“Ka Mate, Ka Mate’ the Origin of Te Rauparaha’s haka
When fleeing from his enemies Te Rauparaha was forced to hide in a hole in the ground underneath the genitalia of a woman. To reassert his mana, compromised by his position under a female, he performed his now famous haka when he emerged.
The pou below shows the chief underneath Te Rangikoaea, protected by her womanhood:
The small island (Motuopuhi) visible from the pa site in Lake Rotoaira, has an interesting place in New Zealand history - this is the site where Te Rauparaha performed his famous haka after escaping his enemies.
On SH 47, where the saddle road South from Turangi to National Park dips down, some 20 km from Turangi, there is a short turnoff to the west which leads to an old pa site Opotaka on the edge of Lake Rotoaira.
An information board in the carpark provides some brief historical background for visitors.
Before the lake-level was raised as part of the Tongariro power scheme,
Motuopuhi was joined to the mainland by a narrow isthmus - this enabled
the island to be easily defended, and so a fortified village was
constructed here which was used by the local lake-dwellers as a place of
refuge.
Below: two views of Motuopuhi Pa by George Angus - mid 1840's:
Around 1820 the Ngati Toa chief, Te Rauparaha (?-1849) journeyed to the Taupo area to enlist support for his tribe in their defence of their land at Kawhia from their bitter enemies the Waikato tribes.
One version of the story is that other enemies of Te Rauparaha became aware of his presence in the area and set out to kill him. The chief hurried to Motuopuhi and sought protection from Te Wharerangi ( a close relative and rangtira/chief).
Te Wharerangi advised Te Rauparaha to hide in a kumera pit while the former’s wife sat over the entrance. Despite the considerable loss of mana resulting from a chief placing himself underneath genitalia of a woman, Te Rauparaha’s survival instincts prevailed, and he hid.
The enemies of Te Rauparaha searched in vain for him, even the use of sacred incantations by a tohunga (priest) proved fruitless, “but the tapu nature of the woman and her reproductive organs at the mouth of the pit meant that she was....a barrier, protecting Te Rauparaha from the effects of the chants”.
“His enemies gave up and departed, and Te Rauparaha emerged from the pit, as if emerging from the world of darkness and death to the world of light and life...”
From "Ka Mate Ka Ora! The Spirit of Te Rauparaha" by Heni Collins p.24-27
The haka is still performed today (in various interpretations) throughout New Zealand and, most famously, of course, by the All Blacks.
The "hairy man" is Te Rauparaha's protector Te Wharerangi.
Today Motuopuhi is tapu....the pa was devastated in an attack shortly after Te Rauparaha’s escapade, during the musket wars in 1820. This battle is believed to have seen the first use of firearms in this wider area.
See R.D. Crosby’s book “The Musket Wars” for more details.
“Te Rauparaha”: his name is derived from an edible plant called ‘rauparaha’. Soon after he was born a Waikato warrior who had killed and eaten a relative of his threatened to eat the child as well - roasted with rauparaha leaves. The child was named Te Rauparaha in defiance of this threat.
Motu-O-Puhi: Literally: motu; “island”; o: “of”; puhi: a young woman of aristocratic descent. Reed: “Puhi may however be a personal name”.
Turangi: Literally: tu: “to stand”; rangi: “sky”. Reed says that the locality was named after the chief Turangi Tukua.
Roto-a-ira: Literally: roto: “lake”; a-ira: “of Ira”. Ira was the eponymic ancestor of the Ngahi-Ira tribe.
Opotaka: according to the on-site sign = “a place to camp”; also known as Opataka: “a place to store food.” Evidently the area was rich in wild foods and fertile ground yielded abundant crops.
The pou below shows the chief underneath Te Rangikoaea, protected by her womanhood:
 |
| Motuopuhi Island and old pa site |
On SH 47, where the saddle road South from Turangi to National Park dips down, some 20 km from Turangi, there is a short turnoff to the west which leads to an old pa site Opotaka on the edge of Lake Rotoaira.
An information board in the carpark provides some brief historical background for visitors.
Below: two views of Motuopuhi Pa by George Angus - mid 1840's:
Around 1820 the Ngati Toa chief, Te Rauparaha (?-1849) journeyed to the Taupo area to enlist support for his tribe in their defence of their land at Kawhia from their bitter enemies the Waikato tribes.
One version of the story is that other enemies of Te Rauparaha became aware of his presence in the area and set out to kill him. The chief hurried to Motuopuhi and sought protection from Te Wharerangi ( a close relative and rangtira/chief).
Te Wharerangi advised Te Rauparaha to hide in a kumera pit while the former’s wife sat over the entrance. Despite the considerable loss of mana resulting from a chief placing himself underneath genitalia of a woman, Te Rauparaha’s survival instincts prevailed, and he hid.
The enemies of Te Rauparaha searched in vain for him, even the use of sacred incantations by a tohunga (priest) proved fruitless, “but the tapu nature of the woman and her reproductive organs at the mouth of the pit meant that she was....a barrier, protecting Te Rauparaha from the effects of the chants”.
“His enemies gave up and departed, and Te Rauparaha emerged from the pit, as if emerging from the world of darkness and death to the world of light and life...”
From "Ka Mate Ka Ora! The Spirit of Te Rauparaha" by Heni Collins p.24-27
The haka is still performed today (in various interpretations) throughout New Zealand and, most famously, of course, by the All Blacks.
Today Motuopuhi is tapu....the pa was devastated in an attack shortly after Te Rauparaha’s escapade, during the musket wars in 1820. This battle is believed to have seen the first use of firearms in this wider area.
See R.D. Crosby’s book “The Musket Wars” for more details.
 |
| Te Rauparaha by Theo Schoon |
“Te Rauparaha”: his name is derived from an edible plant called ‘rauparaha’. Soon after he was born a Waikato warrior who had killed and eaten a relative of his threatened to eat the child as well - roasted with rauparaha leaves. The child was named Te Rauparaha in defiance of this threat.
Motu-O-Puhi: Literally: motu; “island”; o: “of”; puhi: a young woman of aristocratic descent. Reed: “Puhi may however be a personal name”.
Turangi: Literally: tu: “to stand”; rangi: “sky”. Reed says that the locality was named after the chief Turangi Tukua.
Roto-a-ira: Literally: roto: “lake”; a-ira: “of Ira”. Ira was the eponymic ancestor of the Ngahi-Ira tribe.
Opotaka: according to the on-site sign = “a place to camp”; also known as Opataka: “a place to store food.” Evidently the area was rich in wild foods and fertile ground yielded abundant crops.
Comments
Post a Comment