Kīnaki: Ngā reta Māori exhibition
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero.
Central City Library's current exhibition, ‘Kīnaki: Ngā reta Māori’, is a collection of ngā reta Māori (Māori letters) handpicked from the Sir George Grey Special Collections by Robert Eruera, Poukōkiri Taonga Tuku Iho Māori | Senior Curator Māori.
For the purposes of the exhibition, Kīnaki refers to the small things that we relish and take pleasure from. These letters were chosen in the hope that our interest will be piqued by the morsels on offer.
Stretching over 50 years, these letters span an era of time during New Zealand's colonial infancy and illustrate the close relationships between rangatira (chiefs or leaders) and Governor Grey. Almost all the letters are addressed either to Governor Grey or his wife Lady Eliza Lucy Grey, and many of them are surprisingly uncluttered by the kind of formalities that you might expect from letters written to the Governor of New Zealand.
These letters are written amongst rangatira (chief of high rank/leader), and demonstrate both the political issues and concerns of the time but also contain more personal accounts, some with accompanying original compositions. They help us understand the closeness of the relationships between rangatira.
These are people who are comfortable with addressing, requesting and offering advice to the Governor. On a broad scale, the topics put into context the understanding that Māori/rangatira had regarding the Treaty of Waitangi and the ideas of partnership and governance that they held. These letters bring added depth and insights to the history of Aotearoa/New Zealand. On a domestic level, one of the letters reads more like a text, including a request from Tāwhiao that Grey bring back red wine (for an ailment).
What the letters also show is the rapid adaption and absorption of new technology and ideas that Māori undertook during the early years of colonial settlement. The letters show Māori comfortable with English and written literacy, confidently exploring new ideas and technology. Wīremu Toetoe (Tūmohe) is inspired to write to Grey from Vienna Austria in 1860, after reading an article about Grey in an Austrian newspaper (during his nine-month stay in Austria he learnt to speak German). While in Austria he enjoyed high society life visiting with the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef and was gifted a printing press, which once it had arrived in Aotearoa/New Zealand, was used to publish the first Māori owned niupepa ‘Te Hokioi o Niu Tireni e Rere atu na’.
More poignant is the letter that was written by Kereama Tāwhai. Described as a young man of promise, Kereama belongs to a Ngā Puhi chiefly line; his father is Hōne Mohi Tāwhai, his grandfather is Mohi Tāwhai renowned rangatira and treaty signatory. At the time of writing his letter, he is approximately 16 years old. He expresses his concern for the future of Māori, and his youthful hopes and ambitions are apparent.
Perhaps due to his father's involvement as an assessor to the Native Land Court and later, as a member of the House of Representatives, Kereama was influenced to pursue a career in law.
While he was rounding off his Pākehā education studying law with the Whitaker and Russell law firm in Auckland, Kereama became ill. He died in 1885 at his birthplace of Waimā. His father composed a touching waiata tangi (lament) for him, demonstrating his aroha and grief.
Some of the letters are very personal, such as Ruta Tamihana Te Rauparaha’s (nee Ruta Te Kapu) letter to Lady Grey. Ruta is the wife of Tāmihana Te Rauparaha (son of Ngāti Toa Ariki, Te Rauparaha). Ruta was known for her kindness and hospitality, and in her letter, she expresses both her happiness at an expected visit from Lady Grey with an accompanying apology for the ‘poor state’ of her house. This is an interesting response because Tamihana and Ruta accumulated considerable wealth and lived in a European style house with European servants.
What’s more surprising about her letter is the date it was written (1848). In January 1848, Te Rauparaha (Ruta’s father in law) was released from prison after previously being arrested in 1846 and held in exile on the ship Calliope under Governor George Grey’s orders. Interestingly, Governor Grey and Lady Eliza Grey accompanied Te Rauparaha on his return to Ōtaki from exile.
