Hone Heke

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Hone Heke with his wife Hariata, circa 1845

Hone Wiremu Heke Pokai (* around 1810; † August 6, 1850 ) was a Māori chief in New Zealand . It is considered to be the trigger for the Flagstaff War ( Flagpole War ) 1845 to 1846, the first episode of the New Zealand Wars from 1845 to 1872.

origin

Heke was born in Pakaraka south of Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands . He was a member of the Iwi of the Ngāpuhi and, thanks to sufficient mana, had a correspondingly great influence on his tribe. He grew up in the Kaikohe area and barely survived the wars between the tribes. As a youth he attended the Kerikeri Mission School and came under the influence of the missionary Henry Williams . Heke eventually converted to Christianity with his wife and became a lay preacher .

warrior

However, Hone Heke became famous as a warrior. He took part in the first battle of Kororareka in 1830, in Titores' expedition to Tauranga , and fought with him against Pomare II in 1837.

Hone Heke was one of the signatories to the Waitangi Treaty on February 6, 1840.

Heke's doubts about the Waitangi Treaty turned out to be justified. The capital of New Zealand was moved from Kororareka to Auckland . As a result, the Bay of Islands region no longer received any government revenue, no more tariffs, and no more kauri trees were allowed to be felled. Furthermore, from now on land could only be sold to the state; this measure was actually intended to protect the Māori. The sum of all these changes, however, led to a significantly worse economic situation for the Māori. It also became clear that, in the opinion of the British, all authority, including over the tribal chiefs, rested with the British crown, even though the Treaty of Waitangi had described both parties as equal.

As a sign of his rejection, Hone Heke felled the British flagpole in Kororareka along with the British flag, which the British interpreted as an act of rebellion. Hone Heke repeated his act twice over the course of six months. A whole battalion of British soldiers was then deployed to guard the flagpole. With a diversionary maneuver, Hone Heke managed to saw off the flagpole a fourth time. This act is considered to be the beginning of the flagstaff war ("Flagpole War"), the first phase of the New Zealand Wars .

Heke played a key role in the first phase of the conflict, but he was seriously injured in the battle of Te Ahu Ahu and therefore only reappeared a few months later during the siege of Ruapekapeka . A short time later, Heke met his main opponent on the Māori side, Tāmati Wāka Nene , who fought on the side of the British. Both agreed a ceasefire, which they then presented to the British. The then governor of New Zealand, George Gray , presented the armistice as a victory for the British. In 1848, Hoke Gene and George Gray made peace in a meeting.

meaning

Then Hone Heke retired to Kaikohe and died two years later of tuberculosis . To this day he is revered as the great leader of the Ngā Puhi tribe and many other Māori. He is buried in a secret place, so his grave is the subject of many stories and rumors.

literature

Web links

Commons : Hone Heke  - collection of images, videos and audio files