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

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

TE PAE KAKANO #tekorowairawhiti

Thanks for supporting TKR and registering for the online wananga you guys. Anei koutou...
Noel Pohatu, Marianne Pohatu, Warren Pohatu, Manaia Pohatu-Hardiman, Paora Pohatu, Jermaine Murch, Vanessa P Awatere, Josie Morete, Oriana Rarere, Cyrus Vance Waitere, Theresa Alison, Veronica Stuart, Kaytrina Underwood, Rapata Putaranui, Wings Waihi, Rihari Wilson, Tui Vazey, Wakely Wilson, Kylie Taggart, Georgina Pomana Waihape, Lily Davis, Aroha Allen, Miszcuzybro Seb N Cherish, Mike Te Hau, May Rickard, Ray Barrow, Elton Pohatu, Hira Morgan,Tania Hayden, Diane May Akuhata-Brown, Tia Johnstone, Te Aorangi Harrington, Maori Role Models, Rina Kerekere, Kaye-Maree Dunn, Uma Te Kani, Matai Rangi Smith, Pahau Mackey, Athena Emmerson, Karl Riki, Carla Te Hau, Wiki Thomson,Rangi Pohatu, Terry Walker, Kaylene Mahisian Pohatu, Tania Rapana-Stowers, Mitchell Te Hau, Dallas Crombie, Jackey Henry, Pene Nepe, Ihipera Whakataka, Pita Tetauoterangi, Marama Pohatu, Shirley Teirney Kiripatea, Reina Kahukiwa, Hemi Pohatu, Kadi Pirihira Matenga, Ria Roberts, Sybil Tunoho, Pera Tamihana, Whetu Hautapu, Jacky Naylor and Kenneth Brown.



Last weekend we delivered the first installment of our online wananga (the title page and a section about Maui). Hope you guys received it and had time to review our humble offering. It has been set up as an A3 landscape doc... if you want... you can print it out... you can customize your title page... you can add your own info... like adding more pages... add your own korero... add your own photos to really make it your very own taonga. 

The korero about Maui is intended to show the link between the land and the people... and the link between the whakaheke and our whakapapa. Iwi should understand that Maui brought many things including death and whakapapa. We will build on our korero from month to month but if you have any comments about the first installment... feel free to comment here. 

I want to use the initial group to develop our resources, understand the technology and fine-tune our delivery options. For the next few months we’ll be focused on how you guys react... what you might recommend or stuff you might request. To that end we have closed our registrations until further notice. May I also say... none of us are tohunga by any measure... we are simply whanau who are passionate about our tikanga and our whakapapa and very willing to share. 

Ultimately we want to develop our iwi resources to build a digital library of our korero. Dreams are free... and we want to thank you guys for being part of the TKR journey thus far... Nga mihi whanui ki nga whanaunga maha...