Historic sketch may have southern link

SKETCHY ORIGINS: Ian McLean now suspects this chieftain, who featured in the Times-Age last year, may be from a South Island tribe, not Wairarapa.PHOTO/FILE

An historic portrait of a "Wairarapa" Maori chieftain may now have origins further south, an expert believes.

In October, Rotorua researcher and former Tarawera MP Ian McLean asked the Times-Age for help in circulating an image of a picture of a Maori chieftain he was trying to identify.

The historic sketch had come to him via an aunt, who lived in Masterton. It had been done by artist James Ingram McDonald, who died in 1935.

Mr McLean said they had now discovered an inscription on the back of the frame saying: "Pita te Hori, great Rangitira of Ngaitahu."

In October, he told the Times-Age "we're looking for an appropriate home for it", hoping locals could help.

Mr McLean said interest generated by the Times-Age story had been very helpful.

Tadophile Adele Pentony-Graham directed him to Maori historian Rex Hemi "who did a lot of digging" and Wairarapa archivist Gareth Winter lent a hand.

He said he was now directing his enquiries to Ngai Tahu and Canterbury Museum.

An obituary in the National Library's Papers Past described Pita te Hori as one of the "boldest defenders" of the Kaiapoi pa, north of what is now Christchurch, against Ngati Toa chieftain Te Rauparaha.

Captured, he escaped to rally a counter-attack against Ngati Toa, defeating Te Rauparaha at Queen Charlotte Sound.

He later joined a deputation of chiefs to Wellington to negotiate a truce between Te Rauparaha and the southern tribes.