item details
W Hawkins; engraver (printmaker); 1847
Overview
NA HORUA, OR TOM STREET,
WITH HIS WIFE E WAI, AND HIS SON TUARAU OR KOPI.
NA Horua, who is more generally known in Cook's Straits as "Tom Street," is the elder brother of the celebrated Rauparaha, the principal chief of the Nga-ti-toa tribe.
Unlike his brother, Na Horua does not enter into the battles and warlike feuds that are constantly engaging the attention of the subtle and crafty Rauparaha; his occupation is that of a cultivator of the ground, and he is the most celebrated "Tohunga," or priest of the tribe, being consulted on all matters of importance, and regarded with respect by his family, who place unlimited confidence in his sage counsels. The heathen superstitions and the rites of tapu are strongly adhered to by this aged chief, who regards the innovations of European customs and the spread of Christianity with evident dislike. Tuarau or Kopi, is a younger son of Na Horua, and was lately married to E Wai, a portrait of whom is given in plate IX., in his ear is the mako taniwa, or shark's tooth, and his garment is a blanket of ample dimensions, purchased from the stores at Wellington. E Wai, the wife of Na Horua, was recovering from illness at the time of my visit, and had therefore been placed under a tapu so strict, that every spot of ground whereon she sat was rendered sacred for a certain number of days; one of these tapued places is represented in the accompanying plate, fenced round with twigs that its sanctity may not be infringed upon.
The scene lies in a potato ground, or clearing from the forest; in the distance is a cooking shed, thatched with nikau leaves. The chief is seated by the trunk of a tree-fern, and the bird sporting near the depending stems of the smilax is that elegant little species, the fan-tailed fly catcher
Text for plate 19: The New Zealanders illustrated / by George French Angas. -- London: Thomas M'Lean, 1847 (RB001054)