Arawa
Encyclopedia
In Māori tradition
, Arawa was one of the great ocean-going, voyaging canoes
that was used in the migrations that settled New Zealand
.
It was formed from a great tree in Rarotonga, a place "which lies on the other side of Hawaiki" (Grey 1956:107). The canoe belonged to Tama-te-kapua
, son of Houmai-tawhiti. When his father and brother had been killed in a series of battles between his family and the high-chief Uenuku
, Tama collected his possessions and family, kidnapped Ngātoro-i-rangi
, the navigator of the Tainui
canoe, and set out in the canoe Arawa. The Arawa landed in New Zealand near Cape Runaway
. Following his death, Tama was buried on the summit of Mount Moehau at the northern tip of the Coromandel Range
. The modern descendants of the Arawa settlers live in the Bay of Plenty
Volcanic Plateau region.
tradition begins in Hawaiki
with a woman by the name of Te Kuraimonoa. Because of her great beauty and spirituality she was admired by Puuhaorangi, a spiritual being who later adopted the form of a human and had a sexual liaison with her. This resulted in the birth of a son named Ohomairangi. Ohomairangi, in turn, became the eponymous ancestor of the Ngāti Ohomairangi people, who much later came to be known as the Te Arawa Confederation of Tribes
(Stafford, 1967, p. 1).
Seven generations after Te Kuraimonoa and Puuhaorangi, the famous Arawa ancestor Tama-te-kapua was born. He was a highly ranked chief and mischievous person, to say the least. Tama-te-kapua, whose name is inextricably linked to the Arawa waka, was born into a time of much famine and strife due to overpopulation (Jones, 1995, p. 16). Many of his well-known exploits occurred within this stressful setting..
Tama-te-kapua had a dog named Pootakatawhiti, which unfortunately was put to death because it transgressed the laws of tapu in the village of a neighbouring tribe. This led to Tama-te-kapua and his brother using stilts to steal fruit from village chief Uenuku's sacred poroporo
(breadfruit) tree as a way to avenge this insult. However, one night, Uenuku and others caught them in this activity. They eventually both managed to escape Uenuku's clutches but a battle ensued shortly thereafter due to these events in which Houmaitawhiti and his two sons routed the army of Uenuku. After this fight, it was decided that Tama-te-kapua and others would migrate to another land (Stafford, 1967, pp 2-5).
was formed. The men who turned this log into a beautifully decorated canoe were Rata, Wahieroa, Ngaahue and Parata. "Hauhau-te-rangi" and "Tuutauru" (made from New Zealand greenstone brought back by Ngaahue) were the adzes they used for this time-consuming and intensive work (Stafford, 1967, p. 5). Upon completion, the waka was given the name Ngaa raakau kotahi puu a Atua Matua (also known as Ngaa raakau e rua maatahi puu a Atua Matua).
The waka was eventually completed and berthed in Whenuakura Bay while Tama-te-kapua , in his capacity as rangatira
(chief) of the canoe, set about trying to find a tohunga
(priest) for the journey. Ngātoro-i-rangi
and his wife Kearoa were persuaded by Tama-te-kapua to come on board the canoe to perform the necessary appeasement incantations to the gods prior to the canoe's departure. However, while they were on board, Tama-te-kapua signalled his men to quickly set sail, and before Ngātoro-i-rangi and his wife could respond they were far out to sea (Stafford, 1967, p. 14).
occurred because Tama-te-kapua became desirous of Kearoa. Ngātoro-i-rangi noticed the glint in Tama-te-kapua's eye and took precautions to protect his wife during the night while he was on deck navigating by the stars. This was done by tying one end of a cord to her hair and holding the other end in his hand. However, Tama-te-kapua untied the cord from Kearoa's hair and attached it to the bed instead. He then made love to her, following this pattern over a number of nights. One night however, he was nearly discovered in the act by Ngātoro-i-rangi, but just managed to escape. Unfortunately in his haste he forgot the cord. Ngātoro-i-rangi noticed this and therefore knew that Tama-te-kapua had been with Kearoa. He was furious and, in his desire to gain revenge, raised a huge whirlpool in the sea named Te korokoro-o-te-Parata ("The throat of Te Parata"). The waka was about to be lost with all on board but Ngātoro-i-rangi eventually took pity and caused the seas to become calm (Steedman, pp 99-100).
