Tangata Whenua (1974)

1974
Poster for Tangata Whenua (1974)

Six histories of the tangata whenua of Aotearoa are explored in this docuseries diving into Māori history, as told by Māori.

Where to watch Tangata Whenua (1974)

Tangata Whenua (1974) is available to stream in New Zealand... More now on TVNZ+ and MĀORI+.

Tangata Whenua (1974) episodes

Episode 1.1

The Spirits and Times will Teach

The aged kuia Ngākahikatea Wirihana reminisces with Te Uira Manihera... More about her early life. Māori elders discuss the significance of moko kauae and the role of kuia who still have them, including Herepo Rongo, then one of the last women with a moko kauae in the Poihākena, Raglan community.

Episode 1.2

The Great Trees

There is a saying about the old leaders 'He Tōtara... More Whakaruruhau’ (they are the great trees giving shelter from the wind). This episode travels to Pūtauaki, the sacred mountain near Whakatāne, a symbol of prestige and the burial place of the chiefs of the Ngāti Awa tribes.

Episode 1.3

Waikato

Waikato explores the relationship Waikato Māori have with the Kīngitanga... More (King movement) and the Waikato River “the bloodstream for the life of the Waikato people.”

Episode 1.4

The Prophets Tuhoe Ringatu

The Tūhoe people of the Urewera country have maintained the... More Ringatū religion founded in the 19th century by Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki. At Mataatua Marae, Ruatāhuna, whānau observe the Tekaumārua, Te Kooti's 24-hour day of prayer on the 12th of every month.

EPISODE 1.5

Tūrangawaewae, A Place to Stand

Tūrangawaewae, A Place to Stand follows the establishment of a... More new urban marae (Maraeroa) in Porirua, while also examining the past reality of life in the rural communities of Tokomaru Bay and Waimā Valley.

EPISODE 1.6

The Carving Cries

We are taken to Pakirikiri marae, Tokomaru Bay where there... More is a carving that people say will weep when something in the Māori world is lost. Māori Battalion members remember their lost comrades at an ANZAC service near Tikitiki while a Kotahitanga meeting near Ruatōria discusses the politics of Māori nationalism.