THE ALPHA FREQUENCY #768 - RESILIENCE AND RESISTANCE: THE MEQABYAN LEGACY IN THE NORTH

A Manual for Standing Firm

Kia ora e te whānau. We have reached the final post in our series looking at Research Report #268. We have talked about our language, our leadership, and our shared economy. Today, we look at the spiritual "backbone" that allowed our ancestors to stand firm against colonial pressure. In the ancient Ethiopian Bible, there are three unique books called the Books of Meqabyan. These books aren't found in Western Bibles, but for us as Ngāpuhi, they serve as a powerful manual for indigenous resistance.

The Meqabyan Legacy

The Books of Meqabyan tell the stories of righteous people who refused to bow down to greedy kings or false idols. They chose to follow the laws of the Creator rather than the unfair rules of men. This resonates deeply with our own history in Taitokerau. When we look at the lives of the Ethiopian martyrs, we see a reflection of our own leaders who refused to be "trodden down" by foreign systems. Ihu (Yeshua's name in the Paipera Tapu) gave us the strength to know that even if our physical world is under pressure, our wairua (spirit) remains free.

Diplomacy and Protection

In 1820, our great leaders Hongi Hika and Waikato travelled to England. This was a sophisticated diplomatic mission. Hongi wasn't just looking for tools; he was establishing a relationship with King George IV. He understood this as an exchange of mana and an offer of protection. However, our ancestors were clear: they were seeking a partnership, not a takeover. They wanted to learn new things while remaining completely Ngāpuhi, just as the Ethiopian people kept their faith while staying independent.

The Hireling Shepherds

The betrayal of the covenant happened when the British began to act as "hireling shepherds." In the Ethiopian scriptures and the Book of Jeremiah, a hireling shepherd is a leader who only cares about wealth and forgets their duty to the flock. When Hōne Heke and Kawiti saw the British government imposing taxes and taking control of our kauri forests, they recognised the signs. Heke’s act of cutting down the flagpole was a symbolic rejection of a system that tried to overwrite our sacred indigenous path with paper laws.

Direct Teaching of Ihu

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28, Ethiopian Bible English Version)

Original Source (Ge'ez): ወኢትፍርህዎሙ ለእለ ይቀትሉ ሥጋክሙ፤ ወለነፍስክሙሰ ኢይክሉ ቀቲሎታ፤

Te Reo Māori: Kaua e wehi ki te hunga e whakamate ana i te tinana, a e kore e taea e ratou te whakamate te wairua.

Resilience of the Soul

The Ethiopian Bible teaches a strong belief in the immortality of the soul and the physical resurrection. This same spiritual certainty provided our Northern ancestors with a framework for courage in war and a refusal to give up their mana. They believed that when a people align their will with the Divine Order, they gain a power that no earthly authority can destroy. This resilience is the ultimate expression of our history, a narrative of nation-making by Māori, for Māori, grounded in a divine order.

Reclaiming the Path

As we conclude this series, we see that the Kingdom of God is not a far-off place, but a present reality found in the dignity of our humanity and the enduring power of our land. By looking through the unadulterated lens of the Ethiopian Bible, we see our own struggles and aspirations reflected back at us. We are moving toward a future where "He Whenua Rangatira" and the Kingdom of God are one and the same, a noble land where justice and peace prevail for all generations.

Why we look to the Ethiopian Bible

It is important for us as Ngāpuhi to look at the Ethiopian Bible because it is the oldest and most complete collection of holy scriptures in the world. Because Ethiopia was never colonised, their 81-book Bible stayed pure and was never interfered with by the political or economic forces that changed the Bibles brought to us from Europe. When we look into these ancient texts, we find a "mirror" that reflects our own tikanga, our love for the land, and our desire for true independence. It proves that our indigenous way of life is not at odds with the Kingdom of God, but is actually a beautiful expression of it.