Waitaha were followed by Ngāti Māmoe, a tribal grouping originating from Hawkes Bay some time towards the end of the 16th century. They began building pā at strategic points to secure their positions and in time Ngāti Māmoe dominated the earlier Waitaha inhabitants through conquest and intermarriage.
Descending from Hotumāmoe, Ngāti Māmoe had common ancestry with Ngāi Tahu from their east coast origins. Their migration stories refer to early battles with Waitaha under the leadership of a chief called Tūtewaimate. Rakaia was his stronghold and his descendants lived there for six generations.
The early hapū migration stories of Ngāti Kurī and Ngāi Tūāhuriri into Te Waipounamu relate the interaction and integration with these hapū groupings. Following conquest and intermarriage the Ngāti Māmoe descendants became subsumed with the tribal grouping to be known as Ngāi Tahu.
Sources
- Te Maire Tau and Atholl Anderson editors. Ngāi Tahu A Migration History, Bridget William Books, 2008
