Whenua-Mārama (wɛnu.aˈmaːɾama)
Of all the hapū of the Tāngata, the Whenua-Mārama is the wealthiest. They control the region in northern Atu Motu around the city of Tauranga, and have profited immensely from the trade that passes through that city.
The name Whenua-Mārama is derived from the nature of this particular hapū, and indicates that it is the association of Tāngata who live in the region of Mārama in northern Atu Motu. Members of a regional hapū typically have overlapping associations with familial hapū, and may also be parts of other associations. However, over the last century, the Whenua-Mārama have subsumed the other nearby hapū, and being a part of the regional hapū has become a larger and more important identifier than any other.
In recent years, Aoraki, the leader of the Whenua-Mārama, has been the primary advocate for the Kīngitanga movement. This advocates for the Tāngata hapū to unite under a single leader. The Whenua-Mārama claim that having a single leader will let the Tāngata deal with the other powers of the world on an equal footing, and point to the ongoing raids from the Kaikai as one of many problems that could be better handled by a unified Tāngata nation. The Kīngitanga movement has most of its support among the hapū of northern Atu Motu, while the southern hapū generally consider it to be a violation of tradition and a sign of the decadence and corruption that has seized the north.
History
Before the establishment of Tauranga, the Whenua-Mārama were like most other Tāngata hapū. Members of the hapū frequently held other affiliations, and all the communities practiced the tradition of Tulafafo.
When foreign merchants petitioned the Whenua-Mārama for the right to establish the port of Tauranga, they lavished the Whenua-Mārama with gifts and flattery. Over time, the hapū relaxed their observation of Tulafafo, and began to adopt more and more of the foreign customs. Membership within the Whenua-Mārama hapū became more prestigious in the north as the hapū became more wealthy, while the southern hapū looked northward with more and more suspicion and contempt.
Today, the northern territories of Atu Motu are completely dominated by the Whenua-Mārama hapū, and affiliations with family and village hapū is seen as secondary to the regional organization. Wealth and foreign goods are everywhere around Tauranga, and the hapū directly south of the Mārama territory are caught between their northern and southern cousins. With Aoraki advocating for the establishment of a Kīngitanga, many fear that there will be a war between the northern and southern hapū of the Tāngata.
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