Henare James Clendon Tau 1911 1918

edmondsallan - Good morning - I was talking to my daughter in London last night who with her partner are expecting their first child . The last scan they had told them the sex of the unborn child .I thought I would suggest a few names . I suggested some maori Christian names that I consider very beautiful . Now I know we are on the whiter than white side of this huge family ( Because of Samuel John Edmonds ) However in my mind I thought, wouldn't it be great if if one of us ( pure ??? ) pakeha of the family called one of us a beautiful Maori name . Daughter's husband is of scotch descent I could hear her mind ticking over the phone & I could see feel / sense her trying to gain time within her mind . Then came that awful silence ( which I hate ) I had I think gone to far . I still think the idea is great ,as I know many of our maori side also use English names in their maori names and have done so for years . Not many go the other way and it puzzles me deeply !!!.This short conversation ,leads us into a " Ngapuhi Maori Leader " with his first two christian names being english & his last christian name - Maori .He is related to us by descendantcy & marriage .
James Clendon (Himi Te Nana) Tau Henare was born at Motatau in the Bay of Islands on 18 November 1911, the youngest of six sons and one of eight children of Hera Paerata and her husband, Taurekareka (Tau) Henare, then farming tribal land. James’s father was of Ngati Whatua and Nga Puhi ancestry with membership of many hapu, most notably Ngati Hine. His mother was of Te Rarawa, Ngati Kahu and Te Aupouri. The family’s ancestry, with Rahiri as common progenitor, connected them to a number of great northern warrior chiefs, including Kawiti and Hone Heke. James was also the great-grandson of Colonel Robert Wynyard, who led British troops in the northern wars. His ancestral waka were Nga-toki-mata-whao-rua, Mamari, Mamaru, Mahuhu-ki-te-rangi, Mataatua, Tainui, Takitimu, Horouta and Te Arawa, indicating his links to Waikato, Ngati Kahungunu, Ngati Porou, Taranaki and Te Arawa.
James’s first years were spent on his family’s marae at Motatau. His father’s election as MP for Northern Maori in 1914 changed the family’s lifestyle markedly. James’s primary school education reflected this, with enrolments at Motatau Native School and Takapuna, Awanui and Thorndon schools. His mother, Hera, died during the 1918 influenza epidemic. Till next we meet - Regards - edmondsallan