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Ka heke a Te Ao-kapurangi i ngā kāwai rangatira o Rangiwewehi me Tapuika. He mea kāhaki ia e tētehi rangatira o Ngāpuhi, e Te Wera Hauraki i a ia e tamariki tonu ana, ā, ka noho ki Pēwhairangi i Te Tai Tokerau.
Nā wai, nā wai ka tū te puehu, ā, ka hoki a Ngāpuhi ki roto o Te Arawa ki te patu i a Tūhourangi me Ngāti Whakaue.
I te rongotanga atu ka whakatika ētehi o Te Arawa ki Mokoia e haumaru ai tā rātau noho i te wā o te pakanga. Ahakoa kua moe kē a Te Ao-kapurangi i a Te Wera Hauraki, i māharahara tonu ia ki ōna uri o Te Arawa. Nāna a Ngāpuhi i whakamahara kia kaua e patu i ōna uri o Ngāti Rangiwewehi me Tapuika inā rā karekau ō rātau take i taua raru rā, heoi, nā tā rātau noho i te takiwā rā ka whai wāhi tonu ki te patunga.
I whaiwhakaarohia te tono a Te Ao-kapurangi e ngā rangatira o Ngāpuhi, nō reira, i tukua a Te Ao ki te whakamōhio atu ki ōna uri kia wehe atu i Mokoia kei patua. Ka whakatata atu a Te Ao ki Mokoia, ā, ka kitea a Hikairo, heoi, kāore ia i pīrangi ki te whakarere i ōna huānga, nō reira, ka noho tonu.
I tana kiriwera ka tono anō a Te Ao ki tōna rangatira, ki a Hongi Hika kia whaiwhakaaro nui atu ki ō Te Ao uri. Nā reira i toko ake ai te whakaaro i a Hongi kia tohua te hunga ka hikoi ki raro i a Te Ao-kapurangi i te wā o te pakanga.
Nā te atamai o Te Ao-kapurangi i pikihia ai te whare o Tamatekapua ka karanga atu ai ia ki ōna uri kia tomokia te whare e ora ai rātau. He maha tonu i uru ki roto i te whare. I mōhio ngā toa o Ngāpuhi kua tau kē te whakaritenga rā e Te Ao rāua ko Hongi, nō reira, i tukuna tonuhia rātau kia ora.
I hau te rongo o Te Ao-kapurangi, ā, kua maumaharatia ia i tāna mahi nui i ora ai te tini o Te Arawa i taua rā. He wahine māia, he wahine whaiwhakaaro nui, he wahine aroha ki ōna uri i puta ai te kōrero rongonui, "Anō ko te whare whawhao a Te Ao-kapurangi" ka whakapuakina i te wā e kī ana te whare i te tini makiu.
Qualities: humility, wellbeing, diligence, innovation
Here’s a tip:
Te Ao-kapurangi’s granddaughter Rangiwawahia wrote a very special lament for her grandmother. You can read it here: http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-SmiMaor-t1-body-d40.html
Did you know?
Te Ao-kapurangi’s story was the inspiration for a movement and performance stage show called Mana Wahine, created by Movement of the Human Performance Design Company in 2014.
More to watch:
https://www.nzfilm.co.nz/films/te-ao-kapurangi-warrior-woman
More to read:
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1t25/te-ao-kapurangi
Te Arawa: A History of the Arawa People (D. M. Stafford)
http://teaohou.natlib.govt.nz/journals/teaohou/issue/Mao41TeA/c9.html
Sources:
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-SmiMaor-t1-body-d40.html
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