Rewi Maniapoto

Ko Rewi Maniapoto i te tau 1879

Ko Rewi Manga Maniapoto (?-1894) nō Ngāti Maniapoto, he kaihautū, he kaiārahi o roto i ngā pakanga. Ahakoa i ako ai ia ki te pānui me te tuhi i te mīhana Wēteriana i Te Kōpua, he tangata mōhio hoki ia ki ngā whakapapa, ki ngā kōrero tuku iho o tōna iwi.

He kaha tana tautoko i te Kīngitanga i te tekau tau atu i 1850. Ka whawhai tōna iwi ki te taha o ngā iwi o Taranaki i te 1860-61. I konei ka tipu te whakaaro ki a ia, ko te hiahia o te kāwanatanga kia turakina te rangatiratanga o te Māori, e tareka ai te tango i ōna whenua. Nāna te rahi o Ngāti Maniapoto me Waikato i whakatikatika ki te tautoko i te hunga kei te whawhai ki te kāwanatanga, hāunga ngā māharahara o ētahi o ngā rangatira o te Kīngitanga.

Ko Rewi tētahi o ngā kaingārahu i ngā riri ki te riu o Waikato i ngā tau 1863, 1864. Ahakoa te tini hōia, ka hau te rongo mō te māia, te tohungatanga o Rewi ki te matawhāura. I te riri ki Ōrākau, ka tono ngā hōia kia tuku a Rewi mā i ā rātou pū ki raro. Ka whakautua e Rewi tēnei tono me te kōrero rongonui, Ka whawhai tonu mātou. Ake! Ake! Ake!

Ka hingahinga rā ngā taua o te Kīngitanga i ngā pakanga ki ngā hōia. Taro ake, ka rere te Kīngi Māori me tōna iwi ki te rohe o Ngāti Maniapoto whakamarumaru ai. Ka hia tau e noho ana rātou ki reira. Ko Rewi tētahi o ngā rangatira nā rātou i whakaū, i whakawhānui te Rohe Pōtae. Ka toro tēnei rohe ki ngā tahatika o te moana o Taupō ki te uru, ki te hikuwai o te awa o Whanganui. Kāore he mana i tua atu i tō te Kīngi i tēnei rohe.

Kia tae ki te paunga o te tekau tau atu i 1860, kua kite a Rewi e kore e taea e te riri te whakahoki mai i te mana o te iwi. Heoi, nō te tau 1878 kātahi anō ka mau te rongo me te kāwanatanga. Kāore i kaha raupatutia ngā whenua o Ngāti Maniapoto, heoi 1.2 miriona eka (tata ki te haurua miriona heketea) o ngā whenua o Waikato i raupatutia.

I te tau 1882 ka maunu a Rewi i te Kīngitanga. Ko te whakahau a te Kīngi kia kaua te iwi e whitiwhiti kōrero me te kāwanatanga kia ea rā anō te take o ngā whenua i raupatutia. Heoi, ka whakaae a Rewi ki ngā rūri whenua a te kāwanatanga ki roto i te Rohe Pōtae, ka whitiwhiti kōrero hoki ia mō te whakatakoto rerewē. Hei utu mō tēnei, ka tukua e te kawanatanga ētahi painga. Nā ngā mahi a Rewi ka tuwhera te Rohe Pōtae ki ngā hokonga whenua a te kāwanatanga, ahakoa tana ngana kia āta haere ngā hokonga, kia kaua e tino nui te whenua ka hokona. Whāia, ka memeha tōna awe. Ka mate ia i te tau 1894.

Tohutoro

• Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau URL:NZDB