Herea or Hereara (âÂÂ1820), later known as Te Rangi-mÃÂheuheu and Te Heuheu Tà «kino I, was a MÃÂori rangatira of the NgÃÂti Tà «rà «-makina, NgÃÂti ParekÃÂwa, and NgÃÂti Te Koheràhapà « and paramount chief of the NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa iwi of the region around Lake Taupà Â, New Zealand, in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century.
Herea succeeded his father as head of NgÃÂti Tà «rà «-makina in the late eighteenth century. He led a force during the Tà «hoeâÂÂNgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa War. Afterwards, he was one of the candidates to succeed as paramount chief after the death of Te Rangi-tua-mÃÂtotoru. Initially, a distant cousin, Te Wakaiti, was the preferred candidate, but he outraged the senior chiefs of NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa with his arrogant treatment of them and they encouraged Herea to take the position instead, favouring him because of his connections with NgÃÂti Maniapoto of Waikato. After training in the Rangitoto Ranges, he became a master of the pouwhenua and used his newfound skill to defeat the hapà « of NgÃÂti Te Rangiita and then to take the paramount chieftainship by defeating Te Wakaiti in single combat.
As paramount chief he based himself at Waitahanui pa on the Tongariro River delta, where he slowly built up his prestige and authority. He died around 1820 and, after a brief pause, his son Mananui Te Heuheu Tà «kino II succeeded him as paramount chief. His descendants, the Te Heuheu family, continue to hold the paramount chieftainship of NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa today.
Herea was born in the mid-eighteenth century. His father was Tà «kino, through whom he was a direct descendant of Tà «rà «-makina, ancestor of the NgÃÂti Tà «rà «-makina hapà « of Tà «wharetoa and a member of Aitanga a Huruao, the senior hapà « of NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa, as well as NgÃÂti Awa in the Bay of Plenty. He was also a relative of the NgÃÂti Te Rangiita and NgÃÂti Hinemihi hapà « of Tà «wharetoa. HereaâÂÂs mother, Parewairere, belonged to NgÃÂti Maniapoto.
When Te Rangi-pà «mamao of NgÃÂti ParekÃÂwa died in the territory of NgÃÂti Maniapoto, the local people wanted to take the body back to his home for burial, but the journey proved too hard, so they buried him in a cave at Kaiwha on the northwestern corner of Lake Taupà Â. Several years later, Herea led a group to Kaiwha to search for Te Rangi-pà «mamaoâÂÂs bones. This proved to be a difficult task because they were hidden by brushweed (mÃÂheuheu) that had grown up around the cave, but they found them and took them to Waihaha, where they were reburied in Oruawaikaha Cave. When HereaâÂÂs wife Te Rangiaho, who was pregnant at the time, was told about this, she declared that she would name the child Te Heuheu, in honour of the brushweed that had protected Te Rangi-pà «mamao. At the same time, she gave Herea the name Te Rangi-mÃÂheuheu, shortened to Te Heuheu, and the name has become the family name of his descendants.
At the outbreak of the Tà «hoeâÂÂNgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa War, Herea was already leader of NgÃÂti Turumakina. He raised a war party and marched to fight off the Tà «hoe invasion, but did not manage to join up with the Tà «wharetoa forces before the Battle of Orona, where they suffered a devastating defeat. Therefore, he brought his forces to Motutere, home of Te Rangi-tua-mÃÂtotoru, the elderly paramount chief, and began preparing the villageâÂÂs defences. No attack ever took place because Te Rangi-tua-mÃÂtotoru managed to broker a peace with Tà «hoe.
Te Rangi-tua-mÃÂtotoru died shortly after concluding peace with Tà «hoe. The position of paramount chief was not hereditary, so he was not succeeded by his son. Instead, a group of genealogically senior ariki could choose to appoint any member of Tà «wharetoa, if they wished. A group of them, led by Te Whatu-pounamu decided that a new paramount chief should be chosen because Tà «wharetoa was under threat from the tribes to the north and west: NgÃÂti HauÃÂ, Ngati Maru, NgÃÂti Maniapoto, and Waikato Tainui. These tribes were eager to move into Tà «wharetoa territory in the central North Island because they were themselves under pressure from the tribes further north.
The ariki identified three candidates: Tauteka of NgÃÂti Te Aho (modern NgÃÂti Kurauia and NgÃÂti Tà «rangitukua), Te Wakaiti of NgÃÂti Manunui, and Herea. Tauteka was genealogically the senior candidate and a cousin of Te Whatu-pounamu, but he was eliminated from contention because his connections were mainly with Te Arawa, not the northwestern tribes that Tà «wharetoa needed to conciliate. Herea was famous warrior and had close connections with NgÃÂti Maniapoto through his mother and his wife Rangiaho, but he was genealogically the most junior candidate. Te Wakaiti was also a strong warrior with good connections and he had possession of the main tribal atua, Rongomai. As he came from an eastern hapà «, his appointment would also help to keep the western and eastern wings of Tà «wharetoa united. Therefore the ariki chose to appoint him.
