Hēmi Tōpine Te Mamaku (died June 1887) was a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

chief in the Ngāti Hāua-te-rangi

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

from the

Whanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...

region of New Zealand's

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

. Te Mamaku was born probably in the late 18th century and raised in the Whanganui area. As tribal chief he commanded a

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...

at Tuhua, at a strategic position on the Ohura River, north of

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kūiti and 55 km west of T� ...

. During the

Musket Wars The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori people, Māori between 1806 and 1845, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an inte ...

Te Mamaku was sometimes allied with

Ngāti Toa Ngāti Toa, also called Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and the northern South Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Toa remains a small iwi with a population of ...

chief

Te Rauparaha Te Rauparaha ( – 27 November 1849) was a Māori rangatira, warlord, and chief of the Ngāti Toa iwi. One of the most powerful military leaders of the Musket Wars, Te Rauparaha fought a war of conquest that greatly expanded Ngāti Toa south ...

and sometimes fought against him. At the outbreak of the Hutt Valley Campaign in 1846, he was firmly on the side of Te Rauparaha's nephew

Te Rangihaeata Te Rangihaeata ( 1780s – 18 November 1855) was a Ngāti Toa chief and a nephew of Te Rauparaha. He played a leading part in the Wairau Affray and the Hutt Valley Campaign. Early life Te Rangihaeata, a member of the Māori iwi Ngāti Toa, was ...

in resisting the encroachment of European settlers on to Māori land. On 16 May 1846, Te Mamaku led a force of about 200 warriors in a devastating surprise dawn attack on British troops at Boulcott's Farm in the Hutt Valley. Afterwards, he sent letters to other chiefs in the Whanganui area urging them to join in the conflict. Some were intercepted and forwarded to the government, which may have precipitated

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

's decision to arrest Te Rauparaha. Returning to

Wanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest nav ...

(then known as Petre) in September 1846, Te Mamaku told the 200 European settlers that he had no quarrel with them and would protect them from attack by other Māori, but that he would not tolerate the presence of government troops. The government sent troops there in December. In April 1847, four Māori were hanged for the murder of the Gilfillan settler family. Te Mamaku believed they should have been handed over for tribal justice. Raids on the outlying farms intensified, and in May, Te Mamaku led a war party of up to 700 warriors that besieged the town. A battle on 20 July resulted in about a dozen casualties on each side, after which the siege was lifted and Te Mamaku returned to his stronghold in the Pipiriki area, up the

Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natur ...

. Te Mamaku was baptised by Richard Taylor and took the baptismal name Hēmi Tōpine (James Stovin) on 25 December 1853. In 1857, Te Mamaku was offered the Māori kingship, but declined. He did join the Kingitanga movement in 1858 in their opposition to the sale of Māori land. He did not get involved in the Battle of

Moutoa Island Moutoa Island is an island of shingle approximately long, up the Whanganui River, New Zealand between the towns of Rānana and Hiruharama. Surrounded by rapids, it has been the site of many battles, the most famous being on 14 May 1864, be ...

, but was probably fighting alongside the

Pai Mārire The Pai Mārire movement (commonly known as Hauhau) was a syncretic Māori religion founded in Taranaki by the prophet Te Ua Haumēne. It flourished in the North Island from about 1863 to 1874. Pai Mārire incorporated biblical and Māori sp ...

forces at Ōhoutahi in the

Second Taranaki War The Second Taranaki War is a term used by some historians for the period of hostilities between Māori and the New Zealand Government in the Taranaki district of New Zealand between 1863 and 1866. The term is avoided by some historians, who ei ...

. Despite this, within a few years, he was regarded as a man of peace and had the respect of the government. He opposed

Te Kooti Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki ( 1832–1893) was a Māori leader and guerrilla fighter who was the founder of the Ringatū religion. While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to ...

but was firm in his belief that the

King Country The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...

was sacrosanct Māori territory, even to the extent of executing one Pākehā man who persisted in entering the area. In 1880, he joined

Te Keepa te Rangihiwinui Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui (died 15 April 1898) was a Māori military commander and noted ally of the government forces during the New Zealand Wars. First known as Te Rangihiwinui, he was later known as Te Keepa, Meiha Keepa, Major Keepa or Maj ...

in a trust to protect the Māori land of the upper Wanganui River from sale to the Pākehā. In his later years, Te Mamaku appears to have accepted many of the changes that Europeanisation brought to his area. He died in June 1887 at Tāwhata, near

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Te Mamaku 1887 deaths Military leaders of the New Zealand Wars Musket Wars People from Whanganui Year of birth unknown