6b. AWANUIARANGI

6b AWANUIARANGI

Te Awanuiarangi is an ancestor who is associated with the early history of Te Atiawa of Taranaki, Ngati Awa of the Whakatane region and isolated groups in the North can trace relationships to this ancestor. He was the younger brother of Rauru and together the brothers accounted for many tribal groups in the east and west of the North Island. In early times the people of Awanuiarangi lived in the north especially around the regions of Kaitaia and Victoria Valley. Numerous burial grounds in the North belonged to Ngati Awa and remained sacred to the turn of the century. The descendants of Awanuiarangi were eventually driven out of the North by Ngati Whatua and Ngapuhi. Then it was, that under their chief Kauri, the people moved to Tauranga and Waitara. Ngati Kahungunu is said to have risen out of this migration southward.

According to Mataatua traditions, Rauru and Awanuiarangi were the sons of Toi and Te Kurairnonoa. But in the traditions of Taranaki, Toi married Wairerekiao and bore Ruarangi who married Rongoueroa. Rongoueroa in turn produced first Rauru and then Awanuiarangi. On other versions Rongoueroa married Tamarau and produced Awanuiarangi. Thus the genealogies are far from clear, nor is there general agreement among the various descendant groups of Awanuiarangi. Again the traditions are not clear about who Awanuiarangi's wife was: but according to one tradition it was Tapaturangi.

Elsdon Best showed in his research that Tuhoe came down the Awanuiarangi line while most of Ngati Awa came under Rauru. This sort of result requires further research. Much of the doubt may be due to the fact that Awanuiarangi is a descendant of Toroa, captain of Mataatua. This line is Toroa, Ruaihona, Tahinga-o-te-ra, Awanuiarangi.