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Rauparaha, Chief Capiti...[Te Rauparaha, chief of Kapiti]
1843
watercolour by Isaac Coates Drawings and
Prints Collection Alexander Turnbull Library
Te Rauparaha is depicted here as a solemn
man in his late 50s or 60s, tattooed and wearing the feather
down of the toroa, or albatross, in his left ear, and a white
feather on his head.
Te Rauparaha's strong aquiline nose and over-hanging
lip, features which he shared with his nephew Te Rangihaeata,
are clearly shown here. Known as 'Te ihu kaka o Ngāti
Toa', the aquiline nose has become a recognisable trait of
the Ngāti Toa people.
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Te Rauparaha
The Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha was born at Tahāroa,
Kawhia, towards the end of the 18th century, and came to prominence
as a young man, owing to his skill as a leader and warrior.
In 1821, Te Rauparaha played a prominent role in the migration
of the Ngāti Toa to the Kapiti Coast. During the late 1820s
and 1830s, he initiated a number of raids in the South Island, which
led to the Ngāti Toa dominating the upper region of that island.
In 1839, the young missionary Octavius Hadfield arrived on the
Kapiti Coast, and immediately impressed the aging chief. Although
Te Rauparaha never became a Christian, he developed a friendship
with Hadfield and fostered the development of Christianity in the
region.
Te Rauparaha signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, but in the
following years he was involved in a number of disputes over European
settlement. In 1846, as part of Governor Grey's strategy for the
pacification of the Wellington region, he was captured and imprisoned
without trial for 18 months in Auckland.
On Te Rauparaha's return to Ōtaki in 1848, a great gathering
was held in celebration. It was on this occasion that Te Rauparaha
thrust his sword into the earth at the feet of Te Pohotīraha,
and challenged him to take up the building of Rangiātea
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Te Rauparaha provided some of the materials and labour for the construction
of Rangiātea, but he did not live to see it completed. He died
in 1849, and was buried on the slope of Mutikotiko Hill, within
the shadow of Rangiātea. According to Māori tradition,
his body was later exhumed and carried across to Kapiti, where it
was interred in the tribal burial caves.
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Kimihia, Te Rauparaha's taiaha
This is Te Rauparaha's famous taiaha kura, a long-handled fighting
club used for close-quarter combat. In the hands of an expert, it
was a formidable weapon.
Kimihia was named after Te Rauparaha's paternal grandfather and
sub-tribe, the Ngāti Kimihia. Te Rauparaha was known to have
carried Kimihia during the early battles of Ngāti Toa, when
the tribe first arrived on the Kapiti Coast in the early 1820s.
Kimihia was handed down to Amy Wallace, niece of Te Rauparaha's
son Tāmihana. Amy Wallace deposited it in the Dominion Museum
in 1941.
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Presented to the Dominion Museum by Amy
Wallace, 1941 Collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa
Tongarewa
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The celebrated southern chief,
Te Rauparaha... 1847
Here, Te Rauparaha is shown wearing the Royal Navy uniform
which was presented to him during his detention in Auckland.
He is holding a taiaha, possibly Kimihia, his treasured taiaha
kura.
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pen and ink sketch by William Bambridge Manuscripts and Archives Alexander
Turnbull Library
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Tuhiwai, Te Rauparaha's mere pounamu
There are differing stories as to how Ngāti Toa came into
the possession of Tuhiwai. According to Mātene Te Whiwhi,
Tuhiwai was acquired from the Ngaā Tahu chief Parewai
by Te Rangihaeata, and was eventually given to Te Rauparaha. Yet
another story says that Tuhiwai was a gift from the great
Ngāi Tahu chief Taiaroa in exchange for the famous war canoe
Waikahua.
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Presented to the Dominion Museum by the
descendants of Te Rauparaha, 1961 Collection of the Museum
of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
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Tuhiwai remains a cherished taonga amongst the descendants of
Te Rauparaha. The late Paeroa Wineera recalled that Tuhiwai
was never kept inside the house at the Ngāti Toa Pā in
Porirua, but rather under the veranda: 'It would be found half-way
under the house every time we looked for it. We called it "the
one who walks".'
Tuhiwai is also said to be the weapon used by Te Rangihaeata
to kill Captain Arthur Wakefield during the Wairau Affair in 1843.
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Te Rauparaha's sword
According to Māori
tradition, Governor Grey presented this sword to Te Rauparaha in
Auckland in 1846, following Te Rauparaha's arrest.
On his return to Ōtaki in 1848, Te Rauparaha is said to have
thrust the sword at the feet of the Ngāti Wehiwehi chief Pāora
Pohotīraha, declaring,
Come, take up this weapon! I no longer seek honour
on earth, but seek honour in heaven. Build us a church!
Pāora took up the sword and with it the challenge to support
the building of Rangiātea. The sword remained in his family
until 1904, when it was ceremonially presented by Winia, his daughter,
to Heni Te Rei, the daughter of Mātene Te Whiwhi. The sword
is presently on loan to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
from the Carkeek family, direct descendants of Mātene Te Whiwhi.
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United
States Army Foot Artillery Sword, manufactured 1839 Deposited
by Mrs Pareraukawa Carkeek, 1963-64 Collection of the Museum
of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
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pencil sketch by Edward Abbott
Collection of the Hadfield family |
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Te Rauparaha 1845
This sketch was given to Octavius Hadfield
by the former Governor of New Zealand, Sir George Grey. The inscription
on the back by Octavius Hadfield's son Henry reads:
'Te Rauparaha, The original great chief of Ngāti Toa and
leader of Ngati Raukawa. Drawn by Mr. Abbott Govt Surveyor... This
portrait was bought by Sir George Grey for £15/15/- and afterwards
given by him to my father, then Archdeacon Hadfield, who together
with Archd. Sam'l Williams declared it to be a perfect likeness.'
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