1836: Tarore Immortalised
July 14, 2019
By AHNZ
On 19 October 1836 a young Maori girl of 12 was immortalised.
Tarore was a student of the Christian Missionary Society at Matamata. Rev. Alfred Brown, his wife Charlotte established the station in April 1835 with the blessing of Ngakuku, a Tainui chief.
Under threat from Arawa raiders from Rotorua, the children at the Mission had to be evacuated for safety in October 1836. In the process, young Tarore was killed by the raiders and found slain on her sleeping mat. Tarore’s satchel had been looted of her copy of the Gospel of Luke. Luke is a well-written, poetic, book which is something Maoris would appreciate. It is also the Gospel that welcomes in non-Jews to the faith; It is accessible to the noobs.
Going Viral
Chief Ngakuku and his warriors would customarily live their Honour Culture by retaliating violently for the beloved girl’s death upon the enemy. Instead, the event became a crucible out of which a people turned to Dignity Culture (DC) through the mechanisms of Christianity. Tarore’s spirit has lived on, an immortal symbol. She is well known to the Anglicans in particular who still visit her grave (right) for ceremonial purposes.
Crucial to DC is the solving of problems through institutional means. Specifically, Tarore’s book informs those faithful to it that vengeance belongs to God not people. Rather than endless utu/revenge, hate is converted to peace. In a more secular DC, Common Law and Contract Law take up the burden of conflict resolution; It’s all analogous. Tarore’s father led his people to DC by the example of making peace with the Rotorua Raiders.
As if this were not already enough of a dream-come-true yarn for New Zealand Christians (who love re-telling stories like this on a Sunday) there is more. Tarore’s Gospel of Luke was eventually read out to the Rotorua Maori which allowed them to access DC and peace with their enemies too. The book helped Maori missionaries to the Ngati Toa first become literate and then spread the Good News southwards. Te Rauparaha’s people were converted and then sent their own mission to the South Island. Here, according to tradition, Tarore’s same (worn) book travelled with those Maori Missionaries to the Ngai Tahu.
The Gospel was going viral exactly as smug Christians predict it will. Church groups have been telling the tale on stage at revues and pageants for decades, I assume. Sticking it in their newsletters, sermonising about it to young and old. In 2009 Bible Society New Zealand put out a book version with famous Kiwi children’s author Joy Cowley¹. Earlier this year a church group created an amateur video to tell the story. Their story to tell, after all. Sadly the video has been removed this month after coming under attack from Victimhood Culturists and Radio New Zealand².
“Shocked, disgusted, angered that people could present such a misinterpretation, a culturally insensitive video portraying tūpuna that they have absolutely no affiliation, no connection to.”- Shocked, disgusted, angry: Video features white men with faux moko; NZH
It is a Christian story being told by simple, honest, amateurish, naive people. In other words, Christians!
Must they be told not to tell this, their story any more at all? Or just not perform this on stage any more or sing songs about it? Must they be licences? Who should they pay? Must the actors be professionals and genetically tested? Must this not be done using t-shirts and wigs? Young people not allowed to improvise with a green screen, wigs and singlets?
Really it’s the same thing Christian groups always do except that the stage is now on the net for all to see, it’s public. Had they made it private then they would be open to the criticism: Christian Sect Hides Secret Racist Video!
The same people apparently clamouring for biculturalism and diversity are failing to cope with it when it is on their laps. If we’re to be bicultural you need to let Christians alone to be who they are. This Melting Pot thing doesn’t work at all if you only abuse others for being different. Try to deplatform them, shut them up, demand they repress their culture….
But of course Victimhood Culture doesn’t think that far ahead. Their plan for integration is for people who don’t share their values to shut up and die.
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1 Ref. Wikipedia; Note: they have an open offer on the website to post this book to you for free
2 But, I repeat myself
Image ref. Matamata NZ
Ref. Tarore and the Spread of the Gospel (Waikato); NZCMS
Ref. tarorestory.org.nz
2 thoughts on "1836: Tarore Immortalised"
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Amazed that people don’t want this story to be told! Is it because its not the truth? Or because it is factual, just that it presents some aspects of a culture that shouldn’t be shared today?
I think that’s a psychological question. Certain groups who lack in identity will ego-invest (introject) in a falsified one. It’s a cliche that a mid-life crisis man might by a flash new car to compensate for feeling older. Well, some people who are not in touch with their authentic identity (everybody has one) will make a fake one which is often given away by tattoos and adornments to signal to others how authentic they are. To those in the know it signals the opposite.
Then, when someone threatens that bubble of vanity, the hurt is revealed. Stories like Tarore are an example of the sort of thing that has been woven into a cloak of vanity. They become proprietary about history and truth as if it’s who they are and they cling to it. That’s why it feels existentially threatening to false Maoris when another person or group (eg Christians) have that same connection. That’s like another mid-life crisis guy showing up who has bought the same car and parking it next to yours. Or, another woman showing up to the party wearing the identical dress. Triggers ’em.