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The Ancient History of the Maori, His Mythology and Traditions. Nga-Puhi [Vol. XI]

Chapter XI

page (121A)

Chapter XI

I did suppose o sir that you
Were beautifully tattooed, to take
Your stand in distant wars
And hold the weapon spear
But now I know not if
You hold a weapon in your hand
Or shout amidst the din of war
And make yourself be seen
And tread the path to Tau-po
And then return to home
To find starvation there
And wave your hand to Rua
And to Tu-ramarama
But let your mind be clear
To act, and to construct

Boundary of the old Tamaki District,
and Death and Burial of Te-hehewa
(Nga-ti-haua)

page (144)

(Extract taken from Maori Land Court Minute Books?)

Ngaoho was the old name of the people who lived in the country in old time.

They had other name Ngaiwi and Wai-ohua.

What people represent the old Ngaoho now? Apihai.

The people of this land were conquered by Te Taou.

After the people of this land were conquered what people took possession of the land? Ngaoho.

After the people of this land were conquered, Tupe-riri the chief of Ngaoho who took it.

Chief of Ngaoho at the present time is Te Kawau Apihai.

Did you return from Waikato with Apihai? Yes. Did you go with Apihai to live at Karangahape? Yes. And at Mangere? Yes.

Where were the cultivations of Apihai ma when you were living at Mangere? Mangere. Where else? Onehunga - here.

At what place here? Rangitoto that was the first. Where else? Okahu and the whole of that neighbourhood.

Had you cultivations on this side before the first Governor came to Auckland? Yes.

Do you remember the building of the Pa at Okahu? Yes.

Had the first Governor come then?

page (145)

The small Pa was built before the Governor came.

Where were your cultivations then? There. Had you cultivations anywhere about there? Yes - down here - and Horotiu.

Were these cultivations before the Governor came? Yes before the pakeha came. Whose cultivations were they? Taou, Ngaoho and Uringutu.

Court adjourned till Monday at 10 o'clock

Monday Nov 9th 1868

Place: The same
Present: The same

Orakei contd

Apihai's Claim contd

Hapimana (recalled): Do you know of a division of the land about here among the different tribes? No.

Did you know Maki Karaka?

I know the boundary line at Otahuhu. That boundary line begins at Otahuhu at the place where the canoes were dragged across on the Manukau side belonged to Nga-ti-paoa the other side was ours. We owned O-tara and Papakura.

Did the line go as far as Otara and Papakura? Ours.

Where were Maki's lands? Maketu and Irikohua.

Maki owned the lands of Maketu and Iri-kohua.

page (146)

Where were the lands of Apihai ma? Tamaki. Who laid down that boundary? Myself. Who else? Mohi, Ihaka and Te Kune and self. Mohi and Ihaka are dead.

To whom according to your idea does Okahu belong? Ngaoho, Taou and Uringutu.

Who represents them? Taou and Ngaoho by Apihai, Uringutu by Hakopa, and Waterangi, Te Taou.

Do you know Hetaraka Takapuna? No. Have you seen him? Where? No. Have you seen him about this court? Ae. To what people does he belong? N'Poutaniwha. Where are his lands? Takapuna northwards to beyond Whangaparaoa close on to Mahurangi.

Has he any land on this side Waitemata? No. Have you heard of Te Hehewa? Yes. Is there any relationship between Te Hehewa and Hetaraka? Grandfather.

Te Hehewa was buried at Wharenga at the Manukau heads beyond Te-rau-o-te-huia. He died a natural death.

Where is Wharinga? At Manukau heads. Is it beyond Rau o te Huia? On one side of it. Where was Te Hehewa buried? At Wharinga.

His bones have been removed from there and taken to the sacred place of the Kawerau who took his bones there.

Where? Hikurangi - it was left out formerly when the land was sold.

Why were his bones taken to the place page (146A)of the Kawerau?

Te Hehewa came from Awitu. There was an ancestor of Kawerau killed by Te Hehewa and it was according to native custom Te Kawerau bewitched Te Hehewa as a payment, and he came and died at their place - the party who paid this respect to his bones will be able to explain it.

Were you cultivating at Okahu before the Governor came? Yes.

When the Pa was built at Okahu were there any of N'Pari and N'Hura and N'Paoa living at Okahu and Orakei? N'Pari are right. N'Pari of Hemi.

Do you remember Hemi coming to live at Okahu? He came to Te Parakaka and Paul.

Where were Te Parakaka living? They had been staying at Okahu but they had gone to Parewa.

Where did Hemi go to live? At Parewa. Do you remember in what Governor's time that was? Gov Hobson's - Gov Fitzroy.

What was the first Hemi went to live at? I am not sure whether it was Okahu or Parewa - Fitzroy's time.

