In 1844, Hone Heke challenged the extent of the
authority of the new British government.
Ko wai ra te tangata nei
I whakanene atu
He rangatira nō Ngāpuhi
Anei ko Hone Heke e
He tangata toa tēnei
Ki tōna iwi Māori
Ka whakahīhī ki te Kāwanatanga
O te kiri ma e
Kororāreka te kāinga
Tāpeka te maunga nui
Kia kaha rā, e mara1
E koro Hone Heke e
Pikia Tapeka e
Porohia te pouhaki o Ingarangi2
Kia hinga te mana o te Pākehā
Kia hiwa rā Hone Heke!
He rangatira nō Ngāpuhi x2
He tangata toa
Te mananui o te iwi Māori
Ka hiwa rā Hone Heke
Who was this man
Who put out the challenge?
A chief from Ngapuhi
This was Hone Heke
He was a strong man In the eyes of
his Maori people
He challenged the government
Of the white skinned people
Russell was his home
Tapeka his lofty mountain
Be strong, oh friend
Respected Hone Heke.
Tapeka was climbed and the
flagpole of England knocked flat
to overcome the power of the Pakeha.
Keep alert there Hone Heke!
A chief of Ngapuhi
A strong man
The pride of the Maori people
Keep alert there Hone Heke!
1. "E mara" is is a Northern variant of
"E hoa" - "O friend."
2. "Porohia" is a Northern variant of
Porowhia, the passive form of Porowha, to knock
flat.
Some versions use "Parangia te
pouhaki o Ingarangi" - the flagpole of England
was 'made very drowsy.'
Guitar Chords
This song is being sung here in the
key of B flat.
On a guitar you can use the bar chords
B♭ E♭ and F.
Then A♭ B♭
in the closing verse.
Or you can put a capo on the first
fret and use these easier chords.
Capo +1 A Ko wai ra
te tangata nei D I
whakanene A
atu D He
rangatira A
nō Ngāpuhi E Anei ko A
Hone Heke e...
....
...He rangatira G
nō Ngāpu-A-hi
x2
He tangata G to-A-a
Te mananui G
o te iwi A
Māori
Ka hiwa rā G
Hone He-A-ke
The Flagstaff War
In the 1820s and 1830s, Kororareka in the Bay
of Islands was the biggest whaling port in the
southern hemisphere. Ngapuhi Maori supplied up
to a dozen whaling ships at a time with kauri
timber, pork, potatoes and young women. They
traded these to obtain whisky and tobacco, plus
guns and ammunition for their raids on tribes
further south.
Then the other tribes also purchased guns and
counter-attacked the Ngapuhi. By the late 1830s,
war, famine and disease had depopulated many
areas.
In 1840, a treaty was signed with the British
government to bring law and order back into the
country. To fund this work, the British governor
imposed customs duties, and he then curbed
deforestation, land sales and gun-running,
causing a slump in the economy at Kororareka.
This
greatly displeased Hone Heke, a highly
influential local chief. He was further upset
when the governor imposed British punishment on
Maori offenders, instead of leaving the local
chiefs to assert their local authority, or
rangatira-tanga and deal with the
offenders themselves.
In 1844, as a sign of his displeasure, Heke and
his followers repeatedly cut down the flagstaff
on the hill above Kororareka. The British kept
putting it up again and finally put a guard
around the flagpole, but the 4th time Heke
chopped it down his men also killed all the
guards and attacked Kororareka township.
The British then sent in troops supported by
other Ngapuhi who were in favour of British law,
and indecisive battles were fought in the area
until a truce was made in 1846.
Hone Heke died in 1850, and in 1858 the
flagstaff was erected for the 5th time by 400
Ngapuhi who had fought with him. The name they
gave to the Union Jack flown from its peak was
Whaka-kotahi-tanga, “being at one with
the Queen.”
This
greatly displeased Hone Heke, a highly
influential local chief. He was further upset
when the governor imposed British punishment on
Maori offenders, instead of leaving the local
chiefs to assert their local authority, or
rangatira-tanga and deal with the
offenders themselves.