Te Pūtake o te Riri

Te Kohia hau! hau!  Māhoetahi hau! hau!  Puketakauere hau! hau!  Ōnukukaitara hau! hau! Pukerangiora hau! hau!  Waitara ee… hau! hau pai mārie.

Inanahi rā, i tutuki noa nei te huihuinga o Te Pūtake o Te Riri ki Waitara.  Tū whakahīhī noa nei a Te Atiawa i runga i te ngākau iti, ā, i runga anō i te whakaaro rangatira kia hāpai ake i te rau aroha i mua i te marea i tae ā-tinana mai ki tēnei taiopenganui, Māori mai, Pākehā,  mānene mai.  Engari anō, ko tōna pūtake kōrero o te takiwā riri whenua kua rangona whānuitia e te  marea te aronga matua i mau mai nei i te ngākau.  Tū whakapuakina te ihiihi, te wehiwehi, te wanawana o Te Akaaka Rau Whero, ngāueue ana te marae ātea o Ōwae, ki Manukorihi.  He oranga wairua, he oranga ngākau te huanga matua.   

Te Pūtake o te Riri came to a close yesterday with powerful messages confirming cultural resilience and identity validity, inciting spiritual enrichment, conjuring emotional strength and intellectual brilliance.   The mana enhancing poroaki was keenly felt by the haukāinga and manuhiri alike.

Te Atiawa passed over the mouri of Te Pūtake o Te Riri called Turuturu Whatu to Waikato-Tainui who requested the kaupapa for the coming year.  In addition, there was gifting of taonga from Taranaki to Waikato which came in the form of a carved patu muka, stone flax pounder 12-14 inches in length named Mongamonga (to pound).  The idea behind the name is that in some cases from relentless pounding, good may prevail as liken to beating flax into muka fibre, a traded commodity in the past.  The idea also aligns with the muka that can be woven into something of value. The second taonga associated with the patu muka was the flax kete holder decorated with a raukura named Māeneene (smooth, soft to touch). Originating from the concept of tahu māene, related to laying a foundation of peaceful resolution, the name Māeneene represents the idea of maungārongo.   

The concept ties succinctly with the theme of shifting the mindset of Te Pūtake o Te Riri to Te Pūtake o Te Maungārongo, a stealthy strategy of resilience, consolidated in song and dance that has led Taranaki to where it is today.   It is with pride that our rangatahi among others have had the opportunity to sincerely engage with their people in a safe environment and learn their histories that have shaped the wider region.  It is with confidence that these well-informed rangatahi will take the experience and teachings into the future and be better for it. To summarise the kaupapa, the tamariki were taught a waiata at the marae with the words reflecting the theme of growing understanding. 

“Mā te rongo, ka mōhio, mā te mōhio ka mārama, mā te mārama ka mātau, mā te mātau ka ora e”!

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Photo sources: Te Pūtake o te Riri/Q Bedwell