Hongi Hika/Bio & Battles

Hongi Hika was a Maori chief during the early 19th century, and was one of the first Maori chiefs to use European weapons such as muskets in battle. Hika also supported European settlement in New Zealand and regularly traded with the settlers for weapons, and other items, including Western agricultural implements and techniques, as well as new crop such potatoes, which he introduced to the Maori. Hika also supported the transliteration of the Maori language into writing, and even visited England and met King George IV.

Hongi Hika rose to prominence between 1806 and 1812 as a major war leader of the Ngapuhi tribe. It was during this time that firearms first fell into the hands of the Maori, and Hika first became convinced of their value, in spite of his defeat by the Ngati Whatua tribe at the Battle of Moremonui, which he lost in spite of his possession of muskets- Hika's warriors were attacked while reloading and killed with traditional Maori weapons.

After the war, from 1814-1819, Hongi traded with Europeans, granting lands to missionaries in exchange for trade goods, though he never converted to Christianity. Around the same period, he travelled to Australia to study European agricultural and military techniques, and to trade for muskets, ammunition, and other weapons.

In 1818, Hongi conquered the tribes of the East Cape and Bay of Plenty regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Starting in 1819, until 1821, Hika visited England, and traded more muskets in exchange for land rights to European settlers. Hongi also introduced himself to George IV as the King of New Zealand, though this may have been an act of bravado rather than indicative of his actual ambitions.

When he returned armed with his muskets, Hongi seized a fort on the Tamaki River, killing 2000 warriors, as well as an unknown number of women and children. In 1822, he attacked the Waikato region but met his match in their chief, Te Wherowhero, who had by this point also gotten a hold of muskets, and was forced to make peace in 1823 after a few major battles. The series of intertribal conflicts after the acquisition of firearms by the Maori became known as the Musket Wars.

In 1825, Hika defeated the Ngati Whatua tribe, avenging his defeat at Moremonui, and seizing the vast natural harbours of Waitemata and Manukau. He also used the lands he conquered around the Tamaki River as a buffer zone. In 1826, Hongi conquered Whangeroa, in retaliation for their attack on Wesleyan missionaries allied with Hongi.

Hongi Hika died in 1827 when he was shot at a minor engagement in Hokianga. Hika survived for another 14 months before he died of infection. On his death bed, Hika told his followers to "be courageous", and to fight against British attempts to invade New Zealand. Hika's legacy of modernization of the Maori indeed proved to be a nasty surprise for the British about a decade later, when Hika's nephew, Hone Heke rebelled against the British, though they eventually were able to defeat him thanks to their overwhelming artillery and naval superiority.

Battle vs. Little Turtle (by SPARTAN 119)
Little Turtle:

Hongi Hika:

Little Turtle and five Miami warriors crept through a swamp, planning to ambush a scouting party of US troops rumored to be in the area. Instead, he found a group of (VERY) lost Maori led by Hongi Hika.

Not knowing who the men were, Little Turtle gave a hand signal telling his men to stop. The Miami chief then fired his Kentucky rifle, hitting a Maori right in the head, killing him instantly. A second later, the other Miami warriors fired, most of the shots missing, but one hit a second Maori in the chest, causing him to clutch his chest before falling to his knees and dying

Hongi Hika and the Maori warriors retaliated, however, because of the lower accuracy of their trade muskets, most their shots missed. One bullet, however, hit its mark, and killed a Miami warrior.

After the initial volley, the the Maori charged. As he closed in, Hongi Hika himself raised his tupara and fired the second barrel and shot a Miami warrior at a range of less than ten feet.

A Maori warrior charged directly at Little Turtle with his Taiha, and swung it down at him. Little Turtle blocked the weapon with the barrel of his long rifle, and struck back with the butt, striking the Maori in the face, before holding onto the rifle one-handed and drawing his tomahawk with the other. The Miami chief buried the tomahawk blade into the Maori's forehead, killing him instantly.

To the right of Little turtle, a Maori attacked a Miami Indian with an iron hatchet, and struck him over head with the weapon, killing the man instantly. As the Maori charged at Little Turtle, however, a gunshot rang out, and the Maori fell face down on the wet ground, hit in the chest by a musket ball.

At the same time, a Miami Indian with a gunstock war club was engaged in a fierce duel with a Maori armed with an iron patu club. The Miami warrior ended the fight when he evaded a strike of the patu and brought down the spiked end of his war club, punching into the Maori's skull and killing him.

Hongi Hika tried to retreat, realizing he had lost all of his men, however, in the confusion of the sudden ambush, he found himself running right into Little Turtle himself. Hika readied his taiha and brought down the greenstone blade. Little Turtle sidestepped the attack, causing the blade of the taiha to strike a tree instead.

In the split second in which the blade was stuck in the tree, Little Turtle struck and swung his tomahawk down into the Maori leader's skull, killing him instantly. After Hongi Hika's body fell to the ground, Little Turtle pulled his tomahawk out of Hika's head and gave a loud war cry, joined by his two surviving warriors.

WINNER: Little Turtle

Expert's Opinion
Chief Little Turtle won this battle mainly because of the superior range of his firearms, the Kentucky Rifle in particular. Another major contributing factor to this victory was his mastery of guerilla warfare that allowed him to defeat a large American force.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.