AHIKAAROA

The other day a cuzzy asked about Ahikaaroa... what it means... and what it’s all about. The term ‘Ahikaaroa’ literally translates as.... ahi = fire, kaa = burning, roa = long. In Maori culture the ‘long burning fires’ is a reference to the central fire of the iwi, hapu or whanau. In every village there was at least one fire that was kept burning at all times. In pre-European Aotearoa there were no matches... it was extremely important that each whanau group maintain their fire... night and day. It was a gift from Mahuika... it was a sign of life... a sign that all is well... it showed how healthy the people were... how healthy the land was... how strong the iwi was. Te Ahikaaroa was a symbol of mana whenua... It keeps the people warm... the people grow strong... they keep the fires burning.

It’s also a powerful symbol of survival... it’s a central gathering place for the iwi... it’s where the tribal memories were shared... the tribal knowledge is past on... and the tribal histories are told. Long before the arrival of Cook... we use our ahikaaroa to claim ownership and occupation of the lands around Muriwai and Whareongaonga... our fires were many. When Joseph Banks sailed into Turanganui on Oct 9th 1769... He made the following note... “The bay appears to be quite open without the least shelter: the two sides of it made of high white cliffs; the middle is low land with hills gradually rising behind one another to the chain of high mountains inland. Here we saw many great smoke stacks, some near the beach others between the hills, some very far within land, which we looked upon as great indication of a populous country” ...he was right... Turanga-ara-rau (all roads lead to Turanga) 

There were heaps of Maori and many ‘ahi’ burning. Today the term Te Ahikaroa is about the people. The ‘ahikaroa’ is without doubt the whanau who bring our marae to life. The unsung heroes of home... those who are there to get things ready... those who prepare the beds... those who collect the food... those who prepare the food... those who set the tables... those who set the hangi... those who take care of our visitors... those on the paepae... those doing karakia or karanga... those who do the dishes... those who clean things up... and those who pack things away ready for next time. KOINA ko Te Ahikaaroa... collectively they are the pulse of our tribal aroha and the heart-beat of our tribal mana... THANK YOU ALL NGAI TAMANUHIRI... and... MAURIORA.... TOITU TE AHIKAAROA

MY DAD...

My dad was a shearer, a shepherd, a carpenter
He was a soldier who served in World War Two 
His dad was a soldier who served in World War One
His dad was a land owner, a hard nosed bushman 
His dad was a witness in the Maori Land Courts
His dad was born during the small-pox epidemic
His dad was a leading chief from the Mahia area 
His dad met Captain Cook & was given some potato 
His dad was a great fighting chief of the Ngai Tahupo 
His dad’s net stretched the length of the east coast 
His dad was a powerful priest & great carver too 
His dad was a feared fighting chief from Nuhaka 
His dad was a fighting chief from Moumoukai 
His dad helped move his family from Turanga
His dad had a war over a dog eaten by enemies
His dad had a great battle in Turanganui... and 
His dad was Kahungunu... ko te nuinga kei waho 

These are the foot prints of my fore fathers…
This is me… Mauri tu... Mauri ora

ANZAC 2013... TO MY DAD

Nga mihi aroha ki a ratou e tu tonu... TU TONU... nga mihi maumahara ki a ratou kua wheturangitia... 

BIG MIHI OUT TO MY DAD... especially today on ANZAC... In 1941 my dad traveled with the 10th Re-enforcement's to fight in WWII. He spent 4years chasing the Desert Fox all over the sand dunes of North Africa. When he left Muriwai he had one young son... and my mum was pregnant with her second child. By the time he received news of the baby’s birth... he was stationed around Cairo. The baby was a girl... and thus they named her Cairo... to remember his time in Egypt. 

My dad spent several years dogging bullets and bombs over there... and luckily for us he came home... some men from Muriwai didn't. My dad was one of those soldiers who returned by train... he too ignored orders and got off in Muriwai... decided not to attend the official 28th welcome in Turanga... chose instead to go home to see his whanau first... his wife and two kids. But the war was not a good memory for my dad... he'd never talk to us about it.

Sometimes after a few ANZAC Whiskeys... he and the uncles would re-visit their memories... uncle Ruben (they called him ‘Krout’ because he was very fair... fluent in German and once he even dressed as a German Officer to gather intelligence)... uncle Dave... uncle Moana... uncle Nolan... uncle Digger... they all had their tales... but the fun times were often over-shadowed by the blood shed and the killing. 

My mum and dad had 9 more children after the war... 11 kids all up and I’m the youngest. How lucky am I that my dad came home... how lucky are my children and my moko... to tatou nei waimarie... MAURIORA...

LOVE YOU ALWAYS DAD
XXXOOOXXX

MAUI AND THE GREAT FISH

Maui is a pivotal ancestor in our culture. He links the realm of the atua with the realm of the tangata. This wananga will focus on 2 of his most famous exploits. One of the first... When he captured the great fish we know today as Te Ika-a-Maui... AND his very last story... That tells about his search for immortality and his encounter with the great goddess of the night...Hinenuitepo. Thus it’s Maui who gives us the land we live upon... and Maui who starts the whakapapa to that land.

