NGĀ TOI ARTS TE PAPA KANOHI KITEA

Ahakoa he iti whetū ki runga ki te rangi nui pōkēkēao ūhia kia ngaro, e kore e ngaro.

Even though the stars shining in the nights sky might be obscured by a passing cloud, they will never be obliterated!

This whakataukī (proverb) was spoken by Marangaipāroa, son of the tribes’ eponymous ancestor Toa Rangatira, as he stood upon the battle ground with his sons and 140 handpicked warriors (a standard battle group known as Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū) ready to engage the numerically superior Ngāi Te Rangi tribe of Tauranga.

As one descendant put it, ‘throughout our history Ngāti Toa are remembered as a small tribe who punched well above their weight!’ The Ngāti Toa story is one of overcoming adversity, a sentiment captured in the exhibitions opening whakatauki of the exhibition He iti whetū Ngāti Toa portraits, currently on show in Ngā Toi Arts Te Papa.

When Marangaipāroa was petitioned by the Ngāti Raukawa chief Korouaputa – Te Rauparaha’s maternal grandfather – to help avenge the recent death of his uncle Te Autūroro by Ngāi Te Rangi, Marangaipāroa told him to return home and await his arrival. But when Marangaipāroa arrived with 140 carefully selected warriors Ngāti Raukawa derided him for bringing such a small troop of ineffectual men. Marangaipāroa responded by saying:

Ahakoa ahau he itiiti pōkerekere tuku mai i runga o Moeātoa, tēnā koe e kite.

Though I am but a small cloud passing over the mountain Moeātoa, soon you will see that even a small cloud can obscure the bright light of day!

But when Marangaipāroa led his small band onto the battlefield with Ngati Raukawa, it only provoked the bold Ngāi Te Rangi who now emerged from their fortifications eager to engage the enemy in combat. Korouaputa pointed to the overwhelming multitude of Ngāi Te Rangi and told Marangaipāroa to spare himself and his men and return to Kawhia. Maranagaipāroa replied with the blogs opening whakataukī ,

Ahakoa he iti whetū ki runga ki te rangi, nui pōkēkēao ūhia kia ngaro, e kore e ngaro.

Even though the stars shining in the nights sky might be obscured by a passing cloud, they will never be obliterated!

As Marangaipāroa and his sons advanced against the enemy, his two youngest sons, Tūhaha and Te Haunga, threw themselves recklessly into the battle and their aggression caught the Ngāi Te Rangi off-guard causing confusion. Marangaipāroa’s force routed the enemy and won the day.

Toa Rangatira’s brave son and grandsons had lived up to their ancestors noble appellation, the brave sons of a warrior chief indeed!

Kanohi Kitea Season Four

http://arts.tepapa.govt.nz/on-the-wall/ngati-toa-rangatira-he-iti-whetu-ngati-toa-portraits

Season four of Kanohi Kitea module in Ngā Toi Arts Te Papa gallery, He iti whetū Ngāti Toa portraits, focuses primarily on portraits of Ngāti Toa ancestors. These images explore moments of encounter between the pioneering artists, professional painters and photographers of New Zealand’s early colonial period, mid-19^th and 20^th centuries, and the people of Ngāti Toa.

The exhibition has been designed as a companion to the current Ngāti Toa Rangatira iwi-in-residence exhibition programme, Whiti te rā!, which can be seen on Level 4.

http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/WhatsOn/exhibitions/Pages/WhitiTeRaThestoryofNgatiToaRangatira.aspx

More to come as we explore some of the stories behind these tūpuna, and some of the surprising relationships between the people depicted in Ngāti Toa Rangatira : He iti whetū….