Te Whiti-o-Rongomai was born in 1830 near Ngamotu, Tarinaki and was born around the time of the musket wars. His father was a minor chief of the Te Ata Awi tribe. When Te Whiti grew older he attended Reimenschneiders Mission School in Warea and was excellent at bible studies. He was identified as a teacher/prophet. After leaving school he set up a flour mill in Warea. He lived peacefully on the coast near Parihaka, until 1865 when the troops burnt down his village.With close relative Tohu Kakahi, Te Whiti led the people of Parihaka in their non-violent resistance to the confiscation of Maori land by the New Zealand Government. As a young child, Te Whiti was well educated by Maori elders, who taught him about the traditions of his culture.
In 1879 the Government began to survey 16,000 acres of confiscated Waimate Plain without setting aside Maori reserves. In response, Maori led by Te Whiti and Tohu, began ploughing land occupied by settlers. Arrests followed, but the pace of the protest continued to grow. Parihaka became a symbol for many Maori.
In 1881, 1,600 army and volunteers invaded Parihaka led by John Bryce. The Maori inhabitants, numbering only 2,000 put up no resistance. Instead they greeted him peacefully. The Parihaka leaders, Te Whiti and Tohu were arrested. The Pakeha then destroyed all of the settlements and crops. They took the land unfairly and punished people. He was not released until 1883, when he returned to the ruined Parihaka settlement. Te Whiti and Tohu continued to lead peaceful Maori protest, and Te Whiti was imprisoned again for six months in 1886.
While Te Whiti and Tohu Kakahi were incarcerated, Maori ploughmen came from all over the country to assist them keep their land and prevent the building of roads on Maori land, thousands were arrested and their property confiscated. While Te Whiti was in prison, he played mind games on the prison guards. He attempted to make them doubt their sanity.
I think that Te Whiti was inspirational because he refused to take up arms. He refused to use violence as a defence. He instead peacefully protested. Te Whiti was a man who always stood up for hat he believed in. Sadly both of the Parihaka leaders died in 1907, but their history still remains and it shall for years to come.
By Caela
