Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki (
GisborneGisborne is the name of the largest settlement within the Gisborne Region of northeastern New Zealand.Gisborne is named for an early Colonial Secretary William Gisborne. The council is located in the town of Gisborne .-Geography:The city of Gisborne is located at the north end of Poverty Bay...
, c. 1832 – 1891) was a
MāoriThe Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand . The group probably arrived in southwestern Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300...
leader, the founder of the
RingatuThe Ringatū church was founded in 1868 by Te Kooti Rikirangi. The symbol for the movement is an upraised hand, or "Ringa Tū" in Māori.Te Kooti was one of a number of Māori detained at the Chatham Islands without trial in relation to the East Coast disturbances of the 1860s...
religionA religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth...
and
guerrillaGuerrilla warfare is the irregular warfare warfare and combat in which a small group of combatants use mobile military tactics in the form of ambushes and raids to combat a larger and less mobile formal army....
.
While fighting alongside government forces against the
HauhauHauhau is a Māori term that was applied to a branch of the religious movement Pai Marire, founded by Te Ua Haumēne of the Taranaki tribe in New Zealand in the 1860s. The movement inculcated that Māori would regain land that they had lost to Europeans during the colonisation process of New...
in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to the
Chatham IslandsThe archipelago of the Chatham Islands is a territory of New Zealand of about ten islands, the largest of which are Chatham Island and Pitt Island, within a radius...
without trial along with captured Hauhau, he experienced visions and became a religious leader. In 1868 he led the escape of 168 prisoners, seizing the
schoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being shorter or the same height as the rear masts...
Rifleman and sailing back to the
North IslandThe North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
where he began a series of raids. He was pardoned in 1883.
Early life
Te Kooti's early years are obscure. He was born at Te Pa-o-Kahu in the
GisborneGisborne is the name of the largest settlement within the Gisborne Region of northeastern New Zealand.Gisborne is named for an early Colonial Secretary William Gisborne. The council is located in the town of Gisborne .-Geography:The city of Gisborne is located at the north end of Poverty Bay...
region as a son of Hone Rangipatahi (father) and Hine Turakau (mother), of the
Rongowhakaata tribe (
iwiIn New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori populations. The word iwi means "people" or "folk"; in many contexts it may mean "tribe" or "clan", and sometimes a larger grouping of tribes...
). Their
hapūA hapū is a division of a Māori iwi —often translated as 'subtribe'. Membership is determined by genealogical descent; a hapū is made up of a number of whānau groups....
was
Ngati MaruNgāti Maru is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. There are two iwi known as Ngati Maru, one based in Taranaki, the other based in Thames.Ngati Maru is also the name of a hapū of the Rongowhakaata iwi of the Gisborne region....
, whose villages were situated near the Awapuni lagoon, where the
Waipaoa RiverThe Waipaoa River is a river of the northeast of New Zealand's North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of the Raukumara Range, flowing south for 80 kilometres to reach Poverty Bay and the Pacific Ocean just south of Gisborne. For about half of this distance its valley is followed by State...
runs into the ocean.
Arikirangi is thought to be the original name of Te Kooti. His birthdate is thought to be approximately 1832.
A
matakite (visionary) of Nukutaurua on
Mahia PeninsulaThe Mahia Peninsula is located on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, between the cities of Napier and Gisborne.-Geography:The peninsula is long and wide rising to its highest point at Rahuimokairoa reaching about above sea level. Mahia was initially an island which over time, has had...
, named Toiroa Ikariki (Ikarihi), prophecied the birth of Te Kooti (as well as the coming of the white men, the
PākehāPākehā are New Zealanders who are not of Māori blood lines. They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
):
- Tiwha tiwha te pō.
- Ko te Pakerewhā
- Ko Arikirangi tenei ra te haere nei.
- Dark, dark is the night.
- There is the Pakerewhā
- There is Arikirangi to come.
The song is dated 1766. The
Pakerewhā where strangers with red or white skin and Arikirangi was a grandchild of Toiroa, still to be born.
Te Kooti is understood to be his Christian baptismal name.
Te Kooti was apparently a very troublesome boy to his father, who tried to kill him. Te Kooti escaped and hid in the house of an uncle. Te Kooti's behaviour appears to have been quite maladjusted. There was a time that he could no longer control his body, nor even sit still. He gathered friends around him, and they gained a bad reputation.
He was sent to the Mission School at Whakato, near
ManutukeManutuke is a settlement in the Gisborne Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located to the west of the city of Gisborne on State Highway 2, close to the mouth of the Waipaoa River....
. In 1846 – 1847 he was taught by Samuel Williams. Samuel and his uncle,
William WilliamsWilliam Williams was the first Anglican Bishop of Waiapu and the father and grandfather of two others. He published an early dictionary and grammar of the Māori language.-Biography:...