Ruta’s warm letter was written in September of the same year. On the one hand, it seems difficult to believe the warmth that is expressed between Ruta and Lady Grey. However, an underlying desire for peace between Māori and settlers may have influenced their relationship, and we could read this as an exercise of diplomacy.
Further connections could be made between these letters. For example, Hēnare Mātene Te Whiwhi (also known as Te Whiwhi o te rangi or Mātene Te Whiwhi) is the nephew of Tāmihana Te Rauparaha. Tāmihana and Hēnare Mātene journeyed to the Bay of Islands seeking a missionary to return to Ōtaki with them, as they believed that Christianity could be used to preserve peace, something both these men sought. In 1843, both he and Tāmihana travelled to the South Island to preach to Ngāi Tahu, a bold move for men so closely related to Te Rauparaha (Te Rauparaha had led a brutal and sustained attack against Ngāi Tahu during the 1830s).
Working at odds with his uncle, Hēnare Mātene was an informant to Governor Grey passing on information about Ngāti Raukawa ammunition stores and their plans to attack Wellington under Te Rauparaha’s direction. Hēnare Mātene happened to be on the Auckland dock as Te Rauparaha was being escorted to exile on to the ship Calliope and as they met on the gangway, Te Rauparaha traded a look of ‘ineffable contempt’ with him.
In the 1860s, during the time that this letter was written, Hēnare Mātene had flipped from introducing and advocating for a Māori king as a means of land protection and peace, to working with the government to directly oppose the Kīngitanga movement for the same reasons.
While his decision reversals may seem contrary, he always worked to preserve Māori independence and protect Māori land - and perhaps his behaviour is more of a reflection of the rapidly changing environment, where rangatira could pick up and test the many ideas and methods that they discovered and discard them if they were perceived to fail.
These reta Māori have been selected from Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. If you’re interested in heritage collections, visit Kura Heritage Collections Online to see more taonga tuku iho (treasures).
Kinaki: Ngā reta Māori is in the second-floor gallery space in Central City Library, Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm and Saturdays and Sundays, 10am - 4pm from 15 March 2019 - 17 May 2019.
For the purposes of the exhibition, Kīnaki refers to the small things that we relish and take pleasure from. These letters were chosen in the hope that our interest will be piqued by the morsels on offer.
Stretching over 50 years, these letters span an era of time during New Zealand's colonial infancy and illustrate the close relationships between rangatira (chiefs or leaders) and Governor Grey. Almost all the letters are addressed either to Governor Grey or his wife Lady Eliza Lucy Grey, and many of them are surprisingly uncluttered by the kind of formalities that you might expect from letters written to the Governor of New Zealand.
These are people who are comfortable with addressing, requesting and offering advice to the Governor. On a broad scale, the topics put into context the understanding that Māori/rangatira had regarding the Treaty of Waitangi and the ideas of partnership and governance that they held. These letters bring added depth and insights to the history of Aotearoa/New Zealand. On a domestic level, one of the letters reads more like a text, including a request from Tāwhiao that Grey bring back red wine (for an ailment).
What the letters also show is the rapid adaption and absorption of new technology and ideas that Māori undertook during the early years of colonial settlement. The letters show Māori comfortable with English and written literacy, confidently exploring new ideas and technology. Wīremu Toetoe (Tūmohe) is inspired to write to Grey from Vienna Austria in 1860, after reading an article about Grey in an Austrian newspaper (during his nine-month stay in Austria he learnt to speak German). While in Austria he enjoyed high society life visiting with the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef and was gifted a printing press, which once it had arrived in Aotearoa/New Zealand, was used to publish the first Māori owned niupepa ‘Te Hokioi o Niu Tireni e Rere atu na’.
More poignant is the letter that was written by Kereama Tāwhai. Described as a young man of promise, Kereama belongs to a Ngā Puhi chiefly line; his father is Hōne Mohi Tāwhai, his grandfather is Mohi Tāwhai renowned rangatira and treaty signatory. At the time of writing his letter, he is approximately 16 years old. He expresses his concern for the future of Māori, and his youthful hopes and ambitions are apparent.
