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Te Kooti and Tūhoe History

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Te Kooti and Tūhoe History

Read the account first. Use evidence from it to answer the questions. Some questions ask you to explain your thinking; more than one well-supported answer may be possible.

A time of conflict and refuge

Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Tūruki was a Māori leader and the founder of the Ringatū faith. In 1866, during a time of conflict, the colonial government sent him and other Māori to Rēkohu (the Chatham Islands) without a trial. Te Kooti was accused of supporting the government’s opponents, but he was not given a chance to defend himself in court. In 1868, Te Kooti and about 150 others escaped from Rēkohu aboard the schooner Rifleman. They returned to the North Island. Fighting followed between Te Kooti’s followers and government forces and their allies. Tūhoe communities lived in and around Te Urewera. During the fighting, some Tūhoe people gave Te Kooti and his followers shelter, food and support. Relationships between groups were shaped by kinship, local connections and changing circumstances; Tūhoe were not one single group with one view. From 1869 to 1872, Crown forces campaigned in Te Urewera and other areas. In some places, they used a scorched-earth approach: destroying food stores, homes and other resources to make it harder for their opponents to continue. These actions also harmed local communities. The conflict brought loss, disruption and difficult choices for Māori communities. Te Kooti eventually left Te Urewera. In 1883, he received a pardon.

Check the evidence

Answer using the account above.

1.In which year was Te Kooti sent to Rēkohu, and what was unusual about the way he was sent?

2.Choose the event that happened in 1868.

Te Kooti received a pardon.
Te Kooti and about 150 others escaped from Rēkohu.
The Crown campaign in Te Urewera ended.
Te Kooti was sent to Rēkohu.

3.Put these events in chronological order by writing 1, 2, 3 and 4 beside them: Te Kooti received a pardon; he escaped from Rēkohu; he was sent to Rēkohu; Crown campaigns took place in Te Urewera.

4.What does “without a trial” mean in this account? Choose the best explanation.

Te Kooti chose not to attend court.
He was sent away without a court hearing where he could answer the accusation.
He was tried by a group of Tūhoe leaders.
He was found innocent by a jury.

5.According to the account, name two kinds of support some Tūhoe people gave Te Kooti and his followers.

6.True or false? The account says every Tūhoe person held the same view about Te Kooti and the conflict. Give one detail from the text to support your answer.

TrueFalse

7.What was a scorched-earth approach intended to do, and name one thing that could be destroyed as part of it.

8.Complete the cause-and-effect link: Crown forces destroyed food stores and homes in some places. One likely effect on local communities was .

9.The account uses the phrase “difficult choices” about Māori communities. Explain one reason communities may have faced difficult choices during the conflict.

10.The account says Te Kooti received a pardon in 1883. Does a pardon by itself tell us how everyone affected by the conflict felt? Explain your answer.