I whānau mai a Te Aritaua Pitama i Tuahiwi i te rohe ki Kaiapohia, hei mātāmua ki ngā tamariki 12. Ko ana tino hapū ko Ngāi Ruahikihiki rātou ko Ngāi Tūāhuriri ko Ngāi Te Rakiamoa ko Ngāti Hinematua o roto o Ngāi Tahu rāua ko and Ngāti Mamoe.
He matatau ia ki ngā reo e rua (kāore i pērā te tangata i Te Waipounamu i aua wā), i akohia e ia ngā whakapapa o Ngāi Tahu e tana whaea e Manakore rāua ko te kaiako kōrero tawhito o Ngāi Tahu, a Teone Taare Tikao. I kuraina a Pitama i ngā kura o Tuahiwi me te Kāreti o te Karaiti tae noa ki te tau 1924, i tana huringa hei kaiako i te Kura o Rātana Pā i te taha o tana whaea, ā ka neke ki te Nupepa o Te Papaioea mahi ai.
Ka hoki ia ki Tuahiwi i te tau 1934 ka mahi kāmura poroteke, engari ahakoa tana rangatahitanga (e 28 ngā tau), i whakaarotia ia hei kaumātua, hei kaikōrero hoki hei whakatau i a Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana i tana taenga ki te tangihanga o tana tama a Ārepa, i moe ki te wahine Ngāi Tahu.
I kōnei a Pitama te whakamārama i ngā wāhi ingoa Māori, he whakatauki, waiata hoki ki te hiki te reo Māori i ōna āhua o te wā.
Kā Pākihi Whakatekateka o Waitaha | Canterbury | Waimakariri | 1950-59 | Story is by tangata whenua
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