Pacifist of Parihaka - Te Whiti o Rongomai

October is the month when the world hears who has won this year's Nobel Peace Prize. It's a good time then to find out more about Te Whiti, a man of peace.

Te Whiti o Rongomai

Te Whiti o Rongomai led Parihaka when 1500 soldiers filed into his village. These fellows were all set for battle. Cavalry and foot soldiers with rifles, swords and pistols and a great big cannon parked on the hill.

2000 people lived in Parihaka in 1881 and each one did as their leader asked. They didn't give in. They stood up for their rights in a protest of peace. This week we follow Te Whiti's story - the man who led those peaceful warriors.

Today's TreasureLink best follows the one from 8 October 2003 "Plunder of Parihaka".

REWIND...to 1881

True or false? 

1. The land around Te Maunga Taranaki is already a National Park.

2. Government laws have already taken the land Parihaka is built on.

3. In New Plymouth a skilled blacksmith can earn quite good money.

4. Maori look back and call the New Zealand wars teriri Pakeha (the white man's anger). Pakeha call them the Maori Wars.

5. In the King Country the Maori King and his tribes still stop settlers from entering their land.

Starters

Choose the words that you think best show what a good leader needs or has to be. Do this by yourself first and then compare your list with a classmate. Together decide on a top five list.

mana, determination, a good speaker, persuasive, good looks, drive, persistence, courage, heroism, charisma, a sense of humour, calmness, a goal setter, a thinker or philosopher, a mastermind, intelligence, a team player, popularity, ruthlessness, an instructor, a counsellor, a guide, a rich person, a good all rounder e.g. sports, music and studies.

Peacemakers

Do this in a small group with one piece of A3 paper and a marker.

People these days might say that Te Whiti and his close friend and co-leader Tohu Kakahi were peace activists.

Draw a peace sign - a circle divided into three parts. Label each third outside the circle, past, present and future.

Inside each third list the name of one world conflict that needed more peace activists before it started or may need some in the future.

What if one side's leaders in this conflict looked for peaceful solutions instead of violent ones? Write a sentence that shows what your group thinks might have happened or could happen in the future if a solution was found.

Rapid research!

This week's story talks about another great man of peace, Mahatma Gandhi. Find out here where he lived, how he helped his people and what he did to protest.

Know your words

These words are all in this week's story. Choose (a) or (b) to show meaning that best suits the word.

1. inspiring (a) encouraging or (b) depressing

2. convincing (a) talk out of or (b) persuading

3. pacifist (a) peacemaker or (b) warmonger

4. descendants (a) children or (b) successors

5. sentinel (a) sentry or (b) post

6. sent into the fray (a) meeting or (b) battle

7. detention (a) keep late after school or (b) keep in prison

8. orator (a) someone skilled in speaking to an audience or (b) a great leader

Read on!

Click here to read the story and as you read look for these things:

1. The names of some of the world's great leaders for peace.

2. The name of Te Whiti's close friend and co-leader.

3. How Te Whiti got his name.

4. What happened after Te Whiti was arrested.

The artist in you!

The story tells of the sacred hill that Te Whiti said he was named after. This hill is now called Pukeiti. Re-read the part in the story that tells about the legend of Mt Taranaki. Draw a pencil sketch that shows this part of the story. Your sketch could later be turned into a pastel and dye picture or it could be used for a lino carving and print.

A way with words

This week's story tells us that Te Whiti was a great orator or speechmaker. Sometimes he quoted from the bible like this:

God said to Moses "do not strive against me or you will die: by faith only can this tribe be saved."

Another time he said this:

"Though some in darkness of heart, seeing their land ravished, might wish to take arms and kill the aggressors, I say it must not be."

Now that you have read "The Plunder of Parihaka", what do those two quotes mean? Think pair and then share your ideas with a classmate and then turn them into words that you might use today.

Thinkers

Remember the ploughmen from the Parihaka story? Te Whiti said to them, "Go put your hands to the plough. Look not back. If any come with guns and swords, be not afraid. If they smite you, smite not in return"

Think, pair and then share your ideas. First, what is Te Whiti telling his men to do? Protest and fight back if attacked or protest but do nothing if attacked.

What if some of the men in this photo were from the very same farms that the ploughmen of Parihaka visited? Draw thought bubbles and fill them in with the thoughts of four of these men.

Truth or fib?

When the soldiers came to Parihaka, the two leaders Te Whiti and Tohu were the first to be arrested and led away. They were imprisoned for 6 months without trial and then taken on a tour of the South Island to show the developments and progress the Europeans had made. Read these fictional headlines and think back to the story.  If they really did appear in newspapers of the day, would they be truths or fibs?

• Parihaka leaders impressed by new railway
• Return our stolen land say Parihaka leaders
• Free our people and give us justice says Te Whiti
• Leaders agree new roads are what their people need
• Parihaka leaders like all that they see says government man
• Leaders agree - new settlers may build wealth for everyone
• Te Whiti: Government says one thing then does another

Word pictures

This week's story told of the friendship between Te Whiti and Tohu and how this relationship changed when the two leaders returned to Parihaka. Te Whiti continued to protest but Tohu lost hope in a peaceful settlement after the harsh treatment he had received. Another Puke Ariki story suggests Tohu didn't like the way Parihaka was becoming modernised with things like electricity.

Read this short poem about the two great leaders of Parihaka and look carefully for ways the poet displays their similarities and differences.

Bookmarks

Show what you know about the Parihaka story and the leaders by designing a bookmark. It could list key points on one side perhaps starting with something like: Parihaka 1881 - a village of peace. Illustrate your key facts on the other side.

Parihaka the song

You can read the lyrics to Tim Finn's song here and read about what Tim has to say about his song here.

Fast forward to 2003

The Nobel Peace Prize has just been announced and this website tells you about Alfred Nobel and his awards. Find out when and where he lived and what his prizes are awarded for.

In your words

This website tells you who the Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded to. It's in the words of Alfred Nobel so get together with a classmate and "translate" it into your own words. It still has to say and mean the same thing but replace some words with those that people use and know well today. You only need two sentences, just like Alfred Nobel!

Build a bio box

Bio boxes let you quickly profile any person. Begin with a photo, a title and your subject's name. You then use your research to write tightly written information to match the headings you select. Click on this website for information to match the headings below and build a bio box for Shirin Ebadi - Nobel Peace Prize winner, 2003.

Headings Age: Home country: Occupation: Has also worked as: Known for: Argues for: An activist for: The author of: Imprisoned for:

A campaigner for:

One stay, three stray

People protested when George W Bush and Tony Blair were nominated for the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. One website even set up a petition against their nomination. Jimmy Carter, a former US President won the 2002 prize so the protests fizzled out.

What do you think? Were these two world leaders worth nominating? Discuss and decide in a group of four. When you've done that, leave one person in your group while the other three head to three different groups to share decisions and reasons. Return to your own group to report back.