One incident that occurred during this drama was that all the kūmara
carried on the waka were lost overboard, save for a few that were in a small kete
being clutched by Whakaotirangi (Stafford, 1967, p. 15). Immediately after the calming of the seas, a shark (known as an arawa) was seen in the water. Ngātoro-i-rangi immediately re-named the waka Te Arawa, after this shark, which then accompanied the waka to Aotearoa, acting in the capacity of a kai-tiaki (guardian).
The Arawa waka then continued on to Aotearoa without incident, finally sighting land in the vicinity of Cape Runaway, where feather headdresses were foolishly cast away due to greed and due to the beauty of the pohutukawa
bloom. From there it went on to Whangaparaoa, where an argument took place with members of the Tainui canoe over a beached whale and the ownership thereof. Tama-te-kapua again resorted to trickery and took possession of it despite rightful claim of the Tainui. The canoe then travelled north up the coast to the Coromandel Peninsula
, where Tama-te-kapua first sighted the mountain Moehau, a place he was later to make home. Heading south again, it finally came to rest at Maketu
, where it was beached and stood until being burnt by Raumati of Taranaki some years later (Stafford, 1967, pp 17-18, 47).
Some items of note that were brought to Aotearoa on the Arawa, other than the precious kūmara saved by Whakaotirangi, was a tapu kōhatu (stone) left by Ngātoro-i-rangi on the island Te Poito o te Kupenga a Taramainuku just off the coast of Cape Colville
. This stone held the mauri
to protect the Te Arawa peoples and their descendants from evil times (Stafford, 1967, p17). In addition, the waka brought over two gods, one called Ituopaoa, which was represented by a roll of tapa
, and another stone carving now possibly buried at Mokoia Island
, Lake Rotorua
(Stafford, 1967, pp 11-12).
Maori mythology
Māori mythology and Māori traditions are the two major categories into which the legends of the Māori of New Zealand may usefully be divided...
, Arawa was one of the great ocean-going, voyaging canoes
Maori migration canoes
Various Māori traditions recount how their ancestors set out from their homeland in great ocean-going canoes . Some of these traditions name a mythical homeland called Hawaiki....
that was used in the migrations that settled New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
It was formed from a great tree in Rarotonga, a place "which lies on the other side of Hawaiki" (Grey 1956:107). The canoe belonged to Tama-te-kapua
Tama-te-kapua
In Māori tradition Tama-te-kapua was the captain of the Te Arawa canoe which came to New Zealand from Polynesia in about 1350. The reason for his leaving his homeland was the theft by his brother Whakaturia and himself of breadfruit from a tree belonging to a chief named Uenuku. The Te Arawa canoe...
, son of Houmai-tawhiti. When his father and brother had been killed in a series of battles between his family and the high-chief Uenuku
Uenuku
In Māori mythology, Uenuku is the god of rainbows. He is particularly special to the Tainui Māori.-Legend:The legend of Uenuku is similar to many other vanishing lover tales such as Cupid and Psyche or Beauty and the Beast....
, Tama collected his possessions and family, kidnapped Ngātoro-i-rangi
Ngatoro-i-rangi
In Māori tradition, Ngātoro-i-rangi is the name of a tohunga prominent during the settling of Aotearoa by the Māori people, who came from the mythical homeland Hawaiki.-Rangiātea:...
, the navigator of the Tainui
Tainui
Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato...
canoe, and set out in the canoe Arawa. The Arawa landed in New Zealand near Cape Runaway
Cape Runaway
Cape Runaway is the eastern extremity of the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. It is located 90 kilometres northeast off Whakatane and 50 kilometres west of East Cape....
. Following his death, Tama was buried on the summit of Mount Moehau at the northern tip of the Coromandel Range
Coromandel Range
right|thumb|250px|A true-colour image showing Auckland city , the Hauraki Gulf and the Coromandel Peninsula . The scene was acquired by NASA's Terra satellite, on October 23, 2002.The Coromandel Range is a ridge of rugged hills running the length of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of...
. The modern descendants of the Arawa settlers live in the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
Volcanic Plateau region.
