Te Pēhi Kupe
Encyclopedia
Te Pēhi Kupe was a Māori rangatira
and war leader of Ngāti Toa
and the uncle of Te Rauparaha
. He took a leading part in what became known as the Musket Wars
.
He led the force that captured Kapiti Island
for Ngāti Toa, then in 1824 managed to brazenly force passage on a ship to England where he was presented to George IV, learned to ride, recorded his moko
and had his portrait painted.
On his return journey he sold the various presents he'd received in Sydney to purchase arms and ammunition, and was soon part of fellow Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha
's 1828 raids on the South Island. After sacking the pā
at Kaikoura
and Omihi they went further south to the major Ngāi Tahu pā at Kaiapoi
, where they wished to trade.
Learning that Te Rauparaha intended to attack them in the morning, and being aware of the attacks on their people at Kaikoura, the Kaiapoi people attacked the Ngati Toa. Te Pēhi was one of three Ngāti Toa chiefs killed as they slept overnight there, and this incident led to the revenge raids by Te Rauparaha in 1830 with the capture of Tamaiharanui from Akaroa and the three month successful siege of Kaiapoi and sacking of Onawe
the next year.
Rangatira
Rangatira are the hereditary Māori leaders of hapū, and were described by ethnologists such as Elsdon Best as chieftains . Ideally, rangatira were people of great practical wisdom who held authority on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between a tribe's land and that of other tribes...
and war leader of Ngāti Toa
Ngati Toa
Ngāti Toa , an iwi , traces its descent from the eponymous ancestor Toarangatira. The Ngāti Toa region extends from Miria-te-kakara at Rangitikei to Wellington, and across Cook Strait to Wairau and Nelson....
and the uncle of Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha was a Māori rangatira and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars. He was influential in the original sale of conquered Rangitane land to the New Zealand Company and was a participant in the Wairau Incident in Marlborough...
. He took a leading part in what became known as the Musket Wars
Musket Wars
The Musket Wars were a series of five hundred or more battles mainly fought between various hapū , sometimes alliances of pan-hapū groups and less often larger iwi of Māori between 1807 and 1842, in New Zealand.Northern tribes such as the rivals Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua were the first to obtain...
.
He led the force that captured Kapiti Island
Kapiti Island
-External links:* , Department of Conservation* * , Nature Coast Enterprise *...
for Ngāti Toa, then in 1824 managed to brazenly force passage on a ship to England where he was presented to George IV, learned to ride, recorded his moko
Moko
In the mythology of Mangaia in the Cook Islands, Moko is a wily character and grandfather of the heroic Ngaru. . Moko is a ruler or king of the lizards, and he orders his lizard subjects to climb into the basket of the sky demon Amai-te-rangi to spy on him...
and had his portrait painted.
On his return journey he sold the various presents he'd received in Sydney to purchase arms and ammunition, and was soon part of fellow Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha was a Māori rangatira and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars. He was influential in the original sale of conquered Rangitane land to the New Zealand Company and was a participant in the Wairau Incident in Marlborough...
's 1828 raids on the South Island. After sacking the pā
Pa
-Places:* Pâ, a town in Burkina Faso* Pâ Department, a department in Burkina Faso* PA postcode area, in Scotland* Province of Palermo, Italy* Palo Alto, California* Panama, ISO country code** .pa, the country code top level domain for Panama...
at Kaikoura
Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 180 km north of Christchurch.Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the Green Globe tourism certification standard....
and Omihi they went further south to the major Ngāi Tahu pā at Kaiapoi
Kaiapoi
Kaiapoi is a town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand, located close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River, and approximately 17 kilometres north of Christchurch....
, where they wished to trade.
Learning that Te Rauparaha intended to attack them in the morning, and being aware of the attacks on their people at Kaikoura, the Kaiapoi people attacked the Ngati Toa. Te Pēhi was one of three Ngāti Toa chiefs killed as they slept overnight there, and this incident led to the revenge raids by Te Rauparaha in 1830 with the capture of Tamaiharanui from Akaroa and the three month successful siege of Kaiapoi and sacking of Onawe
Onawe
The Ōnawe Peninsula is inside Akaroa harbour, on Banks Peninsula in Canterbury, New Zealand.It was the site of a Ngāi Tahu pā captured by Te Rauparaha, chief of the Ngāti Toa in 1831. Up to 1,200 people were killed here, and the land is sacred to Ngāi Tahu so "is deemed to be vested in Te Runanga o...
the next year.