Ko te whakaaro, i whānau mai a Te Mātenga Tāmati i ngā tau tōmuri o te tekau tau atu i 1830. I ētahi wā karangatia ai a ia ko Hia. Ko tōna whanaungatanga ki a Ngāti Rongomaiwahine tōna hononga matua, ēngari, e ngaro ana ngā īngoa o ōna mātua, ā, kāhore hoki he kōrero maharatanga mō tona whanaketanga. He tangata tino whakarae a ia nō roto o Ngāti Kahungunu ki te takiwā ki Te Wairoa, i te pito whakararo o Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawke's Bay), i ngā tau potapotae o te tīmatanga o te rau tau rua ngahuru. He kaumātua a ia nō te pā o Pūtahi, he kāinga e tū tata ana ki Waiparapara; nō muri mai i tapaina ko Te Kapu, ā, nō muri mai anō, ko Frasertown.
E ai ki ngā kōrero, e 55 ngā tau o Te Mātenga i te matenga o Te Kooti i te tau 1893. Ahakoa i pakanga ngā iwi o te takiwā o Te Wairoa ki a Te Kooti, i whakapono rātau he mea whiriwhiri e te Atua a Te Mātenga hei taua wairua mō Te Kooti. I whakaponotia, arā, i hāngai te whakawhiwhi mai a te Atua i ana whakakitenga ki a Te Mātenga, ā, he mea hoatu māna e kawe te taha wairua ki te iwi Māori. Kāore te whakapono Ringatū a Te Kooti i awhitia whānuitia, nā te mea nā tōna poropiti i patu ētahi tāngata kia mate. He nui kē ake te karere kōrero a Te Mātenga, ā, he kaha kē ake ki te awhi, ki te whakamārire. E whakataukī ana anō hoki i te whakaaro, i tētahi wā kei te heke mai ka noho te wairua mārire i waenganui i te Māori me te Pākehā, nā runga i te whakapono ki te Atua. I mōhiotia tana hāhi ko Te Hāhi o te Kōhititanga Marama, arā, te whakapono o te marama e kōhiti ana; i ētahi wā ka karangatia ko te Hāhi o te Ao Hou. E ai ki ana apataki, koia tēnei te whakaritenga o te hāhi Ringatū.
Hei whakataka mō te haerenga mai o te ao hou, ka tukua mai e te Atua ētahi tohutohu ki a Te Mātenga hei hanga i tētahi tāpenakara, temepara rānei: me hanga tētahi anga porowhā ki ngā pou nui, 12 te maha. He anga kore tuanui, e tūraha ana ki a Tāwhirimātea. Ko roto i te temepara te tūranga mō te āka o te kawenata, koirā te wāhi e kōrero mai ai te Atua ki tōna iwi. I ngā tau whakamutunga o te rau tau o 1800–1899, ka kōharia e te poropiti me ana apataki ngā rākau tōtara nui whakaharahara, 12 te maha, kātahi ka miratia ki Mangatawhiti. Kei ngā take puke o te paeroa o Ngāmoko kei te taha whakarua o Waikaremoana te wāhi nei. Kātahi ka puta te tohu āwhina a te Atua, i tāna whakatinanatanga ko te waipuke nui o te Maehe o 1904 hei kawe mai i ngā poro rākau ki te awa o Mangaaruhe, heke atu mā te awa o Te Wairoa, puta atu ki te moana. Nā aua rākau tonu i mea rātau kia pae ki uta i Kōrito, arā, ki te wāhi i kōwhiria ai hei papa tūnga mō te temepara. E pātata ana ki Iwitea i te rāwhiti o Te Wairoa te wāhi nei.
