Waitaha | |
---|---|
Iwi (tribe) in Māoridom | |
Rohe (region) | South Island |
Waka (canoe) | Uruaokapuarangi |
Waitaha is an early Māori iwi, which inhabited the South Island of New Zealand.[1] They were largely absorbed via marriage and conquest – first by the Ngāti Māmoe and then by Ngāi Tahu – from the 16th century onward. Today those of Waitaha descent are represented by the Ngāi Tahu iwi. Like Ngāi Tahu today, Waitaha was itself a collection of various ancient iwi. Kāti Rākai was said to be one of Waitaha's hapū.[2]
Waitaha/Te Kapuwai [:] The third tribe to settle in the South Island between 1477–1577. Pā at the mouth of Molyneux River, Lake Te Anau, Lake Wakatipu and Oamaru.