Manawa Kāi TahuPūharakeke Tapu

Stories of Kāi Tahu Tipuna – Our Language, Our People, Our Place, Our Culture
nā Tahu Potiki

Following Maru’s escape from the village of his brother-in-law, Tumapuhiaraki, both Kāti Kahukunu and Kāti Kurī prepared for battle. This included specific religious rituals that allowed some insight in to the possibility of success for either side. Following the battle, the victorious Kāti Kurī had an extremely important exchange with the defeated Kahukunu that was to become a key moment in the Kāi Tahu migration to the South Island.

Known as Pūharakeke Tapu, the close family ties among the two groups led to a decision to not engage in the ritual feasting and instead place the bodies in a flax grove. The final ritual is equally important as a kaihaukai feast is held and the leading Kāi Tahu chief of the time, Tūteāhuka, remained in the North Island for a series of feasts that served to confirm peaceful relationships were cemented and they have endured until present times.

TE HEKE O PŪRAHO II
Once Maru had returned and warned his relations the Kāti Kurī set about preparing for the arrival of their enemies. They went to the outskirts of Heretaunga to the west side of the Waiwhetu River mouth. The other war party were heading in this direction and had stopped on the far side.

While the war party was camped across the river Rakaitauheke gave a speech to Tuhiku, the Kāti Kurī tohuka, instructing him to raise te taha huri mauri. (From this ritual the strength of the enemy can be ascertained.) Many spirits of the Kahukunu side were seen descending within whilst on the Kāti Kurī side only two spirits were seen descending and, in the words of Tuhiku two people had descended within.

Tuhiku was questioned if he knew who the two were. The priest said, “The men of the combs.”

It was then known that the two were Rakinukai and Marainake, the sons of Tahumata. The two spoke to the priest, “Is it us two definitely?”

The priest answered, “Yes.”

They then asked, “No mistake, it could not be this man or that man?”

He replied, “No, it is definitely you two.”

They both then began to recite a whakahīpaa chant.

Hīpā ki a Tū,
Hīpā kia Rongo
E whiti te pō,
Oho rā te Ao Tūroa
He takata mau ko ka mauka e tu nei,
He takata mau ko te moana e takoto nei,
He takata mau ko ngā pari e tū mai ra.

They completed their speech and the tohuka stood and the entire party followed (being all on one knee during the above ceremony). And then they all went to the fray.

BATTLE OF TE PŪHARAKEKE TAPU
Maru was in the front, staying close to the fighting and he killed the first slain Pauroa. Tuaitehe was the second killed and Rakaitauheke was the slayer.
The Kahungunu war party was defeated and their losses were great. It was Manawa and Tumapuhia who then attempted to seal the peace. One sat at one side and the other sat on another whilst the war party set to heaping the dead of both sides on to a pile. There were only two dead on the side of Kāti Kurī and Ngāi Tūhaitara and this was Te Rakinukai and Marainaka as predicted. They were descendants of Rokomaipapa and Ruapani, Poruouraki and Rākaiatane and also Tahu Pōtiki and Iratuhoe.

Maru rose and carried these two dead bodies and lay them in front of Kāti Kahukunu. He said, “You eat of me and I eat also of you.” They were handed over so Kāti Kahukunu could eat them but they did not eat them but instead they threw the bodies into a flax bush. That is why they called this battle Pūharakeke. The reason that Kahukunu did not eat the bodies was because they were very closely related and they were senior descendants of Kahukunu. The war parties returned to their respective villages.

Afterwards there was a further battle at Makarautawhiri. Following this battle some thought it a good idea to cross to Arapaoa. It was agreed to send a messenger to Mutua, Rakitakaia, Wharetotara to see if they would come as travelling companions to Arapaoa but they would not. So Kāti Kurī set off to Arapaoa. Their pā was Kaihinu. The people of Arapaoa who, at that time had claim to the land, were Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Tumatakokiri, Ngāi Tara and other hapū. Kāti Kurī consolidated their right in that place.

Meanwhile back at Te Whakanui-a-Tara there were then peacemaking feasts, or kaihaukai, held and Tūteāhuka stayed behind to ensure that peace was achieved between the two iwi. The kaihaukai were named Te Paurikamutu, Kinikini Torearea and Pakupaku Torearea. Following the feasting Tūteāhuka also crossed over to the Arapaoa, the South Island.

I muri iho i te putaka a Maru i te kāika a tana taokete a Tumāpuhiaraki ka whakarite a Kāti Kuri raua ko Kahukunu mo te pakaka. Ko tētahi o kā whakariteka ko te karakia whākaihau kia Tu raua ko Roko kia kite ai mā wai e toa. I te mutuka o te pakaka i tu tētahi whakariteka ano kai waekanui a Kāti Kuri me Kahukunu kua maumahara toutia e te iwi. Ko te ikoa o taua āhuataka ko Te Pūharakeke Tapu.
Nā te whanaukataka kai waekanui i a rāua i tau mai te whakaaro kia kaua rātou e kai takata, a, i haipū ke kā tūpapaku kei roto i tētahi pā harakeke.
He mea nui whakaharahara hoki te whakariteka whakamutuka. I noho atu a Tūteāhuka i Te Whakanui-a-Tara mo ētahi kaihaukai i tū mai kia hohou ai te roko. Kua mau rawa taua rook tae noa ki ēnei ra.

