"QUOTE" WARREN POHATU

Quoting myself... beat that...lol....

Sometimes saying nothing 

says so much more...

WNRP

PAIKEA TO POROURANGI

Everyone from the coast should know... there's ONLY 5 names linking Porourangi and Paikea (including the 2 we just used). Indeed there are only 3 more names to ADD and you have the basis of your east coast whakapapa... thus linking the Whale-rider with the seed of Ngati Porou whanui. It's a male line (father to son, father to son) and its the focal point of any whakapapa to the TAIRAWHITI. 
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN.. start here >>> >>> >>>
Anyone who claims to be Ngati Porou... shares this core whakapapa... because it's the whakapapa of Porourangi himself. It's the Ure Pukaka... or senior male line... (eldest son to eldest son - please note Pouheni is the eldest son of Hamoterangi but he's not Paikea's eldest.
Heres the 5 names... see if you can learn these 5. .. and build your knowledge from there.

Of course anyone who claims to be Ngai Tahu/Kai Tahu shares the same whakapapa... as Tahu and Porourangi are brothers and have equal conection to Paikea. And those connections travel far and wide across the motu... even to the Kawai-Ariki of Tainui.
Heres the 5 names... see if you can learn these 5. .. and build your knowledge from there.

If you learn these 5 names till you can recite them backwards... you can then add more names. It's another 4 names to Kahungunu, 4 names to Rongowhakaata, 4 names to Tamanuhiri, 5 names to Hauiti and Taua, 6 names to Mahaki and Rakaipaaka... Slowly but surely you build up your knowledge... and on average it's about 25 generations from ourselves to Paikea and every generation you can fill bridges that gap in your understanding

Every journey starts with a single step
The whakapapa to Paikea spreads all over the motu... the following iwi connect to the whakapapa above... Ngati Porou (of course) Ngai Tahu, Rongowhakaata, Ngai Tamanuhiri, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki, Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Whakatohea, Ngati Ranginui, Ngati Rakaipaaka, Ngati Kahungunu, Tainui, Raukawa, Ngati Toa, Ngati Kahu, Ngati Tuhourangi... and many more


P.S. everyone knows"Paikea" is the national anthem of the east coast...and everyone joins when ever it's sung... have a listen to it and remember he's the great, great grandfather of Porourangi. He lived about 80 years before him.

Maurioa I'll be adding to the whakapapa above in future posts

MATAORA - THE LIVING FACE

Described as the most amazing species of all by the BBC... we have long considered ourselves the masters of our own realm and by all accounts its a realm with no known boundaries. No matter what this world throws at us man will always prevail... we reign supreme over terrain, climate or even another species... man is the apex of all consciousness. That's how we see it... but the reality is man can only control man... and not doing so has led us to this point...If we can't or won't control ourselves... every other species will pay the price of our arrogance and be the cost of our ignorance. The following documentary shows our understanding of the so called HUMAN PLANET with comprehensive explanations about the role other species play in our survival.

Stunning documentary... see more  http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/humanplanetexplorer/
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I believe you can learn a lot about how man sees the world... by taking a look at how man see's himself. Many indigenous cultures all over the world reflect there environment in their artwork and themselves. The land, climate, birds and animals feature in both their traditional costume and/or their personal adornments. They become symbols of spiritual power or physical prowess. Have a look at some of these mask from around the ancient world. They are so cool and really inspirational... plus it shows that no matter what colour, shape or size... we all have 2 eyes, 1 nose and 1 mouth... he iwi kotahi tatou (we are one people)... HUMAN.

