I te timatanga ko te hiahia
12/07/16 12:39
I te timatanga ko te hiahia
In the beginning was the desire (the yearning)
Mai i te hiahia ko te mahara.
From the desire came the awareness (memory).
Mai i te mahara ko te whakaaro
From the awareness came thought
Ka puta ko te kupu e….
Then out came the spoken word
Ko Ruapehu te maunga.
Ko Aotea te waka.
Ko Turi te tangata.
Ko Paraweka me Upokotauaki ōku Marae.
Ko Ngāti Kurawhatia me Ngāti Hau ōku Hapu.
Ko Te Ati Haunui-a-papārangi te iwi.
Tena koe, my name is Kapitorina Hall and I descend from the upper reaches of the Whanganui River – Jerusalem/Pipiriki. The above passage is a pao which was first spoken by our Tohunga Tupuna Rangimotuhia Katene whom taught at the only Whare Wānanga in Patiarero, along the banks of the Whanganui River. This pao recites the whakapapa of the spoken word, from the desire to the thought process and then the spoken word. This pao is where I draw all of my cultural essence.
I have been asked to start writing short blog entries as to what I think our future is, to broaden this category I thought I would narrow it down to ‘What I think the future is for Ngāti Kurawhatia’.
I see the future for Ngāti Kurawhati, Pipiriki as a bright and prosperous one – Ma pango ma whero, ka oti te mahi (As long as we work together, With black and with red the work is completed).
I am seeing many of my whanaunga that have had no physical connections to the whenua, awa and tangata/Hau Kainga returning and a common place to meet is Pipiriki.
We're always taking whanau up there for a swim & picnic in the summer and they cannot believe we have such a special place to call home.
I think something that would definitely get our younger adults/rangatahi and pāhake alike involved would be wānanga workshops including whakapapa, kapa haka (relevant to our wahi), paddling, etc and possibly looking at making it an annual event.
No reira e te whanau, he muka no te taurawhiri a Hine Ngākau whakapiri mai, whakatata mai.
Nga mihi maioha,
Kapitorina