TE HEKE O PŪRAHO
I te hokika mai a Maru nahana ona whanauka I whakatupato, a, ka whiriwhiri riteka a Kāti Kurī mō rātou, mō te taeka mai o te hoariri. Ka whiriwhiria ko te kupu me kawe ki waho ki Heretaunga ki tēnei taha o te kutu awa. Ka haere mai tērā taua ka noho mai i tērā taha o te awa. Te nohoaka mai a tērā taua i tawāhi ka whaikupu a Rākaitauheke kia Tūhiku kia hapaika te taha huri mauri” (mā taua riteka hoki e mōhiotia ai te toa o rātou). Ka kitea i reira te nui o ngā wairua o tērā taha e heke ana ki roto. Kitea tokorua ngā wairua o tō rātou taha e heke ana ki roto. Te kupu o tō rātou tohuka a Tūhiku, “Tokorua ngā takata kua heke ki roto.”

Ka pātaitia mehemea ko wai mā aua tokorua ? Kīa ana mai te tohuka “Kā tākata i ngā titirei.”

Ka mōhio i reira Te Rakinukai rāua ko Mārainake. Ka whai kupu atu rāua ki te tohunga “Ko māua nei rawa?”

Ka kī mai te tohuka “Āe.” Ka mea atu rāua koi mea ko tērā atu takata, ko tērā atu takata. Whakahokia mai “Kāhore, ko kōrua anō.”

Kātahi anō rāua ka whakahīpā,

Hīpā ki a Tū,
Hīpā kia Rongo
E whiti te pō,
Oho rā te Ao Tūroa
He takata mau ko ka mauka e tū nei,
He takata mau ko te moana e takoto nei,
He takata mau ko ngā pari e tū mai ra.

Ka mutu a rāua kupu. I konei ka whakatika te tohuka ki ruka ka maraka te ope ki ruka I te mea kua noho ki raro te katoa I a raua e karakia ana. Katahi ka haere ki te riri.

TE PŪHARAKEKE TAPU
Ko Maru tonu i mua, te mea ka piri ki tērā taua. Ka whawhai, ko Pauroa tonu te ika i te ati nā Maru. Ko Tūaitehe te ika i te wakawaha nā Rākaitauheke.
I a rāua anō ka mate. Ka horo te taua. Ka patua haeretia. Ka hika a Kāti Kahukunu e nui i mate. Ka hoia te roko e Manawa rāua ko Tumapuhia. Ka noho mai tērā, ka noho atu tēnei. Ka tahuri tēnei taua ki te haipu i ka takata mate o tērā taha o tēnei taha, tokorua anake ka whakautu o tēnei parekura i mate i te taha o Kāti Kurī me Ngāi Tūhaitara – ko te Rakinukai rāua ko te taina ko Marainaka.

Ko ka titirei ēnei i whakahuatia ra e te tohuka. He tino rakatira nui rāua i roto i ka hapū e rua a Kāti Kurī a Kai Tūhaitara. He hua mokopuna rāua na Rokomaipapa rāua ko Ruapani; tuarua he hua mokopuna na Porouraki ara kia Rākaiatane; tuatoru i a Tahupotiki naana a Iratuhoe.

Ka whakatika atu a Maru kia mau ki aua tupapaku tokorua. Ka tuku tahuatia kia Kāti Kahukunu. Ka kī ki atu. “E kai koe ia au, kia kai hoki ahau ia koe”.
Ā i te whatutaka kia Kāti Kahukunu kia kaika e rātou. Heoi, kāhore kia kaika, ka kōkiritia ki ruka ki te pūharakeke. Koia i kī ai te ikoa o tēnei parekura ko Te Pūharakeke Tapu. Ko te take e kore ai e kaika e Kāti Kahukunu he mokopuna rāua ki a Kāti Kahukunu, ā, ko rāua hoki te mātāmua o Kahukunu. Ka hoki mai tēnei taua ki tō rātou kāika, hoki atu ana te taua ki tō rātou kāika.

I muri mai ka whawai ki Makarautawhiri. I muri iho i taua whawhai ka puta te whakaaro a Rākai me ērā atu rakatira kia whitikia mai ki Arapaoa. Ka whakaaetia ka tukua te karere ki a Mutua, ki a Rakitakaia, kia Wharetōtara, kia haere mai hei hoa mō rātou kia whiti kia Arapaoa. Kāhore i haere mai hei hoa mō rātou heoi ka rewa a Kāti Kurī ki tāwahi nei ki Arapaoa. Ko tō rātou pā ko Kaihinu. Ko ngā iwi e noho ana i Arapaoa nō rātou ake te take whenua, ko Kāti Apa, ko Kāti Tūmatakokiri, ko Kāi Tara, me ērā atu hapū. Ka tūturu te noho a Kāti Kurī ki reira.

Heoti ano i noho atu a i Te Whakanui–a-Tara ki te whakaea i te wāhi o te kai i a ia, ara ko ka kaihaukai I kia nei ko Te Paurikamutu, ko Kinikini Tōrearea, ko Pakupaku Tōrearea. Ko te take o taua kai i tūhaina ki kā rakatira o Kāti Kurī he whakariteka kia hohou ai te roko kai waekanui I ka iwi e rua.
No te eanga hoki katahi ano a Tūteāhuka ka heke mai ki tēnei motu.