 Cape Reinga,Far North, in the rohe (tribal area) of the Muriwhenua people. | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Northland, New Zealand | |
| Languages | |
| Māori language |
Muriwhenua are a group of northernMāoriiwi, based inTe Hiku o te Ika, the northernmost part ofNew Zealand'sNorth Island. It consists of six iwi,Ngāti Kurī,Ngāi Takoto,Te Pātū,Ngāti Kahu,Te Aupōuri andTe Rarawa, with a combined population of about 34,000 people. The spiritually significantHokianga Harbour, located just to the south of the Maungataniwha Range, is of special significance to the Muriwhenua people.[1]
The nameMuriwhenua means "this is the end of the land", describing therohe (traditional tribal lands) of the iwi, extending up theNorth Auckland Peninsula from theMaungataniwha Range toCape Reinga. The nameTe Hiku o te Ika translates as the tail of the fish, meaning the end of theNorth Island, which inMāori mythology is the fishMāui caught (known asTe-Ika-a-Māui, or literallyThe Fish of Māui.[1] Elders sometimes say the head of the fish is the New Zealand capital city ofWellington, but it can only go where the tail will allow.[2]
According to Muriwhenua tradition, the greatwaka navigatorKupe discovered the region, mistaking Houhora mountain, north of Kaitaia, for a whale.[1] The crew of his waka explored fromCape Reinga toParengarenga Harbour, includingKarikari Peninsula,Tokerau Beach,Whangaroa Harbour andMatauri Bay. According to one tradition, he followed a current to Hakarara mountain in Matauri Bay. According to another, he landed in Hokianga Harbour, and on his return toHawaiki, created waves which reached the coast ofNinety Mile Beach.[2]
The chief Tūmatahina is credited with helping the Muriwhenua people escape a besieged village as they were running out of food. He instructed his people to place dummy warriors, made out of bulrushes, around the pallisades of theirpā (fortification), fix a long flax rope to a rock on the mainland, and use it to escape. Tūmatahina followed at the rear of the group, and used his large footprints to hide the footprints of the other people, concealing the escape from the enemy. Thekūaka (bar-tailed godwit) is the symbol of the tribes; their annual migration from the Muriwhenua harbours represents the successful escape.[2]
Later, theWhangape chief Ueoneone travelled toWaikato, where he fell in love with the sistersReitū and Reipae and proposed to marry them. On her way north, Reipae fell in love with a chief named Ōtāhuhupōtiki and married him; their harbour became Te Whanga-a-Reipae (the harbour of Reipae), which was shortened toWhangārei. Reitū married Ueoneone at Whangape; their twin daughters Kauae and Tawakeiti married Tūpoto, a common ancestor of all Northland tribes.[2]
In 1840, 61 chiefs from Muriwhenua signed the Māori language version of theTreaty of Waitangi, in the hopes it would protect their lands fromcolonisation. However, the Muriwhenua people lost vast areas of land to settlers or the government. A report into Muriwhenua fisheries rights in 1988 led to the passing of theMāori Fisheries Act in 1992. Since 1994, the tribes have settled land claims with theNew Zealand Government through theWaitangi Tribunal.[1]
Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o Te Ika, an iwi radio station, serves the Muriwhenua tribes. It broadcasts a main station on97.1FM, anurban contemporary station Sunshine FM on104.3FM and a youth-oriented station Tai FM.[3]