Tūhoe

Biography

"When the Mataatua canoe arrived in the Bay of Plenty, the voyagers found three tribes already living there – Ngā Pōtiki, Te Tini o Toi and Te Hapū-oneone. The Mataatua sailed north with most of the crew, leaving only the captain, Toroa, and his family. They intermarried with the original people and over time the Tūhoe people emerged.[...]

The tribe take their name from Tūhoe-pōtiki (or Tūhoe), a great-grandson of Toroa. He and his brothers fought over the land and resources; Tūhoe won. He settled and eventually died at Kāwhia on the North Island’s west coast, but his descendants remained on the land in Te Urewera.[...]

The Tūhoe region is heavily forested, steep country, with fast-running, north-flowing rivers. The people lived mostly in river valleys and small forest clearings. As there was little farming land, they relied on the forests for food, clothing and shelter. They moved from place to place as the seasons changed. Maungapōhatu is the sacred mountain, and Lake Waikaremoana is ‘the bathing waters of the ancestors’."

Rangi McGarvey, 'Ngāi Tūhoe', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/ngai-tuhoe

Note on 'Family' Type for Hapū and Iwi

We hope to accurately provide hapū and iwi affiliations with as many uri (descendants) and tipuna (antecedants) as possible. The Family type has been used as it is the best available method to describe these relationships. The Family category does not describe these relationships fully, and is not intended to do so.