Ngā Tohu Wāhine me Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Ngā Tohu Wāhine and Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Pānuitia ngā kōrero mō ētahi o ngā wāhine i waitohu i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ka āta titiro ai ki ā rātou waitohu.
Read about some of the wāhine who signed the Treaty of Waitangi and see their signatures in more detail.
I te 1877 ka tāruatia ia whārangi, i mua o te tūkinotanga o ngā whārangi o Waitangi me te Herald-Bunbury. Ko te tikanga o tēnei, ahakoa kei te ngaro ētahi wāhanga o te kiri kararehe, e mau tonu ana ia kaiwaitohu. Ahakoa tonu e mau ana ngā ingoa me ngā tohu, he uaua te pānui i ngā tuhituhi o te rautau 19, me te whakataurite i ēnei ki ngā tāngata tika. Me whakapeto ngoi ki te tautohu i ngā tāngata ingoa Māori i te mea he maha ngā ingoa Māori taharua, arā he ingoa wahine, tāne hoki.
I tēnei wā, 18 ngā kaiwaitohu kua tautohua hei wahine pea, tekau o ēnei he tūturu, ā, e ono tērā pea, otirā e rua ngā mea kāore i te tino mōhio nā te kore mōhiohio. Kitea ai ā rātou tohu i runga i ngā whārangi e toru o te iwa; te whārangi o Waitangi, o Raukawa-Moana me Waikato-Manukau.
I tēnei tuhinga poto, ka miramira ahau i ngā tohu 18 katoa, ka whakanui i tētahi mai i ia whārangi, ā, mēnā ka taea, ka tuku whakamārama o te take i noho pōnānā tonu ana. Ka kitea hoki he tirohanga paku ki ā rātou kōrero i te ipurangi ki NZ History mā te pāwhiri ki ia ingoa kaiwaitohu, i roto rānei i te tānga o Te Tiriti o Waitangi, 1840.
He rerekē ngā kōrero a tēnā, ā tēnā, nā reira mēnā he kōrero āu, tēnā whakamōhio mai.
In 1877 a facsimile copy was made of each sheet, before the Waitangi and Herald-Bunbury sheets were damaged. This means that although segments of parchment are missing we still have a record of each signatory. That said, even though the names and tohu are there, reading 19th-century handwriting and then matching these with the correct people can be difficult. Identifying people with Māori names can require extra effort as many ingoa Māori are gender-neutral.
So far up to 18 possible wāhine signatories have been identified, ten of which are certain, six likely, and another two where there is very little or conflicting information available. Their tohu appear on three of the nine sheets; Waitangi, Raukawa-Moana Cook Strait and Waikato-Manukau.
In this short article I highlight the tohu of all 18, feature at least one from each sheet, and where possible give some context as to why uncertainty remains. A snapshot of their stories can be also found online at NZ History by clicking on each signatory’s name, or within the publication Te Tiriti o Waitangi, The Treaty of Waitangi, 1840.
Some information between sources does vary, so if you have any other knowledge to share let us know.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Whārangi o Waitangi
Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Waitangi sheet
Ngā kaiwaitohu o te whārangi o Waitangi kei NZHistory
Ngā tāngata e mōhiotia ana
Ana Hamu | Ingoa katoa Ana Hamu | Iwi Ngāpuhi | Hapū Te Uri-o-Ngongō
I waitohua i Waitangi, 6 o Pēpuere 1840
Waitangi sheet signatories on NZHistory
Identities known
Ana Hamu | Full name Ana Hamu | Iwi Ngāpuhi | Hapū Te Uri-o-Ngongō
Signed at Waitangi, 6 February 1840
Ko Ana Hamu te wahine tuatahi ki te waitohu i Te Tiriti He rangatira hoki ia, ko ia te pouaru a Te Koki, he rangatira nui o Ngāpuhi. Nāna ngā whenua i tuku mō te teihana mīhana o Te Rōpū Hāhi Mihinare i Paihia. I te wā e ora ana a Te Koki, i tautoko rāua i te mīhana i Paihia, ā, ka noho ki reira mō ētahi tau. Ka noho tonu a Ana Hamu i reira i muri i te matenga o Te Koki otirā he mana nui tōna i te hapori. Tokorua, neke atu pea, ngā tama a Ana Hamu. Ko tētahi ko Te Ahara, i mate i te wā e ako ana i te kura Māori a Samuel Marsden i Parramatta, New South Wales. Ko tētahi atu tama, ko Rangituke, i kōhurutia i Tāmaki i te 1828.
