Akuhata Tūpaea

TUPAEA, THE GREAT BAY OF PLENTY CHIEFTAIN. The death of Akuhata Tupaea, on the 5th instant, at Bowen Town, near Katikati, creates a gap between the old order and new order of natives in the Tauranga district. The deceased, Akuhata (or in English, "August") Tupaea, was highly educated, and had great intellectual power, but for all that he was deeply imbued with the instincts and traditions of the native race. He came of pure Maori lineage, and could trace his descent in a clear line to chiefs who came from Hawaiki in the canoe Matatua, and landed at Whakatane some 600 years ago. The Tupaeas rank in pure lineage as the highest in the colony. In former generations such ancestry as that of Tupaea overshadowed all other claims to high rank in the native mind. The present generation are rapidly losing their respect for ancient rank in this way, and the influence of wealth and intellectual and other ability is being recognised in a way that could not obtain even a few years ago.

At the time of his death Akuhata was fifty-five years of age, and for some time past had been living in retirement, and had withdrawn himself from any very active part in the life of his tribe. A few years ago his was one of the best-known figures on the Strand in Tauranga, and he will be much missed, especially amongst the old hands. A bout three years ago the deceased had a paralytic stroke, which affected the whole of the right side of his body, and rendered him comparatively helpless. This visitation was pub down to makutu, or witchcraft, caused by a female at Whanganui. Akuhata was attending a Native Land Court there as assessor, and a Maori woman wanted to become his wife, but he refused, as he was already married, and steadfastly held to the doctrine of one-man-one-wife. Akuhata Tupaia had been married twice, and leaves a son, Tupaea Akuhata, by his first wife. His second wife survives him, but has no children. In religion Akuhata was a Roman Catholic, and was greatly endeared to his Church, and always took a deep interest in it, and when in town always attended strictly to his religious duties. After being paralysed his friends wanted him to go to the Hot Lakes for treatment, but the whole tribe demurred to it, and depended on a female tohunga who they have great faith in, as she had prophesied many matters that hare come true, and on this account Tupaea and his tribal friends declined to try the effects of the Hot Lakes.

When quite a youth Akuhata Tupaea was taken in hand by Sir George Grey, who was then Governor of the colony, and he had him educated at the Native School. Tauranga, by the late Archdeacon Brown. Sir George Grey was also a close personal friend of Hori Tupaia, the father of the deceased. After being educated, Akuhata was taken all over the colony at the time of the war, and as far South as (Christchurch and Dunedin, so a 9 to enlighten him as to European ways and manners, and instruct him as to their civilisation, so that it might, through his influence, make itself felt amongst his tribe. At Wellington, Akuhata was entertained at Government House, and invited to Government balls, and mixed in the highest society. All this had a great effect in forming his character, and led to a vast improvement in the feelings of his tribe, as on his return he explained the outlines of European civilisation to thorn, and induced them to fraternise more freely with their European neighbours.

Akuhata Tupaea was the eldest son of Hori Tupaea, the greatest chief of the southern part of the North Island, and the head of the great Ngaiterangi tribe and confederacy. He was always the right-hand man of his father, and acted as his amanuensis. In those times of war despatches were constantly coming and going between the Government and old Hori Tupaea. In 1878 Akuhata wag made an assessor by the Bryce-Atkinson Ministry, as a mark of respect the colony had for the family. On the death of Hori Tupaea in 1880 Akuhata became his successor as head chief of the Ngaiterangi tribe, and on matters of importance in the district ho was invariably consulted by the Government. He was appointed chief of the great native committee meeting that was established and approved of by the Government for the consideration of matters affecting the native race. His influence was wide amongst both Europeans and natives, and in all disputes about surveys, roads, or obstruction of any kind, his influence was paramount, and he always managed to amicably settle all disputes. When a road dispute at the Whakamarama occurred some sixteen years ago and the Armed Constabulary were all called in to Tauranga and held under marching orders to proceed to Whakamarama, it was Akuhata's influence that gob the dispute amicably settled, and saved serious trouble.

The deceased will receive a most elaborate tangi and burial on account of his high rank and high personal character. He will be buried at the native cemetery at Rangiwaea, the head settlement of his tribe. The deceased was related to all the leading tribes on the East Coast, and at Wellington and Whanganui, and representatives from all these districts have already notified their intention of attending the tangi, and expressing their grief and feelings of respect for the deceased. The suddenness of Akuhata's death was not expected, but it was hastened by the news of the death of his younger brother, Hamiora Tupaea, at Te Aute, near Napier, last week.

At the time of the To Kooti scare at Tauranga, when the arch-rebel was exacted to attack the settlement any day, it was dread of Hori Tupaea that kept the rebels at bay. When all the white women were brought into camp, and their husbands put under arms, and the whole settlement comparatively bare of military aid, Hori Tupaea sent in a despatch to assure the Europeans of his help and assistance, and that if any attack was made by Te Kooti, he would fall on him in the rear and cutoff his retreat, and destroy him utterly. Te Kooti, hearing of the intentions of Hori Tupaea, and knowing his determined character, did not dare to attack the settlement, although there was but a handful of white men in ib. In 1873 Hori Tupaea visited Wellington, and consulted with Mr. Bryce, the then Native Minister respecting* some native trouble that was brewing at Mercury Bay, and that looked very ominous at the time. The trouble arose over a native Tohunga who had the credit of working much mischief by means of makutu. The Tohunga had such an evil reputation that he was taken out in a canoe into the Bay of Whangamata and quietly dropped overboard and drowned. The Tohunga belonged to the turbulent Ureweras, and on hearing of the outrage a party of the tribe left Whakatane for Mercury Bay for the avowed purpose of slaughtering some members of the Ngaiterangi tribe who were residing there as utu for the drowning of the old Tohunga. Through the influence of Hori Tupaea the Ureweras wore removed from Mercury Bay, and the possibility of a bloody intertribal war that would have extended all through the district was evaded. It subsequently transpired that it was not the Ngaiterangis who drowned the old tohunga, but the natives residing at Mayor Island. Hori Tupaea had three sons and one daughter, and of these the only one now alive is the daughter, who was married to a son of the great chief Te Moananui, and lives at Rangiwaea. Hori Tupaia's wife is still alive, and belongs to the Tapuika tribe, a hapu of the Arawas, settled near Maketu. She must now be over 80 years of age, and is still active and alert, and in full possession of all her mental faculties. When quite a young man Hori Tupaea was renowned as a warrior, and probably his best known exploit was the complete wiping out at Motiti Island of a large war party of the Ngapuhi tribe from the Bay of Islands, who invaded the district in the first part of the century. The war party surprised the Ngaiterangis at Mount Maunganui, and committed frightful slaughter, only one woman escaping. Hori Tupaea, who was quite a young man at the time, hastily gathered together a war party, and in his turn surprised the Ngapuhis at Motiti Island, where they had gone before leaving for homo again. The surprise and slaughter was so complete that not one of the invaders was left to tell the tale. Hori Tupaea was a noted man for keeping his word, and in one case, after a lapse of seven years, was called on to fulfil a promise, which he unhesitatingly did, although at great prejudice to his own personal interests. Hori Tupaea's original settlement was at Otumoetai, near Tauranga, where he lived in the olden times with a large and densely-populated district round him, and where he and his tribe used to load Sydney vessels with flax, pigs, grain, and produce of all kinds.

Source: New Zealand Herald (17 March 1894, p. 1) http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=NZH189403...