Tapua
Encyclopedia
Tapua was a Māori rangatira
, arikinui (senior chief) of the Ngati Hao hapū
, of what became the Ngapuhi
confederation.
His base was the Kaikohe
and nearby Hokianga
area of northern Aotearoa
(New Zealand
). Tapua was also the tohunga
of Ngati Hao and famed as a great warrior in the tradition of the fighting rangatira (chiefs) of Ngapuhi.
Tapua saw James Cook
's ship when it visited in 1769, becoming one of the very first Māori people to have contact with Europeans.
and Rahiri's first-born son Uenuku
, his whakapapa (genealogical connections) were also strongly with the Pewhairangi (Bay of Islands) area where he maintained a pā
at Okura, a reach of the Kerikeri
inlet.
and Nene
.
Tari married the Pewhairangi chief Te Wharerahi
while Te Anga and Te Ruanui were killed in battle, fighting with Tapua against Ngati Pou. It was thus that Patuone inherited the male leadership of the family and hapu.
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...
, arikinui (senior chief) of the Ngati Hao hapū
Hapu
A hapū is sometimes described as "the basic political unit within Maori society".A named division of a Māori iwi , membership is determined by genealogical descent; a hapū is made up of a number of whānau groups. Generally hapū range in size from 150-200 although there is no upper limit...
, of what became the Ngapuhi
Ngapuhi
Ngāpuhi is a Māori iwi located in the Northland region of New Zealand, and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands and Whāngārei.Ngāpuhi has the largest affiliation of any New Zealand iwi, with 122,214 people registered , and formed from 150 hapu, with 55 marae.-Foundations:The founding...
confederation.
His base was the Kaikohe
Kaikohe
Kaikohe is the central service area for the Far North District of New Zealand, about 260 km from Auckland, situated on State Highway 12 at...
and nearby Hokianga
Hokianga
Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as The Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand....
area of northern Aotearoa
Aotearoa
Aotearoa is the most widely known and accepted Māori name for New Zealand. It is used by both Māori and non-Māori, and is becoming increasingly widespread in the bilingual names of national organisations, such as the National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.-Translation:The...
(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...
). Tapua was also the tohunga
Tohunga
In the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, religious or otherwise. Tohunga may include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teachers and advisors. The equivalent term in Hawaiian culture is kahuna...
of Ngati Hao and famed as a great warrior in the tradition of the fighting rangatira (chiefs) of Ngapuhi.
Tapua saw James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
's ship when it visited in 1769, becoming one of the very first Māori people to have contact with Europeans.
Descent
Tapua's father was Takare and his mother, Ripia, a tohunga in her own right and one of the powerful women of Ngapuhi. Although he traced descent directly from RahiriRahiri
Rahiri is a semi-mythical ancestor of the Māori people in New Zealand.Rahiri lived somewhere within the period 1475-1585, based on whakapapa calculations...
and Rahiri's first-born son Uenuku
Uenuku
In Māori mythology, Uenuku is the god of rainbows. He is particularly special to the Tainui Māori.-Legend:The legend of Uenuku is similar to many other vanishing lover tales such as Cupid and Psyche or Beauty and the Beast....
, his whakapapa (genealogical connections) were also strongly with the Pewhairangi (Bay of Islands) area where he maintained a pā
Pa (Maori)
The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...
at Okura, a reach of the Kerikeri
Kerikeri
Kerikeri, the largest town in the Northland Region of New Zealand, is a popular tourist destination about three hours drive north of Auckland, and 80 km north of Whangarei...
inlet.
Wife and children
Tapua's wife was Te Kawehau who also traced descent directly from Rahiri through Kaharau, the second-born son of Rahiri. Their children were Tari, Te Anga, Te Ruanui, PatuoneEruera Maihi Patuone
Eruera Maihi Patuone , was a Māori rangatira, the son of the Ngati Hao chief Tapua and his wife Te Kawehau. His exact birth year is not know, but it is estimated that he was at least 108 years old when he died....
and Nene
Tamati Waka Nene
Tāmati Wāka Nene was a Māori rangatira who fought as an ally of the British in the Flagstaff War.-Origin and mana:...
.
Tari married the Pewhairangi chief Te Wharerahi
Te Wharerahi
Te Wharerahi was a highly-respected rangatira of the Ipipiri area of Aotearoa/New Zealand.- Origins and mana :...
while Te Anga and Te Ruanui were killed in battle, fighting with Tapua against Ngati Pou. It was thus that Patuone inherited the male leadership of the family and hapu.
Further reading
- The Life and Times of Patuone C.O. Davis, 1876