Kati Au Ka Hoki Ki Taku Whenua Tupu …

Te Ao Hou, June 1967, Page 9

Kati Au Ka Hoki Ki Taku Whenua Tupu … na Sam Karetu Hoki ana ngā whakaaro ki te wā i whakaakona tuatahitia mai ki a au te waiata nei, arā, te waiata aroha a Puhiwāhine, Ka eke ki Wairaka ka tahuri whakamuri … Nā te tau o tēnei rārangi o taua waiata ki taku kaupapa kōrero, a, nā te tau anō hoki o ētahi o ngā whakaaro o roto i taua waiata i waiho ai e au koinei hei upoko mō ngā kōrero me ngā whakaaro e whai ake nei. Nā, kua tae mai te wā hei āta whakaarotanga mōku te take nei—me hoki atu rānei au ‘ki taku whenua tupu’ me noho mai rānei ki konei, ki te wāhi kua waiho nei e au hei kāinga tuarua mōku; e ea ai te whkataukī, ‘Mate kāinga tahi, ora kāinga rua’. Ko te pātai nei kei roto i a au e tāhurihuri ana, a, nā tēnei i tuhia ai ēnei whakaaro ruarua ōku. Nā te aha kē rā au i pēnei ai, i āwangawanga ai ki te hoki atu ki te wā kāinga nā? E ai ki ngā pānui, ka mutu kē mai te ātaahua o tō tātou whenua—kore kē ētahi atu whenua i rite ki tō tātou te paku ēngari e whai ana i ngā momo āhuatanga katoa i runga i ōna moutere e rua. Arā, ko ngā maunga o Te Waipounamu hui atu ki ērā o Te Ika-a-Māui, ko Ruapehu tēnā, ko Tongariro tēnā, ko Ngāuruhoe tēnā; ngā wai ngāwhā o Rotorua, ‘te wai koropupū i heria mai nei i Hawaiki rā anō’; ngā ana o Waitomo; ngā one maha mai i Te Hiku-o-te-Ika tae atu ki Murihiku; ngā roto maha o ngā moutere e rua, arā, a Taupōnui-a-Tia, a Waikaremoana, a Manapōuri, a hea ake, a hea ake. Nā ēnei taonga a tātou i haere atu ai te tini o te tangata ki te mātakitaki haere i tō tātou whenua, a, ko ēnei mea e kore kē e kitea i te whenua kotahi atu i Aotearoa. Ae, he whiwhi rawa atu tātou; āpiti atu hoki, kāore kē e rangona te kaha o te makariri ki konā pēnei me konei, a, ko te raumati tētahi wāhanga o te tau kōre i te tino mōhiotia mai ki konei! Mā koutou e whiriwhiri atu i ēnei āhuatanga ko tēhea whenua e pai ana ki a koutou, ko tēnā rānei, ko tēnei rānei. Engari ahakoa ēnei taonga, kei te āwangawanga tonu au ki te hoki atu. Nā taku roa mai pea ki konei i tīmata ai te huri haere o aku whakaaro ki te wā kāinga—ko te tohu rā tēnei o te koroua haere! Kei te huri anō hoki aku whakaaro ki aku aituā, arā, ki aku mātua whāngai kua kapoa atu nei e te ringa kaha o Aituā: E Kui, e Koro, haere, haere: haere atu ki tō tātou nuinga i te Pō. Kua tata te wā e hoki atu ai ki te tangi-ā-tinana atu ki a kōrua, nō reira moe mai, moe mai i te moe tē whakaarahia. Koinei te take nui i pīrangi hoki atu ai au —he hoki atu ki te ngaki i aku mate. Engari atu i tēnei he aha kē rā te take o te hoki atu? Ae, koinei te mate, e hoa mā, he rapu take a whai hua ai te hoki atu! Ko ngā take i pīrangi noho mai ai ki konei ko ēnei e whai ake nei. Ko te mea tuatahi ko te tata atu o tēnei whenua ki ērā o tāwāhi, arā, ki Wīkī, ki Tiamana, ki Hōrana, ki Itari ki hea ake, ki hea ake. Kua nui ngā whenua o tāwāhi kua tae au, a, kua whai hoa au i aua whenua katoa. Mā te mātakitaki haere i ngā whenua o ētahi atu wāhi e mōhio ai tātou ki ngā iwi o te ao, a, e iti ake ai te kūaretanga o tētahi iwi ki tētahi. Mā te pēnei anō hoki e mōhio haere anō ai tātou ki ngā tikanga o ngā whenua nei. Ki tōku whakaaro he mea pai tēnei, te whakaiti haere i te kūaretanga o tētahi iwi ki tētahi. Ki te hoki atu au me pēhea e taea ai ēnei hiahia ōku te whakangata? Ko te mea tino kino ki a au ko te kaha kūare o ngā mea o te kāinga nā, Māori, Pākehā, e tae mai ana ki konei. Ki konei ka whakaaetia te tangata ki te whai i tāna i hiahia ai—ko tēnei mea ko te whāiti o te hinengaro kāore i te tino mōhiotia mai ki konei, arā, ki Rānana nei, otirā ki ngā tāone nunui o tāwāhi. Koinei rā te mea nui ki a au, ko te wātea ōku ki te mahi i āku mahi, a, ki te whai anō i tāku i pīrangi ai. Ko ētahi o aku hoa kua hoki atu ki te wā kāinga nā kei te rika katoa ki te hoki mai ki konei, a, ko te take i