Ancestral Beginnings
The Arawa wakaWaka (canoe)
Waka are Māori watercraft, usually canoes ranging in size from small, unornamented canoes used for fishing and river travel, to large decorated war canoes up to long...
tradition begins in Hawaiki
Hawaiki
In Māori mythology, Hawaiki is the homeland of the Māori, the original home of the Māori, before they travelled across the sea to New Zealand...
with a woman by the name of Te Kuraimonoa. Because of her great beauty and spirituality she was admired by Puuhaorangi, a spiritual being who later adopted the form of a human and had a sexual liaison with her. This resulted in the birth of a son named Ohomairangi. Ohomairangi, in turn, became the eponymous ancestor of the Ngāti Ohomairangi people, who much later came to be known as the Te Arawa Confederation of Tribes
Te Arawa
Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori iwi and hapu based in the Rotorua and Bay of Plenty areas of New Zealand, with a population of around 40,000.The history of the Te Arawa people is inextricably linked to the Arawa canoe...
(Stafford, 1967, p. 1).
Seven generations after Te Kuraimonoa and Puuhaorangi, the famous Arawa ancestor Tama-te-kapua was born. He was a highly ranked chief and mischievous person, to say the least. Tama-te-kapua, whose name is inextricably linked to the Arawa waka, was born into a time of much famine and strife due to overpopulation (Jones, 1995, p. 16). Many of his well-known exploits occurred within this stressful setting..
Tama-te-kapua had a dog named Pootakatawhiti, which unfortunately was put to death because it transgressed the laws of tapu in the village of a neighbouring tribe. This led to Tama-te-kapua and his brother using stilts to steal fruit from village chief Uenuku's sacred poroporo
Poroporo
Solanum aviculare, commonly called Poroporo or Kangaroo Apple , is a soft-wooded shrub native to New Zealand and the east coast of Australia.It can grow up to 12 feet tall...
(breadfruit) tree as a way to avenge this insult. However, one night, Uenuku and others caught them in this activity. They eventually both managed to escape Uenuku's clutches but a battle ensued shortly thereafter due to these events in which Houmaitawhiti and his two sons routed the army of Uenuku. After this fight, it was decided that Tama-te-kapua and others would migrate to another land (Stafford, 1967, pp 2-5).
Construction of the canoe
Eventually, a large tree was felled and from this the waka which eventually came to be known as Te ArawaTe Arawa
Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori iwi and hapu based in the Rotorua and Bay of Plenty areas of New Zealand, with a population of around 40,000.The history of the Te Arawa people is inextricably linked to the Arawa canoe...
was formed. The men who turned this log into a beautifully decorated canoe were Rata, Wahieroa, Ngaahue and Parata. "Hauhau-te-rangi" and "Tuutauru" (made from New Zealand greenstone brought back by Ngaahue) were the adzes they used for this time-consuming and intensive work (Stafford, 1967, p. 5). Upon completion, the waka was given the name Ngaa raakau kotahi puu a Atua Matua (also known as Ngaa raakau e rua maatahi puu a Atua Matua).
The waka was eventually completed and berthed in Whenuakura Bay while Tama-te-kapua , in his capacity as rangatira
Rangatira
Rangatira are the hereditary Māori leaders of hapū, and were described by ethnologists such as Elsdon Best as chieftains . Ideally, rangatira were people of great practical wisdom who held authority on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between a tribe's land and that of other tribes...
(chief) of the canoe, set about trying to find a tohunga
Tohunga
In the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, religious or otherwise. Tohunga may include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teachers and advisors. The equivalent term in Hawaiian culture is kahuna...
(priest) for the journey. Ngātoro-i-rangi
Ngatoro-i-rangi
In Māori tradition, Ngātoro-i-rangi is the name of a tohunga prominent during the settling of Aotearoa by the Māori people, who came from the mythical homeland Hawaiki.-Rangiātea:...
and his wife Kearoa were persuaded by Tama-te-kapua to come on board the canoe to perform the necessary appeasement incantations to the gods prior to the canoe's departure. However, while they were on board, Tama-te-kapua signalled his men to quickly set sail, and before Ngātoro-i-rangi and his wife could respond they were far out to sea (Stafford, 1967, p. 14).