Tau mai te mauri... tau mai te marama... tau mai mohio
maoriboy

TAITIMUROA

Drawing at home tonight with the cuzzy... doing a little bit of a wananga for my cuzz... he's keen to learn more about his genealogy. I beleive art is a potent tool in terms of learning about your culture. As I drew the image I told my cuzzin the story below... I also pointed out the icons used in the illustration. The stingray represents Papatewhai... his home before and after the battle... at his feet is Te kuri-a-Paoa his sacred mountain and his father's pa Rangihaua stood at the top of Te Kuri... The tewhatewha represents the mana of his ancestors who kept the fire burning before him. The short stabbing sticks in his hand represents the warriors who came to his aid including Awakopiko and Kaipoho... the whale bone tiki represents his whakapapa to Paikea Ariki and the (8) triangles that touch his right shoulder represent his whakapapa to Tahu-Potiki... (Rangiwaho, Tamaraukura, Tamanuhiri, Rakaitotorewa, Uenukunui, Tahumurihape, Rakaroa... Tahu-Potiki) As the artwork emerges from the page it is infused with the wairua of knowledge and understanding and thus it becomes a vessel of learning. Armed with this knowledge the drawing now becomes a take home wananga for the bro... mauriora
Heres the artwork...

Taitimuroa started as an attack on Tapui pa near Te Arai... A chief named Tukapuarangi and his son Te Aiorangi attacked Tapui over some mana issue and completely sacked the pa. At the time of the attack one of Tamanuhiri's grandsons Puraho was visiting with his heavily preganant wife Te Aomate (it was her family)
As would be expected Puraho took part in the battle... to help his in-laws... but the invaders were too strong. They overwhelmed the pa but Puraho fought hard to protect the people. Te Aomate was able to escape with others and they made their way to safety around Te Wherowhero. Puraho and the warriors fought bravely but eventually he was killed... and the pa defeated.
Tukapuarangi and his army then turned their attention to the survivors and his scouts pointed out their escape route. Tukapuarangi and Te Aiorangi were not done and decided to pursue the refugees... he headed off to Te Muriwai and Tekuri. These were completely different people from the Tapui iwi and had no involvement other than offering shelter... Tu and his army gathered at the foot of Te Kuri
The refugees ended up at Rangihaua on top of Te Kuri... This pa belonged to another of Tamanuhiris grandsons called Rangiwaho. He was Puraho's first cousin. Rangiwaho offered his cousins wife and her family shelter. When Tukapuarangi arrived Rangiwaho and his family were surprised to be targeted by the invaders but gathered together to fight for their land. Tukapuarangi and his army launched their attack.
Rangiwaho and his men fought bravely but Tukapuarangi had too many warriors and eventually they gained the upperhand. Again the women and children were led to safety down the back way and headed off to Maraetaha. They stayed at Te Koutu with other relatives. Rangiwaho and his men were chased down to Papatewhai where they made a stand against overwhelming numbers... Eventually Rangiwaho was killed and Tukapuarangi claimed Rangihaua as his own.
The survivors all gathered together. Rangiwaho was killed, Puraho was killed and these were the two senior chiefs of the Ngai Tamanuhiri clan. Rangiwaho was head of the Ngati Rangiwaho hapu and Puraho led the Ngati Paea section... the tribe was in disarray and many wanted to leave the district.They packed what they could and decided to go to Te Kahanui-a-Tiki to stay with family and consolidate their position as a tribe.
Just after they left... Tutekawa arrived in Te Muriwai. He had been on a journey to Te Waipounamu to get greenstone... There was no one around. His family were all gone. He met with Rakaikui and asked him... "where are my people?" ...Rakaikui was shocked to see him and told Tutekawa of the attacks... he had the un-enviable task of telling Tutekawa that not only was his father killed... but also his uncle... and all your family have run away to Te Kaha...
Tutekawa went to find his family including his mother Rongomaiwaiata. He made his way to Te Kahanui-a-Tiki where he found his family. To his releif many of his cousins and extended whanau had survived including Kaipoho... He gathered his people together to talk about what happened and they told him of the defeat. Tutekawa rose to his feet and recited his whakapapa back to Paoa, to Paikea, to Toi and to Maui... he pleaded with them to return to Te Muriwai and re-ignite the ahikaroa of his ancestors. He ended his speech by saying "Kei mate tatou... mate ki te kainga"
Tutekawa and his ope taua returned to Turanga. The Tamanuhiri warlord called in favours and whanaungatanga from the people of Turanga "kia haeremai" ...His army assembled along Oneroa and marched toward Papatewhai where Rangiwaho had fallen. Tutekawa split his men... and half went with Awakopiko to the southern side near Orongo. They attacked first... from the south and Tukapurangi reacted to stop them. Then Tutekawa rushed his men in from the north. In no time at all they had Tukapurangi trapped between them... the battle was vicious.
Tutekawa was a man possessed and nothing was going to stop him returning to his land. Eventually his war party annihilation the enemy and it wasn't long before Tukapuarangi and his son were dragged before Tutekawa. After a short victory speech where he berated the father an son who had murdered his innocent family... Tutekawa beheaded them both... he then sent the heads around Turanga to show locals Ngai Tamanuhiri was back in the house... and back in charge. The ahikaroa was re-ignited.
Shortly after this Puraho's wife Te Aomate gave birth to a son and he was named Te Tapunga-o-te-Rangi... to remember the father he never met. Tutekawa made sure his young cousin inherited the mana, land and privilege of his father and Tapunga became leader of Ngati Paea. Mean while Tutekawa and his children took charge of the Ngati Rangiwaho clan.