“helped the boy to find a new world in the Bible”.
But his reputation was still suffering, also after contacts with the Reverend Thomas Grace, who was to replace
William WilliamsWilliam Williams was the first Anglican Bishop of Waiapu and the father and grandfather of two others. He published an early dictionary and grammar of the Māori language.-Biography:...
for a few years (1850 – 1853).
He had to leave home and went to sea on different ships that traded along the coasts of the
North IslandThe North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
.
Exile
In 1865 while fighting with government forces to suppress the
Pai MarireThe Pai Mārire movement was a syncretic Māori religion that flourished in New Zealand from about 1863 to 1874. Founded in Taranaki by the prophet Te Ua Haumene, it incorporated Biblical and Māori spiritual elements and promised its followers deliverance from Pākehā domination, providing a...
(or
HauhauHauhau is a Māori term that was applied to a branch of the religious movement Pai Marire, founded by Te Ua Haumēne of the Taranaki tribe in New Zealand in the 1860s. The movement inculcated that Māori would regain land that they had lost to Europeans during the colonisation process of New...
), he was arrested as a spy and exiled to the
Chatham IslandsThe archipelago of the Chatham Islands is a territory of New Zealand of about ten islands, the largest of which are Chatham Island and Pitt Island, within a radius...
, together with the rebels he had been fighting against. He was never tried and took every opportunity to demand a trial. Some say he got his name from this, "Kooti" pronounced "Courty", others that it was a Māori version of the last name "Coates". If he did supply the Pai Marire with guns as is alleged, he also took part in a battle against them. There are allegations he fired blanks on this occasion.
While in exile Te Kooti experienced visions and became a religious leader. He also performed some
sleight of handSleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or légèreté des mains , is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
, such as using matchheads to set his hand on fire above the altar during a church service. These tricks swayed the Māori prisoners on Chatham Islands, and when some of the chiefs present on the island were sent back to the mainland, Te Kooti took advantage of the situation to become the local leader. Only Te Kooti's uncle was not impressed by these tricks, which he saw right through. Nevertheless, Te Kooti established a faith named
RingatūThe Ringatū church was founded in 1868 by Te Kooti Rikirangi. The symbol for the movement is an upraised hand, or "Ringa Tū" in Māori.Te Kooti was one of a number of Māori detained at the Chatham Islands without trial in relation to the East Coast disturbances of the 1860s...
[Upraised Hand] which gained many followers, and is still present in New Zealand society today.
Escape
Expecting a resupply boat, Te Kooti prophesied that two boats would soon arrive to take them off the island. On July 4, 1868, Te Kooti led a dramatic prison break, and with 168 other prisoners seized the
schoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being shorter or the same height as the rear masts...
Rifleman, with supplies and rifles, scuttled another vessel and set off back to the
North IslandThe North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. This was a bloodless coup, on Te Kooti's strict orders, except for one Chatham Island sergeant who was killed because of a personal grievance. The
PākehāPākehā are New Zealanders who are not of Māori blood lines. They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
sailors were allowed to live and set sail for the coast of New Zealand with help from the Māori. The sailors attempted to sail towards
WellingtonWellington is the capital of New Zealand, at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington urban area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and is New Zealand's third most populous urban area with residents. There are ...
, but with Te Kooti's expertise at sailing were caught and told they would be thrown overboard if they did not keep a course for the
East CoastGisborne is the name of the largest settlement within the Gisborne Region of northeastern New Zealand.Gisborne is named for an early Colonial Secretary William Gisborne. The council is located in the town of Gisborne .-Geography:The city of Gisborne is located at the north end of Poverty Bay...
. On the fourth day at sea, the ship was becalmed and Te Kooti declared that a sacrifice was needed. Te Kooti had his uncle thrown overboard and soon afterwards the ship made headway again.
Upon their arrival at Whareongaonga in
Poverty BayPoverty Bay is the largest of several small bays on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island to the north of Hawkes Bay. It stretches for 10 kilometres from Young Nick's Head in the southwest to Tuaheni Point in the northeast. The city of Gisborne is located on the northern shore of the bay...
, Te Kooti asked the
Māori King MovementThe Māori King Movement or Kīngitanga is a movement that arose among some of the Māori tribes of New Zealand in the 1850s to establish a symbolic role similar in status to that of the monarch of the colonising people, the British....
and the
TuhoeNgāi Tūhoe , a Māori iwi of New Zealand, takes its name from an ancestral figure, Tūhoe-pōtiki. The word tūhoe literally means "steep" or "high noon" in the Māori language...
tribes for refuge but was rejected. He also sought dialogue with the colonial government but was rebuffed. He sent a statement to the effect that if the government wanted a war, he would give it to them in November.
