Tangata Rongonui
The Tī Kōuka Whenua website traverses a rich landscape of stories recording the significant events and places of Waitaha (Canterbury) and Horomaka (Banks Peninsula). Many of the stories captured in Tī Kōuka Whenua come from two distinct periods of history.
The first period of history focuses on the period of “migrations” by hapū (kinship groups) and whānau who moved across Cook Strait to find new places to live in Te Waipounamu. Many stories relate to the interaction of these hapū groups with each other and the hapū already established here such as Ngāti Māmoe.
The second distinct period takes place in the early years of the nineteenth century when the tribal entity of Ngāi Tahu evolved in the face of contact with Europeans and other tribes such as Ngāti Toa.
The key historical characters whose stories are told in Tī Kōuka Whenua are given prominence in this section called Tangata Rongonui.
Each person highlighted here has had a significant role to play in our tribal histories and our special places. Their stories have been passed down over the years and talked about. We remember and honour their contribution to their descendants know as the iwi Ngāi Tahu today.
Sources
- Te Maire Tau and Atholl Anderson editors, Ngāi Tahu A Migration History. Bridget William Books, 2008
- Rawiri Te Maire Tau, Nga Pikitūroa o Ngāi Tahu The Oral Traditions of Ngāi Tahu. University of Otago Press, 2003
- Told by Teone Taare Tikao to Herries Beattie. Tikao Talks. Cadsonbury Publications Christchurch, 2004
