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Tainui is my canoe.
Waikato is my river.
On every bend there is a chief.
Taupiri is my mountain.
Maurea is my marae.
Ngāti Hine and Ngāti Naho are my sub-tribes,
Waikato is my tribe.
Peace to all.
I will build my house,
an ancestral house, a house of learning and wellbeing.
‘I build my house.’
that is the beginning of a prophetic saying
by King Tāwhiao.
He was the second King, the King of Peace.
He who wanted to build the house,
but his house was made up
of the people of Waikato.
I return to the time of King Tāwhiao,
it was he who led his people here to hold onto the land
which was taken by the colonisers
my tears continue to fall.
Here I stand,
I continue to care and return,
it is said, land was taken so land should be returned
to sustain the people of Waikato.
Help us out!
In 1863,
Rangiriri Pā was overtaken with gun fire.
When I was at school, I never knew about this history.
It was blatant theft.
It was a confiscation.
We memorialised this day
to pay respect to those
who fought there for this land.
I acknowledge all involved
from Rangiriri, to Ōrākau
To the Tūhoe tribe, to Pukehinahina,
and to Tarata, I acknowledge you all.
I saw all their faces were the same.
Full of anger.
In my opinion, we’re still here.
So we are a victorious people.
My ancestral house,
Ngā Tumutumu o Rauwhitu.
Here we are the descendants of Ngāti Naho, Ngāti Hine
coming onto the marae for today’s occasion.
Greet us. Welcome us.
Greet us my ancestral Kings,
as you stand there looking down upon us who have arrived here today.
Greet us, support us, look after us.
Her knowledge aligns with ours.
She has an affinity with the youth.
Sometimes our youth don’t communicate with the old people
But when she is with the youth,
they all listen to her because of the affinity she has with them.
If she’s present,
we leave it up to her to karanga (call).
Hold onto the traditions
as sustenance for your body,
spirit, mind, soul and your family.
When I was younger
I heard all the women karanga.
They could all karanga.
Nowadays,
they are much weaker.
That level of karanga is rarely seen now.
I didn't go to the marae as a child.
I stayed home.
There was no Māori language at school.
So, I didn’t know te reo Māori as a child.
My Dad was Simmonds Te Hiwa Whiunui.
My Mum was Taurewa Te Ngaha.
My parents had nine children,
three boys and six girls.
I’m the youngest in the family.
My Mum died
she was about 47 years old.
She was a hard worker and became very sick.
My Dad brought me up.
He sent me to school,
cooked my food and washed my clothes.
This is my school I attended.
I started here in at Rangiriri School in 1953.
When I finished school, I went to Te Kauwhata College
where I immersed myself in the French language
To all the people on earth
Listen to the call of the children
Bring with you a loving and joyous heart.
to uplift our culture.
Thank you.
Although I was mischief,
I achieved head girl status at Te Kauwhata College.
I was 18 years old and looking for work.
I received a message to return home for the birthday
of a special grandchild.
Then I met a special person.
Raymond Te Kowaenga Tumai Totorewa.
We talked and sang a couple of songs.
The next day was his 21st birthday
and we moved to his house.
I asked his Mum: ‘Where are his presents?’
She replied: ‘You are the present.’
For 20 years, I raised my children.
I had six children.
When I was pregnant and giving birth
I didn’t know what I should do with the placenta.
My Dad asked: ‘Where is the placenta?’
I said: ‘Oh no, I didn't keep that.’
I had no idea.
Not until I arrived at University did I understand.
I cried. I was angry.
I cried for a long time.
Only then did I realise I was Māori.
All my children know that I didn’t follow this process.
I was a very different person then
but I have ensured that my grandchildren know.
What’s a custom related to karanga?
What do you do? Do you pray first?
Yes, perhaps I would start off with a prayer.
When it comes to karanga, I believe that
you must know the occasion of the gathering.
Whether it’s a funeral
or just a call of welcome to those coming onto the marae.
The first voice to be heard on the marae is the woman’s voice,
her call of welcome.
So I know that you know how to karanga.
Get up and do it.
Go and stand next to Ngāti Hine.
Welcome to you all from the many ancestral canoes.
Welcome.
I greet you as you congregate here in unity
as you enter through the eye of the needle.
who combine as one.
