Kāhu ki Rotorua: Te Purewa — the strong shoulder of his people

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See below for English translation

Ko Te Rangikatukua koe waiho ki a haere ana

Ka mate a Te Ramaapakura he ika hurihuri nā Tionga.Ka whakarerea tana tamāhine a Ruamahu i te ao nei.

Ka whakakākahuria e ia tōna kaupapa ki te kahu taratara hai ngakau.Ka mā raro a Ruamahu ki Puketapu. He pā nui tēnei nā Tamaama he tamaiti nā Taitapairu. Māna te patunga o Te Ramaapakura e ngaki.

He take anō i whakatepērā atu ai a Ruamahu. E ai ki ngā kaumātua o nehe, ko Tuhoe moumou kai, ko Tuhoe moumou taonga, ko Tuhoe moumou tangata ki te pō.

He iwi whawhai a Ngai Tuhoe ko Te Purewa te whetū kōmata o te iwi. Kia tika hoki rā te kōrero māna ko Te Purewa te pakihiwi kaha, te taumata o te maunga o te rongo. Ka huri ngā pouaru me ngā rangatira ki a ia me ngā mate kīhai i ea i a rātau, māna katoa ngā mate e takitaki ai.

Ka tahuri ngā rangatira ki tō rātau tohunga ki a Uhia me tona atua ko Te Rehu o Tainui.

Nā Uhia i hinga ai ngā tāne hāpai rākau o Tuwharetoa. He tohunga mana nui a Uhia. Nā reira me pēwhea e kore ai e whai whakaaro nui atu ki a ia.Ka noho a Uhia ki te kōrero ki tona atua,he akoako mō te whawhai.

Tuatahi ake ka kite e rātau he kawau ki a horo rawa te patu i a ia. E rua ngā tikanga o tēnei tohu. Ko te kawau anō nei ko Te Hurinui he tama nā Te Rangikatukua. He toa horopu he hōkai taumata a Te Hurinui ki te mate wawe ia ka whati te hokowhitu.

Ehara ko Te Hurinui anake, he tokorua kē nā Ngati Rangitihi ka mate wawe.Nā reira ka hinga ngā iwi o Ngati Rangitihi me Tuhourangi i ngā rangatira o te Urewera.Haere tonu te hokowhitu o Te Urewera ka tae ki runga o Ohaua ka titiro mai ki te kawau e tere nā. Katahi ka karanga atu a Uhia ki ngā rangatira; "

Ko Te Hurinui hohoro patua’. Ka patua te kawau. Katahi a Uhia ka whakatakoto i tōna matua I a Te Purewa mā. He ahakoa he tohunga o te ahurewa a Uhia he rangatira hoki ki te pakanga. He tohunga matakite a Uhia,nā reira i mōhio ai ia me pēwhea te takoto i tona matua ki te pae o te pakanga. Ko te matakite i matakitengia e ia e mea ana, kia hokorima ngā pu-niho ki te wahatieke o te pā o Ngāti Rangitihi me Tuhourangi, ka kitea ngā maia o Tuhoe e Rangitihi me Tuhourangi mā reira e puta ai rātau i te pā ki te patu i a rātau.

E manu kawhaki ana ka whāia rātau e Rangitihi me Tuhourangi ko te take he hoa ngangare takahi whenua.

Me pei i enei puruhi ngau e Rangitihi me Tuhourangi i ō rātau whenua, nō reira ka ūpoko mārō ngā hōkai-taumata ki te hopu i ngā rangatira o Te Urewera. Waiho noa atu kia whaia mai ngā pu-niho e nga tētēkura ka pirorehe ngā pūkahukahu,ka, ka ngēngē ngā waewae, ka hura te huka tai, ka horomia katoatia rātau e ngā mere pounamu,e ngā tao e ngā reke taiaha.

Ko Pukekahu te wāhi i whakaarongia ai hai tārore rangatira. Kua haerengia e ahau tēnei whenua mai i Te Ariki mā te pūtake o Wahanga tae ki Pukekahu ki Rerewhakaitu,he kotahi ngāhuru mā rima āhua ono kiromita te rahi.

Nō reira anō taku wehi ki ngā toa onamata. Whakaarongia e hoa mā, a Ngai Tuhoe i Pukekahu e tatari hoa ngangare māna, ka omangia te ara e Ngai Tuhoe mai i Pukekahu ki Te Ariki, ka huri mai i Te Ariki ki Pukekahu tōna e toru tekau kiromita te rahi. Ka tae ki Pukekahu kai te whawhai hoki ngā toa. Me taniwha kē e ora ai te tangata i tēnei tūāhuatanga o nehe. Taria mai nga kōrero taro ake nei ka tukutukua atu ai ki o tātau kāinga maha.

English Translation

PART 2:

With the death of Te Ramaapakura, a great chief of Te Tawera by Tionga, his daughter Ruamahu dressed in garments of mourning, approached the pā of Puketapu and arranged with Tamaama the son of Taitapairu to assist her people to avenge the death of Te Ramaapakura.

This was another reason the Urewera raised their war party to attack the Ngāti Rangitihi and Tūhourangi.

The Urewera warriors were noted, hunters and fearless warriors. Amongst them, however, was one great name, Te Purewa. It was said that Te Purewa was the strong shoulder of his people.

Through his influence, peace was made with external tribes; however, it was to Te Purewa also that many widows and chiefs turned to have their defeats avenged. Te Purewa had the strength to cleanse his land of wrongful deeds. Before the warriors could uplift the war trail, they needed to consult their priest Uhia and his god Te Rehu-o-Tainui.

It was under this priest that the Urewera reigned down great terror upon the hearts of the Tūwharetoa and so it was only natural for the priest then to again consult his god, who was then advised via prophecy that if the Urewera were to be victorious, they first needed to strike down a Shag that he had seen.

This Kawau or Shag served a double meaning; firstly, the Kawau represented the spirit of the daring warrior Te Hurinui. If the Kawau were killed, then not only would Te Hurinui fall on the battlefield, but so would another great fighter. Therefore, the Ngāti Rangitihi and Tūhourangi would succumb to the grand strategy of the Urewera chiefs.

At a particular resting place, the Kawau was seen and successfully struck thus.

This, in turn, confirmed for the warriors of Te Urewera that they had already succeeded on the battlefield. Uhia was a remarkable strategist. Though a priest, his past victories meant that his insight was highly valued, and under his vision, he led the warriors out to overcome the tribes of Ngāti Rangitihi and Tūhourangi. The vision given to Uhia was clear.

He would select a site or the final battle and pick 100 warriors to entice the Tūhourangi and Rangitihi from their fortified stronghold of Te Ariki. At a designated spot selected by Uhia, he drove his walking stick into the earth and hung his cloak upon it.

Very simply, the site of slaughter had been chosen. He then turned to his men and signaled for the 100 hand-selected runners to draw the Rangitihi/Tūhourangi to Rerewhakaitu.

Here the death blows would be delivered, and many chiefs would pass. Travelling the track from Rerewhakaitu/Pukekahu to Te Ariki, passing below Wahanga one way is just over 15 kilometers; however, having to turn around then being chased by the most confident warriors of Rangitihi and Tuhourangi on a return trip of 15 kilometers and then having survived this feat to engage in combat itself speaks of the near godly like abilities possessed by our great ancestors.

To be continued.