Tainui(canoe)
| Great Māori migrationwaka | |
| Commander | Hoturoa |
|---|---|
| Priest | Rakatāura aka Hape |
| Landed at | Whangaparaoa, Bay of Plenty, Kāwhia |
| Iwi | Waikato,Ngāti Maniapoto,Hauraki,Ngāti Raukawa,Ngāti Toa,Ngāti Rārua,Ngāti Koata,Ngāti Marutūahu,Te Kawerau a Maki,Ngā PuhiandNgāi Tai. |
Tainuiwas one of thegreat ocean-going canoesin whichPolynesiansmigrated toNew Zealandapproximately 800 years ago. It was commanded by the chiefHoturoa,who had decided to leaveHawaikibecause over-population had led to famine and warfare.[2]The ship first reached New Zealand atWhangaparāoain the Bay of Plenty and then skirted around the north coast of the North Island, finally landing at Kawhia in the westernWaikato.The crew of theTainuiwere the ancestors of theiwithat form theTainuiconfederation.
Crafting
[edit]The Tainuiwaka(canoe) was made from a great tree, at a place inHawaikiknown then as Maungaroa, on the spot where a stillborn child had been buried. According to Te Tāhuna Herangi the waka was named after the child who had been called Tainui.[3]The canoe was made byRakatāura,an expert boat builder in the tradition ofRātā,or according toWirihana Aoterangiby Rātā himself.[3]It was built with threeadzes(toki):Hahau-te-pō('Chop the night-world') to chop down the tree,Paopao-te-rangi('Shatter the heavens') to split the wood, andManu-tawhio-rangi('Bird encircling the sky) to shape it.[4]
The first two times that the tree was chopped down, it was found to be standing again the next morning. On the third occasion, Rakatāura stayed at the site overnight and discovered that the tree was being magically reassembled at night by birds led by the porihawa (a relative of theHokioi). An old woman, Māhu-rangi (or Maru-a-nuku) gave them some gratedkumarawhich she instructed him to place on the stump and akarakia(incantation, prayer) for chopping down trees, calledTe Karakia o te Tuanga o te Rākau('The tree-felling spell').[5]
During the construction process, one of the workers, Kohiti-nui, covered himself with wood-chips and dust so that it would seem that he had been working hard and would take all the best food for himself. Rakatāura noticed this and killed him, burying him in the wood-chips. Because of this murder, when the canoe was finished, it would not move, it could not be hauled down to the sea, and thekarakia o te Tōanga('the hauling spell') did not work.[6]Then Hoturoa sung a special incantation, which sent Kohiti-nui's spirit out to sea in the form of a fly and the men were able to haul the canoe down to the sea.[7]
According toPei Te Hurinui Jonesthe waka was named Tainui because when it first went into the water, it did not ride smoothly and one of Hoturoa's wives, perhaps Marama, shouted out "Hoturoa, your canoe istainui(very heavy) ".[8]
Description and crew
[edit]The waka was thirtycubitslong (13.5 metres) - the distance is preserved by two stone pillars, Puna and Hani, at the Maketū marae inKawhia.It had a smallama(anoutrigger), called Takere-aotea ('cloudy hull'), and three sails. Because it was made in a hurry, the waka had nocarvings.[9]
Tradition records the names of forty crew-members, twenty-nine men and eleven women. The men were:[8]
- Hoturoa,chiefof the canoe, who sat at the stern
- Ngātoro-i-rangi,who sat at the bow and was navigator, as far asRarotonga
- Rakatāura,thetohunga(priest)
- Taikehu, who sat at the baling point and held the sacred paddle, Hahau-te-rangi ('Chop the Heavens')
- Tai-ninihi, who kept thekura(feather treasures)
- Hiaroa, who carried themauri o te manu(bird talismans)
- Rotu, who sat at the bow
- Riukiuta, the tohunga, and navigator after Rarotonga
- Poutūkeka, Hoturoa's son
- Kopuwai (later renamed Tarapounamu)
- Kahungunu
- Rangi-whakairi-ao
- Hāpopo, Poutūkeka's son, Hoturoa's grandson
- Hotuāwhio, Hoturoa's son
- Taunga-ki-te-marangai
- Hautai
- Te Huaki-o-te-rangi
- Uhenga
- Hotunui, Hoturoa's younger brother[10]
- Horo-iwi
- Te Kete-ana-taua
- Tāiki
- Maru-kōpiri
- Tai-haua
- Tāne-whakatia
- Taranga
- Waihare
- Mateora, who carried themauri o te manu(bird talismans)
