Page 155 - Puhipi

Te Aitanga a Tumoana

Tenth Generation
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32. TARUTARU [540] (TeUruKauri , Tumaingarua , Taranga , Toakai , Patito , Houpure ,
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Tamamoko , Tamahotu , TUMOANA ) was born in Taimana, died about 1826 in Waireia, and was buried in
Pukepoto, Waihouarua. Other names for TARUTARU were Ngangatara and Ngatatara.
Rapunga Kupu Akoako: (korero taken from "the tribes of Muriwhenua"et al) Eponymous
Ancestor; The iwi of Te Rarawa carry a name derived from an event rather than any single
ancestor. However, central to the emergence of Te Rarawa as an iwi was the leadership taken by
Tarutaru and his descendants. Tarutaru is descended from Moetonga, the eponymous ancestress of
Ngati Moetonga and Tumoana, Tu Tangata Tinana waka. These lines extend back to Ruatapu and
Maruotehuia, the sons of Ruanui Tu Tangata Mamari waka.
Tarutaru was renowned for his steadfastness in battle, his determination to win manifested itself in
an aspect so terrifying to behold that his opponents courage would often fail them. In one
encounter, Ngati Whatua likened the fearsome appearance of Tarutaru to a ngatatara (a lizard),
which had an ugly appearance when it emerged from its hole. Ngati Whatua's comparision was
encapsulated in the saying; "Ano te putanga o Tarutaru ki waho ki te riri, kei te ngatatara e puta
ana i te waru" (Tarutaru comes out to fight like a lizard comes out of its hole). Tarutaru lived at
Ngamehaua on the Wairea lands situated between Waihou close to Panguru and Rena in proximity
to Mitimiti. His Pa there were Te Pare and Te Ahukawakawa situated at Ngamehaua. All his
children were born at Waireia and Tarutaru himself died there, his bones being later moved to
Pukepoto in Waihou.
One of the main antagonists of the founding hapu of Te Rarawa was Ngati Whatua. It was an
altercation with Ngati Whatua that united Tarutaru and the founding people of Te Rarawa under
one banner. The founding hapu of Te Rarawa were first defeated by Ngati Whatua when the latter
invaded Rangiputa pa in the Whangape area. In this battle they captured an old kuia named Te
Ripo. While returning to Kaipara, they arrived at Maunganui and directed Te Ripo to recite
whakapapa. While being forced to perform by reciting genealogy, one Ngati Whatua warrior
quipped; "kauwhau roa, kauwhau poto, ka patua a Te Ripo ki Kaimanu" (whether you recite
long or short, Te Ripo is killed at Kaimanu). True to his remark, Ngati Whatua slew Te Ripo by
casting her off a cliff. Papahias mother was also named Kaimanu, in commemoration of this
incident.
Although Tarutaru took revenge on Ngati Whatua for this and other transgressions, when his sons
were of an age to fight, they felt that revenge had not been sufficiently exacted from Ngati Whatua.
War parties from Te Rarawa and Ngapuhi assembled to seek revenge for the death of Te Ripo.
Prominent among them was the tribe of Tarutaru. When the war party arrived at Te Tauhara, Ngati
Whatua had already crossed to Okaka pa on the opposite side of the entrance to the Kaipara
Harbour. Using karakia, Ngati Whatua made the harbour rough so thier adversaries could not follow
them. Ngapuhi arrived first and began gathering rocks and leaves for thier hangi. Only several old
women remained. Among thier number was a kuia named Toko who watched over a deceased
Ngati Whatua tohunga laid out to rest on a raised dais.

The invading war party in thier desire for utu, knew there was no mana in killng the old kuia,
instead they turned upon the wahi tapu and urupa of the local people. They exhumed, cooked and
consumed the deceased of Ngati Whatua, thereby imbibing the mana of thier foes. There was no
wood for thier fires so they made use instead of the fence posts and the atamira upon which the
deceased tohunga and other Ngati Whatua lay. When Toko and the old women saw the assembled
war party desecrate the burial grounds and sacred places of Ngati Whatua without reprisal, they
exclaimed; "Katahi ano te iwi Kairarawa" (these are the first people to consume platforms)
"Tenei ra, to iwi kai wahi tapu". This statement is attributed as the meaning behind the name,
Te Rarawa-Kai-Whare. Te Rarawa placed the tohunga in thier hangi, who was consumed by the
fire, and his ashes, the grass and leaves upon which he had lain, and the coals and remains of the fire
and hangi were scattered into the harbour - a propitiatory gesture to the gods to provide fine
weather and calm the agitated waters. When this was done the war parties were able to advance
across the harbour. There the two Ngati Whatua pa, Okaka and Kawau, were taken. Te Ripo was
avenged and the war parties returned home. These actions brought the name Te Rarawa into
prominence. The name had earlier origins than this owing to thier immunity from evils resulting
from desecration of tapu. The word Kai Rarawa means trepassing on wahi tapu with immunity