Two Manuscripts of Te Rangikaheke

Te Ao Hou, March 1968, Page 8

Two Manuscripts of Te Rangikaheke Translated by Margaret Orbell Wiremu Maihi Te Rangikaheke, also known as William Marsh, was a famous chief of Ngati Rangiwewehi, in the Rotorua district. The son of a celebrated priest, he was born in about 1820 and died in 1893. In his recent book, ‘Te Arawa’, D. M. Stafford tells us that Te Rangikaheke was ‘one of the more turbulent characters of Te Arawa … he became in his time a most controversial figure, claimed by some to be a chief of the highest rank and by others a person of much less dignity. He had many admirers and ardent followers, but there were just as many who disliked and would have nothing to do with him. He was a skilled orator, and those whom he chose to like found him an absolute gentleman with a charming manner. Those he disliked found his tongue was as sharp and bitter as could be imagined and had good cause to avoid him. That he was a man with a profound knowledge of Maori lore and tradition is beyond doubt.’ Mr Stafford also quotes a Pakeha woman who described him as ‘a wild looking handsome fellow.’ Although he played an important part in Arawa politics, Te Rangikaheke is chiefly remembered today as a writer, and especially as a recorder of Maori traditions. In the late 1840s he became acquainted with the Governor, Sir George Grey, and for a time he worked in the Native Office in Auckland. During the years from 1849 to 1853 he wrote for Sir George Grey some five hundred pages of manuscript. Most of this material consists of traditional stories and songs, and of commentaries upon such material. When Grey compiled his collection of Maori myths and legends, ‘Nga Mahinga a nga Tupuna’ (also published in translation as ‘Polynesian Mythology’), about a quarter of his material was taken from the manuscripts of Te Rangikaheke. He also made extensive use of them in his collection of songs, ‘Nga Moteatea.’ Te Rangikaheke's manuscripts are now in the Grey collection in the Auckland Public Library. In recent years some more of them have been published, including a description of Maori marriage customs that appears in Dr Bruce Biggs' book, ‘Maori Marrage’, and a legend, ‘The Deeds of Tiki-tawhito-ariki’, also edited and translated by Bruce Biggs, that is in the ‘Journal of the Polynesian Society’, vol. 61, pp. 183–191. However, most of Te Rangikaheke's manuscripts have not yet been published. The two short manuscripts published here show us something of the beliefs and attitudes of this highly intelligent and gifted man, at a time when Maori thought was being greatly influenced by new knowledge, and by the pressure of the rapidly increasing Pakeha population. It is obvious that Te Rangikaheke thoroughly enjoyed writing. In fact, much of his work has a literary sophistication not to be found in the writings of more strictly traditional recorders of Maori material. He was a very talented writer, who achieved in his work a unique blend of the new and the old. But in spite of his friendship with Sir George Grey, he was far-sighted enough to fear for the future. His dream is an expression of this fear. The manuscript is entitled, in different handwriting, ‘A dream of Te Rangikaheke, written by himself’. It was believed that many dreams foretold the future, and seers who had such dreams often communicated them to others in the form of matakite, or visionary songs. The language of these visionary songs was usually metaphorical and often cryptic. Te Rangikaheke includes a song of this kind in his account of his dream. The proverb ‘Taku ringaringa tē ngaua e te kur’ means, ‘No dog dares bite my hand.’ Sir George Grey quotes it in his collection of proverbs (‘Ko nga Whakapepeha me nga Whakaahuareka a nga Tipuna’ p. 83), and says that its wider meaning is, ‘None interferes with me.’ The saying also occurs in the story of Takarangi and Raumahora, where Takarangi uses it in a speech asserting that his warriors will always obey him (‘Polynesian Mythology’ p. 229). It seems likely that the dog in Te Rangikaheke's dream is partly derived from this traditional image. The word ‘arawhata’ literally means ‘sus-

pended way', and may refer either to a bridge or a ladder. In this account it is translated as bridge, but it may mean ladder. The second manuscript describes Te Rangikaheke's meeting with a man who must have come from the Pacific Islands. Sir George Grey has entitled it, ‘An address by Te Rangikaheke, a New Zealand Chief, to the inhabitants (imaginary) of Hawaiki.’ The migration traditions tell us that the Maori people came to this country from Hawaiki, and most of the Maori myths are also set in Hawaiki. Myths are sacred stories that help men to understand the nature of the world, and of human life. Before the Europeans came, Maori myths were believed to tell of events which took place in the earliest times, and which determined the nature of things. However, myths have no connection with what we now regard as history. When Pakehas such as Sir George Grey began to study Maori stories, they decided that Hawaiki must be a group of islands somewhere in the Pacific, and that many of the myths were, in fact, historical in the European sense. Learned Maoris such as Te Rangikaheke were very interested indeed when they were told that the whereabouts of Hawaiki was now known, and they became anxious to communicate with the inhabitants of Hawaiki and to learn from them the correct versions of their myths. Since Hawaiki was their homeland, they were sure that its inhabitants must have a superior knowledge of these matters. In this letter addressed to the people of Hawaiki, Te Rangikaheke names various figures that occur in Maori mythology, and asks for further information about them. In the third paragraph, he refers to the mythical battle of Ihumotomotokia. An account of this is to be found on page 138 of Grey's ‘Polynesian Mythology’. When Ngatoroirangi heard that he had been insulted by his brother-in-law Manaia, he returned to Hawaiki and defeated Manaia in a series of battles, of which this was the first. These battles were regarded as setting the precedent for all subsequent fighting in which men have sought to avenge themselves for insults or for earlier defeats. Te Rangikaheke asks why this first battle occurred, apparently believing that if it had not done so, men would have lived in peace. It is rather like asking why Eve, in the Garden of Eden, listened to the serpent. The word ‘wāhu’ is not in Williams' ‘Dictionary of the Maori Language’. It is used in the centre of the North Island and in Northland to refer to a person who has an extremely dark complexion. Here the reference is to such a person who comes from America, a Negro. Te Rangikaheke's letter is unfinished, breaking off in the middle of a sentence. It may be a partial copy of an original letter, or his friend may have sailed for home before it was completed. The manuscript reference for the account of his dream is GNZMMSS 93. The reference for the other manuscript is GNZMMSS 45.