At war
On November 10, 1868, Te Kooti and his followers attacked the township of Matawhero on the outskirts of Gisborne. Some 54 people were slaughtered, including women and children. The dead included 22 local
MāoriThe Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand . The group probably arrived in southwestern Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300...
as well as European settlers. This was probably a revenge attack, motivated by Te Kooti's false imprisonment as a spy.
Te Kooti was then pursued by colonial and sympathetic Māori forces. His community was surrounded at Ngatapa, but the
Ngāti PorouNgāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions on the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zealand, with 71,910 registered members in 2006...
contingent refused to fight him and Te Kooti and his warriors managed to escape.
From there, Te Kooti was chased to Te Porere. There, he set up a
paThe word pā traditionally refers to a Māori village or settlement. In contemporary Western usage, it has come to refer to a Māori hillfort from the 17th - 19th centuries, that was fortified with palisades and earthworks such as defensive terraces. Prior to the 1960s, any Māori settlement,...
and withstood an attack from the British forces, including some opposing Maori troops, under
Major KepaKepa Te Rangihiwinui was Māori military commander and noted ally of the government forces during the New Zealand Wars. He was also known as Te Kepa, or Major Kepa or sometimes as Major Kemp. Te Kepa was a member of the Ngati Hau tribe or iwi...
. After much fighting, the British broke through into the pa and Te Kooti had to abandon it, leaving many dead and wounded. Te Kooti himself was shot in the finger on his escape.
From there, Te Kooti escaped into the
UreweraTe Urewera, often known as The Ureweras, is an area of the central North Island of New Zealand. Located in rough, sparsely populated hill country to the northeast of Lake Taupo, it is the spiritual home of the Tuhoe, one of the most independent-minded and prominent Māori iwi.The heart of Te Urewera...
and made an alliance with the
TuhoeNgāi Tūhoe , a Māori iwi of New Zealand, takes its name from an ancestral figure, Tūhoe-pōtiki. The word tūhoe literally means "steep" or "high noon" in the Māori language...
leadership.
From 1869 to 1872, Te Kooti and his followers raided throughout the central North Island while being pursued by their colonial and Māori enemies. His power was only broken once his Tuhoe allies were systematically conquered by his enemies. But once again Te Kooti managed to escape, this time to the
King CountryThe King Country is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of the Whanganui River in the south, and from the Hauhungaroa and Rangitoto Ranges in the east to near the Tasman...
where he spent the next decade under the protection of the Māori King. Te Kooti used this time to develop his religion.
Pardon and later life
In 1883, Te Kooti was pardoned by the government and began to travel New Zealand. His followers grew and he decided to return to his old home. However, his past deeds had not been forgotten and the local magistrate arrested him and imprisoned him, citing an anticipatory breach of the peace. Te Kooti was released on the condition that he never again try to return to his old home. Te Kooti appealed this decision, and was initially successful, but in 1890 the Court of Appeal ruled that the terror and alarm that Te Kooti's reappearance would have entailed justified the magistrate's decision. No doubt the Court was influenced by Te Kooti's preferred mode of transport, a white charger, and his large entourage.
Literature
- Beaufoy, Betty – Conflict: The Story of Te Kooti and the Settlers. Publ. Dorset Enterprises, Wellington 2006. ISBN 0473110156
- Binney, Judith
Dame Judith Mary Caroline Binney, DNZM is a New Zealand historian.Her work has focussed primarily on religion in New Zealand, especially the indigenous Ringatu religion founded by Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki and continued by Rua Kenana...
- Redemption songs: a life of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki, Auckland University Press, Auckland, 1995. ISBN 186940131X, ISBN 9781869401313. Available online at Google Books
- Mitcalfe, Barry – Nine New Zealanders. Christchurch 1963. The chapter "The Tohunga and the testament: Te Kooti – with a Bible in one hand, a gun in the other" (p. 45 - 50)
In fiction
- Shadbolt, Maurice
Maurice Francis Richard Shadbolt CBE was a New Zealand writer. He was born in Auckland, and educated at Te Kuiti High School, Avondale College and Auckland University College. In total, Shadbolt wrote 11 novels, four collections of short stories, two autobiographies, a war history, and a volume of...
- Season of the JewSeason of the Jew is an historical novel by Maurice Shadbolt, published in 1987. Set in mid-nineteenth century New Zealand it is a semi-fictionalized account of the story of the Māori leader Te Kooti, told from the perspective of one of his pursuers, an officer in the colonial army.-Explanation of...
. Publ. Hodder & Stoughton, London & W.W. Norton, New York, 1987
External links