Takurua Iwi Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi | Hapū Ngāti Korokoro, Ngāti Rangi
I waitohu pea i Te Pēwhairangi, kāore i mōhiotia te rā
Ana Hamu was the first woman to sign Te Tiriti. A rangatira in her own right, she was a widow of Te Koki, a high-ranking Ngāpuhi chief. She gifted the land for the Paihia Church Missionary Society mission station. When Te Koki had been alive, the two had supported the mission at Paihia and lived there for several years. Ana Hamu continued to live there after Te Koki died, wielding great influence in the community. Ana Hamu had at least two sons. One, Te Ahara, died while studying at Samuel Marsden’s Māori school at Parramatta, New South Wales. Another son, Rangituke, was killed at Tāmaki in 1828.
Takurua | Iwi Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi | Hapū Ngāti Korokoro, Ngāti Rangi
Signed probably at the Bay of Islands, unknown date
Tērā pea he wahine a Te Mārama, otirā he ingoa wahine hoki tēnei.
Moe Ngaherehere | Ingoa katoa Moengaherehere | Iwi Te Rarawa
I waitohu pea i Te Pēwhairangi, kāore i mōhiotia te rā.
Te Mārama may have been a woman, as this is commonly a woman’s name.
Moe Ngaherehere | Full name Moengaherehere | Iwi Te Rarawa
Probably signed at the Bay of Islands, date unknown.
Tērā pea ko Arihia Moengaherehere tēnei, he wahine rangatira o Te Rarawa, ko tōna matua rānei, i te mea ko Moengaherehere hoki tōna ingoa.
Marama | Iwi Te Rarawa | Hapū Ngāi Takoto
I waitohua i Kaitaia, 28 o Āperira 1840
This signatory could be Arihia Moengaherehere, a wahine rangatira of Te Rarawa, or possibly her father, also called Moengaherehere.
Marama | Iwi Te Rarawa | Hapū Ngāi Takoto
Signed at Kaitāia, 28 April 1840
He ingoa wahine a Mārama i te nuinga o te wā.
Koroniria Nuau | Ingoa katoa, ko Koronīria Nuau | Iwi Te Rarawa
I waitohua i Kaitaia, 28 o Āperira 1840
Mārama is usually a woman's name.
Koroniria Nuau | Full name Koronīria Nuau | Iwi Te Rarawa
Signed at Kaitāia, 28 April 1840
Tērā pea he wahine tēnei, i tautohua e Tā Āpirana Ngata ko Koronīria Haunui.
This signatory may have been a woman, identified by Tā Āpirana Ngata as Koronīria Haunui.
