Turikatuku (c. 1773–1827) was a notable
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
tribal leader who was the wife of
Hongi Hika, who accompanied him during the
Musket Wars.
Biography
Turikatuku was the daughter of
Mutunga II, and belonged to Te Hikutū and Ngāti Rēhia, who were related to
Ngāpuhi; their territories stretched north from
Te Puna
Te Puna is a rural community near Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on State Highway 2, north of Bethlehem and south of Katikati.
The local Te Puna Quarry has been redeveloped by volunteers i ...
and
Rangihoua in the
Bay of Islands towards
Whangaroa.
She and her younger sister,
Tangiwhare, became wives of
Hongi Hika and she travelled everywhere with him, including during campaigns. Turikatuku was Hongi's senior wife, and the mother of at least two of his children, a son named
Hāre Hongi, and Rongo, later given the Christian name of Hariata, who was to become the wife first of
Hōne Heke
Hōne Wiremu Heke Pōkai ( 1807/1808 – 7 August 1850), born Heke Pōkai and later often referred to as Hōne Heke, was a highly influential Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) and a war leader in northern New Zealand; he was ...
and then of
Ārama Karaka Pī. About 1816, Turikatuku had inflammation of the eyes which made her completely
blind, but she did not allow the impairment to prevent her from carrying out her usual tasks.
Turikatuku accompanied Hongi on his three great expeditions against tribes in the
Coromandel
Coromandel may refer to:
Places India
*Coromandel Coast, India
**Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements
**Dutch Coromandel
*Coromandel, KGF, Karnataka, India
New Zealand
*Coromandel, New Zealand, a town on the Coromandel Peninsula
*Corom ...
and
Hauraki Gulf,
Waikato and
Bay of Plenty, between 1821 and 1823.
During a campaign against the
Ngāti Whātua in 1825, at the Battle of Te Ika-ā-ranganui, Turikatuku gave a speech to encourage the warriors. During the battle, her son Hāre Hongi was killed. Ngāpuhi won a complete victory greatly expanding their territory.
During a campaign against
Ngāti Pou
Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zealand ...
, Turikatuku became ill and died around January 1827 and was buried at Whangaroa.
References
1827 deaths
Ngāpuhi people
Blind politicians
Year of birth unknown
Māori tribal leaders
Musket Wars
Year of birth uncertain
{{Māori-bio-stub