Te Whaea Hihita

Te Ao Hou, 1972, Page 8

Te Whaea Hihita by Mona Riini “Kua pōrangi pea koe! Ka patua koe e ngā Māori ra, ā, ka kainga koe!” He kupu ēnei i kōrerotia ki tētahi wahine. Nā tōna whānau ēnei kōrero, he tūpato i a ia. Ēngari, i kī te wahine nei me haere ia, kei te kī tōna ngākau me haere; he tono, he karanga na te Atua, na te Kaihanga i ngā mea katoa. Ko Hihita Ani Hēnare te wahine nei. I haere mai ia ki Ruatāhuna i te tau kotahi mano iwa rau tekau mā whitu. ki Ruatāhuna, te whenua o Tūhoe, e kīia nei ko ‘Ngā Tamariki o te Kohu’, kei roto i te koawa, kei raro i ngā hiwi, i ngā ngahere ā, i a Huiarau. Ahakoa nō mua noa atu i ōku rā whānau ia i tae mai ai, hei aha koa. I te mea i reira ia i ahau i whānau ai, ā, i tupu ake ai, i te mea hoki he mīharo ki a mātau ana mahi katoa, ka hihiko tōku ngākau kia mōhiotia e te katoa āna mahi. Ko ētahi o aku kupu ka tuhituhi, he mea hōmai e ōku mātua, e ngā uri-tata, e Hihita tonu, ana ko ētahi nāku tonu. I te taenga mai o Hihita, kāhore he huarahi whānui, kāhore he motukā, he kura, he whare karakia, he toa hokohoko kai, he tākuta hoki, otirā ko ia pea te Pākehā tuatahi i kaha ki te haere mai ki tēnei kāinga ka noho tūturu. Ko ngā huarahi i tērā wā, mō ngā hōiho, ā, i piki, heke i ngā hiwi kei te tipua e te rarauhe. I tumeke pea a Hihita, me te mīharo anō, i tōna taenga mai ki Ruatāhuna. I whakaaro tonu ia, ka tūtuki ia ki te rarararu, ēngari i te kaha o tana whakapono ki tōna Atua, tino pai kē ngā tāngata ki a ia. Tērā pea ētahi koroua, kuia rānei i āhua whakatūpato, ā, roa noa atu ka tata mai ki a ia. He hoa tō Hihita i haere mai ēngari, kāhore i roa i muri mai ka moe tāne ā, ka nuku rāua ko te tāne ki tētahi wāhi noho ai. Ko Miss Monfries taua wahine. Karanga ai mātau i a ia ko Hihita. I mahia he whare mōna e ngā tāngata, ā, ka meatia e ia hei wharekura. I karangatia e “You must be out of your mind. Those natives will kill you and eat you.” These were words spoken to a lady, whose family was worried about her safety. But she felt she had to go, she must accept this calling, a call from God, the Great Creator. She was Sister Annie Henry, who came to Ruatahuna in 1917. Ruatahuna, the land of Tuhoe, Children of the Mist, nestled in the bush cleared valley, surrounded by bush clad hills and by the Huiarau ranges. This was many years before I was born, but because she was there at my birth and during my childhood, and because she made such an impact on many people's lives, I have felt the urge to reveal to all, some of the work of this great woman. Some of the information that I write was given by my parents and by relatives, some by Sister herself, and some comes from my own experience of her. When she first came, there were no roads, no cars, no school, no mission, no shops, no doctors; in fact, she was the first Pakeha who dared to come to this valley and settle. The only roads were packhorse trails which twisted and turned, climbed up, down, and around steep, rocky scrubcovered hills. She was rather surprised and very thankful at the reception she received. She came to Ruatahuna with the idea that she would meet trouble, but because of her faith in God and in herself, she found quite the opposite. Undoubtedly there must have been some, especially among the older “korousa” and “kuias”, who were suspiciously resentful until they came to know her. Sister had a friend with her. Miss Monfries, but she later got married, and not long after, she and her husband left the valley. Sister Annie or Hihita as we called her, had a little house built as a schoolroom. She invited the people to this room, and