Te Tiriti ki Raukawa Moana – The Cook Strait (Henry Williams) Sheet
Te Tiriti ki Raukawa Moana – The Cook Strait (Henry Williams) Sheet
Ngā kaiwaitohu i te whārangi o Te Tiriti ki Raukawa Moana kei NZHistory
Ngā tāngata e mōhiotia ana
Kahe | Ingoa katoa ko Kahe Te Rau-o-te-rangi | Iwi Ngāti Toa, Te Āti Awa
I waitohua i Pōneke, 29 o Āperira 1840
Te Tiriti ki Raukawa Moana sheet signatories on NZHistory
Identities known
Kahe | Full name Kahe Te Rau-o-te-rangi | Iwi Ngāti Toa, Te Āti Awa
Signed at Port Nicholson, 29 April 1840
Ko ia te tamāhine a Te Matoha, rangatira o Ngāti Toa, i mate i mua i te wā o te waitohutanga o Te Tiriti. I waitohu pea a Kahe mō tōna whānau me tōna matua. He rongonui ia mōna i kautāhoe mai i te Motu o Kāpiti ki te tuawhenua i te 1824, me tana tamāhine a Rīpeka e pīkautia ana i tōna tuarā, ki te whakatūpato i a Ngāti Toa mō tētahi whakaekenga. Ko te ingoa o taua wāhi ināianei ko te Awa o Rauoterangi.
Pakewa | Ingoa katoa Pakewa | Iwi Te Āti Awa | Hapū Puketapu?
I waitohua i Pōneke, 29 o Āperira 1840
She was the daughter of Ngāti Toa rangatira Te Matoha, who died before the signing of Te Tiriti. Kahe probably signed on behalf of her family and father. She is famous for her epic 1824 swim from Kapiti Island to the mainland, with her daughter, Rīpeka, strapped on her back, to warn Ngāti Toa of an impending invasion. That stretch of sea is now called Rauoterangi Channel.
Pakewa | Full name Pākewa | Iwi Te Āti Awa | Hapū Puketapu?
Signed at Port Nicholson, 29 April 1840
Tērā pea ko ōna mātua ko Ngākoro rāua ko Te Hurupoki (o Ngāti Ruanui). I moea e ia a Rāwiri Nukaiahu, ā, ka hūnuku rāua i Taranaki ki Waikanaae i ngā tau o te 1830. E ai ki ngā uri, tokowaru ngā tamariki a Pākewa rāua ko Rāwiri, tae atu ki ngā tamāhine e rua, ko Mere rāua ko Pairoke.
Pari | Iwi Ngāti Koata
I waitohu i te 11 o Mei 1840, Rangitoto
Her parents may have been Ngākoro and Te Hurupoki (of Ngāti Ruanui). She married Rāwiri Nukaiahu and they migrated from Taranaki to Waikanae around the 1830s. Descendants say that Pākewa and Rāwiri had eight children, including two daughters named Mere and Pairoke.
Pari | Iwi Ngāti Koata
Signed on 11 May 1840, Rangitoto - D’Urville Island
Topeora | Ingoa katoa ko Te Rangitopeora | Iwi Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa | Hapū Ngāti Kimihia, Ngāti Te Maunu
I waitohua i te 14 o Mei 1840, tērā pea i Kāpiti
Topeora | Full name Te Rangitopeora | Iwi Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa | Hapū Ngāti Kimihia, Ngāti Te Maunu
Signed on 14 May 1840, possibly at Kapiti
Rere | Ingoa katoa Rāwinia Rere-o-maki | Iwi Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi | Hapū Ngāti Ruakā, Ngāti Tūpoho, Te Arawa
I waitohua i Whanganui i te 23 o Mei 1840
Rere | Full name Rāwinia Rere-o-maki | Iwi Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi | Hapū Ngāti Ruakā, Ngāti Tūpoho, Te Arawa
Signed at Whanganui on 23 May 1840
Akene pea koinei ngā tuakiri o ēnei tāngata
Ngākirikiri | Ingoa katoa ko Ngākirikiri
I waitohu i Tōtara-nui i te 5 o Mei 1840
Identities likely or possible
Ngakirikiri | Full name Ngākirikiri
Signed at Queen Charlotte Sound on 5 May 1840
E ai ki ngā kōrero, he wahine tēnei kaiwaitohu, i te mea he ingoa wahine tēnei. Engari, ko te kī a tētahi, i hoki tētahi rangatira ki Taranaki me tēnei ingoa i te 1842 ki te tiaki i ōna tika whenua.