Did Hemi come alone? Hemi and his wife came first his father followed. Te Rokiroki? Yes. Te Rokiroki and Maho? Te Rokiroki and Te Rakamihia.

Did Mohi Te Poutau come here? I don't know him - there was another old man whose name I don't know with Te Rokiroki.

page (147)

You said that the land of Hetaraka extended north to Whangaparaoa give me the western boundary? Kaipara. Bring it round this way from Kaipara? Round to Takapuna? It goes along the harbour to Pitoitoi and from thence to Kaipara.

Where is Pitoitoi? At the head of the Waitemata.

Is Orewa within the boundaries of Hetaraka's land? Yes.

The land of Taka-puna was given up by Taka-puna on account of having avenged the death of some of his people. Orewa was given up - Nga-ti-poutaniwha fell - then we got all the land inside Tiritiri and it became our property - as payment for the assistance given by Waitaheke.

These ancestors of Taka-puna were killed by Nga-ti-paoa and Nga-ti-maru.

You say Te Hehewa died at Whanga - is that his land? No.

Ararimu is the land which I have heard was given by Hetaraka's ancestors to Waitaheke of Te Taou and Ngaoho.

Why was it given? Because the "mate" of N'Tai had been avenged by Waitahaki. The mate was this some of his ancestors had been killed by N'Paoa, N'Maru and N'Tamatera.

Who were the ancestors of Hetaraka who were killed? I don't know. I have only heard of it the same as I am now speaking.

page (148)

Te Hehewa killed an ancestor of Kawerau who was called Parerangi. Te Hehewa was utu'd (payment) out of revenge.

It is the custom when a person is "utu" to another to bury him in a sacred place but rather to leave him to the dogs, for this reason because the person who bewitched him was related to the woman, his mother.

It is a Maori custom to bury the persons who are the victims of revenge.

The reason that he was buried is that Waio-hua ancestors were clearly related to Hehewa.

Do you know the boundaries of the land now under investigation? Yes.

Was Patene's survey inside those boundaries? Inside. Where?

You say Patene and his people came secretly did they come in the night? They came in the day time.

Did Apihai say to Patene we are being measured in with the land? No.

Have you not lived in Pukaki in former times? Yes.

Before the w was not that your general place of residence? My permanent residence was here when I wished to see Mohi I went.

Do you know whether Hetaraka has page (149)any claim to Okahu? No.

The original tribe owning the land at Orakei were Ngaoho.

The Waiohua had claims also. They came afterwards - Ngaiwi and Waiohua are descended from Ngaoho.

Ngaoho was the first name of the tribes of this land.

Is Ngaiwi a hapu of Ngaoho? Ngaoho was left and Ngaiwi commenced.

Ngaoho was the first tribe, Waiohua in the middle and then came Ngaiwi.

When Ngaiwi was adopted Ngaoho no longer existed? Ngaoho was the former name and afterwards Ngaiwi.

Waiohua come out of Ngaiwi.

Then if Ngaoho ceased to exist why do you not call these people Ngaiwi?

Waiohua were destroyed then Awarua grew up and adopted the name of Ngaoho being the name of his ancestors - he assumed that name as a name for himself and his people.

Then do I understand the old Ngaoho was lost, that this is a new name?

What I say is Ngaoho is first, Ngaiwi second, and Waiohua third, Waiohua were killed and Awarua who had grown up from a Waiohua woman gave the name of Ngaoho to his people.

Is it through Awarua having given the hapu that name that Para and others page (150)claim as Ngaoho? Yes, Awarua is one of their relations.

Tuperiri was a Ngaoho. Tukararai was also and she was a Uriotahau.

Uriotahau Tawhirangi were also of Ngaoho. Awarua was the son of Tomo-a-ure. And Tomoaure son of Tupe-riri.

The last one is the only one I know (or can say).

The name of Ngaoho continued from Takararai's time to Awarua.

The great name was Ngaiwi going on to the people at Awitu. Ngaoho was the name of people on the other side on to the south shore of Manuka.

The name of Ngaoho continued to Awarua's time.

And down to the present time? Yes.

The land at Ararimu did that take in Orewa? I don't know.

Was Orewa a separate gift? I am not clear about Orewa.

The land on the other side of Tamaki was owned by the Nga-ti-tama-te-ra. It was their's originally.

Ngaiwi never had land there. In old days that land was never conquered from older time up till now.

Did you ever hear of any of the Thames' tribes fighting with (one?) on this side of Tamaki? No - N'Paoa fought with us at Te Purou - Manukau. It was a surprise. It was with my hapu.

page (152)

The descendant of Kiwi have now no claim to the land in the Tamaki district.

