E rere kau mai te Awa nui, mai i Te Kāhui Maunga ki Tangaroa
He Awa ora ahau, he tupua; he wai tukunga mouri, tukunga kiri, mai i te rerenga ki te kopounga. Ahakoa te taupanapana me te tautohetohe o mua, he iwi mārama tōku iwi ki ahau, ā, i mau tonu ki te whakaaro kia tīna toka ai te manawa ora ki te whai ao, ki te ao mārama.
As an interconnected system of waterways, I am an indivisible River; I am a living whole that flows from the mountains to the sea, including all physical and metaphysical elements. My people understood this, and although there was conflict, they maintained an equilibrium between the tangible and intangible qualities that influence daily life.
I tēnei tūtanga o He Awa Ora tukua mā ngā taonga nei Te Pakanga o Moutoa e whakaari ai, he pakanga i tū i te 14 o Mei i te tau 1864 – he pānga nui tōna ki ngā hapū mahamaha noa. Ahakoa e rite ana ngā māharahara o ngā taha e rua mō te rironga whenua, he rerekē ō rātou whakaaro (ko tētehi taha kāore i whakaae ki te noninga kumu tahi ko te Pākehā, ko tētehi taha anō i whakaae). Kia rongo mai koe ki te wairua o ngā taonga nā ngā uki o taua wā i whāwhā, mō te rangatiratanga o te tangata te take, hei puritanga anō i tōku mana te take.
Through taonga in this section of He Awa Ora, you will learn about one conflict – the Battle of Moutoa on 14 May 1864 – that has a huge impact on many of my hapū. Although those on both sides of the battle had similar concerns around the loss of land, their approaches set them apart (one side did not agree with Pākehā settlement, the other one allowed for it). You will meet taonga associated with some of my descendants of old, who attempted to maintain rangatiratanga (sovereignty) and protect my mana in their own ways.
He amo, nō Rānana
He amo ahau nō Huriwhenua i tū i Rānana. He whare rūnanga tēnei whare, nā Taitoko Te Rangihiwinui i tono i te takiwā o te tau 1880, he whare kōrero tēnei mō ngā take whenua me ngā take ā-iwi. Nā Hōri Pukehika rāua ko Te Ture Poutama i whakairo. Nō Whanganui tonu ngā whakairo e whakaahua mai nei i ahau, he karu whāitaita, he waewae pākati, ngā matimati e rima ki ngā ringa, me te mau arero. Ka whakaahua ko te ruahine ko Rere-ō-maki, nāna i tā moko te Tiriti o Waitangi ki Pākaitore i te 23 o Mei i te tau 1840, rātou ko ōna tūngane ko Hōri Kīngi Te Anaua rāua ko Te Māwae. Ka pupuru e ia tana tama a Taitoko Te Rangihiwinui ki ngā ringa. Kei ngā waewae, ko tana makau a Mahuera Paki Tanguru-o-te-rangi, nō Muaupoko me Rangitāne.
I am an amo (bargeboard support post) from Huriwhenua that stood at Rānana. This whare rūnanga (council house) was commissioned by Taitoko Te Rangihiwinui around 1880 as a place to discuss various matters such as land and tribal affairs. Carved by Hōri Pukehika and Te Ture Poutama, I have typical Whanganui carving features, with bulbous eyes, notched knees and five fingers on each hand, and the held tongue. I represent the matriarch, Rere-ō-maki, who signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi at Pākaitore on 23 May 1840, alongside her brothers, Hōri Kīngi Te Anaua and Te Māwae. She holds her son, Taitoko Te Rangihiwinui, in her hands. At her feet is her husband, Mahuera Paki Tanguru-o-te-rangi, who affiliated to Muaupoko and Rangitāne.
Ākona ngā kōrero mō Rere-ō-maki me tana tama a Taitoko Te Rangihiwinui.
Learn more about Rere-ō-maki, and her son, Taitoko Te Rangihiwinui.
Amo (bargeboard support post), c. 1880s
Hōri Pukehika & Te Ture Poutama
Made from tōtara wood
Tangata tiaki: Hone Tamehana
WRM 1899.183.1
He mahere o te Awa o
Whanganui
He Awa tupua ahau, he maha ngā kōawa ōku ka hono kau atu ki te tumu roa, mai i te rerenga ki te kopounga. He pīrori haere te mahi a tōku iwi, he toronga ā tau ki ngā whenua pai ki te whakatou māra, whawhaki hua, rore manu, kiore rānei me te hauhake kai, tatū atu ki ngā wāhi tapu, ngā wāhi rāhui i reira whāngai mouri ai. Nā ēnei ritenga i houkura ai te mata o te whenua taka iho mai ki tēnā whakatupuranga, ki tēnā whakatupuranga anō. Ahakoa kāore e kaha aro ki tōna whānuitanga, e taki ana te matawhenua nei i ētehi wāhi motuhake o te iwi. Ko ngā ingoa kahurangi ka hono tōtika atu ki ērā ka waiata i te pātere, Kia Uiuia Mai. Ko ngā ingoa whero ko ngā papakāinga ērā kua whakarauora e ōku uri, e whanga tonu ana kia hoki mai ngā whānau ōna.