Maui was renowned as a great trickster and thrilled the ancient Maori world with his daring and cunning. Maui is involved in so many adventures that help celebrate his inquisitive nature. In fact, many of his own family saw him as a nuisance and very disrespectful. They loathed taking him with them, as they feared he would embarrass them with his silly antics. When Maui’s older brothers went out fishing they often left Maui behind. On one particular occasion Maui decided to sail after them on his own waka. Somehow Maui obtained his grandmother’s magic jawbone and fashioned a special hook for himself.  Maui baited his hook then cast his line into the depths of the ocean. He waited. In no time at all Maui caught a fish, a huge stingray that fought and thrashed about wildly. Maui began to calm the monster with potent karakia. He hauled the great fish to the surface using prayers he learnt from his ancestors. Up and up it rose from the deep. As the great fish was dragged out of the water, it was so big Maui’s canoe began to lift into the air. Nukutaimemeha came to rest upon the summit of Hikurangi. It was the first point of land to break the surface of the water... The first point to see the light of day. Each day that honour is repeated as the summit of Hikurangi is always the first place to see the light. KOINA

Tairawhiti iwi believe Nukutaimemeha is still on top of Hikurangi. It was Maui who caught the great fish and dragged it to the surface. It was Maui who brought life to the land and thus he ignites all ahikaroa... Maui is the beginning of our korero here in Aotearoa...

Maui’s fish is a stingray. If we look at the North Island...  We can see the basic shape... Wellington is the head of the fish thus the name (Upoko-o-te-Ika – Head of the Fish)... The east coast and Taranaki are the two wings of the giant stingray... The center of the Island is the stomach (Puku-o-te-Ika – Stomach of the Fish)... And the far north represents the tail of the stingray (Te Hiku-o-te-Ika – The Tail of the Fish).

Obviously the story of origin for our iwi starts on a fishing trip somewhere up the coast...  blah blah blah

BOOM BOOM BOOM AMERICA

BOOM... BOOM... BOOM... 

Thoughts and prayers go out to the folks of America... 
WHETHER BY TERROR... OR BY TRAGIC ERROR... America seems intent on blowing itself to bits. The irony being... that in amongst all the devastation and carnage... politicians still find time to ‘politic’ by rejecting OBAMAs gun controls. Somehow they don’t recognise the relationship between the extremely violent weapons in their homes and the extreme violence visited upon their lives. Sometimes America looks like a country at war with itself... in its school yards... in its classrooms... at its cinemas... and even at a marathon. The National Gun Lobby is so busy fighting for the right to bare arms and protect yourself... YET all the arms being bared... were of little use in Boston... they were of little use in Sandy Hook... they were of no use in Aurora... and they are of little use whenever evil takes aim at society. 

Thank god people don’t walk around with loaded guns in NZ... At the end of the day... we are a product of our yesterdays... we are who we are because of the values instilled in us by our ancestors and the decisions they made... collectively or individually... cos... it’s not really about what happened in the past... It’s not about what’s happened since... it’s about what happens next... what happens tomorrow. Our future starts tomorrow... and tomorrow is shaped... by what we do today... 

MAURIORA

TA MOKO... FACE OF THE PEOPLE

SWEET...The North Island of New Zealand is the second best place in the world to get a tattoo, according to Lonely Planet. We think it's the absolute best tho... 

But New Zealand is listed ahead of Morocco, Japan and the USA, with only Wat Bang Phra the only place better >> WAT BANG (not even eow). "Think 'Maori warrior' and an image of a fierce-looking dude with blue tattoos across his face appears. "In New Zealand's indigenous culture, the complex designs - called ta moko - represent a person's identity, origin and bravery. It's like a history on the skin and for me the bro Tame is the most recognisable Maori on the planet... his ta-moko has been there since forever... since before the craze of covering urself with spirals and korus began 

and for Tame... it really is a history on the skin... as apposed to a decoration of the body...

 MAURIORA E HOA

LINING UP THE STARS AT NIGHT

If you got clear skies above you... 

and tonight Tamaki is cloudy so I can't see them... but if you can... this is what it looks like straight above us right now. If you find Tautoru which is Orions Belt and one of the easiest to identify because its three stars in almost a straight line... then you can get your bearings in a sky full of stars. If you follow the line of the three stars out toward the east you will find Takurua or Sirius... then if you follow the same line out toward the west... thats where you will find Matariki or Pleiades. Puanga (Rigel)... Parearau (Saturn) and Whaka-ahua (Castor) run in a line on about a 90 degree angle to the other one forming a cross of sorts. Puanga is the bright star that sits above Tautoru... This is the summer sky... as the months progress... there is a procession of constellations that our tipuna knew and understood beginning with Matariki and ending with Takirau. 

Mauri Tu... Mauri Po... Mauri Ora