ia ngā tāngata c hiahia ana kia haere mai kia whakaakotia ki te pānui, ki te tuihituhi, ā, ki te kōrero Pākehā. He koroua, he kuia, he tāngata pākeke āna tamariki kura tuatahi. I roto i taua rōpū, taku whaea me ōna tuākana, ā, toru ki te whā tau rātau e kura ana, ka mutu. I tae rātau ki te P. 4—S.I. He wahine tino pai ia. I whakaakotia e ia ngā tamariki ki te pānui, ki te kōrero Pākehā, ki te titiro i ngā whakaahua o ngā pukapuka, ā, ki te pānui i te Paipera. He kaiwhakaako ia, me ētahi mea atu. He pononga (karere) na te Atua hei kauhau i te Rongopai, he tākuta, he nēhi, he rōia, he pirihimana hoki. Ēnei mahi katoa i mahia e ia. I haere ia ki ngā wāhi katoa mā raro hīkoi ai, ahakoa pēhea te tawhiti. Kāhore ia i hiahia ki te piki ki runga i te hōiho. I haere ia ki te kitekite tangata ahakoa whakawhiti ia i ngā awa whāiti, whānui rānei. I hīkoi ia i roto i te pōuri, he ratana tōna raiti. Tekau māero, neke atu rānei, te tawhiti o te wāhi i haere nei ia, ā, tae atu ki reira, ki te whakawhānau pēpē. I te wā e whāia ana a Te Kooti e te motu, e ngā tāngata a Te Kāwana, i reira a Hihita, i waenganui o tēnei raruraru. Tērā tētahi koroua i Ruatāhuna, hei koroua tata ki ahau, nāna i hopu a Te Kooti, ā, ka hoatu e ia tana tono ki te Kāwana kia utua ia. Ēngari i te mea, tae rawa atu te tangata a te Kāwana, kua huihui kē atu ētahi tāngata, ā, kī atu hoki nā rātau katoa i hopu a Te Kooti, ka raru te koroua rā. I tono ia ki a Hihita hei tautoko hei āwhina i tana tono moni, ēngari kāhore i taea. I whāngaia e ia ētahi tamariki. He kāinga ātaahua tōna kāinga ki ngā tāngata anō ko pararaiha. Tētahi tangata nāna i whāngai, i rauhi, he kopa. I tipu ia hei tangata pai, mātauranga hoki, ā, ko ia te kaitiaki o te Poutāpeta o Ruatāhuna mō ētahi tau nui. Whānau rawa mai ahau, kua nui kē mai ngā āhuatanga Pākehā ki Ruatāhuna. Kua tū he toa hokohoko kai, kua tae he motukā, kau haere hoki he pahi ki Rotorua. Kua nekehia te wharekura a Hihita ki te wāhi kei reira e tū ana te kura ināianei. Tētahi o ngā hoa tata o Hihita ko Hoani Rōtana, he kaikauhau i te Rongopai nō Katarana. I noho ia i Maungapōhatu, ā, rite tonu ā raua mahi, ā, rite tonu hoki te wehi o Tūhoe ki a ia, i te wehi ki a Hihita. Ia Rātapu, noho tiaki ai mātau i a Hihita, haere ai hoki ia ki te karakia, ki among some of her very first pupils, were old folk and others, some perhaps in their teens. My mother and her brothers were among this first group and they spent about three to four years with her. Some left in P. 4 and S. 1. She was marvellous. She taught them to read and to speak English. She encouraged them to look at pictures and to read the Bible. She was not only a teacher, but many other things. She was a preacher of the Gospel, a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer, and a policeman. She travelled many, many miles on foot, as she did not like riding very much. She visited homes, and had to cross many creeks and rivers to get to some. She even walked about 10 miles at night with only a storm lantern to light her way. This was for a maternity case. During the country's hunt for Te Kooti, Sister was there right in the midst of everything. One old man, a great great grand uncle of mine, captured Te Kooti and put in a claim for his reward from the Government. But unfortunately, this man had no witnesses, and by the time the Governor's men arrived, a few Maoris had already gathered round putting in their claims. He begged Sister to support him in his claim but she was unable to help. She adopted some children. Her house was often a haven for many people. One of the men Sister brought up, was a crippled boy. He grew up into a fine man and was Postmaster at Ruatahuna for many years. By the time I was born, Ruatahuna had become a little more civilised. A small shop was up. Sister's classroom had been moved to where the present school is. One of her dearest friends who came as a missionary from Scotland was John Laughton who was also respected and greatly admired by Tuhoe. He settled in Maungapohatu for many years. We looked forward to Sundays because Sister came to every pa, to take Sunday

