Temporal Lord of Mangaia

The leader of a war party, by securing the victory, was said to have acquired the mangaia (temporal power). As Temporal Lord of the island of Mangaia, he was the equivalent of a military dictator, and his power was passed on, not through hereditary succession, but through defeat in war. Each battle led to a confirmation or change of the Temporal Lord. The victor, if he let the office go to someone else for political or other reasons, remained as the military support (toko) of the Temporal Lord.

The list of Temporal Lords and the battles through which they came into power (Table 5) is slightly altered from that of Gill (12, pp. 308-311) in the placing of the ninth and tenth battles, and adds the names of the tribes to which the Temporal Lords belonged.

The office of Temporal Lord, which started in the Ngariki tribe with a tendency to become hereditary in that tribe, through their successive defeats became an open position to be won by success in war.

It is evident that after the second battle when the office passed to Te-akatauira, a brother of Rangihough Mata-tau-kiu as leader of the Tui-kura tribe was the real victor—the Nigariki regarded the office as one to be held by them and not by the real military leader. After the third battle the office passed to Vaeruarangi, a son of Moko-iro, so that all three families of the Ngariki enjoyed office in turn. In the fourth battle, Amu, the Ruler of Food, was victor, but he allowed the office to be held by another member of the Ngariki. In the fifth battle Te-ao as victor took office as Temporal Lord. In the sixth, seventh, and eighth battles, Tirango of the Tongaiti tribe was the real victor as head of the combined forces, but the Ngariki kept the office to themselves. After the treacherous massacres that followed, the two Ngariki chiefs responsible for organizing the destruction of Ngati-Tane took office. The eleventh battle was won by a Ngariki page 35