The principal representative of the old Ngaiwi, Eruera Apihai - Te Waka - Te Karu - and Tautari because they killed the people of this land.

Graham (sworn): I came to the Bay of Islands in March 1840. I came with troops and Engineer Department. Governor Hobson was at the Bay when I arrived. The Treaty of Waitangi had been signed before I came. I came permanently to Auckland in last week in November or beginning of December. I made a visit previously. A part of the instructions I received was to select proper sites to house the troops. We believed that the intention of the Governor was to send convicts and I was to select sites of sufficient area. In consequence of that I went to Okahu. I went to Soldiers Bay and treated with a relative of Pare's to cut timber there (witness pointed out the place on the map).

Where did those natives come from? I went in Ruinga's canoe. He was a Waikato chief. I remained at Kauri Point. The natives were brought down to me from Woods Island. They were Apihai's people. After that I went to Okahu. I wished a reserve to be made there. There were no natives residing at Okahu or Hobson's Bay.

page (153)

Claim to Land by Descendats of Rehua
(Nga-ti-wai)

We derive our title to the island from Rehua our ancestor. Our father lived on the Barrier from the time of Rehua until the taking of the Totara - when they left and went to the Bay of Islands. On the death of Kori-ngangi down south we came back to this island to live. There were 200 of us. We lived on the island in undisturbed possession until the time of Mau-paraoa. (See Vol V English page 135 and Maori page 116 for a more full account of the battle which this refers to.) Te-mau-paraoa came from the Bay of Islands with a war party to plunder us. He was on his way to the Nga-ti-kahungunu country. We were absent from our Pa at the time. Te-mau-paraoa entered it and took away our guns and powder. I then came to the Nga-ti-maru to get them to assist us. I came to Hauraki to Nga-ti-taniwha to get assistance. Two hundred of the Nga-ti-maru went to the Barrier to fight Mau-paraoa. Mau-paraoa's party were defeated. Nga-ti-maru then came back to Waiau. I accompanied them.

After that I went back to the Great Barrier, and have continued to remain there up to the present time. We went to reside at Maori Bay in Gov Hobson's time. We were there also at the time that Mauparaoa plundered our Pa. Te Rehua's descendants also lived at Maori Bay, and some other places.

page (154)

We made the Reserve in Katherine Bay at the time that the sale of the land was made for Webster by Te Horeta, Kihihi's father. I knew of this sale made by Te Horeta. Te Horeta got the payment. His only claim was the "tupapaku".

We went to Te Horeta for assistance because my father was a Nga-ti-maru. 200 of the Nga-ti-maru came to assist us to fight Mau-paraoa's party. The Nga-ti-wai lost 10. 30 of the Nga-ti-wai took part in the battle. Te Mau-paraoa's party numbered 120 men.

page (155)

Rehua Burnt to Death, and the Revenge
(Nga-ti-wai)

When Mata heard that Rehua intended treachery he made up his mind to kill Rehua. Rehua and his people assembled in his house. Wai-pohe-pohe came out in the evening and saw lightening shining on Hiraki-mota - she said "It was a bad omen." Rehua said "It meant nothing" and they quickly went to sleep in the house. While asleep Mata set fire to the house and Rehua perished. When Rehua's children heard of his death, they were I think living on Aotea (the Barrier). They went and killed all Mata's people found in the district. Mata himself escaped and fled south.

page (156)

How Rats Got to the Island Rake-tu
(Nga-ti-wai)

Where did you fetch the rats from? I don't know. Those who brought them there were working on board vessels at that time. Did not the rats come in vessels and get ashore accidentally? No, vessels did not go there.

Rats came to Rake-tu in canoes. Those who brought them there were in canoes at that time.

Did the men who brought the rats come by vessels or canoes? I don't know. I only heard of it. I heard of it from the old people.

The men who brought the rats came by canoes. I only heard of it from the old people.

Taha-kekeri is the name of a man and also of a place. It was the name of a man at first. He was upset in a canoe, and his body drifted onto the island Rake-tu and the place was called after him. It was his son who brought the rats to Raketu.

page (157)

Old Inhabitants of Ao-tea
(Great Barrier)
(Nga-ti-wai)

How did Hikihiki come by his claim on the Barrier?

Hikihiki and the Awe killed the former inhabitants of Ao-tea, and took the land.

Who were these?

The original owners of the island Ao-tea were Nga-ti-whakane, not the present Nga-ti-whakane.

Did you never hear that the N'Tai lived on the Barrier?

I heard the Nga-tai lived at Ao-tea but that they lived at Rangi-tawiri (or Barrier).

Who killed them?

I don't know who killed those on Rangi-tawiri but my ancestor killed those at Whangaparapara. Te Mata's people were not killed by Rehua's children but by Te Kawerau.