Ngoi Pēwhairangi

I whānau ai a Te Kumeroa Ngoingoi Ngawai ki roto o Tokomaru i te 29 o Hakihea, i te tau 1921. E mōhiotia ana ia e ōna hoa, ko Ngoi. Ko Hori Ngawai rāua ko Wikitoria Te Karu ōna mātua, nō Tokomaru tōna matua, nō Ngāti Koi, nō Hauraki tōna whāea, ā, tokorima ngā tamariki, ko Ngoi te mātāmua. I tupu ai a Ngoi i roto i ngā tikanga o te hāhi Ringatū, ka mutu, nā ōna whanaunga, nā Huka Pohaera rāua ko Raiha Kamau ia i whāngaihia ki roto o Waiparapara. Ko tōna matua, he tangata kaha ki te mahi, ka mutu, he minita hoki ia o te hāhi Ringatū, ā, i tino tautokona e ia te Kotahitanga - tētahi kaupapa i tautokona hoki e Ngoi.

Mutu ana te kura, kotahi atu a Ngoi ki Tokomaru ki reira mahi ai i te ope kuti hipi a tōna whaea kēkē. Ki konei ia tūtaki ai i tōna tau, a Rikirangi Ben Pēwhairangi, nō Tokomaru hoki ia. Nā tōna matua rāua i mārena ai i te 3 o Hui-tanguru, i te tau 1945, ki te marae o Waiparapara. Kotahi tā rāua tamaiti, ko Terewai Pewhairangi tōna ingoa, heoi anō, arā noa atu ā rāua whāngai.

I ngā tau i moe tuatahi ai rāua, e rite tonu te mahi a te tokorua nei i ngā ope kuti hipi o te Tairāwhiti. Nāwai i mōhio ai a Ngoi, āe, anei te tamāhine a Māui, ka mutu, kātahi te wahine waiata ko ia. Tērā tētahi rā e whakataetae ana tōna whāea, a Tuini, ana, kite ana a Ngoi i a ia e tonanawe ana, kātahi a Ngoi ka tuku i tana waiata hei whakaoho i te pūtohe i roto i a ia, hei whakaoho i te manawa tītī.

Nā whai anō ia i uru atu ki Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū, te kapa i whakarewa ai a Tuini i te tau 1939. I ngā tau 1940 i pau i a rātou te whenua te āmio hei huarahi kohi pūtea mō te Pakanga o te Ao te take. Nā Tuini a Ngoi i poipoi ki ngā āhuatanga o te haka, o te tito waiata hoki, nō konā anō i ārahi ai ia i Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū i ētahi wā. Nā wai rā i titoa ai e Ngoi te pukapuka Tuini: her life and her songs (1985). I rongonui ai a Ngoi ki ngā waiata me ngā haka a te Māori, ka mutu, i tonoa rawatia a Ngoi hei kaiwhakawā i ngā whakataetae hakahaka maha o Aotearoa, o Ahitereiria hoki, i ngā whakataetae haka a Tamararo, tae atu hoki ki ngā taumāhekeheke o Te Matatini.

He mātanga tito waiata a Ngoi, ko ētahi o ōna waiata ko ‘Kia kaha ngā iwi’, ‘Ka noho au’, me ‘Whakarongo’. He maha ngā waiata a Ngoi i titoa mō tētehi hui whakahirahira pēnei i te haerenga mai a te Kāhui Ariki o Ingarangi i te tau 1983, ka mutu, ko ia te kaiwhakahaere, te kaiwhakarite i te pōwhiri ki ngā mana nei. I rongonui ai a Ngoi mō tōna kaha ki te tito waiata mō ētahi tangata i te wā e hiahiatia ana e ia, arā, ki te oho mai tētehi waiata ki roto i a ia, tē taea e ia te kore tuhi. O ēnei momo waiata ohorere katoa, e mōhiotia whānuitia ana a ‘E Ipo’ me ‘Poi e’. Nā Tui Teka te waiata ‘E Ipo’ i waiata ai, ā, nā Dalvanius Prime rātou ko te Karapu Māori o Pātea i waiata ai i te waiata ‘Poi e’. Otirā, i eke ai ēnei waiata e rua ki ngā taumata o te pāoho waiata o te motu nei.

I whakapau kaha a Ngoi i ngā tau 1970 ki ngā kaupapa maha e hāngai ana ki te ora o te ao Māori. I noho ia hei kaitohutohu ki Te Tari Māori me te Kaunihera Mātauranga mō ngā Pākeke. Heoi anō rā, ko tētahi o ngā tino kaupapa a Ngoi, ko Te Ataarangi, i whakarewaina e Ngoi rāua ko Kāterina Mataira hei whakaora i te reo Māori i roto i te reanga pakeke.

I mate ai a Ngoi Pewhairangi i te 29 o Kohi-tātea, i te tau 1985, ki tōna kainga i Tokomaru, ko tāna hoa tāne rāua tahi ko tāna tamaiti i mahue mai ai. He wahine ātaahua, he wahine rangatira o te ao Māori, i whakamahiti korou mō te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, me te whanaketanga o ngā iwi e rua, te iwi Māori me te iwi Pākehā.