I hāngai pū te mahinga o ēnei mahi katoa e ai ki ngā tikanga tapu me ngā tikanga tuku iho, ā, nā Te Mātenga tonu i whakahaere ngā wāhanga katoa o te mahi. I tapaina ngā pou nui ki ngā īngoa o ngā tama 12 a Hākopa o te Kawenata Tawhito, ā, tērā atu anō ētahi ōritetanga i waenganui i te Hāhi o te Kōhititanga Marama me te whakapono o ngā Iharaira o onamata. Heoti, kāore te temepara i whakatūria. I tūpono ētahi uauatanga i te tikinga atu i tētahi o ngā poro rākau i tere whaka-te-rāwhiti kē atu ki Waikōkopu i te raenga kūititanga o Te Māhia. Nā tēnei me ētahi atu whakaputanga i whakaatu ki a Te Mātenga, ehara taua wā i te wā tika. Tērā atu anō tētahi poropiti taihoa ka puta ake, ā, māna te temepara e whakaoti. Kei te tāhuna tonu o Kōrito aua pou rā e pae ana, e whanga ana i taua wā.
E mōhiotia whānuitia ana te mana tohunga matakite, tohunga whakaora tūroro o Te Mātenga, ā, he maha ngā kōrero kua kōrerotia mō āna merekara whakakitenga, merekara whakaora māuiuitanga hoki. He puna wai whakaora tōna i tōna kāinga i Pukerimu, he wāhi e pātata ana ki Te Wairoa. E ai ki ngā kōrero, ka taea e te wai o taua puna te whakaora te māuiui, te pākoko me ngā ringa whati, waewae whati rānei. Ina whakamahia ana e ia ngā rongoā tuku iho, whakapuakina rawatia e ia tētahi kupu whakapai, ka whakataukī hoki ki te hiranga o te whakapono ki te Atua.
Ko 1905 tonu pea te tau i hangaia ai tētahi whare nui, ko Te Karauna te īngoa, ki runga ki te wāhi e tika kē ana hei tūnga mō te temepara. I whakahaeretia e Te Mātenga ngā rā karakia ia marama i reira i te wā o te marama kōhiti. I te wā o aua karakia nei, ka inoi tahi rātau ko ana apataki mō te taenga mai o te ao hou, me te haerenga mai o tētahi poropiti anō hei tohutohu i a rātau, hei whakaoti hoki i te hanganga o te temepara. I uru atu te nuinga o ana apataki ki te Hāhi Ringatū i muri mai i tōna matenga i Pukerimu; e ai ki te kōrero i mate ia i te tau 1914. Nā te āwhā te whare nui i Kōrito i tukituki i te tau 1969.
Ahakoa i whakaaro nuitia, whānuitia a ia mō ana tini pūmanawa, ko te pū kōrero nei tētahi, i mōhiotia anō hoki a Te Mātenga mō tana whakamōwaitanga. Ehara ia i te tangata ki te whakameremere ki āna mahi. Kīhai ia i kimi ki te whakatairanga i a ia anō, i te kaupapa rānei o tana whāinga. Ki ana apataki, ko ia te kauwaka mō ngā whakakitenga e pā ana ki te hiahia o te Atua. Kīhai rawa rātau i koropiko atu ki a ia, ki te tangata kikokiko. Ko te hua o tēnei tū āhua, ko te iti o ngā kōrero taha tangata mōna i mahue mai, ko te kore whakaahua ōna, me te kore kupu rānei e whakaatu mai ana i tōna āhua ake. Nāna i moe a Mate Takitaki, ka puta ko ngā tamāhine tokorua, ko Te Waihae Matanga (Mātenga) Hia rāua ko Hēni Hia. He tokomaha ngā uri i puta. I puta ki a rāua ko tana wahine tuarua, ko Ēmere Maanu, he tamāhine, arā, ko Rīpeka Tāmati, ēngari e taitamariki tonu ana ia ka mate. E ai ki ngā kōrero kei Kōrito a Te Mātenga e tāpuke ana, arā, kei tētahi wāhi e pātata ana ki te papa o te temepara i marohitia rā.