Puhi

Several witnesses described the tikanga of puhi – a role played by high-born wāhine who held mana whenua and whose marriages were often used to cement strategic alliances and strengthen whakapapa.

Key witnesses who gave evidence

Louisa Collier (doc A26(b)) told the Tribunal about the tikanga of the puhi line in Ngāpuhi whereby mana whenua was vested in one line of matrilineal descent. She described the puhi line as the most important element of Ngāpuhi whakapapa in relation to mana wāhine. According to Ms Collier, the name ‘Ngāpuhi’ derived from Te Puhi-Moana-Ariki, the starting point of Ngāpuhi whakapapa. Beginning with Te Puhi-Moana-Ariki’s daughter, Te Hau, the eldest daughter of each whānau was passed on the role of puhi and held mana whenua and kaitiakitanga obligations. Ngāpuhi tāne could only access the mana of the land through a connection to the puhi, and her marriage was carefully arranged in order to secure alliances, resources, or succession. Her evidence detailed two puhi tūpuna in her whakapapa – Hinewhare (1817-c.1890) and Kaiwhare.

What witnesses said

• “This tikanga [of the puhi line] emphasises the independent right of women to possess and watch over our own birth rights, passed down from our tūpuna.” (Louisa Collier, doc A26(b), p 1)(external link)
• “A puhi had a fundamental role in the origination of hapū of Ngāpuhi. Each hapū group has a puhi line which creates the hapū, and demonstrates their whakapapa to the original Ariki. “Ngā Puhi” itself is the confederation of the puhi lines, with each individual hapū being protected by the whole tribe. Our whakapapa is centred around the descent of puhi.” (Louisa Collier, doc A26(b), p 2)(external link)
• “Puhi status was intensely guarded by the puhi’s hapū. As was the case in many societies, marriages were often arranged in order to secure alliances, resources or succession.” (Louisa Collier, doc A26, p 5)(external link)
• “There is kōrero about puhi who were given to bond the tribes together as whanaunga. This allowed those tribes to go into the future with less fear of attack and the ability to call on other hapū in times of trouble.” (Esme Sherwin, doc A110, p 8)(external link)
• “Traditionally, the first-born female from a chiefly lineage was reserved for a sacred purpose. They were called Puhi. They were reserved for the purpose of creating peace in times of war. They would be married to enemy tribes to help cease the fighting. They were also married to other tribes to strengthen alliances, for the betterment of the iwi.” (Paihere Clarke, doc A141, pp 5-6)(external link)
• “Traditionally, wāhine Māori held integral roles for the health and welfare of their iwi. The first-born wāhine Māori in chiefly families were given specific roles and seen as tapu (sacred). Their status as puhi, or virgins, was intensely guarded by the hapū. Many were destined for tomo, essentially, arranged marriages. These wāhine Māori were entrusted with the fundamental role of giving birth to the new, or next, hapū. They would be situated on tūpuna land and predetermined tane brought in for the tomo. This tane was usually from a reputable male line, whose whakapapa and credibility could produce a powerful hapū. The existence of some hapū was sometimes reliant on the right choices being made to form strong alliances through the tomo. Other hapū, maintained security through inter-marriages within their whakapapa.” (Awhirangi Lawrence, doc A58, p 4)(external link)
• “The institution of the puhi [is] sometimes referred to as a type of vestal virgin … [Academic Ranginui] Walker writes that this was a status accorded to a chief’s daughter, who was acknowledged as a virgin princess, and whose virtue was guarded day and night by female attendants so that she could be betrothed in a ceremonial inter-tribal marriage. … Despite current debates about the existence of the puhi, we may conclude that it was a political institution utilised by some tribes to forge alliances between them and others, and that it did not survive early contact with the European. Conversely, the puhi may have been a rare or unusual means of cementing alliances which was taken out of its wider social context by [Elsdon] Best, who may have sought to translate European values about young middle-class women as vestal virgins, onto traditional Māori political and social practices.” (Ella Henry, doc A63, pp 16-17)(external link)