I am a whole person, consisting of various waterways that connect and lead to my main body, that flows from the mountains to the sea. My people moved and visited places that were used for growing, gathering, hunting, and harvesting kai, as well as spaces that were sacred or were reserved for spiritual practices. Such activities formed part of an elaborate system of life, that was harmonious with natural cycles and spanned generations. Although not comprehensive, this map charts some of the places of significance to my people. Those names in blue link directly to those sung in the pātere, Kia Uiuia Mai. Other names in red are those of pā and kāinga, that have either been revitalised by my descendants, or are waiting for the return of their whānau.
Mahere (map), 2022
Te Atawhai o Te Ao & Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui
Tāngata tiaki: Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi/Te Iwi o Whanganui
He haki, nā Te Ua Haumēne
Haki (flag), original 1860s; replica 2022
No identified maker; replica by Lee Williams
Made from silk
He pūrua ahau nō te kara a Te Ua Haumēne, te matua tangata o te māramatanga o te Pai Mārire. I whakamoea ngā tikanga taketake a te Māori ki te whakapono Karaitiana. Ko te aronga nui ko te pupuru i te whenua me ngā tikanga Māori, ko tā te tirohanga Pakeha he iwi kōhuru te iwi Pai Mārire. Ko te kara tūturu, i huaina ko ‘Kenana’, e mea ana, i mau ai te kara nei i te pakanga o Moutoa. E tohu ana te kupu Kenana i te hāngaitanga o ngā kōrero mō ngā Hūrai, kei te Kawenata Tawhito o te Paipera, ki tā te Te Ua tirohanga. Pērā i ngā kara i huti i ngā raupatu whenua o te ngahuru tau 1860, he tohu rangatira mō te mana motuhake me te kotahitanga o ngā iwi.
I am a replica of a flag of Te Ua Haumēne, who was the founder and leader of the Pai Mārire movement. Pai Mārire blended traditional Māori spiritual beliefs with Christianity. The focus of this movement was the retention of Māori land and beliefs, and followers were often viewed by Pākehā as a fanatical cult. The flag upon which I was modelled, with the name ‘Kenana’ and symbolism, is said to have been captured at the Battle of Moutoa. Kenana symbolises Te Ua's identification with the Jews in the Old Testament of the Bible. Like other flags flown during the wars of the 1860s, I was seen as an important symbol of power and alliance.
Ākona ngā kōrero mō Te Ua Haumēne, te māramatanga o te Pai Mārire me ōna ritenga, mā te matawai i te tohu waehere i te whare nei.
Learn about Te Ua Haumēne, his Pai Mārire faith and the application of its teachings today.
He tekoteko, nō Tawhitinui
Tekoteko (gable figure), c. 1880s
Hori Pukehika & Te Ture Poutama
Made from wood
Tangata tiaki: Rāwiri Tinirau, on behalf of Ngāti Ruaka
WRM 1930.130.3
He tekoteko ahau nō te whare i tū i Tawhitinui, nōna ko te pare me te whakawae i te tomokanga o He Awa Ora. Ko Tawhitinui te wāhi i tū ai te hui i mua i te pakanga o Moutoa i te tau 1864. I tūtaki ngā taha e rua ki te whakatakatū nga ritenga mō te pakanga, i aua kōrero i whakawhiti ētehi ki taha kē atu. He tekoteko ahau, kua whakairongia ki ngā tū āhua o Whanganui tonu, arā ko ngā karu whāitaita, ngā turi pākati, me ngā matimati e rima ki ngā ringaringa. Ko ngā whakairo o te whare nei, nā Hori Pukehika me te Ture Poutama i tā. He tū āhua whakairo anō kua tāngia ki ahau, ko te whakarare, te āhua ki taku tumu ki te puku, tae rawa iho ki te kāwitinga. Ko te pākati tētehi āhua anō kei taku rae, ka hono ki te rauponga ka puta ko mihi taniwha, ko te pākati kei te taha o taku rae, ko toropapa te ingoa. Ko taku ure me te upoko kei ngā waewae e tohu ana i ngā tini whakatupuranga.
I am a tekoteko (gable figure) from the house that once stood at Tawhitinui, the same house that the pare and whakawae that graces the entrance to He Awa Ora came from. Tawhitinui was the site of a hui (meeting) prior to the Battle of Moutoa in 1864. Both sides met and had important discussions prior to the short battle, and in some cases, upon hearing those discussions, people changed sides. As a tekoteko, I am carved with distinct Whanganui carving features, such as big bulbous eyes, notched knees and five fingers on each hand. As with other carvings from this house, I was made by Hori Pukehika and Te Ture Poutama. Different patterns have been carved into me, including whakarare, the pattern running from my collar bone to my stomach and lower abdomen. Another pattern is the pākati, which runs across my forehead. This pākati pattern combines with rauponga, and is called mihi taniwha, while the pākati design that features as a spiral on the side of my forehead, is called toropapa. My ure (penis) and the upoko (head) between my feet represent my many descendants.
Kia mārama mai koe, pānuitia he kōrero mō Hori Pukehika.
Read more about Hori Pukehika in this biography.