- Hotuope, son of Hoturoa and ancestor of the main line of Tainui[10]
- Tari-toronga
The women were:[8]
- Whakaotirangi,wife of Hoturoa
- Marama-kiko-hura (Marama of the bare flesh) or Marama-hahake (Marama the naked)
- Kahu-keke orKahupeka,daughter of Hoturoa
- Kearoa or Keataketake, wife of Ngātoro-i-rangi
- Whaene-muru-tio, sister of Rakatāura
- Hine-puanga-nui-a-rangi, sister of Rakatāura
- Hēara or Hiaroa, sister of Rakatāura
- Amonga, wife of Pou-tūkeka
- Takahi-roa, wife of Pou-tūkeka
- Kahu-tuiroa
- Hinewai
- Tōrere
Voyage
[edit]
Tainuiwas one of the last waka to leave Hawaiki for New Zealand. It departed onUenuku's night, the fourth night in the month ofHakihea(roughly December). When the people warned Hoturoa that this period of the month, Tamatea (thenew moon), is characterised by wind and storms, he said, "Let me and Tamatea fight it out at sea!"[11]The way out of the lagoon into the open sea was barred by waves and a sacred tree, but Ngātoro-i-rangi sang an incantation which calmed the sea.[12]
SeveralTuamotuanstories tell of canoes namedTainui,Tainuia(captained by Hoturoa) andTainui-atea(captained by Tahorotakarari), that left the Tuamotus and never returned.[13]
On its voyage theTainuistopped at many Pacific islands. OnRarotonga,they encountered some distant relatives and invited them to accompany them to New Zealand, but they refused. The island of Tangi'ia ('farewell') is named for this encounter. Also on Rarotonga, they encounteredTama-te-kapua,chief of theArawawaka, who kidnapped Ngātoro-i-rangi and his wife Kearoa. Riu-ki-uta took over asTainui's navigator.[8][14]Riu-ki-uta summoned the seataniwha,Mawake-nui-o-rangi, Pane-iraira,Ihe,andMangō-hikuroa,and seventy-six others, to guide the waka.[14]An incantation by Taikehu caused the canoe to travel quickly.[15]
Arrival
[edit]
WhenTainuiarrived in New Zealand, it was surrounded by birds and Rotu sang an incantation to the birds to bring them to shore.[15]This first landfall was atWhangaparāoanearCape RunawayinTe Moana-a-Toi(the Bay of Plenty).[16][15]Seeing the red flowers of thepōhutakawatrees, two of the men, Hāpopo and Taininihi, threw away their red-feather head-dresses, thinking that they could use the flowers instead. The feathers were found on the beach by Māhina and Mā-ihīhi, who refused to return them.[17]As they were coming in to land, they were so inexperienced with the region thatTainuiwas caught in a current and smashed against a rock, but they were able to right the waka and make landfall.[17]Then Rakatāura threw his own hair into the sea, allowing the sea taniwha that had been guiding theTainuion the open sea to depart.[17]
The otherwakahad arrived beforeTainui,but their crews had gone out to investigate the land. Hoturoa built atuahu(altar) and had the anchor rope ofTainuiplaced beneath that of the otherwaka.When the other crews returned, Hoturoa pointed to these things as evidence thatTainuihad actually arrived first. This incident is the subject of much dispute between Tainui and Arawa.[18]
Whangaparāoa to Tāmaki
[edit]
From Whangaparoa,Tainuisailed along the coast of theBay of Plentyto the west. At Taumata-o-Apanui, one of the women in thewaka,Tōrere, jumped out of the boat in the night and swam ashore, because she was angry with Rakatāura. She hid herself in a bush atTōrereand Rakatāura was not able to find her. She married a local man Manāki-ao and became the ancestor ofNgāitai.[19]AtHāwai,one of the men, Tari-toronga, left the ship, headed inland and settled on theMōtū River.[19]
Tainuiwas accompanied byArawa,as far asWhitianga,where the crews ofTainuiandArawahad a meeting onGreat Mercury Island,after whichTainuicontinued alone.[19]One of sails of thewakawas left at a cliff near Whitianga, which is now known as Te Rā o Tainui ('the sail of Tainui').[19]AtWharenga,they erected a stone altar at the place known as Kohatu-whakairi ('Hanging Stone'), formerly a sacred place for the Tainui people.[19]As they rounded theCoromandel Peninsula,the crew wept forArawaand the otherwakathat they had left behind, and as a result they named the bay that they were sailing intoTīkapa Moana,'the Mournful sea' (the Hauraki Gulf).[19]