Ngāraurēkau | Ingoa katoa ko Ngāraurēkau | Iwi Te Āti Awa
I waitohu i Waikanae, 16 o Mei 1840
It has been suggested that this signatory is a woman, as this could be a woman’s name. However, one source notes that a male rangatira with this name returned to Taranaki in 1842 to protect his land rights.
Ngāraurekau | Full name Ngāraurēkau | Iwi Te Āti Awa
Signed at Waikanae, 16 May 1840
Tērā pea ko Ngā-raurēkau o Te Āti Awa tēnei i hunuku i Waikanae ki Waitara.
Possibly Ngā-raurēkau of Te Āti Awa who moved from Waikanae to Waitara.
Te Tiriti ki Waikato-Manukau
Te Tiriti ki Waikato-Manukau
Ngā kaiwaitohu o te whārangi o te Tiriti ki Waikato-Manukau kei NZHistory
Ngā tāngata e mōhiotia ana
Hoana Riutoto | Iwi Waikato | Hapū Ngāti Mahuta
I waitohu i Te Pūaha o Waikato, i te hiku o Māehe, pane rānei o Āperira 1840
Te Tiriti ki Waikato-Manukau signatories on NZHIstory
Identities known
Hoana Riutoto | Iwi Waikato | Hapū Ngāti Mahuta
Signed at Waikato Heads, late March or early April 1840
I waitohu a Hoana Riutoto i Te Tiriti i te teihana mīhana o Te Pūaha o Waikato i te hiku o Māehe, i te pane rānei o Āperira 1840. Ko ia tētahi o ngā wāhine tokoiti i waitohu i Te Tiriti. He tipuna ia nō Te Puea Hērangi. He rangatira inati a Te Puea o te Kīngitanga, i aro ki te oranga o te tangata me ngā ture whenua. Nāna i ārahi te mautohe a Waikato ki te take māpere, otirā nāna a Tūrangawaewae i whakatū, hei nōhanga mō te Kīngitanga.
Akene pea koinei ngā tuakiri o ēnei tāngata
Ko te ta Wha | Ingoa katoa ko Te Tawhā | Iwi Waikato | Hapū Ngāti Te Ata
I waitohu i Manukau, 26 o Āperira 1840
Hoana Riutoto signed Te Tiriti at the Waikato Heads mission station in late March or early April 1840. She was one of the few women who signed the Treaty. She was an ancestor of Te Puea Hērangi. Te Puea was a formidable leader of the Kīngitanga, focusing on social welfare and land policy. She led the Waikato opposition to conscription, and established Tūrangawaewae, the seat of the Kīngitanga.
Identities likely or possible
Ko te ta Wha | Full name Te Tawhā | Iwi Waikato | Hapū Ngāti Te Ata
Signed at Manukau Harbour, 26 April 1840
E ai ki ngā uri, he wahine rangatira tēnei kaiwaitohu, he wahine tapairu, o te hapū o Ngāti Te Ata o Waikato, ko ngā whenua i Waiuku.
Te Wairākau | Ingoa katoa ko Te Wairākau | Iwi Waikato | Hapū Ngāti Te Ata
I waitohu i Te Pūaha o Waikato, i te hiku o Māehe, pane rānei o Āperira 1840
Descendants say that this signatory was a wahine rangatira, an aristocratic woman, of the Waikato hapū Ngāti Te Ata, with land at Waiuku.
Te Wairakau | Full name Te Wairākau | Iwi Waikato | Hapū Ngāti Te Ata
Signed at Waikato Heads, late March or early April 1840
Tērā pea he tipuna nō Te Puea Hērangi nāna i ārahi te mautohe a Waikato ki te take māpere, otirā nāna a Tūrangawaewae i whakatū, hei nōhanga mō te Kīngitanga.
Possibly an ancestor of Te Puea Hērangi, who led the Waikato opposition to conscription, and established Tūrangawaewae, the seat of the Kīngitanga