A HISTORY OF BLACKBALL: NGAI TAHU AND NGATI WAIRANGI, 18th century

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DescriptionA HISTORY OF BLACKBALL: NGAI TAHU AND NGATI WAIRANGI, 18th century

A number of new iwi moved into Te Tai Poutini in the early eighteenth century. Ngāi Tahu crossed in waka from the North Island. Over the following years they negotiated, or made strategic marriages, or fought battles, with Kāti Māmoe and with one another to establish and expand their territory. At last, towards the end of the eighteenth century, Ngāi Tahu made permanent peace with Kāti Māmoe. The two big iwi of Te Wai Pounamu became in some ways one iwi.
What about Blackball?
Ngāti Wairangi was a small iwi that took control of the Māwheranui valley and its side valleys by the middle of the eighteenth century. The iwi was closely akin to Ngāi Tahu but crossed the straits a little earlier in the century than their cousins then moved into Te Tai Poutini. They built themselves a base pā on the north bank at the mouth of the Māwheranui. The site of the pā would later come to be known as Cobden.
A war broke out in the late eighteenth century between Ngāti Wairangi and Ngāi Tahu. Ngāi Tahu were keen to get control of the pounamu riverbeds in the hands of Ngāti Wairangi. Crossing the Alps around 1790, a war party attacked and razed the pā at Māwhera. A few years later warriors were back on the attack again at Kōtuku-whakaoho, later known as Lake Brunner. Afterwards the invaders went up to Karamea and began to fight a series of battles there and at Whanganui, Kawatiri, Māwhera, Taramakau, Arahura, Hokitika, Ōkarito and Makawhio. The last battle was fought in the Paparoa Range on the other side of the watershed from Blackball.
Ngāti Wairangi were beaten soundly.
The invaders settled permanently and came to be known as Poutini Ngāi Tahu. The new iwi built a pā on the south bank at the mouth of the Māwheranui.
All these movements of people led not only to warfare but also peaceful exchanges, alliances and intermarriage, which meant that nearly everyone in our region by the end of the eighteenth century could trace their whakapapa back not only to ancestors who were Ngāi Tahu or Ngāti Wairangi but also earlier Kāti Māmoe settlers and then, even further back, Waitaha settlers who had come in the thirteenth century.

Pic: waka drawn up on the banks of the Māwheranui near the new pā on the south side of the river; artist J C RichmondMap^[1]ContributorStevan Eldred-Grigg

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Location (city or town)West CoastBlackballEventA HISTORY OF BLACKBALL: NGAI TAHU AND NGATI WAIRANGI, 18th century

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Category TagMaori

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Date Created17th February 2021CommentsJohannes Debreuk
And where was the Waitaha tribe before that. Fascinating history.
Dorothy Wills
Thank you for sharing this! An interesting background article
Robin Wybrow
They came south in the waka Uruao and settled in various parts of Te Wai pounamu. Rakaihautu was their leader and he is credited with digging out the great southern lakes with his magic digging stick a Ko when he finished he buried his Ko above Akaroa harbour because he loved the peninsula and some know this as Mt Bossu .. in recognition of his amazing deeds the people named banks peninsula Te Pataka o Rakaihautu (the great food store house of Rakaihautu... the reality is that Rakaihautu was an explorer and because we had no written language his memory was shrouded in mystery and magic to ensure nobody forgot him ka mihi Robbie
Frances McMillan
Very interesting. Would like to know about the Waitaha people.

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A HISTORY OF BLACKBALL: NGAI TAHU AND NGATI WAIRANGI, 18th century

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