Maori King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero was buried in New Zealand amid the condolences of tens of thousands of mourners. His youngest daughter, Nga Wai Hono i te Po, was chosen by the tribal leaders as his successor.
After lying in state for several days, the late king’s body was carried in a procession of canoes down the Waikato River to his final resting place on the sacred Taupiri Mountain, about 100 kilometres south of the city of Auckland on New Zealand’s North Island.
Youngest daughter appointed as successor
Tuheitia died late last week, a few days after the 18th anniversary of his coronation, at the age of 69. He had been in poor health for years and had recently undergone heart surgery.
Before the funeral, his youngest daughter, Nga Wai Hono i te Po, was chosen by tribal leaders as his successor. The 27-year-old is the eighth monarch of the Pacific nation’s indigenous people since the ‘Kiingitanga’ (royal Maori movement) was founded in 1958 with the aim of uniting the indigenous people under one ruler.
Only the second woman in office
After her grandmother, she is only the second woman to hold this position. The title of Maori king is not hereditary, but all regents are direct descendants of their predecessors. The new queen, who has the traditional facial tattoo ‘Ta moko’, also followed her father’s coffin in a canoe.
Thousands lined the streets and the river and said goodbye to the popular and very modest king with haka (a ritual dance) and waiata (song). His widow was escorted to the mountain by the New Zealand Defence Forces and a convoy of 100 motorcycles. The coffin was then carried by rope bearers to the top of Mount Taupiri for burial.
Spiritual meaning
The mountain has great spiritual significance. Tuheitia was buried there next to his mother Te Arikinui, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, who died in 2006 and was previously queen for forty years.
Maori kings have no power at the state level, but play an important symbolic and cultural role of unity between the different Maori tribes and thus also exercise national influence. Above all, it is about preserving and defending the rights of the indigenous population. There are currently about 900,000 Maori living in New Zealand, which is just over 17 percent of the population.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
