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New Zealand Completed Requests / Re: John (Benjamin) GORDON Otaki
« on: Wednesday 20 August 25 21:59 BST (UK) »
Hi Mike55,
That's interesting to hear your family oral history indicates Rena / Rene was known as "Princess Rene". We too understand she may have a lineage with mana.
Rena / Rene and the Gordon family are affiliated with Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara in Horohoro, Rotorua. We understood she may have been buried in an urupa there however I see from an earlier chat it looks like someone's discovered a death date and possible burial in Ōtaki which is an exciting find I'll look in to further.
My connection to the Gordon Te Akau whānau as follows (not including living relatives as I think this is against the Roots Chat recommendations)
> John & Rena / Rene / Rina / Lena Gordon (Ōtaki)
> George & Georgina Gordon (Ōtaki)
> Emma nee Gordon & Sydney Hill (Taranaki)
> Vincent AKA Snow & Meryl Hill (Auckland) - these are my grandparents
My parents visited Emma Gordon's brother Fred Gordon who lived at Ohinemutu, Rotorua around 1980 who spoke of whānau connection to Horohoro. Around 2015 my parents and I visited local sites around Rotorua with the kaumatua Eru George who has since passed. Eru confirmed our Gordon family connection with Ngāti Kearoa, Ngāti Tuara however the links from Rena back are unclear. George Gordon which I have been told was known as Te Oti Kotene (transliteration of Gordon) is listed with interest to land in Horohoro through Maori land online.
We understand the whānau originally shifted from the Rotorua region to Ōtaki as part of Te Rauparaha migration south which we have been told was due to work and economic scarcity in the Rotorua region early - mid 1800's.
At the time we visited Horohoro there was part of the Gordon family that had returned from Ōtaki to Rotorua and were farming minutes down the road from Kearoa, one of the whānau Marae. Several years later we visited again with Eru Gorge and more of our whānau and were warmly welcomed on a sunny afternoon and had a picnic lunch on the lawn at Kearoa on Tarewa Road, Horohoro.
My understanding having read numerous Ōtaki Māori land court records is that Rena / Rene describes herself as being Ngāti Tuara in decent. This side of the whānau connects back generations to a man named Ika (fish) who travelled from Raiatea to Aotearoa on the Arawa waka.
More recently I have met a young woman who's is connected to Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara and has a father fairly involved with iwi. I haven't followed this up further at this stage, however are keen to continue pursuing the research to understand the links / connection from Rena / Rina in Otaki back to Horohoro.
Hope this has provided you some useful info in your wero (challenge) to understand some of the whānau whakapapa.
That's interesting to hear your family oral history indicates Rena / Rene was known as "Princess Rene". We too understand she may have a lineage with mana.
Rena / Rene and the Gordon family are affiliated with Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara in Horohoro, Rotorua. We understood she may have been buried in an urupa there however I see from an earlier chat it looks like someone's discovered a death date and possible burial in Ōtaki which is an exciting find I'll look in to further.
My connection to the Gordon Te Akau whānau as follows (not including living relatives as I think this is against the Roots Chat recommendations)
> John & Rena / Rene / Rina / Lena Gordon (Ōtaki)
> George & Georgina Gordon (Ōtaki)
> Emma nee Gordon & Sydney Hill (Taranaki)
> Vincent AKA Snow & Meryl Hill (Auckland) - these are my grandparents
My parents visited Emma Gordon's brother Fred Gordon who lived at Ohinemutu, Rotorua around 1980 who spoke of whānau connection to Horohoro. Around 2015 my parents and I visited local sites around Rotorua with the kaumatua Eru George who has since passed. Eru confirmed our Gordon family connection with Ngāti Kearoa, Ngāti Tuara however the links from Rena back are unclear. George Gordon which I have been told was known as Te Oti Kotene (transliteration of Gordon) is listed with interest to land in Horohoro through Maori land online.
We understand the whānau originally shifted from the Rotorua region to Ōtaki as part of Te Rauparaha migration south which we have been told was due to work and economic scarcity in the Rotorua region early - mid 1800's.
At the time we visited Horohoro there was part of the Gordon family that had returned from Ōtaki to Rotorua and were farming minutes down the road from Kearoa, one of the whānau Marae. Several years later we visited again with Eru Gorge and more of our whānau and were warmly welcomed on a sunny afternoon and had a picnic lunch on the lawn at Kearoa on Tarewa Road, Horohoro.
My understanding having read numerous Ōtaki Māori land court records is that Rena / Rene describes herself as being Ngāti Tuara in decent. This side of the whānau connects back generations to a man named Ika (fish) who travelled from Raiatea to Aotearoa on the Arawa waka.
More recently I have met a young woman who's is connected to Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara and has a father fairly involved with iwi. I haven't followed this up further at this stage, however are keen to continue pursuing the research to understand the links / connection from Rena / Rina in Otaki back to Horohoro.
Hope this has provided you some useful info in your wero (challenge) to understand some of the whānau whakapapa.