Thewakalanded atTararuand Wai-whakapukuhanga, where they left one of their anchors, then toWharekawa,where people who had already settled told the crew that there was another sea to the west (Tasman Sea). Hoturoa's wife, Marama-kiko-hura, decided to make the crossing by land, planning to meet up with the rest of the crew atŌtāhuhu.[20]As she went, she sang the 'karakia urūru-whenua' ('the incantation for entering new lands') and carried the Tainui's treasures.[21]Continuing on,TainuipassedMotutapu islandand fetched up atTakapunain theWaitematā Harbour.There, Taikehu encouraged Hoturoa to go out and look for the sea to the west. When Hoturoa returned he said he had seenkanae(grey mullet) leaping in the waves, known thereafter as 'pōtiki a Taikehu' (Taikehu's children).[20]
At the mouth of theTāmaki River,several members of the crew went ashore. Tāiki settled at Ōtāiki. Horoiwi took the cape to the east of the river, naming it Te Pane o Horoiwi (Bucklands Beach). Te Kete-ana-taua settled atTaurere,with her son Taihaua, and they became the ancestors ofNgāi Tai ki Tāmaki.Further to the west, atTe Tatua-a-Riukiuta(Three Kings), Riu-ki-uta settled and became the ancestor ofNgāti Riukiuta.[16][20]Poutūkeka, Hāpopo, Te Uhenga, and Hautai also settled on the Tamaki isthmus (present-dayAuckland).[20]
Hoturoa decided that Tāmaki was overpopulated and that they could carry on in search of new lands.[16]According to one tradition, reported by Aoterangi, they carried thewakaoverland toManukau Harbouron the west coast atŌtāhuhu,after rendezvousing with Marama-kiko-hura there. As they hauled the canoe across the isthmus on rollers, however, it stuck and would not move. Riutiuka reported that this was because Marama-kiko-hura had violatedtapuwith one of the crew or with a local man during her journey. Repeating the special incantation the Hoturoa had used to haulTainuiinto the sea in Hawaiki, they were able to get the canoe moving.[22]
Quarrel between Hoturoa and Rakatāura
[edit]
According to another tradition, however, it wasRakatāurawho was to sing the special incantation, but when he was about to do so, his sister Hiaroa abused him for helping Hoturoa when the latter had refused to allow him to marry Hoturoa's daughter Kahukeke. As a result, Rakatāura left the crew andTainuihad to sail all the way aroundNorthland.[23]Meanwhile, Rakatāura went inland with ten of his relatives along theHakarimata Range.One of his relatives, Rotu, stopped here and established an altar at a place called Tanekaitu. Hiaroa went on to Pu-karamea-nui and established an altar at a place called Moekakara. AtMount RoskillorPuketutu Island,Rakatāura and Hiaroa lit a fire and sung incantations to preventTainuifrom entering theManukau Harbour.[24]Then Rakatāura and Hiaroa went south, meeting theWaikato Riverat Ruakokopu and crossing it at Te Piko o Hiaroa ('Hiaroa's Bend'). They climbed upKarioi Mountain,built an altar called Tuāhu-papa, and sung incantations to preventTainuifrom enteringRaglan harbour.[24]Again, they sang incantations at Ngairo to preventTainuifrom enteringAotea HarbourorKawhia Harbour.[25]
As theTainuitravelled south, itsbailerwas swept overboard atTe Karaka(nearWaikaretu), where it is said to have been transformed into a rock that can be seen today.[25]At the mouth of theMimi river,Tainuicame ashore and Hoturoa planted a pohutakawa tree, which was still living as of 1912. The area had already been settled by one of Hoturoa's relatives, Awangaiariki from theTokomaruwaka,so they turned around and began to head north once more.[25]At the mouth of theMōkau River,three rocks are said to be mooring stakes used by the canoe and another anchor was left behind.[25]Hoturoa disembarked and travelled north by land. At Whareorino he encountered Rakatāura and they reconciled.[25]
Together, they broughtTainuiin to Kāwhia harbour and hauled it ashore.[25]Hoturoa set up an altar on the site, called Puna-whakatupu-tangata ('The Source of Mankind') and Rakatāura set up one called Hani. Thewakawas buried at Maketumarae,where it remains to this day.
