The History of Ngati Wai

Te Ao Hou, March 1966, Page 46

The History of Ngati Wai by Morore Piripi This is the fourth and last part of the history of Ngati Wai, as told by the late Morore Piripi of Punaruku in the Whangaruru district. The first three parts of this history appeared in nos. 37, 38 and 39 of ‘Te Ao Hou’ (December 1961 to June 1962). In this installment Morore Piripi, a chief of Ngati Wai, relates the more recent history of his people. The text was edited by E. G. Schwimmer and translated by Mrs Arapera Blank. He Korero Mo Te Timatanga Mai o te Hahi o Te Hunga Tapu o Nga Ra o Muri Nei Ko te timatanga i haere nga tangata nei ki Akarana. Ko Henare Kaupeka tetahi, ko Hunia Kapotai tetahi, ko Rapata Kahutai tetahi. Na ka haere ratou ki reira ka kite i nga tangata nei tokorua. Ko Wiremu Katene te ingoa o tetahi, ko Eparaima te ingoa o tetahi. A ka korero ki a ratou nga ahua o te hahi nei, a ka kauhou i nga korero o te karaipiture, i nga ahua o te iwi nei, mo te ahua o te ınoı. A ka titiro nga tangata nei ki te karaipiture. He tika hoki te korero e korerotia ana nei, ‘Ki te kahore te tangata e whanau hou i te wai, i te wairua tapu hoki, e kore ia e tomo ki te rangatiratanga o te rangi.’ Ko tenei korero na Nikorima i patai ki a Te Karaiti. Koia nei te whakahoki a Te Karaiti. Ka mea a Nikorima me pehea e ahei ai te tomo o te tangata ki roto ki te kopu o tona whaea, whanau tuarua mai ano. Na ka whakautua, ‘He mea tuturu ra tenei kia whanau hou koutou ki te wai ki te wairua hoki. Ta te kikokiko i whanau ai he kikokiko, ta te wai i whanau ai he wairua.’ A ka whakarongo ratou ki enei korero. I te whakatunga hoki o te Hahi o Te Karaiti. I a ia i runga i te mata o te whenua me whakatu ki runga i nga apotoro te tekau ma rua. Na ko ia tonu ano te kai-whakahaere. A ko Hoani te kai-iriiri i mua atu i tona. A i haere hoki ia kia iriiria a ia e Hoani, i roto i te wai o Horana. A ka whakarongo nga tangata nei ki enei korero ka titiro ki te paipera hoki. Ka whakaaro ratou he aha hoki An Account of the Beginning of the Church of the Latter Day Saints The beginnings were made when these men went to Auckland. One was Henare Kaupeka, another was Hunia Kapotai, and the other was Rapata Kahutai. Now they went there and they saw these two men. Wiremu Kanene was the name of one and Eparaima was the name of the other. These two told them of the form of the church and preached the scriptures, the life of these people in the church, and the way to pray. So they looked at the scriptures. The words that had been spoken were correct, ‘If man was not born anew of the water and the holy Spirit he would not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.’ These words were asked by the Nicodemus to Christ. This was the reply of Christ. Nicodemus then asked how a person would be entitled to enter his mother's womb so that he could be born again a second time. And it was replied to thus. ‘It is ordained that you shall be born again with water and the spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh; what is born of the water is the spirit.’ So they listened to these stories of the founding of the Church of Christ. When he was on the peak of the land it was founded on the twelve apostles. Now Christ himself was the leader. John was the baptiser before his arrival. And he went also to be baptised by John in the river of Jordan. These men listened to these stories and also looked at the bible. Then they wondered why this church differed from the other churches, namely, of