That is the battle of Taitimuroa as we remember it and since that battle our mana has remained in tact and our ahikaroa still burns today.

  

  

  

 

 

 

 

     

TE URUNGA O TE RA - THE RISING SUN

One of my favourite artistic symbols is the sun... I have an affinity with the sun and all it represents in terms of life, light and learning. I was born on the sunshine coast of New Zealand (Tairawhiti) and spent my childhood within a stones throw of Te Urunga o te Ra (the rising sun). The Maoriboy logo is Tamanuitera (Sun)... and my art is focused on the Te Ao Marama (the world of light).Obviously it is important to me and important to my culture. The origins of this land are linked to the sun and the story of Maui and his great fish. When Maui hauled his huge catch toward the surface... the first point of land to brake through and see the sun was the summit of Hikurangi. Ever since then the symbolism of being first to see the light is repeated each and every morning. As the sun rises... the first point of land to see sunlight is Hikurangi... and despite Samoa and Rarotonga re-positioning the dateline, for us that fact does not change anything... and our cultural understanding remains intact. 

As I said the Maoriboy logo is Tamanuitera - the sun - and represents Te Urunga-o-te-Ra or the rising of the sun. Its also about light, knowledge and life... as far as we are concerned all knowledge comes from this light and all light enters this world via Te Urunga-o-te-Ra... thus creating the world of light... the world of understanding... A world that turns forever (or as we say...Te Ao Hurihuri). My basic philosophy in life is "Ka huri te Ao, ka huri ahau" (The world turns, I turn with it)... it's about progress and moving forward.

Other Maori artists like Derek Lardelli, Sandy Adsett and James Webster have also drawn on the power of the sun, the light and knowledge... to create their own fantastic representations of Tamanuitera, as can be seen above. Ka mau te wehi these are inspirational peices that illustrate our collective pride and passion (nga mihi ki nga ringa tohunga)...
All over the world the ancient cultures of man knew the sun was central to all life and reveered it as a symbol of power and spiritual energy. Below are a small collection of artworks and symbols from all around the world to show how important the sun is to all cultures. From Apollo and Belenus to Surya to Kinich Ahau to Shen Yi to Tonatiuh to Viracocha... as far back as the Egyptian god Ra and beyond... for well over 5000 years (over 4000 years before Maori arrived in Aotearoa) man has worshipped the sun... and I find it fascinating... have a look

Since the beginning of human existence, civilisations have established religious beliefs that involved the Sun's significance to some extent or other. As new civilisations developed many spiritual beliefs were based on those from the past so that there has been an evolution of the sun's significance throughout cultural development. Even as late as the 17th century the development of tarot cards for fortune telling included a card that represents the Sun's influence on the life of man.
If we examine history we see that the religious beliefs of the very first civilisation, the Sumerians, weren't totally focussed on sun worship but they did have a Sun god. While the Sumerian's Sun god wasn't the most powerful deity in their culture it initiated the development of future Sun worship. Over the centuries the Sumerian Sun god's influence grew while other god's influence diminished.
By the time the Egyptian civilisation was at its peak, the Sun god had reached a supreme position. However, Sun worship reached its height and most involved form with the Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilisations of South America. The Inca culture was totally based on worship of the Sun.