ngā pā katoa. E rima ngā whānau i tō mātau marae e noho ana. Ko ō mātau mātua he mahi i ngā mahi tino hē rawa atu, arā, he inu pia, he purei kāri. Ahakoa ēnei mahi hē a rātau, ki te whakarere i a mātau tamariki mā, he taea e rātau he moni hei koho mo te pereti a Hihita. I whakaakona mātau e Hihita ki ētahi waiata, hīmene hoki o roto i te Paipera, ā, nui atu ngā kōrero paki o te Karaiti i whakamāramatia e ia. Kite kau atu mātau i a Hihita e piki ake ana i te rori, ka oma mātau ki te wharepuni ki te whakatangi i te pere, ā, ka oma rānei mātau ki te hari mai i tana pāhi. Ahakoa mātau kei te kai ka whakarērea e mātau ā mātau kai, e ka kitea atu a Hihita. He kauhau ia ki ngā tāngata katoa. I ētahi tāima, ka haramai he tangata haurangi ki te wharepuni hurori ai, whakararuraru ai i ngā kauhau a Hihita, kata ai rānei ki ngā hū koikoi, ki te reo wiriwiri o Hihita. E kore te kuia rā e āro atu, heoi anō karanga atu ai ia kia āta kōrero. I tērā, kua kati te waha o te haurangi — mo te tāima poto noa iho, ā, kua mahi anō i āna mahi. Ehara i te mea, he pārekareka a Hihita ki te inu pia. Tino kino tana ngākau pōuri. Kai te mahara tonu ahau ki āna kōrero, “Ka kino te waipiro e!” Tokoiwa mātau hei tika mā tō mātau whaea. He hiahia ia ki te mahi kāri putiputi, he whakapai i waho i tō mātau whare tawhito. He tino pai ki a ia ana kāri putiputi, he pai hoki te puāwai me te kore otaota. I haere mai a Hihita ki te kite i a ia, me tana whakamenemene ki ana kāri. Kite tonu a Hihita, kua fūfū tana māhuna ka mea atu, “Ka kino tēnei — he nui rawa ngā pounamu.” I whakatūhia e tō mātau whaea ngā pounamu kore kai, hei whakaātaahua i ngā tahataha o ana kāri. I te mutanga o ia tau, ia tau, i whakatūria e Hihita he hūkari ki te mihana. I reira ka hoatu he perehana mā te marae tino nui ngā moni koha mō tērā tau. Nō mātau te marae e hia tāima e whiwhi ana ki tēnei hōnore, nā te kaha o ō mātau mātua ki te āwhina mai. Kāhore e wareware i a mātau, i ahau rawa atu, ngā waiata, ngā hīmene a Hihita, Ki tōku whakaaro, nā Hihta i rui te purapura Karaitiana ki Ruaāhuna. Ahakoa anō te kaha o te hāhi Ringatū ko tēnei te mea ātaahua ki a mātau. I tēnei rā, kua tipu, kua puāwai ētahi o aua purapura, arā, kua minita ētahi, kua kaumātua ētahi, ā, kei School services. Our pa had about five families living there. Our mothers and fathers were great drinkers and gamblers (cards was the game then). But in spite of their irresponsible attitudes towards their families, they could always spare a half crown or a shilling for each of us to put in Sister Annie's offering plate. She taught us many choruses and verses from the Bible and told many, many stories about Jesus. We looked forward to all these things. As soon as we saw Sister coming up the road, we raced down to the wharepuni to ring the bell, or we raced down to carry her bag. Even if we were in the middle of lunch, we just dropped all and left our food, as soon as Sister was sighted. She ministered to everyone. Several times a drunkard staggered up to the pa and Sister just kept on with the service. Sometimes those daring ones made remarks about Sister's shaky singing and her pointed wrinkled shoes, but one little hush from her and they kept quiet — for a while at least. That did not mean that Sister liked them being drunk. She was always lecturing and lecturing to discourage drinking. I remember vividly Sister saying, “Drink is very bad!” My mother had a lot of us to bring up and feed and clothe, but she found plenty of time to beautify the outside of our old unpainted house. She was very proud of her flower gardens and when Sister came to visit her, she stuck her chest out proudly but only to be disheartened by the comment that came out. Sister shook her head and said. “This is bad — too many brown bottles!” Mum had used the empty bottles upside down as edges for her gardens. At the end of each year, Sister held Sunday School picnics at the Mission, at which a presentation was made to the marae that had given the largest offering for the whole year. Most times, our pa received this prize and honour, and our mothers received handbags for their support. None of us, including myself, will ever forget the songs and choruses Sister taught us. I believe that she sowed the seeds of Christianity in Ruatahuna. Although the Ringatu Church had many adherents, hers was more appealing to us. Today the fruits of the seeds she sowed flourish. Some of the men are ordained ministers, some are elders of the Church (Presbyterian) and a

