakahaere pakihi, ngā mahi rorohiko. Kua pakari a Te Whakatōhea ki te kuhu ki ngā whitiwhitinga kōrero me te kāwanatanga kia hua ai he whakataunga whānui mō ōna kerēme.
In the New Zealand censuses since 1991, residents of Māori descent were asked to indicate the tribe to which they were affiliated. The figures below show the number who indicated Te Whakatōhea (including those who indicated more than one tribe), and the regions where they were found in the greatest numbers.
The only previous census asking Māori to indicate tribal affiliation – but not of multiple tribes – was that of 1901.
Also shown are the numbers of the tribe living in the major regions at the 2001 census.
Best, Elsdon. Tuhoe: the children of the mist. 4th ed. Auckland: Reed, 1996 (originally published 1925).
Crosby, R. D. The musket wars: a history of inter-iwi conflict, 1806–45. Auckland: Reed, 1999.
Lyall, A. C. Whakatohea of Opotiki. Auckland: Reed, 1997 (originally published 1979).
McKinnon, Malcolm, ed. Bateman New Zealand historical atlas. Auckland: David Bateman, 1997.
Ngata, A. T. Ngā mōteatea. Part III. Auckland: Polynesian Society, 1990.
http://www.whakatohea.co.nz/index.htm
Ka kitea i tenei pae tukutuku ngā kōrero, ngā pārongo, ngā ratonga kei a Te Poari Kaitiaki o Te Whakatōhea.