i penei ai tenei hahi, i pera ai era o nga hahi o te Mihingare, o te Katorika. Me pa te matenga ki te wai kua mea enei hahi kua whanau hou te tangata. Ko te tikanga ke kia tino ngaro i te wai kia puta ake ai i roto i te wai kua whanau hou te tangata. Na reira ka whakaangaanga nga kaumatua nei. Ka kite hoki i te ringa e tu ana ka mahara hoki ki te poropiti nei ki a Mohi ka tu nga ringaringa ki runga. Ki te tu nga ringaringa ki runga ka kaha te whawhai o nga hoia a Mohi. Ka heke nga ringaringa ki raro ka heke ano te kaha. Ka tu nga ringaringa ki runga o Mohi ka kaha ano ona pononga. He tika! Koia tenei ko te Hahi a Te Atua me whakahoki mai ki a Hohepa. Na ka iriiri ratou ki reira. I to ratou hokinga mai ki konei, ka kauhoungia e ratou te Rongopai ki nga tangata katoa o konei. Ka tae mai hoki nga kaumatua ki konei ka iriiri katoatia nga tangata o konei. Ka haere ki nga wahi katoa o tenei whenua, ki Ngunguru, ki Whananaki. Ka pau katoa nga kaumatua ki roto ki te hahi nei, ka haere te hahi nei ka tu he peka ki kona, ki kona. Ko tetahi peka i tu ki konei. I tu i Waikaramihi, ko Hetapakaraka te ingoa. Ka roa e tu ana i kona. Ko nga tangata ka haere katoa mai no nga wahi katoa. Ka mutu i tena ka mate ena kaumatua, katahi ka haere ki te pa o Tuperehuia. Ka tu ko Hone Pita hei tumuaki mo te peka i reira. Ka haere katoa mai nga tangata o Mokau, o Whangaruru, ka ahu katoa ki tawahi ki reira. Ki te kore e haramai ka noho ki o ratou kainga karakia ai. Ara tetahi wahi he whare nikau a, wharekarakia, kei reira kei Oakura. A, o te ahua ko Tuperahuia te peka nui. No muri nei ko Reihana te tumuaki. Ka mate era tumuaki. Katahi ka wehea nga tumuaki. I Mokau tetahi peka. Ka tu ko Morore Piripi te tumuaki mo te peka o reira. Te tekau ma rima tau i tu ai a Morore Piripi hei tumuaki mo te peka o Mokau. E haere atu ana ia ki reira i Paritahi i Punaruku nei ki reira rano. Na ka mea etahi he tawhiti rawa i Mokau. Ka whakaturia he peka ki Punaruku nei. Ka tu ki konei kotahi tekau tau e tu ana ki konei. Ko Morore Piripi ano te tumuaki. Katahi ka riro ko Parekura Heta te tumuaki. A ka tae mai ki muri iho, ka tu ko Morore Himiona. A tae mai nei a Morore ki te pa o Punaruku noho ai, ka tu ko te Waka Hepi. A, inaianei kua huihui katoa mai nga peka nei, kua whakakotahi kia kotahi te peka, ara nga peka o Whangaruru, kua huihui katoa mai enei peka ki Punaruku nei kia kotahi ai ratou. the Anglicans and the Roman Catholics respectively. When the head was touched with water these Churches said that man was born again. But the correct way is that the whole of a person should be submerged so that when he comes out of the water he is born anew. Hence these men thought it over. They also saw the hand upraised and they remembered the prophet Moses with his hands upraised. If the hands were upraised Moses' soldiers fought well. If the hands were turned down the strength went down too. When Moses' hands were upright his followers were strengthened. That is correct! This was it; the church of God brought back to Joseph. So these men were baptised there. When they returned here they preached the gospel to all the people and all the elders came and all were baptised here. They went to all the places in this territory—to Whananaki, to Ngunguru. All the elders were converted to this church. As this church grew branches were founded here and there. One of the branches was established here. It stood at Waikaramihi, its name being Hetapakaraka. It stood here for a long time. The people came to it from far and wide. When that branch was established they went to the pa of Tuparehuia. Hone Pita stood as president of the branch there. All the people of Mokau and of Whangaroa crossed over to that branch. If they could not go they stayed at home and held their own prayers. There is a nikau house, a place of worship, at Oakura. But probably the biggest branch was that of Tuparehuia. After a while Reihana became the president. These presidents have since died. Then the presidents were separated. There was a branch at Mokau. Morore Piripi stood as the president there. For fifteen years Morore Piripi stood as president of the Mokau branch. He was travelling there from Paritahi at Punaruku here. Then some said that it was too far from Mokau, so a branch was established here at Punaruku. It has been here for eleven years with Morore Piripi as president. Then Parekura Heta became president. After that Morore Himiona stood as president. Since Morore Piripi has come to stay at the pa of Punaruku, Waka Hepi has become the president. Now all the branches have gathered together and have amalgamated. There is only one branch, the branches of Whangaruru are one. They have all joined together at Punaruku.