Kepa Ehau

Te Ao Hou, 1971, Page 3

Kepa Ehau One of the greatest of the orators of the Arawa tribe, Kepa Hamuera Anaha Ehau died in Rotorua aged 85. For at least 50 years he had been prominent in welcoming noted visitors to Rotorua, acting as interpreter for old men who had no English, and as an orator in his own right. He served with the Maori Pioneer Battalion of World War I, and was severely wounded in France. In recent years, these wounds caused the amputation of both legs, but he remained a noted figure at Maori meetings, speaking in a strong rich voice from his wheelchair. A member of the Ngati Tarawhai subtribe of Te Arawa, his knowledge of Maori tradition and ceremonial was unsurpassed in the territory of the Arawa people and beyond. He spoke fluent French, and often would amaze a European visitor with his French interpretation of a Maori welcome.