Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
See below for English translation
Nō te tau kotahi mano, e waru rau, e rua tekau mā toru ka hinga a Te Arawa i a Ngāpuhi. He whatinga tātai kōrero tēnei mō tētehi kuia i patua engari kāore i mate.
Ko Parewaero te kuia. I Kāwaha a Parewaero e tukituki whenua ana me āna tamariki, mokopuna.
Ko Kāwaha kai te taha hauāuru o te moana nui o Kahumatamomoe. He pā whakairo onamata. Ko Owhiria te waerenga kūmara.
Kai te whanga o Te Wai-o-Whiro tēnei takiwā. Mātotoru te tupu o te kūmara ki te whenua, he ahakoa huri ai ngā kanohi ki whea tū ana he waerenga kai, ara he waerenga kai me te aha, me te aha. Ka tata ki te tōrengitanga o te rākura ka whakahāua e ia āna tangata mahi ki a tere oti, kai pōngia rātou.
Ka oti ana te mahi kai te kohi haere i āna kame, ka kitea e ia ki tawhiti, he waka manene e tere ana i te moana ki uta, ā, kua tae ki a ia te rongo kōrero kai te riria te iwi e Ngāpuhi, koia pea tērā e whakatere waka ana, e ahu mai ki a ia me āna tangata.
Me ko ia anake, ka oma, ka ora. Engari ehara ko ia anake, tokotoru āna tamariki mokopuna nā reira ka whakatakoto rautaki a Parewaero ki a ora ai rātou ngā tamariki mokopuna. Nā te māniania o te whenua kāore e kitea he wāhi tika hai huna i ngā tamariki.
Kātahi ka tūngou te kuia ki ngā tamariki ka kī atu, "Ko te hoa riri kai runga i a tātou, ko Ngapuhi. E takoto kotou ki raro. Kōpia ngā waha.
"Kāua e neke, kāua e hurihuri, takoto kau. Tatari ki a karangangia kotou e ahau, me i kore taku reo e rangona tāria te pō kia puta mai ngā weka, ka rangona ēnei manu o te pō, e puta, taki oma ki te kāinga, whākina ki te iwi te take o te mate."
Kātahi ka taupokina ngā tamariki ki ngā petipeti kūmara, ki ngā rau pārohe ki ngā aka ki ngā aha noa atu. Kai te huna ngā tangata.
Ka tukituki haerengia te whenua e Parewaero, ka iti nei e tukituki ana ka ū te waka tauā ki uta.
Kai te waiata te kuia hai whakaratarata i ngā manawapātanga o ngā tamariki mokopuna tuarua kia titiro kau te hoariri ki te tangata kotahi.
Ka hipa i a ia e te mātua, kai te tukiwhenua tonu te kuia, e haere ana ngā tangata hāunga te whiore o te tauā, ka patua te kōhamo o Parewaero ki te pātītī, ka hinga ki raro. Kai te whenua e takoto ana.
He pahi rapu kai kē rātou engari kāore i kitea he kai hai whakaora i te tauā nui, ka wehe rātou.
Kai raro tonu ngā tamariki e takoto ana. Kai te hoi taringa ngā tohutohu a tō rātou kuia.
Nā wai rā, ka pōngia rātou ka āta puta mai ngā tamariki mokopuna, ka ūkuia te paruparu i te tinana kai te rapu i tō rātou kuia, kai te kōhimuhimu haere rātou, "E kui, Parewaero kai whea rā koe?" rokohanga ana e takoto kau ki te whenua, kua tūkia te kōhamo, ka whakaemia e Haerehuka āna tāpeha tata ka taki oma rātou ki te kāinga.
Ka tae ki Te Motu ki Waikuta ka kauawhiawhingia rātou e ngā mātua, ka whākina atu tā rātou e kite ai, ka hoki ētehi o ngā toa o te kāinga ki Owhiria. Rokohanga atu kai te takoto tonu a Parewaero, engari e ora ana.
