Paora Te Potangaroa
Encyclopedia
Paora Te Potangaroa was a Māori prophet and rangatira
of the Ngāti Kahungunu
in the Wairarapa
region of the North Island
of New Zealand
. Little is known about his life, but he is known for having uttered an 1881 prophecy
of the coming of a church that would be for the Māori people.
in the Nga Tau e Waru meeting house at Te Ore Ore Marae
. During the meeting, Paora Te Potangaroa spoke of the spiritual impotency of the Christian
missionaries
that had visited the Māori. When some of the attendees pressed Potangaroa on which was the church for the Māori, he retired to his nearby residence for three days of fasting
, meditation
, and prayer
.
Potangaroa reconvened the meeting on March 16 and announced that he had received knowledge of a coming church for the Māori: "There is a religious denomination coming for us; perhaps it will come from there, perhaps it will emerge here. ... [T]here will be a time when a religion will emerge for you and I and the Māori people." Another reported account elaborated:
Potangaroa also set down in writing "He Kawenata" — "the covenant" — which included other signs that would let his followers know that his prophecy had been fulfilled within forty years. The covenant predicted that 1881 would be the "day of the fulness", 1882 would be a "year of the sealing", 1883 would be a "year of great faith", and that through these events the Māori "will learn of the Scepter of Judah ... of the Kingdom of Heaven [and] of the sacred church with a large wall surrounding." The covenant was sealed in a monument at the Te Ore Ore Marae.
from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made initial contacts with individuals from Ngāti Kahungunu. Some of the Maori who converted to Mormonism
believed that the coming of the Mormon missionaries was a fulfillment of Potangaroa's prophecy. Potangaroa's "day of the fulness" was identified as the missionaries bearing the "fulness of the Gospel"; the "year of the sealing" was identified as the time the Māori learned of the Latter-day Saint sealing ordinances; and the "sacred church with a large wall surrounding" was identified as the Salt Lake Temple
, which is located on Temple Square
, surrounded by a high wall. It was also pointed out by believers that the Mormon missionaries had come in pairs from "the rising sun" (the United States
, to the east), that the missionaries taught the Ngāti Kahungunu in the Māori language
in their own homes, and that they raised their arms when they prayed.
By 1883 — Potangaroa's "year of great faith" — hundreds of Ngāti Kahungunu had joined the LDS Church in the Wairarapa. An apostle of the LDS Church would later claim that by 1921, the fortieth anniversary of Potangaroa's prophecy, only Māori from Ngāti Kahungunu had joined the LDS Church and received temple
ordinances, and that Māori from other tribes began receiving these sealing ordinances only after the forty-year "covenant" of Potangaroa had been fulfilled.
church, founded by Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana; the Ringatu
church, founded by Te Kooti
; and the Church of the Seven Rules of Jehovah, founded by Simon Patete.
Rangatira
Rangatira are the hereditary Māori leaders of hapū, and were described by ethnologists such as Elsdon Best as chieftains . Ideally, rangatira were people of great practical wisdom who held authority on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between a tribe's land and that of other tribes...
of the Ngāti Kahungunu
Ngati Kahungunu
Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke’s Bay and Tararua and Wairārapa regions....
in the Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
region of the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Little is known about his life, but he is known for having uttered an 1881 prophecy
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
of the coming of a church that would be for the Māori people.
Prophecy
In March 1881, several thousand members of the Ngāti Hamua gathered near Masterton for a huiHui (Maori assembly)
A hui is a New Zealand term for a social gathering or assembly.Originally a Māori language word, it was used by Europeans as early as 1846 when referring to Māori gatherings - but is now increasingly used in New Zealand English to describe events that are not exclusively Māori....
in the Nga Tau e Waru meeting house at Te Ore Ore Marae
Marae
A marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...
. During the meeting, Paora Te Potangaroa spoke of the spiritual impotency of the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
that had visited the Māori. When some of the attendees pressed Potangaroa on which was the church for the Māori, he retired to his nearby residence for three days of fasting
Fasting
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
, meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, and prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
.
Potangaroa reconvened the meeting on March 16 and announced that he had received knowledge of a coming church for the Māori: "There is a religious denomination coming for us; perhaps it will come from there, perhaps it will emerge here. ... [T]here will be a time when a religion will emerge for you and I and the Māori people." Another reported account elaborated:
"You will recognize it when it comes. Its missionaries will travel in pairs. They will come from the rising sun. They will visit with us in our homes. They will learn our language and teach us the gospel in our own tongue. When they pray they will raise their right hands.
Potangaroa also set down in writing "He Kawenata" — "the covenant" — which included other signs that would let his followers know that his prophecy had been fulfilled within forty years. The covenant predicted that 1881 would be the "day of the fulness", 1882 would be a "year of the sealing", 1883 would be a "year of great faith", and that through these events the Māori "will learn of the Scepter of Judah ... of the Kingdom of Heaven [and] of the sacred church with a large wall surrounding." The covenant was sealed in a monument at the Te Ore Ore Marae.
Mormonism
Shortly after uttering his prophecy, Potangaroa died. Later that same year, missionariesMormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made initial contacts with individuals from Ngāti Kahungunu. Some of the Maori who converted to Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
believed that the coming of the Mormon missionaries was a fulfillment of Potangaroa's prophecy. Potangaroa's "day of the fulness" was identified as the missionaries bearing the "fulness of the Gospel"; the "year of the sealing" was identified as the time the Māori learned of the Latter-day Saint sealing ordinances; and the "sacred church with a large wall surrounding" was identified as the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
, which is located on Temple Square
Temple Square
Temple Square is a ten acre complex located in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In recent years, the usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities immediately adjacent to Temple Square...
, surrounded by a high wall. It was also pointed out by believers that the Mormon missionaries had come in pairs from "the rising sun" (the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, to the east), that the missionaries taught the Ngāti Kahungunu in the Māori language
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
in their own homes, and that they raised their arms when they prayed.
By 1883 — Potangaroa's "year of great faith" — hundreds of Ngāti Kahungunu had joined the LDS Church in the Wairarapa. An apostle of the LDS Church would later claim that by 1921, the fortieth anniversary of Potangaroa's prophecy, only Māori from Ngāti Kahungunu had joined the LDS Church and received temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
ordinances, and that Māori from other tribes began receiving these sealing ordinances only after the forty-year "covenant" of Potangaroa had been fulfilled.
Others
Other religious groups that have been seen as fulfillments of the prophecy include the RatanaRatana
The Rātana movement is a Māori religion and pan-tribal political movement founded by Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana in early 20th century New Zealand...
church, founded by Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana; the Ringatu
Ringatu
The Ringatū church was founded in 1868 by Te Kooti Rikirangi. The symbol for the movement is an upraised hand, or "Ringa Tū" in Māori.Te Kooti was one of a number of Māori detained at the Chatham Islands without trial in relation to the East Coast disturbances of the 1860s...
church, founded by Te Kooti
Te Kooti
Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki was a Māori leader, the founder of the Ringatu religion and guerrilla.While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to the Chatham Islands without trial along with captured Hauhau, he experienced visions and...
; and the Church of the Seven Rules of Jehovah, founded by Simon Patete.