Greetings to you all.
Yes there are learnings when you falter.
Good on you.
You must know the language to correct your fault.
There is always a reason why you may falter,
such as a woman's menstrual cycle.
If you have problems with someone
or are worrying about something, you will falter.
My grandson, let's talk about whaikōrero (oratory).
What are the traditions of speech making you know?
In the beginning,
you start off with a tauparapara (invocation).
Then you give thanks to God,
then you pay homage to King Tūheitia.
You acknowledge the dead and the living
then you’re ready to talk about the occasion.
I say. Good on you boy.
Stand and show me,
bring your explanation to life.
An ancestral cloud looms over the peak of Taupiri,
symbolic of our Tainui ancestors
As I gaze towards my ancestral house Ngā Tumutumu o Rauwhitu
and to the place from where the presence of Tāwhiao
overshadowed the resting place of the third King Mahuta.
The homestead of overgrown pastures
allowing the land of Manuhiri opens a clear pathway
Be resolute and firm in purpose
allow the spring to flow and dissipate
Who will bear the fruit,
will it be Mahuta?
Or the flight of the fly o Sire.
Move it, move it, forward, forward.
The following has agreed. Join! Gather! Unite!
The youth are allowed to sit on the orators seat at our funerals
as the older generations are becoming fewer.
The old people are no longer here.
There are a few of us who support the youth to stand,
older and younger siblings alike
to stand if they want to.
Here in Waikato, to us of Ngāti Hine and Ngāti Naho,
we follow the protocols of the Waikato region.
Each marae has their own way of doing certain things.
Hi there, the custom in my house,
firstly, is to leave your shoes to the side outside the house.
If you’re carrying negativity, leave it outside
to ensure the house stays clean.
It is for the wellbeing and safety of my family.
There’s a certain way I wash my tea towels.
I don’t wash them with the laundry.
You can see how dirty the water is.
These are used for every day food handling
and on the table.
You leave them for two hours then you rinse in cold water,
then you hang them up to dry.
Get outside.
Out.
That's one rule in the dining room.
Don’t brush your hair in the dining room or the kitchen.
Give me your brush please, I’ll brush your hair.
If you cut your hair or your nails,
you must bury them in the earth.
In terms of our Māori customs, we must maintain them.
We need to reinvigorate ourselves with our traditions,
so we as a people know where we are going to.
I greet you my beloved river,
my ancestral river, my river of life
which carries the message of peace to the people of Waikato,
the descendants of the Tainui canoe.
This is my greeting of love.
The reason I wanted to get my chin etched
was because when I came back to a coronation,
to King Tūheitia’s first coronation
I watched and I cried.
It was so amazing to see.
Not just one but around nine women
were wearing their moko on their chins.
I spoke to an old lady. She said to me:
‘This is what you’ve got to do,
talk to your family and older siblings and go to your marae.
Lay it all out at the marae to gain support.’
In the end, it was Richard Francis
who also did the moko for my children
I decided he could do mine.
Mauritau is the name of my moko kauwae.
Now for me I need to feel the peace and settle down,
I’m no longer as youthful as I used to be.
One section of my moko is the legs of a pūkeko bird
which represents knowledge and understanding of Māori knowledge.
It’s a sign of strength in the world,
to stand strong, not to stand with arrogance
Therefore ladies,
to you who want to wear this treasure handed down to us.
May the power of our ancestors guide you on your journey.
Peace be with you.
Before I join our creator in his spiritual home
I want my children to first and foremost
know our customs and our language
and to teach our language to their children.
Secondly, that they pursue Māori knowledge
and mainstream knowledge.
With those attributes they can gain degrees
much like the ascension of Tāwhaki
to gain the baskets of knowledge.
Hold on to the faith, what is right and most of all be compassionate.
I greet you King Tūheitia. The heart of the people.
This important occasion has come to its conclusion.
There you are at the pinnacle of your lineage.
Descend down.
To you all from Maurea Marae,
Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Naho, come back home now.
This is the true place to learn our customs and the language
and to get to know one another.
Let this be my commitment to them all.
It was a time when young women and men's passions were ignited.
A letter from afar.
Their special bond was captured in the essence of their letters.
When delicious food is served to a man,
He's going to fall in love.