He kōrero nā David Young

Te āhua nui: The Whanganui River

Ngā tūpuna

Nā ngā tūpuna o ngā iwi o Whanganui i taunaha ētahi o ngā ingoa o te awa:

• Kauarapāoa – koinei te wāhi i tapaina e Kupe i te toremitanga o Arapāoa, tētahi o āna kauhoe i ngana kia whakawhiti i te awa i te wā e waipuke ana.
• Haunui-a-Pāpārangi – nāna ko Ngāti Hau, te iwi ka noho ki te awa o Whanganui. Ka haere mai a Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, i te taha o Turi i runga i aAotea.
• Pūtiki – koinei te papakāinga i tū i tua mai i te tāone o Whanganui. Nā Tamatea-pōkai-whenua te wāhi nei i taunaha, i tana tono i tana tūmau ki uta kia rapu harakeke hei whiri pūtiki mōna.

Te taura whiri a Hine-ngākau

Ka whakanuia te kotahitanga o ngā iwi o Whanganui i te whakataukī, ‘Te taura whiri a Hine-ngākau’. He kōrero tēnei mō ngā tōpūtanga iwi e toru, he kōrero hoki mō te tupuna a Tamakehu me ana tamariki tokotoru: a Hine-ngākau ki te tuawhenua, a Tama Ūpoko ki waenganui, a Tūpoho ki te taha whakararo o te awa.

Ngā riri

Nō te tekau tau atu i 1820 ka whakaekehia ngā iwi o Whanganui e ngā iwi o te raki, ā, i te tau 1840 ka whakatūria te taone o Wanganui hei nōhanga mō te Pākehā. Nō te tūnga o ngā mahi tauhokohoko i waenganui i ngā hapū o te taha whakararo o te awa me te Pākehā, ka huri rātou ki te hāhi Karaitiana. Hāunga anō ō rātou huānga i te taha whakarunga o te awa, i piripono rātou ki te hāhi Pai Mārire, te Hauhau rānei. Kāore tēnei whakapono i whakaae ki te noho mai a te Pākehā. Nō te tau 1864 ka pakanga ngā taha e rua ki Moutoa, he moutere ririki kei waenganui tonu i te awa. Heoi, nō te tau 1869 ka whakakotahi anō ngā taha e rua o te iwi kia pakanga ki a Te Kooti, e huna ana i te taha whakarunga o te awa.

Te rau tau 1900

I te terenga o ngā waka kawe tāpoi ki te awa, ka heke te ora o ngā mahinga kai pēnei i ngā mahinga tuna. Nuku atu i te 100 tau e ngana ana ngā iwi o Whanganui kia tū anō tō rātou mana ki te awa. I te tau 1995 ka nōhia a Pākaitore (Ngā Māra o Moutoa) mō ngā rā e 79, ko ngā tika me ngā kerēme a te iwi te take. I te tau 2013 e 13,500 ngā tāngata o ngā iwi o Whanganui kei Aotearoa puta noa.