Whakaotirangi,Hoturoa's wife, settled at Pakarikari nearKāwhia Harbourand established akūmaragarden.[16]The people of theTainuiwaka settled at Kāwhia Harbour, and expanded their territory inland in theWaikatoregion over the following generations, under the leadership ofTūrongo,[26]Rereahu,[27]andWhāita.[28]
Subsequent journeys
[edit]According toPercy Smith,after landing at Kāwhia,Tainuiwas taken south toTaranaki,where Hine-moana-te-waiwai of Ngāti Hikawai married theTainuicrewman Kopuwai, who was renamed Tarapounamu, after a largepounamuspearhead that had formed Hine-moana-te-waiwai'sdowry.[29]Later, Tarapounamu wanted to see theSouth Island,so he tookTainuiand headed south. AtMōkau Riverhe left an anchor and a stand ofPomaderris apetalatrees (calledtainuiinMāori). Then he landed atTe Waiiti(nearNew Plymouth) and allowedTainuito become full of excrement. As a result, Hoturoa hadTainuiseized and brought back to Kawhia.[30]Tarapounamu had descendants onD'Urville Island.[29]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Maori meeting houses of the North Island" by John C M Cresswell, 1977 (p 31)
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,p. 16.
- ^abJones & Biggs 2004,pp. 16–19.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 16–17.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 18–21.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 20–21.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 24–27.
- ^abcdJones & Biggs 2004,pp. 28–29.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 28–31.
- ^abJones & Biggs 2004,pp. 56–57.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 30–31.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 30–33.
- ^Stimson & Marshall 1964,p. 485.
- ^abJones & Biggs 2004,pp. 32–33.
- ^abcJones & Biggs 2004,pp. 34–35.
- ^abcdWalker 2004,p. 46.
- ^abcJones & Biggs 2004,pp. 36–37.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 36–39.
- ^abcdefJones & Biggs 2004,pp. 38–39.
- ^abcdJones & Biggs 2004,pp. 40–41.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 40–43.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 42–43.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 44–47.
- ^abJones & Biggs 2004,pp. 46–47.
- ^abcdefJones & Biggs 2004,pp. 48–49.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 70–73.
- ^Walker 2004,p. 57.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 138–145.
- ^abJones & Biggs 2004,pp. 48–51.
- ^Jones & Biggs 2004,pp. 50–51.
Bibliography
[edit]- Craig, RD (1989).Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology.New York: Greenwood Press. p. 253.
- Jones, Pei Te Hurinui; Biggs, Bruce (2004).Ngā iwi o Tainui: nga koorero tuku iho a nga tuupuna = The traditional history of the Tainui people.Auckland [N.Z.]: Auckland University Press. pp. 16–50.ISBN1869403312.
- Stimson, J. Frank; Marshall, Donald Stanley (1964).Dictionary of Some Tuamotuan Dialects of the Polynesian Languages.Salem: Peabody Museum. p. 485.ISBN978-94-017-5862-8.
- Taonui, Rāwiri (21 December 2006)."Canoe traditions".Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived fromthe originalon 17 December 2007.Retrieved10 April2007.
- Te Tumu O Tainui.1986.
- Walker, Ranginui(2004). "Nga Korero o Nehera".Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou - Struggle Without End(Second ed.). Auckland, New Zealand:Penguin Books.p. 46.ISBN9780143019459.