Table 5.—Temporal Lords of Mangaia

Battle	Victors	Vanquished	Installed Lord of Mangaia
		Leader	Tribe	Leader	Tribe	Person	Tribe
1.	Te-rua-nonianga	Rangi	Ngariki		Tongaiti	Rangi	Ngariki
2.	Tangi-kura	Rangi-Tamatapu	Tui-kura	Ivi-tu	Ngati-Tane	Te-akatauira	Ngariki
3.	Rua-matangi	Moke	Ngariki?	Katea-te-oru	Rarotongan	Vaeruarangi	Ngariki
4.	Iotepui	Amu	Ngariki?	Toapini	Aitutakian	Teina-o-vatea	Ngariki
5.	Ikuruaka	Te-aio	Ngariki?	Matatia	Atiuan	Te-aio	Ngariki
6.	Parainui	Tirango	Tongaiti and Ngariki		Te-kama	?	Ngariki
7.	Rangiue	Tirango	Tongaiti and Ngariki		Te-kama	?	Ngariki
8.	Areutu	Tirango	Tongaiti and Ngariki		Te-kama	?	Ngariki
9.	Tutaeuu, Putoa (First oven)	Ungakute	Ngariki		Ngati-Tane	Ungakute	Ngariki
10.	Angaitu (Second oven)	Kaveutu	Ngariki		Ngati-Tane	Kaveutu	Ngariki
11.	Vaikakau (Maungarua)	Ruariki	Ngariki	Tirango	Tongaiti	Te-nau	Ngariki
12.	Taaonga	One	Tongaiti	Ruaika	Ngariki Vaeruarangi	One	Tongaiti
13.	Kumekume	One Panako	Tongaiti	Vete	Te-Kama	Panako I	Akatauira
14.	Kouramaiti	One	Akarauira	Mokora	Te-Kama	Panako II	Akatauira
15.	Tepapa	One	Akarauira	Kotaa	Ngariki	Panako III	Akatauira
16.	Terua-kere-tonga	Ngauta	Akarauira	Ruaika	Akatauira	Ngauta I and Taia	Tongaiti
17.	Arakoa	Ngauta	Tongaiti	Tata Panako	Teipe	Ngauta II	Tongaiti
18.	Auruia	Ngauta	Tongaiti	Maruataiti	Akatauira	Ngauta III	Tongaiti
19.	Iotepui	Ngauta	Tongaiti	Motuoro	Tuma (N)	Ngauta IV	Tongaiti
20.	Punanga	Ngauta	Tongaiti	Tiauru	Ngariki	Ngauta V	Tongaiti
21.	Terua-nonianga	Ngauta	Tongaiti		Teipe	Ngauta VI	Tongaiti
22.	Ikuari	Ngauta	Tongaiti	Arepee	Tongaiti	Terea (consent of Ngauta)	Tongaiti
23.	Murders by slaves	Ngangati	Tongaiti	Ngauta	Tongaiti Ngariki Teipe	Tuinui (consent of Ngangati)	Ngariki
24.	Maueue	Tauii	Ngariki	Arekare	Vaeruarangi	Tauii	Ngariki
25.	Ariki (1st)	Ngangati	Ngariki	Namu	Tangiia	Ngangati I	Ngariki
26.	Ariki (2d)	Ngangati	Ngariki		Kanae	Ngangati II	Ngariki
27.	Ariki (3d)	Ngangati	Ngariki		Pongaiti	Ngangati III	Ngariki
28.	Te-au-papa (1st)	Ngangati	Ngariki	Kotuku	Vaeruarangi	Ngangati IV	Ngariki
29.	Te-au-papa (2d)	Ngangati	Ngariki	Kaoa	Ngariki	Ngangati V	Ngariki
30.	Aua	Akatara	Ngariki	Ngangati	Ngariki	Akatara	Ngariki
31.	Tapatiu	Te-uanuku	Ngariki	Akatara	Tuokura	Not conferred	Ngati-Vara
32.	Arira	Te-uanuku	Sons of Mautara		Teipe	Te-uanuku I	Ngati-Vara
33.	Pukuotoi	Te-uanuku	Ngati-Vara	Ruanae	Ngariki?	Te-uanuku II	Ngati-Vara
34.	Aua	Mautara	Ngati-Vara	Raei	Ngariki	Mautara	Ngati-Amai
35.	Tuopapa Seized without battle	Potiki	Ngari-Vara		Tongaiti	Uarau Ngara	Ngati-Vara
36.	Teopu	Kirikovi	Ngati-Vara	Tongia	Ngati-amai	Kirikovi	Ngariki
37.	Taukuara	Pai	Ngati-Vara?	kirikovi	Tongaiti?	Pai	Ngariki
38.	Akaoro Seized without battle	Potiki	Ngati-Vara	Potai	Ngariki	Potiki Marokore	Ngati-Vara
39.	Teatuapai	Koroa	Ngati-Vara	Marokore	Ngati-Vara	Koroa	Ngati-Vara
40.	Rangiura Seized without battle	Makitaka	Ngati-Vara	Koroa	Ngati-Vara	Makitaka Pangemiro I	Ngati-Vara Manaune
41.	Araeva	Pangemiro	Manaune Ngati-Tane	Makitaka	Ngati-Vara	Pangemiro II Pangemiro III	Manaune Manaune
42.	Putoa	Numangatini	Christian	Tereavai	Ngati-Vara	umangatini	Ngariki

page 36 but he passed the office of Temporal Lord over to a fellow tribesman as he himself held the office of Inland High Priest. Thus for eleven battles the office was apparently considered hereditary and was held by the Ngariki.

In the twelfth battle One obtained revenge for the death of Tirango and evidently took office, though belonging to the Tongaiti tribe. Evidently One was not altogether sure of the right of anyone outside the Ngariki to keep the mangaia. He became allied with Panako of the Akatauira division of the Ngariki and relinquished the mangaia to him. In three battles he acted as Panako's military support. Then commenced a series of victories by the Tongaiti under Ngauta. Ngauta felt that Panako had been holding office on the sufferance of the Tongaiti. When he succeeded his uncle One, he determined to enjoy the fruits of victory himself and in spite of the attempts of the Ngariki held the office six times. The principle that victors should enjoy the mangaia by holding office thus became established.

Three times the office passed without bloodshed because the people were dissatisfied with the Temporal Lord. Thus Ngara took the office from Uarau, Marokore from Potiki, and Pangemiro from Makitaka.