Abstract:
Ngāti Tarāwhai are a tribe who have an exceptionally high standing in the world of the arts. They are a tribe remembered for their esteemed tohunga, who aspired and indeed reached the pinnacles of their calling, and are said to be the inheritors of powers from the high priest, Ngātoroirangi and the celestial being Puhaorangi. Today, Ngāti Tarāwhai are scattered throughout the Bay of Plenty. In three localities, constituent hapū of Ngāti Tarāwhai have established marae, as symbols of their identity and hapū solidarity. While as a collective tribe, its population had dispersed and scattered, these marae became the institutions which were to enable these constituent hapū to define, develop and perpetuate their individual hapū identities.
This thesis explores the social identity of three separate constituent hapū of Ngāti Tarāwhai, of the Arawa confederation of tribes. It is a contemporary perspective of these constituent hapū and their marae. Recent decades have seen a reassertion by Ngāti Tarāwhai of their tribal profile within Te Arawa. The narratives pertaining to each of the constituent hapū presented in this thesis, provide a historical framework in which this reassertion can be analysed. The study presents an account of the history of Ngāti Tarāwhai as a collective, before the period of migration and dissipation. It then presents historical narratives pertaining to each of the three constituent hapū to exemplify invariably, how distinct and diverse each of their identities are. This will then demonstrate also, how influential a role the tribal localities of each constituent hapū have on their identity and perhaps their abilities to perpetuate the identities they do within these tribal locations.
Ultimately, the major objective of the thesis has been to consider the proposition that kinship ties, intermarriage, and the influence also of prominent personalities within Ngāti Tarāwhai enable these hapū to perpetuate the appellation of Ngāti Tarāwhai and hence, in varying degrees their Ngāti Tarāswhai identities. The general conclusion in this thesis is to support the proposition.
