- Te Aupōuri
-
Te Aupōuri Iwi of New Zealand 
Rohe (location) Northland Waka (canoe) Māmari Population 8,200 Website http://www.teaupouri.iwi.nz/ 
Ruanui, an ancestor of Te Aupōuri
Te Aupōuri is the northernmost Māori iwi (tribal group), located north of Kaitaia, Northland, New Zealand, a region known as the Aupouri Peninsula.
Contents
The ancestral legend
In Māori, Te Aupouri means "The Dark Cloud". According to legend, the Te Aupōuri came into conflict with the Te Rarawa. The battle between to two eventually caused two other chieftains, Te Ikanui and Wheru, to become besieged in their pā in Pawarenga on Whangape Harbour. To mask their escape, they burnt their possessions and escaped under the cover of the smoke, hence the reference to the "Dark Cloud".
The following is the iwi's chant:
Māori English translation Ko Tawhitirahi te maunga Tawhitirahi was the mountain Ko Te Awapoka te awa Te Awapoka was the river Ko Pārengarenga te moana Pārengarenga was the sea Ko Pōtahi te marae Pōtahi was the marae Ko Waimirirangi te wharehui Waimirirangi was the wharenui Ko Te Rongopātūtaonga te wharekai Rongopātūtaonga was the eating hall Ko Te Kao te kāinga Te Kao was the settlement Ko Te Aupōuri te iwi Te Aupōuri was the tribe Tīhewa mauri ora It is life Ruanui and the polynesian rats
According to the traditions of the Aotea, Horouta and Māmari ancestral canoes, kiore (polynesian rats) were passengers on their voyages from Hawaiki to New Zealand. Carvings on a window frame of Te Ōhākī marae at Ahipara depict the story of Ruanui's rat, Ruanui being the captain of the Māmari canoe. On arriving in Hokianga Harbour, he released his rats onto an island now called Motukiore "rat island".
Notable Te Aupōuri
- Ralph Hotere, artist
- Shane Jones, politician
- Stacey Jones, Rugby League Player
- Rolly Jones, Drainlayer
- Anika Moa, recording artist
References
Categories:- Māori stubs
- Iwi and hapu
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
