The Forgotten Prophet (Paperback)

Jeffrey Sissons

ISBN 10: 1991033486 / ISBN 13: 9781991033482

Published by Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, 2023

About this Item

Paperback. Tamati Te Ito Ngamoke, a renowned Taranaki prophet, played a significant role in colonial New Zealands political landscape. While some, including most settlers and officials, viewed him as an imposter, a wizard, a fanatic; others, including major Taranaki tribal leaders, revered him as a prophetic tohunga matakite known as Te Kai-ngarara The Reptile Eater. Today, overshadowed by religious leaders like Te Ua Haumene and Te Whiti o Rongomai, Te Itos historical importance remains largely unrecognised. This book uncovers his story and impact on Aotearoas history. In 1856 Te Ito led the Kaingarara movement, seeking the fulfilment of the divine order in Taranaki when tapu would finally be defeated. Initiating the Taranaki iconoclasm, his followers built huge bonfires in New Plymouth and settlements to the south into which treasures, carvings and other tapu objects that had been associated with atua (ancestral spirits) were thrown. The movement established a school and court system and contemplated a religious community before the first Taranaki war erupted in 1860. As the visionary advisor to Te Atiawa chief Wiremu Kingi Te Rangitake, Te Ito played a crucial role in the lead-up to the conflict, later orchestrating fires that displaced settlers. Perceived as a rival to Parihaka prophets Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi in the late 1860s-1870s, Te Ito eventually joined Parihaka in 1872 as a respected leader under Te Whiti and Tohus mana. Jeffrey Sissons remarkable account, based on extensive research, offers a fresh perspective on New Zealands past by illuminating the life and contributions of a key religious leader previously unacknowledged. Tamati Te Ito Ngamoke, a renowned Taranaki prophet, played a significant role in colonial New Zealand's political landscape. This book uncovers his story and impact on Aotearoa's history. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781991033482

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Forgotten Prophet (Paperback)
• Publisher: Bridget Williams Books, Wellington
• Publication Date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1991033486
• ISBN 13: 9781991033482
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Tāmati Te Ito Ngāmoke led the prophetic Kaingārara movement in Taranaki from 1856. Te Ito was revered by tribal leaders as a prophetic tohunga matakite; but others, including many settlers and officials, viewed him as an ‘imposter’, a ‘fanatic’. Despite his influence and leadership, Te Ito’s historical importance remains largely unrecognised today.

By the time war broke out in 1860, Te Ito and his followers had established a school and a court system in Taranaki. Striving for the ‘fulfilment of the divine order’, the Kaingārara movement initiated the ‘Taranaki iconoclasm’, discarding tapu objects associated with atua (ancestral spirits, which often took the form of reptiles) into massive bonfires. Te Ito was a visionary adviser to Te Ātiawa chief Wiremu Kīngi Te Rangitāke, and played a crucial role in the conflicted region, both before and after the wars of the 1860s. Initially perceived as a rival to the Parihaka leaders, Tohu Kākahi and Te Whiti o Rongomai, he eventually joined the Parihaka community.