Kāore anō kia uru te mate ki tōna tupapaku. Ka amongia ki te kāinga. Ā, ka ora. Ka wehe a Hongi me ngā toa o Ngāpuhi, kua hemo katoa a Te Arawa i a ia.
Ka taka anō te wā, ka whakaekengia e Ngāti Hāua a Te Arawa, huihuia katoatia rātou ki Te Pukeroa.
Ko Haerehuka te take o tēnei parekura, wheoi anō kai reira a Huka me tōna kuia e whawhai ana. Ko Parewaero e ai ki ētehi te wahine whakatika me te tuku i ngā pūrepo ki a Huka.
- Raimona Inia
In 1823 the Rotorua area was invaded by Hongi Hika and his allies.
Travelling along the coastline, they eventually crossed over land before reaching Lake Rotorua. Near Kawaha was a little kāinga called Owhiria nestling in the bay of Te Wai o Whiro.
Gardens were abundant in this area, where Parewaero was tending her promising kumara patch. Towards evening she thought that it was time to return to her kāinga with her children as all labour must cease before sundown.
As she collected her belongings and children, Parewaero noticed in the distance an unfamiliar war vessel heading towards her.
She had heard that the Arawa might be due to be attacked. It would seem that those rumours were now true.
Was there enough time for her to escape? If she was alone, yes indeed - however she had three children in her care, who accompanied her to work that day.
She looked around for a suitable hiding place but could see nothing. So she called the little ones together and told them to lie on the ground. She greeted them all as in a farewell and said: "Lie still there while I hide you."
"The Ngāpuhi are here," Parewaero said, telling the children to not move, "no matter what you hear unless I call you, you stay there until it grows dark, and the night birds are calling. Then arise and go and find your parents at Te Puna o Tuhoe. Tell them what has happened."
She then heaped kumara vines all over the children, as well as weeds they had pulled out while gardening.
She then continued gardening as if she had not completed the day's work, and before long, the Ngāpuhi landed.
She kept piling kumara vines upon the motionless children as she continued to work and sing, not paying any attention to the invaders.
As the men came closer, the sound of their voices increased; she was hoping they would overlook her and continue on their way.
The leading group did, however the last man, armed with a patiti (short-handled axe), hit Parewaero over the back of the head. Without a moan, Parewaero fell to the ground motionless.
They were a foraging party looking for provisions, and it would seem that the kumara at this particular season was no good.
So luck was not with the warriors.
The children lay still, absolutely motionless, and didn't say a word. Yes, they heard the voices of the warriors, and eventually, the scouts moved off into the distance.
But adhering to the advice of Parewaero, they did not move nor say a word. Ultimately, the night birds came out, and the children cautiously came out from under the vines, calling out to her, "E Kui e Pare kai whea koe e Kui?"
There was no reply. Then the eldest, Haerehuka, spied her lying ever so still in the starlight.
He moved towards her, trembling. He touched her shoulder, and his hand became wet with blood.
Then he saw the gash on the back of her head.
Calling his cousins together, they quickly returned home, sobbing, when they heard a call coming from Te Motu ki Waikuta. The young children rejoined their people and eventually their parents, who had escaped harm.
They told their parents what had happened and quickly a party returned to find Parewaero still laying on the ground grasping her timo (her gardening implement).
The family members noticed that her eyes were not glazed with death. She was alive though unconscious and was carried by her rescuers back to her people, where she eventually recovered from her terrible injury, which would stay with her for the remainder her life.
When Te Waharoa attacked Te Arawa, Haerehuka stood to defend the pā of Te Pukeroa alongside the venerated kuia Parewaero. She kept the guns of Haerehuka loaded and ready at hand.
This was in the year 1836. Four years later Parewaero would pass to Hāwaiki.
- Raimona Inia
Developments with tangata whenua: what spells success - or not?