Ruhe (Māori chief)

Ruhe (? - 1865) was a Māori chief of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) in northern New Zealand.

At the first signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on 6 February 1840, Ruhe gave a concerted physical display and speech against the treaty. He would go on to sign the Treaty of Waitangi later that day. Next to his name was the statement in Māori "Te Tohu o Ruhe te tamaiti o Kopiri", meaning "The mark of Ruhe the son of Kōpiri".

In 1841, Ruhe's son Maketū Wharetotara was accused of the murder of five people on Motuarohia island. After being found guilty, Maketū Wharetotara became the first person executed under British law in New Zealand.

It was said that Ruhe suffered severe grief after his son died. Ruhe committed suicide in 1865 by shooting himself.^[1]

References

Treaty of Waitangi
Parties and Partners	The Crown Māori New Zealand Parliament Pākehā
Notable signatories	William Hobson Hōne Heke Te Rauparaha Tāmati Wāka Nene
Important figures and groups	Queen Victoria James Busby Henry Williams
Important groups	New Zealand Company Colonial Office Māori protest movement Waitangi Tribunal Office of Treaty Settlements
Terminology	Tino rangatiratanga Kawanatanga Taonga Sovereignty
Legal	Treaty of Waitangi Act Waitangi Day Act Treaty of Waitangi claims and settlements Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi R v Symonds New Zealand Maori Council v Attorney-General Ngati Apa v Attorney-General
Commemoration	Waitangi Day Waitangi, Northland Treaty House