Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The Women of the Treaty

Image from Wikipedia.

Last week, I attended one of the Auckland Central Library's lunchtime talk sessions, "Honoured Māori women who signed the Treaty of Waitangi (Ngā Wahine Rangatira i hainatia i te Tiriti o Waitangi)" by Anahera Sadler, Auckland Libraries Pou Whakahaere - Māori Advisor. In her talk, she told us that out of the over 500 names of Maori leaders around the country who signed nine copies of the treaty during 50 hui, 13 were women. As Anahera told us, leadership roles in pre-1840 New Zealand Maori culture were not necessarily restricted to men. These were:

Takurua
Ana Hamu
Marama (ancestor of Dame Whina Cooper)
Ereonora (ancestor of Dame Whina Cooper)
Koroniria Haunui
Kehe te Rau-o-te-Rangi
Pari
Rangi Topeora
Kehu
Nga Raurekau
Rere
Hoana Riutoto (ancestor of Princess Te Puea Hirangi and Tuaiwa Eva Rickard)
Te Wairakau (ancestor of Princess Te Puea Hirangi and Tuaiwa Eva Rickard)

For more information:
Auckland Library's website: Treaty of Waitangi, and Nine Treaties
Ministry of Women's Affairs website: Having a say before the vote (Maori women before 1893)

3 comments:

  1. thank you so much for this information about these mana wahine, would just be awesome to have a bit more backround about each wahine like where they are from and what was their role. thanks

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    Replies
    1. The post is 8 years old. I'm sure you'll be able to find more info now by researching other sites online. :-)

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