Voyage to Aotearoa
One of the more dramatic stories pertaining to the voyage to AotearoaAotearoa
Aotearoa is the most widely known and accepted Māori name for New Zealand. It is used by both Māori and non-Māori, and is becoming increasingly widespread in the bilingual names of national organisations, such as the National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.-Translation:The...
occurred because Tama-te-kapua became desirous of Kearoa. Ngātoro-i-rangi noticed the glint in Tama-te-kapua's eye and took precautions to protect his wife during the night while he was on deck navigating by the stars. This was done by tying one end of a cord to her hair and holding the other end in his hand. However, Tama-te-kapua untied the cord from Kearoa's hair and attached it to the bed instead. He then made love to her, following this pattern over a number of nights. One night however, he was nearly discovered in the act by Ngātoro-i-rangi, but just managed to escape. Unfortunately in his haste he forgot the cord. Ngātoro-i-rangi noticed this and therefore knew that Tama-te-kapua had been with Kearoa. He was furious and, in his desire to gain revenge, raised a huge whirlpool in the sea named Te korokoro-o-te-Parata ("The throat of Te Parata"). The waka was about to be lost with all on board but Ngātoro-i-rangi eventually took pity and caused the seas to become calm (Steedman, pp 99-100).
One incident that occurred during this drama was that all the kūmara
Sweet potato
The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
carried on the waka were lost overboard, save for a few that were in a small kete
Kete
Kete can refer to:* afro-carib drums* a minor Kazakh Jüz "horde", numbering ca. 50-60,000* USS Kete * Kete, Pembrokeshire 51.69° N 05.18° W* Māori bags* Cocaine paste, a Peruanian slang name...
being clutched by Whakaotirangi (Stafford, 1967, p. 15). Immediately after the calming of the seas, a shark (known as an arawa) was seen in the water. Ngātoro-i-rangi immediately re-named the waka Te Arawa, after this shark, which then accompanied the waka to Aotearoa, acting in the capacity of a kai-tiaki (guardian).
The Arawa waka then continued on to Aotearoa without incident, finally sighting land in the vicinity of Cape Runaway, where feather headdresses were foolishly cast away due to greed and due to the beauty of the pohutukawa
Pohutukawa
The Pōhutukawa is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The Pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand...
bloom. From there it went on to Whangaparaoa, where an argument took place with members of the Tainui canoe over a beached whale and the ownership thereof. Tama-te-kapua again resorted to trickery and took possession of it despite rightful claim of the Tainui. The canoe then travelled north up the coast to the Coromandel Peninsula
Coromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato Region and Thames-Coromandel District and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west...
, where Tama-te-kapua first sighted the mountain Moehau, a place he was later to make home. Heading south again, it finally came to rest at Maketu
Maketu
Maketu is a small town on the Bay of Plenty Coast in New Zealand. It is located on Okurei point and has an estuary from which the Kaituna River used to flow out of, it is also adjacent to Newdicks Beach located on the south eastern side of Okurei point. The name is sometimes informally abbreviated...
, where it was beached and stood until being burnt by Raumati of Taranaki some years later (Stafford, 1967, pp 17-18, 47).
Some items of note that were brought to Aotearoa on the Arawa, other than the precious kūmara saved by Whakaotirangi, was a tapu kōhatu (stone) left by Ngātoro-i-rangi on the island Te Poito o te Kupenga a Taramainuku just off the coast of Cape Colville
Cape Colville
Cape Colville is the northernmost point of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It lies 85 kilometres north of Thames, and 70 kilometres northeast of the city of Auckland, on the other side of the Hauraki Gulf....
. This stone held the mauri
Mauri
Mauri may refer to:*Mauri meaning the life force which all objects contain, in the Māori language of New Zealand and the Rotuman language of Rotuma*Mauri, or Maurya Empire, an ancient caste in India which built its greatest empire...
to protect the Te Arawa peoples and their descendants from evil times (Stafford, 1967, p17). In addition, the waka brought over two gods, one called Ituopaoa, which was represented by a roll of tapa
Tapa cloth
Tapa cloth is a bark cloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, but as far afield as Niue, Cook Islands, Futuna, Solomon Islands, Java, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii...
, and another stone carving now possibly buried at Mokoia Island
Mokoia Island
Mokoia Island is located in Lake Rotorua in New Zealand. It has an area of 1.35 square kilometres. The island is a rhyolite lava dome, rising to 180 metres above the lake surface. It erupted after the Rotorua caldera was formed, tapping a different magma source...
, Lake Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
(Stafford, 1967, pp 11-12).