However, Te Wakaiti had decided that the position was his by right. When he found out the Te Whatu-pounamu and the other ariki were coming to his home at Pà «kawa to appoint him paramount chief, Te Wakaiti decided to demonstrate his power by murdering the ariki. As they approached, a chieftainess, Te Rangipikitia Rangiwhakaahua shouted at them from Whakarongotukituki Point, trying to warn them that they were in danger. They ignored her and demanded that she go and speak to Te Wakaiti, and he sent her back out to tell them, âÂÂif they come near me, I will drill them full of holes so that daylight shines right through them.â This insult convinced Whatu-pounamu and the other ariki to turn around and appoint Herea as paramount chief instead.
When the ariki came to Herea, he realised that he would need to defeat Te Wakaiti in combat if he assumed the post. Therefore, he travelled to the Rangitoto Range and took instruction from Huahua of Maniapoto in the use of the pouwhenua club, which was Te WakaitiâÂÂs favoured weapon. Once he had become a master of the weapon, Huahua gifted him a powhenua called Arerokapakapa (âÂÂthe throbbing tongueâÂÂ).
According to Huahua, if Herea was to be successful in his bid for power, he had to use Arerokapakapa on his journey home. Therefore, when he stopped at Tuaropakai (Mà Âkai) and the local chief, Te Hoariri of NgÃÂti ParekÃÂwa, asked him to lead a raid on NgÃÂti Te Rangiita in revenge for an earlier slight, Herea jumped at the chance, dismissing Te HoaririâÂÂs warnings about the prowess of NgÃÂti Te Rangiita, with the dedication (now proverbial), âÂÂthatâÂÂs nothing! It is just a grasshopper â two hops and it is caught by the dragonfly!â Herea led his forces to Ohua, where he encountered men of NgÃÂti Te Rangiita, NgÃÂti Te KoherÃÂ, and NgÃÂti Ha, who began to insult him. Following the principle of maroro kokoti ihu waka (a flying fish that gets split by the bow of a war-canoe), he attacked the group and killed their chieftain Te Pohoiti. Then he attacked other members of the tribe, who were out planting kumara, and killed them too, including a young boy called Pango. The lament for him is preserved by John Te Herekiekie Grace. It opens:
Grace also records another song, written by Karangi of Pakawa, a relative of Te Pohoiti, which denigrates Herea as a âÂÂcarved calabashâ (ipu whakairo).
Once he had returned from Rangitoto, Herea travelled with Whatu-pounamu and the other ariki to Pà «kawa and challenged Te Wakaiti to a duel, quickly defeating him. Te Whatu-pounamu directed Herea to perform the ngau taringa (biting of the ear) ritual, in order to take Te WakaitiâÂÂs mana for himself and become the new custodian of the atua Rongomai, but Te Whatu-pounamu prevented him from actually biting Te WakaitiâÂÂs head, a treatment reserved for slaves and prisoners of war. Nevertheless, the prestige of Te Wakaiti and NgÃÂti Manunui was significantly reduced.
As paramount chief, Herea based himself at Waitahanui pa on the Tongariro River delta. HereaâÂÂs position as paramount chief was only gradually accepted by all the hapà « of NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa. He was also outranked in ritual and ceremonial matters by more genealogically senior ariki. In particular, the hapà « of NgÃÂti Te Koheràwas hostile to him, because they were closely linked to NgÃÂti Raukawa, the traditional rivals of HereaâÂÂs mother and wifeâÂÂs iwi, NgÃÂti Maniapoto. Angela Ballara argued that the paramount chieftainship was still a very loose institution in this period and only became solidified in the 1830s or 1840s under HereaâÂÂs son, Te Heuheu II. The Waitangi Tribunal concluded that his authority was based on his military prowess and his knowledge of tribal lore and that his position was one of âÂÂfirst among equalsâÂÂ.
Herea died at Waitahanui and his body was interred in a cave on the Motuoapa Peninsula. Later, NgÃÂti Te Rangiita transferred his remains to a cave in the nearby Parikarangaranga cliffs. His son, Te Heuheu II wrote a lament for him, which is preserved by John Te Herekiekie Grace:
After a period without a paramount leader, Mananui Te Heuheu II was chosen as the new paramount chief and the position has been held by HereaâÂÂs descendants ever since. The current holder is Tumu Te Heuheu.
Herea married Rangiaho of NgÃÂti Maniapoto before he became paramount chief. After he had become paramount chief, Herea fell in love with Tokotoko, during a visit to NgÃÂti Maniapoto and married her. Rangiaho responded to this by hanging herself on the fortifications of Whakatara. HereaâÂÂs lament for Rangiaho is preserved:
Herea and Rangiaho had three sons:
Herea and Tokotoko had a son and a daughter:
Other children include: