A woman of mana: Kahe Te Rau-o-te Rangi

Kahe Te rau-o-te Rangi was a remarkable woman. She was an entrepreneur and owned a whaling station, farm and tavern.

Kahe was a mother of five children and as a high ranking Maori woman she signed the Treaty of Waitangi on behalf of  both her families- Ngati Mutanga from North Taranaki and Ngati Toa.

This week Kahe's descendant, Miria Pomare helps tell her story.

Rewind 

Kahe Te Rau-o-te Rangi signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. What do you know about the Treaty? Decide whether the statements below are true or false and then check your answers at the end of this week's TreasureLink.

1. All those that signed the Treaty did so on 6 February, 1840.
2. The Treaty was prepared and written by lawyers in England and travelled to New Zealand in a case sealed with wax.
3. The Treaty was translated into Maori overnight.
4. It took weeks to write the Treaty.
5. The Maori translation of the Treaty was not the same the English version.

Word watch

All the words below are in this week's story. Choose the best meaning and then check your choices when you read the story. The answers are at the end of this week's TreasureLink.

1. quill (a) a writing pen made from the shaft of a feather or (b) a type of blanket
2. prejudices (a) uneducated and unable to write or (b) poor opinions formed about people before knowing any or all of the facts
3. mana (a) prestige and respect or (b)muscular strength
4. allocated (a) sold or (b) set apart for a special purpose 
5. negotiators (a) the people who have the job of settling by discussion and mutual agreement or (b) the writers of any document that is about to be signed.
6. formalisation (a) signed and sealed or (b) to make official
7. embracing (a) to hold close with the arms or (b) to include as something broader
8. entrepreneurial (a) a person with flair a determination or (b) a person willing to take risks in a business to make a profit
9. adversity or (a)letting people know what is for sale  (b) a state of hardship or misfortune
10. epic (a) heroic and impressive or (b) a great deed that has been that has been told as a poem

A puzzling treaty?

Two versions of the Treaty of Waitangi were printed. The first was in English and this was translated into Maori. In places the two versions had different meanings.

1. In the English version the chiefs were asked to give away sovereignty to the Queen of England. This meant they would give up supreme power or rule to the Queen. The word kawaanatanga replaced sovereignty in the Maori version of the treaty and this word means governorship or the setting up of a government. Today people argue that the chiefs only gave away the right for someone else to govern New Zealand and that they retained sovereignty- their power or mana and overall control of their people.
2. The Maori translation gave Maori people "unqualified exercise of their chieftainship  te   tino  rangatiratanga  over   their  lands, villages  and   all  their  treasures- taonga." The English text guaranteed to the Maori:  "the full, exclusive and undisturbed possession of their  lands  and  estates, forests,  fisheries and other properties." The word taonga though includes all things held precious, for example language and culture.

More than 500 people signed the Treaty. Do you think they would have signed if the Maori translation had been more accurate? Think pair and share your ideas with a classmate.

A sacred document

The Treaty was signed by about 43 chiefs at Waitangi on 6 February 1840. It was then taken around the country and 500 more signatures were gathered from 39 areas throughout the North and South Islands.

Read the first part of this week's story - A sacred document and find the answers to these questions:

1. Why was it unusual in those days for women to sign any document?
2. How did Maori argue that women should be able to sign?
3. How do we know that Kahe was highly regarded?

A woman in Victorian times

The Treaty was signed at beginning of the Victorian era. These were the years from 1837 to 1901, when Queen Victoria reigned. The story tells us that more Maori women would have signed if it hadn't been for the prejudices of those collecting signatures.

So what were these prejudices? How did men view women in those days and what rights did women have? Look here 
to find out.

A woman of strength

Kahe married John Nicoll, a Pakeha whaler ,and A woman of great strength and mana tells us why they got together. Read on now and find out more about this couple.

The Penguin History of New Zealand tells us that the first Pakeha to ever live in New Zealand lived in Maori communities and took Maori wives. These men were often sailors who had jumped ship. They lived according to Maori law.

They were protected and in return they gave the tribe whatever expertise they had. They also became interpreters when missionaries and traders came on the scene.

Look at Good for you and good for us and work out how Maori and Pakeha benefited from each other in the early days of European settlement.

An island for the birds

The next part of the story mentions the warrior chief Te Rauparaha and Kapiti Island.

