“Ko ngā Reo o te Whakahokinga: Te Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai,” Haere Mai, Whai Mai i Ahau—Mō te Kāinga me te Hāhi: Whakaakoranga me ngā Kawenata 2025 (2025)
“Te Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai,” Haere Mai, Whai Mai i Ahau—Mō te Kāinga me te Hāhi: 2025
Ko ngā Reo o te Whakahokinga
Te Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai
I te tau 1842, whai muri iho i te whakapūmautanga o te Hāhi i Nāwhu, Irinoi, ka kī ake te Poropiti a Hōhepa Mete, “Kāore i oti tika te whakarite i te Hāhi kia oti tuatahi te whakarite i ngā wāhine.” Waihoki, kāore anō kia oti tētahi rangahau mō te Whakahokinga mai o te Hāhi o te Ariki me Tōna tohungatanga tae noa ki te wā kei roto rā tētahi rangahau mō te Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai, koia anō “tētahi whakahokinga o tētahi tauira onamata” mō ngā apataki wāhine o Ihu Karaiti.
He nui ngā mahi a Eriha R. Hukarere i roto i tēnei whakahokinga. I reira ia i te wā i whakaritea tuatahitia te Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai, ā, ko ia hoki te hēkeritari o te rōpu rā, nāna ngā taipitopito i tuhituhi i roto i ōna huinga. I kite ōna ake karu i te whakapūmautanga ake o te Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai he mea “whai i te tauira o te tohungatanga.” Kei raro iho nei āna kupu, i tuhia i a ia e tū ana hei Tumuaki Whānui o te Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai, hei āwhina i āna teina kia mārama ai ki te mahi i whakawhirinakihia ki ngā tamāhine kawenata a te Atua.
Ki te hia ako i ētahi atu mea e pā ana ki te whakapūmautanga o te Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai, tirohia Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2017), 1–25; The First Fifty Years of Relief Society (2016), 3–175.
He whakaahua o te Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai nā Paul Mann
Raiha R. Hukarere
“Ahakoa he ingoa nō nāianei rā te ingoa [Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai], he mea onamata tōna takenga mai. I whakamōhiotia tātou e [Hōhepa Mete], nā, i te whakahaerehia taua rōpu anō i roto i te hāhi i ngā wā onamata, ka paku whakahuahia ake ngā kōrero pērā i roto i ngā pukapuka o te Kawenata Hou, e meatia ana te taitara, ‘wahine rangatira whiriwhiri’ [tirohia 2 Hoani 1:1; Whakaakoranga me ngā Kawenata 25:3].
“Koinei tētahi huinga e kore rawa e taea te ora ki te kore te Tohungatanga, i te mea e ahu mai ana tōna mana me tōna mauri i taua puna. I te wā i tangohia atu te Tohungatanga i te whenua, ka mate moa tēnei huinga me ērā atu whatianga katoa o te ritenga pono o te hāhi o Ihu Karaiti i runga i te whenua …
“I te mea i reira ia i te wā i whakaritea ake ai te ‘Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai o Nāwhu,’ … he nui hoki tāna i kite ai i roto i taua huinga, tērā pea māku ētahi tīwhiri ruarua e tuku hei āwhina i ngā tamāhine a Hīona i tā rātou tūnga ake i tēnei tūranga whakahirahira rawa atu, kua ngāruru ana i ngā haepapa hou, i ngā haepapa maha. Mehemea e rongo ana ētahi o ngā tamāhine, o ngā whaea rānei i Iharaira i te raruraru noa i ō rātou wāhi i tēnei wā, ināianei ka kitea e rātou te puna o te kaha e āhei ai te mahi pai i runga i ngā mea kua hoatu nei ki a rātou. …
“Ki te ara ake te pātai i te hinengaro, o tētahi, He aha te mahi a te Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai? Ka whakahoki atu au—ki te mahi pai—ki te whakamahi i ngā āheinga katoa kei roto nei i a tātou ki te mahi pai, ehara noa anake ki te whāngai i te hunga rawakore, engari ki te whakaora i ngā wairua. Ka nui ake ngā mea e tutuki ai i te mahi tahi mā te tuitui i te taura here tangata. …
“I te minitatanga ki te rawakore, he haepapa atu anō ō te Rōpu Wāhine Atawhai i te whāngai i ngā hiahia o te tinana. Me aro atu anō tātou ki te pōharatanga o te hinengaro me te māuiuitanga o te ngākau, ā, i te nuinga o te wā mā tētahi mihi—he kupu āwhina ruarua, ka nui ake ngā painga e puta ai i te rūrū aroha o te ringa i te pēke kōura. …
“I te wā e huihui ai ngā Hunga Tapu i tāwāhi, he manene ki ngā tāngata katoa, ā, e tūwhera ana kia tinihangatia e te hunga e takoto huna ana kia pērāhia, me kaha te Rōpu Wāhine [Atawhai] ki te atawhai i a [rātou], me te kukume i a rātou ki roto ki taua rōpu e whakapakari ake, e hiki ake ana i a rātou, ā, ko te mea nui, ki te whakakaha i a rātou i roto i te Rongopai, mā konā, e āwhina nui ki te whakaora i ngā mea tokomaha.
“Kua kore e taea e te pukapuka kotahi te whakamārama i ngā mahi, ngā tikanga me ngā haepapa e noho ana i raro i te maru o te Rōpu. … Mahia (i raro i te maru o tō pīhopa) i runga i te mauritau, te tōtika, te ngākau hihiko, te whakaaro kotahi, ā, i te inoi, kātahi ka karaunatia āu mahi e te Atua ki te wikitōria.”