Ngāti Apa is a
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 Co ...
iwi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English.
...
(tribe) in
Rangitikei District
The Rangitikei District is a territorial authority district located primarily in the Manawatū-Whanganui region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamahanga (13.63% by land area), lies in the Hawke's Bay ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
.
Its
rohe
The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ' to describe the territory or boundaries of tribes (, although some divide their into several .
Background
In 1793, chief Tuki Te Terenui Whare Pirau who had been brought to Norfolk Island drew ...
(traditional tribal lands) extend between the
Mangawhero,
Whangaehu,
Turakina and
Rangitīkei rivers. This area is bounded by
Whanganui River
The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natur ...
in the north-west, and
Manawatū River in the south-east. The
marae
A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...
in this district include Tini wai tara, Whangaehu, Kauangaroa, and Parewanui.
History
Ngāti Apa take their name from the ancestor Apa-hāpai-taketake, who was the son of Ruatea.
Stories of Apa's deeds place the tribe's origins in the
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...
. To the west of Pūtauaki mountain is a place known to
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 Co ...
as Te Takanga-a-Apa (the place where Apa fell), so named because, according to one account, it was where Apa was kicked to the ground by the pet
moa of a man called Te Awatope. Because he limped after this incident, he was named Apa-koki (Apa with a limp). One explanation for the place name is that Apa fell to his death there. Another account says he was banished from the district after slaughtering Te Awatope's moa.
Ngati Apa then found themselves living in the Rotoaira lake district. Apa started sending parts of his tribe south to cultivate the land and have settlements ready before the whole party travelled down. However Apa did not leave until after he had eaten one of
Te Awatope's favourite dogs. Te Awatope sought to kill Apa as this dog was his favourite. However, when he went to where Ngati Apa had settled he was told by some people that Apa had been warned the previous evening and had already proceeded south during the night. Many generations later, Ngati Apa were not only descended from Apa Hapaitaketake, but also of Turi captain of
Aotea Paerangi normally associated to the
Āti Hau and
Ngāti Rangi tribes. Some along the Rangitikei River (Papawhenua's descendants) were not only of
Kurahaupō, but also of
Matahourua.
Many Ngati Apa deny any connection to the Bay Of Plenty, Putauaki area.
Today Ngāti apa have many Hapū, named here are the ones still active to this day.
*Turakina
**Ngā Āriki. Ngāti Kiriwheke and Ngāti Rātua
*Whangaehu
**Ngāti Hikapirau, Ngāti Rangiwaho, Ngāti Rangiwhakaturia and Ngāti Rangipakini
References
External links
''Ngāti Apa''in Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Apa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngati Apa