roto ētahi i ngā hāhi Karaitiana hou o tēnei ao. Nā Hihita i tīmata te Hinota Māori mō te Hāhi Perehipitiriana. I te tau kotahi mano iwa rau whā tekau mā waru ka wehe a Hihita ki Ohope. I a ia i reira, ka whakawhiwhitia ia ki te M.B.E. Kua pākeke ia, kua tū kuia, ēngari kāhore i mutu tana mahi. I haere ia ki te tirotiro tūroro i te hōhipera, ia wiki, ia wiki. Haere anō hoki ia ki te kite i ngā kuia, koroua o ngā wāhi katoa. Nō te tau kotahi mano iwa rau ono tekau ka tīmata tōna rongo i tōna tinana e whakaheke ana. Ko ana kanohi ētahi. Ēngari, ahakoa ēnei mate kei runga i a ia, ko ana mahara kāhore i kore. I tōna wehenga mai i Ruatāhuna, kāhore au i kite i a Hihita. No te tau kotahi mano iwa rau rima tekau mā iwa ka tae mai au ki Ruātoki. Ka kite au i a Hihita i Whakatāne. Kite tonu mai ia i ahau, kua mōhio nā mea ahau, ā, ko mea taku ingoa. Kāhore ia i wareware. I tērē atu tau, ka whara a Hihita, ā, ka takoto ia i tōna moenga mō ētahi marama. Mai i tērā wā, ka tīmata tōna wharawhara. I hinga ia i te taha tonu o tana moenga, e rua inihi nei pea ka pā atu ai tana ringa. Kāti, kāhore i pā tana ringa. Noho pērā tonu atu ia, kāhore i oraora tōna tinana. I waimarie, i haere mai tōna hoa kia kite i a ia, arā, ka kitea ia i runga i te papa-rākau. Ka kahakitia ia ki te hōhipera, ā, i reira ka meatia kua mate. Kāhore i taea e ngā tākuta te whakaora i tōna tinana, e ai ki tā rātau kōrero. I tō mātau mōhiotanga, ka tuoma mātau ki te hōhipera. E whā pea ana rā e hemo ana, ā, kua ora ake. Tino pai ia i muri mai. I hikoi anō ia me te tiripou, ā, whāngai atu ia i a ia anō. ēngari, taukuri e, ka hinga tuarua, tuatoru, tuawhā noa atu pea ia, ā ināianei kore atu pea ia e hīikoi, e ora tinana mai. Ahakoa kua whakaheke tōna tinana, ko te whakapono tūturu kei a Hihita. I mea atu tētahi wahine tirotiro i a ia. “E kī he Atua aroha, atawhai tō Atua. He aha koe e whakamamae kinotia nei?” Ka kī atu ia, “Kei te pai. Ko ia kei te mōhio. Aku ringa, aku waewae, taku tinana, nā te Atua i whakamahi. Kua oti te mahi, ngā mahi mō tōna korōria. I ngā tau matekai, rawakore hoki, he tokomaha ngā tāngata i mamae, i hemo, pēnei me te

great many have joined recent Christian groups. She started the first Synod Group. Sister moved to Ohope in 1948 and received an M.B.E. There she was still very active carrying on her life's work. She was quite old by that time but she was very active still. She visited the sick in hospital regularly every week, visited the old people, and went about the whole country supporting Christians all around. In the 1960s she started feeling the effects of old age. She had trouble with the feet that had taken her to so many people and so many places; she had trouble with her eye But her memory did not fail. After she left Ruatahuna I did not see her until 1959 when I came to live in Ruatoki. But the most remarkable thing was, she remembered me and my mother, after many years of separation. Two years ago she had a bad fall or rather an accident which confined her to bed for some months. Since then she has had some very serious accidents. Last year she had a stroke of some sort and fell within two inches of her bed. She was terrified. Luckily a neighbour walked in and found her on the floor. She was immediately taken to hospital where it was said she was dying. We rushed down to see her and she was in pain but she was regaining strength. She is still alive today nearly 1 ½ years later. She recovered very well even to the point of walking round with a walking stick, and feeding herself, but another very recent fall has made her helpless again, this time, I fear, for the last time. The most remarkable thing is that her faith is so strong, that when someone told her that her God was not a loving God, she said, “These hands, these feet, this

ngaro. Kāhore tētahi Pākehā, nēhi rānei i tata atu. Nā ōku ringa i rauhi, i opeope ngā tāngata i taua wā.” I tēnei rā, kei te takoto a Hihita i te hōhipera. Kei roto ia i te mamae kino e takoto ana, ko tana tinana kua kino katoa, i te mahinga mō ētahī noa atu, ēngari ko tana hinengaro, ko tana wairua kei te kaika ki te okioki i te rangatiratanga o te Atua. Kia ū te aroha noa o te Atua ki a ia i ōna rā mutunga, i roto i ngā mamae katoa o tēnei ao. body, have been used by Him. They nursed those people who suffered during the depression, during which some dropped dead. No one else had the courage to go near these people.” She is now lying in hospital in pain and agony, her body distorted, but her soul, her spirit, is longing to go to rest in God's peace. God's grace be upon her in her last suffering and endurance.