‘Te Whare Tipuna: Te Poho o Hinepehinga’

The following content comes from a research assignment as part of my Mātauranga Māori bachelor’s degree studies at Te Whare Wānanga o Raukawa in 2006. It was a pleasure to have the wānanga at the Pūtahi marae on Frasertown Road in Te Wairoa. The Pūtahi marae has had to adapt to the changing times and the tikanga changes with it.  Sharing and recording the stories from the pakeke on our marae helps us to maintain this taonga for generations to come. The majority of wānanga participants were able to whakapapa to the Pūtahi marae and the Mahurangi station. Some of us had no idea that we were cousins until we did this wānanga at the marae.  

 Te Whare Tipuna is called Hinepehinga who was first married to Tukutuku who was with child when Tukutuku went off in pursuit of Parua, the man who had killed his grandfather,[1] Tama-te-rangi.  Parua set out in utu to the warriors of Tama-te-rangi as they killed his kuia ‘Hinenui’ in a previous battle.  Parua and the East coast braves,[2] victorious in killing Tama-te-rangi, headed back to their pa with Tukutuku and his party hot on their heels.  The warriors of Parua set him down in the swamp because he was wounded then hid in the bush ready to ambush Tukutuku and his group.

Tukutuku rushed in when he saw Parua but Tukutuku started to sink in the swamp which made it possible for Parua to slaughter him and the braves waiting in the ambush killed the rest of the group.  Thereafter, it was arranged that Hinepehinga marry Te-o-kura-tawhiti, the brother of Tukutuku to care for her and her child.  Hinepehinga and Te-o-kura-tawhiti thereafter had a son called Tapuwae[3] who married Te Rauhina.  According to Jack Mitchell, ‘Tapuwae was the principal and most outstanding ancestor of the Māori people of Te Wairoa district.’ He was classed as an aristocrat, descending from all the chiefs of the canoes in the great migration.  The mother of Te Rauhina left the land for the Pūtahi marae.  Kiwa Hammond[4], our wānanga lecturer, identifies the tekoteko on the whare tipuna as Tapuwae.  According to Kiwa, Hinepehinga, Tukutuku and Te-o-kura-tawhiti were all cousins, closely related to each other.

It is from the line of Tama-te-rangi that my ancestry comes down and this is recorded in the book of Takitimu, written by my great grandmother’s brother (on my mother’s side), Jack Mitchell. 

The whakapapa is as follows from the Takitimu book.

Kahungunu (m) and Rongomaiwahine (f) had a son called Kahukuranui who married Tū Teihonga. This couple begat [5]a daughter called Hinemanuhiri.  Hinemanuhiri married Pukaru, the son of the illustrious Chief Ruapani.  Hinemanuhiri and Pukaru had five children, Tama-te-rangi, Makoro, Hinganga, Pupuni and Pareora. 

Tama-te-rangi, the eldest son, married Hine-rangi but was later given Hine-mutu-rangi[6] as a second wife by his brother Makoro.  Hine-rangi and Tama-te-rangi had a son called Te Pupu-o-nuku who married Tū Wai-kura.  This couple begat a daughter also named Hinemanuhiri (2nd) after her grandmother.  Hinemanuhiri (2nd) married Kotore and hence we have the origins of Hine-pehinga who married Te-o-kura-tawhiti who begat a son called Tapuwae.

‘Hohepa Memorial Hall’

In 1960, a new dining room was opened and named the ‘Hohepa Memorial Coast Hall.’  This was in appreciation of the East Coast Commissioner, Joe Jessop who was entrusted with the development of confiscated lands to make them productive.  He helped the shareholders of Whakapunake, Mahurangi, Paraparatu, Tukemohi and many others.

Many years ago, there was a whānau living in front of the marae and a whānau living behind the marae. They were the caretakers. The house at the back was later given the name ‘Tukutuku’ as it was taken off the old dining room. The original dining room called ‘Tukutuku’ was moved to the Takitimu marae[7] and was later called Koro Ki.  This wharekai had the legs of Rongomaiwahine spread over the main doorway. 

Tikanga of the Pūtahi Marae

The late Fred McRoberts was the only surviving koroua of this marae and was made a trustee in 1978 and was also the chairperson of the marae committee.  Together with the late Miriama Hammond, Fred and Miriama were the only role models for the whaikorero and karanga on this marae for many years. They worked between the roles in the kitchen, the kai-karanga, kai-waiata, and kai-korero on the marae.  After this, they pass over the marae to the whānau to do these roles themselves. 

