36: Ngati Hotu (the redheads)

Ngāti Hotu were believed to have been part of the Tini o Toi Tribes of the Bay of Plenty tradition describes Ngāti Hotu as 'a very fierce and warlike people' whom it took many generations of warfare to destroy before the final battle around 1450. Why did it begin around this date? Because they were here long before Maori arrived and it would have taken about 70 years for what we know as Maori to grow in strength and move inland from the coast. Other Maori traditions describe them as spirit people, which as is typical in Māori tradition, had reddish hair, green eyes and whitish skin, symbolizing their tapu nature. With the final remnant of Ngati Hotu escaping into the forests, that would begin the legend. All legends begin with an element of truth.

Ngāti Hotu were found living around the shores of lakes Taupo when Tia he explorer arrived and he was disappointed to find a large tribe already living there. Tia is supposed to have been here with the arrival of the Te Araw canoe but that would mean an arrival only 700 years ago. If they were exploring NZ from Polynesia since 800AD ( 1200 years ago) then finding Ngati Hotu would not have been a surprise. The migrations came to NZ based on the fact no one was here supposedly.

Ngāti Hotu suffered a major defeat at the battle of Pukekaikiore ('hill of the meal of rats') to the southwest of Lake Taupo where Ngāti Tūwharetoa devastated them, causing the few survivors to flee. Apparently some of the survivors settled around the village of Kakahi ('freshwater mussels') which lies 30 kilometres west of Lake Taupo. They were discovered there by a party of Whanganui Māori journeying up the river who soon called for reinforcements to attack the settlement.

Why would this occur? Because they were not Maori as we know it. Ngati Hotu looked different and lived different and with Maori if you do not think like th do, you are the one who is wrong and to be eliminated. There were many battles but the final, brutal episode of the battle was played out on the flats between Kakahi and the Whanganui river when the now, effectively victorious Whanganui Māori hung the legs of fallen Ngāti Hotu warriors from poles mounted in the forks of trees - a gesture at which their remaining enemies broke and fled off into the depths of the King Country to vanish from history. This occurred around 1450, only 70 years after Maori first arrived. Tūwharetoa therefore, only claim right to Taupo by means of conquest and war. Not much different to Maori land taken by British troops or the government really.

Monica Matamua (pictured above) is one who has been very vocal about her heritage. You can find her story 15 minutes into this video... http://ow.ly/Zheb3

Although the jury is still out, in the mind of many, on whether Ngati Hotu still exists, there are many examples of historical books which assert that they are still alive and well. In fact in an excerpt from information written by Sir John Te Herekiekie Grace in his history of the Tuwharetoa, who occupied the Taupo district, he writes: “Ngati Tuwharetoa was a tribe that originally settled on the Bay of Plenty coast and during the 16th century found its way into Taupo. It found these tribes in occupation of the district, but by gradual absorption, diplomatic alliances and aggressive warfare, finally took complete possession of the land. The original occupants of the land were a tribe of the fair skinned and flaxen haired people called Ngati Hotu. They lived by the lake in company with another fair skinned tribe, Ngati Ruakopiri. The third tribe was Ngati Kurapoto.” (Grace, 1992, 19).

But Monica still continues to battle for land which has been vandalised and ignored. Land that had been treated with such respect prior to being taken into possession by the Treaty of Waitangi land claims department. “Why take it, only to leave it in such a state?” asks Monica. “There are only two people in our tribe that can speak our language now and it is nothing like Maori, in fact it is nothing like a language I have ever heard before.”