Rangitāne connections to famous scholar Jock McEwen revealed

Manahi Paewai shows the local Rangitāne patterns used in the book Rangitāne by Jock McEwen.

Jock McEwen was an administrator, teacher, historian, linguist, composer and master carver and he became completely accepted into the Māori community.

Te Oka – Pākehā Kaumātua – the biography of Jock McEwen – was launched in 2016 and revealed the life and contribution to Māori culture of a remarkable man.

Ataneta and Manahi Paewai perform part of the waiata/chant Te Oriori Whakaewa-i-te-rangi restored to Rangitāne by Jock McEwen.

Born in 1915 at Cheltenham in the Manawatū and Scottish as his name suggests, Jock became fluent in te reo Māori and absorbed everything he could about Māori culture. He travelled widely in New Zealand working for the Native Department, which became Māori Affairs, getting to know and befriend significant figures like Sir Apirana Ngata.

Jock also travelled widely in the Pacific on government business and even represented NZ at the UN on decolonisation issues. After retirement he taught carving, helped build marae, encouraged te reo and other Māori initiatives.

A gift of some of Jock’s possessions to the Gallery of History by relative Ruth Ussher alerted the gallery to the significance of Rangitāne influence on Jock McEwen and at its AGM on Sunday kaumātua Manahi Paewai was invited to speak about him.

After a brief introduction, Manahi explained that in 1943 Jock, who was then in the Home Guard, was sent to a camp at Ōringi where he formed friendships with local Rangitāne, especially the Rautahi whānau and Ranginui in particular.

It was in that time that Jock absorbed local culture – carvings and designs, music and history which encouraged him to study more Rangitāne history - leading to his book entitled Rangitāne which was launched at Makirikiri in 1986.

A copy of the biography of Jock McEwen Te Oka - Pākehā Kaumātua in the Gallery of History.

One of the special features in the book was a chant: Te Oriori mo Whakaewa – I - te -rangi, which had been lost to Tamaki Rangitāne. Over several visits after the book launch, Jock taught it back to them along with some other waiata. Te Oriori was performed at Sir Apirana Ngata’s tangi and is in wide use today.

Manahi and his wife Ataneta sang the first verse of the chant as a closure to his talk.

Jock McEwen's waka huia gifted for safe keeping to the Gallery of History held by volunteer Craig Ramsay.

One of Jock’s possessions bequeathed to the gallery is a waka huia which he had carved himself. A waka huia is a treasure box, which was used by Māori to hold precious adornments such as hei tiki (pendants) and huia feathers for dressing the hair - appropriate given recent events.

Dave Murdoch is a part-time photo-journalist working for the Bush Telegraph and based at Dannevirke. He has covered any community story telling good news about the district for the last ten years.