According to Mirama, ‘Kiri mate’ (grieving whānau) are not meant to do any of the roles on the marae but nowadays it is almost unavoidable because of the lack of people able to perform these roles. In particular, she referred to the risk of a ‘whati’ occurring; a break in the whaikorero, karanga or waiata where an aitua or misfortune may occur as a consequence.  Likewise, Miriama said that if the kai karanga was ‘kirimate,’ she could run the risk of becoming overcome with emotion so that she may be unable to finish.  Even the kai-waiata could risk a ‘whati’ if she did not know all the words to the waiata.   

The tikanga of calling the whānau back to the living when they returned from the urupa was discussed at length. Fred recalled this being done at his father’s tangi after the burial to bring them all back from the dead to the land of the living even though it was not the tikanga here. One Nanny was adamant that this particular tikanga should be upheld on this marae as it signified the time for kirimate to come out of mourning and return to the land of the living.  Miriama said this practice was not practical for this marae because there were so few kai-karanga.  Fred and Miriama felt that the food from the hakari was enough to lift the tapu and make everybody noa.

Miriama was taught that the kai-karanga needed to understand the reo so that they would be able to reply appropriately to the manuhiri.  Miriama expressed the importance of having an Aunty or Nanny there beside or behind you and never to stand beside a man while doing the karanga.  It is not tikanga for children to do the karanga on this marae.

On the pae, ‘paeke’ is the process for whaikorero.  Fred admits that he does not kōrero Māori fluently and therefore does not do ‘Tauparapara’ in his whaikorero.  He recalled the days when he could speak Te Reo Māori as a child but lost it when he was punished for speaking Te Reo at school.

Fred and Miriama shared stories of being brought up in this area when there were no telephones.  When someone died, you either heard the sound of gunshots or a karanga that would call out right over the ranges.  From this action, everybody knew it was time to go hunting, prepare vegetables and make up the wharenui in preparation for the Tupapaku (deceased) and the whānau coming.

 

‘Te Whakapapa o Tama-te-rangi’ [8]

Kahungunu = Rongomaiwahine

                                                                                   (

          Kahukuranui = Te Tū Teihonga

                                                                                       (

         Hinemanuhiri – son of Ruapani

                                                                                        (

(Tokorima ngā tamariki: Tama-te-rangi, Makoro, Hinganga, Pupuni, Pareora (f)                                                                  

    Tama-te-rangi = Hinerangi (1)                                         

                                                                                 (

                                                    Hinepehinga = Te-o-kura-tawhiti

                                                                     (

                                                  Tapuwae = Te Rauhina

                                                                      (

                                  Te Rangi Tuanui = Ratua-i-te-rangi

                                                                      (

                                       Te Whewhera = Te Kapua Matotoru

                                                                       (

                                                           Hine-i-nohi

                                                                       (

                                        Maata Te Kai = Ihaka Ngarangioue

                                                                       (

                                          Rawinia Christie nee Te Apatu

                                                                       (

                                                Keita Mitchell nee Christie

                                                                      (

                                                    Heni Greening nee Mitchell

                                                                     (

          Katherine Heremia nee Greening = Penetiki Heremia (Pokai Whenua)

                                                                                  (

                  Toosey Mildon nee Heremia = Basil Mildon

                                                                                (

                                                                Charlotte Mildon

There were toddlers, tamariki, rangatahi, and pakeke present. One came from Gisborne with her daughter while one whānau came from Tuai and another whānau from Wairoa. The rest of us travelled together in a convoy from Hawkes Bay. There were lots of fond memories being back in Frasertown in having been mentored by Dr Rose Pere for 17 years. I had cared for Aunty Kate Mildon nee Greening in her 80’s when Uncle Tom Mildon died. He was the chair of the Mahurangi station for over 20 years succeeding Sir James Carroll who had been the chair for 20 years as well.

It was a rich experience having the whānau sharing whakapapa and the stories about their ancestors on the wall, two whānau of whom were mokopuna to the late Fred McRoberts.  

Notes and pictures were taken, and a quiz is available to help retain the teachings.

 Just a reminder of what the different parts of the body mean spiritually with some of the definitions of Romiromi. 

Some of you may have the recording of this waiata that was taught to me by the late Tuhoe Tohuna ‘Arikirangi Turuki Rose Rangimarie Lambert-Pere’, many years ago now. She was very specific in telling me what her full name was. My master’s research had a focus on the Tohuna – the sower of the seeds of wisdom whose purpose was to sow the seeds so that people will remember who they are and what they came into this lifetime to do. It is about igniting the Tohuna within to reach a state of spiritual enlightenment.

The book Te Tohuna Kura Waka book is available for you to download as a resource in our Documents section. Please take care of these resources as you are now the kaitiaki of this mātauranga so please don’t give these resources to those who are not part of these wānanga.  

Quizz