Opotiki-Mai-Tawhiti: Capital of Whakatohea

by Ranginui Walker

This is a tribal history of Maori scholar Ranginui Walker's own iwi, Whakatohea of Opotiki, with the emphasis on the epic events of the nineteenth century and the tribe's subsequent struggle for social justice. The account of what happened to the tribe in the nineteenth century is challenging and often quite gripping. Whakatohea were devastated by the Musket Wars of the 1820s. In fact, the town of Opotiki was deserted for a decade. Then, in the 1840s and 1850s the tribe enjoyed great economic prosperity, growing crops and owning coastal ships. The Land Wars, however, were a disaster for Whakatohea following the famous Rev. Volkner affair. A large column of imperial troops invaded their territory. Property was looted and destroyed, their land confiscated. As Ranginui Walker himself says, 'the history of Whakatohea is a microcosm of the history of New Zealand'. Settlement of their claim before the Waitangi Tribunal is still pending."

331 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Reena Kainamu Softail_stories · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opotiki was my home and workplace 2014 - 2020. Dr Ranginui Walker, no Te Whakatohea, historical read of the iwi's pre-colonial society and the collision with government forces and settler greed, the wrongful execution of Mokomoko and the alienation of hapu from prime whenua. Living in Opotiki I saw pride as local teams took out national kapa haka titles, the honouring of lives lost in the re-enactment of the first militia ordered charge against it's people from the 19th century and the growth of major mussel farming. A must read for manuhiri and tauiwi in the Opotiki district. In an ope of mana whenua, we accompanied Walker, 2016, and his whanau to his final resting place at a Ngati Whatua marae (Bastion Point).Walker gifted historical and contemporary accounts of resistance, revitalisation and of our own ancient scholarship and civilization.