This DOC site tells you all about Kapiti Island. Use the information on the DOC site to complete this fact box.

A hairy man and coastal battles

Last year we saw the All Blacks perform a new haka specially written for them. Their usual one is the Te Rauparaha haka and you can find the story behind it here.

Te Rauparaha was a fighting chief. He was born and lived in the Kawhia region in the Waikato but later moved south to settle on Kapiti Island.  This was a safe fortress from his enemies and a good place to launch attacks to the south.

An epic swim

A number of Ngati Mutanga people from North Taranaki travelled south with Te Rauparaha and Kahe was one. Read A dive back in time and find out about an incredible swim Kahe did in an attempt to save her people.

You will know by now that it's five kilometres from Kapiti Island to the mainland but Kahe swam more than 10 kilometres. She was carried by the current to Te Uruhi, south of the Waikanae River. That's nearly 11 km from the starting point.

The full story of Kahe's epic swim can be found here.

Look here  to see how far the Ironman contestants swim today and look here  for the story about a Greek hero who ran on three amazing journeys for much the same reason as Kahe.

(Just scroll down to The Role of Phidippides and read the two paragraphs.)

Challenges and change

Kahe's grandson was another famous New Zealander and the last part of the story tells you who he is. Here are some clues that might give you the answer before you finish the story.

1. His ashes were interred at the Owae Marae in Waitara.
2. They lie beneath a marble statue carved in his likeness.
3. Every year, a special day is held at the marae on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of his death.  Te Atiawa people use the weekend to celebrate his life and to discuss matters of importance to the iwi and people of Waitara.
4. His initials are M.P.

Finish the story now.

A remarkable family

The story of Kahe Te Rau-o-te Rangi was brought to life with the help of her great-great  granddaughter, Miria Pomare.  Miria, along with her younger brother, Te Rakaherea, became the guardians of Sir Maui Pomare's writings and his taonga- treasures.

Miria is now the Treaty claims co-ordinator for Ngati Toa.

Use this week's story and the one here to piece together at least part of Miria's family tree. Begin with Kahe's mother.

Fast forward

When Kahe te Rau-o-te Rangi signed the Treaty in 1840 she had no way of knowing that her great-great granddaughter and many others would still be fighting for a fair deal today.

As people were celebrating this year's Waitangi Day a group of leaseholders in Waitara were planning to go to court so they could buy the land they lived on. This disagreement goes back to the 1860s and it's a tricky one to work out.

A house owner whose house is on freehold land owns their house and land but
a house owner whose house is on leasehold land owns their house but not their land. They lease or rent the land from the owners and are called leaseholders.

The Waitara leaseholders live on land that was taken from Te Atiawa after the land wars in the 1860s. Eventually it was cut up and given to the Waitara Borough Council and the Taranaki Harbours Board. The land was divided up into sections and leased to people who built homes on the land.

When councils were reorganised in 1989 The New Plymouth District Council took control of the land. They decided to sell the land in March 2004 to the Government -the Crown. The Crown would then hand back the land to Te Atiawa, the original owners as part of a Treaty settlement.

The leaseholders didn't like that idea. They would still be able to still lease their land off their new landlords but it probably meant they would never get a chance to freehold or buy their land. The leaseholders claimed that Council officials had once told them that they would be able to buy their land one day.

In November last year the High Court ruled that the New Plymouth District Council couldn't sell the land to the Crown. Now the leaseholders are going to court to try and freehold their properties. If the court decides to let them buy their land it may never return to the original owners.

So which way will the court rule? Will it let the leaseholders buy their land or will it rule leave things as they are.  Or, will they come up with a new solution? Now that you know the history, you be the judge.

Work it out in a small group and report back to class with your decision. 

Rewind answers
1. False.  The Treaty was travelled around New Zealand and it was signed in a number of places after 6 February.
2. False -it was cobbled together in New Zealand by William Hobson the then Governor of New South Wales, his secretary James Freeman and James Busby the British Resident.
3. True. The missionary Henry Williams and his son translated the Treaty into Maori the night before it was presented to northern chiefs at Waitangi on 5 February 1840. It was signed on the 6th.
4. False. It took four days to write.
5. True. The two versions were different in several key areas.

Word watch answers 
1a, 2b, 3a, 4b, 5a, 6a, 7b, 8b, 9b, 10a