While he was rounding off his Pākehā education studying law with the Whitaker and Russell law firm in Auckland, Kereama became ill. He died in 1885 at his birthplace of Waimā. His father composed a touching waiata tangi (lament) for him, demonstrating his aroha and grief.
Some of the letters are very personal, such as Ruta Tamihana Te Rauparaha’s (nee Ruta Te Kapu) letter to Lady Grey. Ruta is the wife of Tāmihana Te Rauparaha (son of Ngāti Toa Ariki, Te Rauparaha). Ruta was known for her kindness and hospitality, and in her letter, she expresses both her happiness at an expected visit from Lady Grey with an accompanying apology for the ‘poor state’ of her house. This is an interesting response because Tamihana and Ruta accumulated considerable wealth and lived in a European style house with European servants.
What’s more surprising about her letter is the date it was written (1848). In January 1848, Te Rauparaha (Ruta’s father in law) was released from prison after previously being arrested in 1846 and held in exile on the ship Calliope under Governor George Grey’s orders. Interestingly, Governor Grey and Lady Eliza Grey accompanied Te Rauparaha on his return to Ōtaki from exile.
Ruta’s warm letter was written in September of the same year. On the one hand, it seems difficult to believe the warmth that is expressed between Ruta and Lady Grey. However, an underlying desire for peace between Māori and settlers may have influenced their relationship, and we could read this as an exercise of diplomacy.
Further connections could be made between these letters. For example, Hēnare Mātene Te Whiwhi (also known as Te Whiwhi o te rangi or Mātene Te Whiwhi) is the nephew of Tāmihana Te Rauparaha. Tāmihana and Hēnare Mātene journeyed to the Bay of Islands seeking a missionary to return to Ōtaki with them, as they believed that Christianity could be used to preserve peace, something both these men sought. In 1843, both he and Tāmihana travelled to the South Island to preach to Ngāi Tahu, a bold move for men so closely related to Te Rauparaha (Te Rauparaha had led a brutal and sustained attack against Ngāi Tahu during the 1830s).
Working at odds with his uncle, Hēnare Mātene was an informant to Governor Grey passing on information about Ngāti Raukawa ammunition stores and their plans to attack Wellington under Te Rauparaha’s direction. Hēnare Mātene happened to be on the Auckland dock as Te Rauparaha was being escorted to exile on to the ship Calliope and as they met on the gangway, Te Rauparaha traded a look of ‘ineffable contempt’ with him.
While his decision reversals may seem contrary, he always worked to preserve Māori independence and protect Māori land - and perhaps his behaviour is more of a reflection of the rapidly changing environment, where rangatira could pick up and test the many ideas and methods that they discovered and discard them if they were perceived to fail.
These reta Māori have been selected from Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. If you’re interested in heritage collections, visit Kura Heritage Collections Online to see more taonga tuku iho (treasures).
Kinaki: Ngā reta Māori is in the second-floor gallery space in Central City Library, Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm and Saturdays and Sundays, 10am - 4pm from 15 March 2019 - 17 May 2019.
References:
- Steven Oliver. 'Te Rauparaha', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1t74/te-rauparaha (accessed 11 March 2019)
- Steven Oliver. 'Te Rauparaha, Tamihana', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1t75/te-rauparaha-tamihana (accessed 11 March 2019)
- W. H. Oliver. 'Te Whiwhi, Henare Matene', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1t89/te-whiwhi-henare-matene (accessed 11 March 2019)
- Wiremu Toetoe
- Kereama Tawhai
- Ruta Tamihana Te Rauparaha:
https://digitalnz.org/records/1216751https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23184922 - Matene Te Whiwhi
Blog author: Teri Ta'ala, Poukōkiri Tapoko Tāpaenga | Senior Librarian - Māori Collections
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