pērā ai ko tāku i mea i runga ake nei—ko te whāiti o ngā hinengaro o te nuinga o ngā mea o konā. Nā, kua kite iho koutou ahakoa te ātaahua o te whenua, ki te kore te tangata e āhei ki te whai i tāna i hiahia ai, e kore kē ia e pīrangi noho atu. Nāwai rā, kua tino hōhā nei au ki ngā mea taetae mai i te kāinga nā ki konei i tō rātou kaha kūare. Tokohia kē mai nei ngā Pākehā kua pātai mai ki a au, ‘He Māori anō koe?’ Tēnā ko ngā Māori, ka rongo ana i a au e kōrero Pākehā ana ka titiro rere kē mai ki a au—nā te rere kē pea o te tangi o taku reo ka kōrero anō au i tēnei reo. Engari ki te kōrero māoritia atu a Māori mā, kua titiro pōrangi mai pēnei i te mea, ‘Nā wai koe i kī atu kia kōrero Māori mai ki a au?’ Nā, kia mōhio mai koutou, katoa ngā Māori kei te taki taetae mai ki konei kāore i te mōhio ki te kōrero Māori; ko ētahi kei te paku mōhio ki te whakarongo, a, ko te nuinga kāore i te mōhio ki ‘ngā mahi a te rehia’. Nā, kua mōhio mai koutou ki te āhua rere kē te tangi o te reo o te tangata, arā, ki te rere kē ki tō te nuinga momo kōrero, kua tiro mākutuhia e ngā Pākehā, a, kua kīia e ngā Māori he whakahīhī. Nā, ki te kōrero māoritia atu a Māori mā, ka kīia tonutia taua tangata he whakahīhī. Mehemea he pēnei ngā Māori kei te whakawhiti pēnei mai, ka pēhea kē mai rā te nuinga inā hoki atu au? E kare mā, kaua e riri mai ki tēnei e whakapuaki nei i ōna whakaaro ēngari he mea nui rawa atu ki a au te wātea o te tangata ki te whai i tāna i hiahia ai. Nā te mea kua rima tau au ki konei kua waia au ki tēnei ‘taonga’, a, nā taku mōhio e kore e pērā ka hoki atu ana au i āwangawanga ai au, tā koutou mōkai. Otirā mā te hoki atu anake e mōhio ai au pēhea, pēhea. E kī ana te whakataukī, Whāia e koe te iti kahurangi; ki te tuohu koe me maunga teitei. Ko taku ‘iti kahurangi’ ko tēnei, ko te āhei ōku ki te whai i tāku i hiahia ai; ko te ‘maunga teitei’ ko te āwangawanga kei roto nei i a au e koroi ana. Mā te whakakore rā anō o te ‘maunga teitei’ e kitea ai ‘te iti kahurangi’. Waiata Pononga Ka tū au ki ngā huarahi E roherohe ana. He wahine pororaru e, Me haere pēhea au? Kukume ana te tiana Ki te Hauāuru, Ki reira kai horohoro ai Purupuru kākahu ai Whakakakara ai He mea whakahīhī. Kukume ana te wairua Ki te Tairāwhiti, Ki reira takoto ai Whakangā ai Noho kore hereherea Ki te whai i te Rongopai e. I stand upon the place of separate pathways. Woman of indecision. Which way shall I go? My body is drawn toward The West, Where it may wallow and feed, And adorn itself With outward grace. A thing of conceit. My spirit yearns For the East Where it may lie And rest And live unfettered In the quest For peace.

Me taku ngākau … He ngākau tōku? E wahine pononga, Tūmatarau, Kōtiro kore iwi! Kei hea tāu mere pounamu, Kei hea tō kahu kiwi? Kei hea tōu raukura, Kanohi ātaahua rānei? Tū tahanga koe e kui! Ko tāku katoa Kei konei He ringa pungapunga He waewae pungapunga He toto kōrorirori e. Kāhore mōku tēnā haerenga Ko tēnā ara rānei. Te huarahi mōku Māku tonu e topetope atu Mā waenganui tatarāmoa Puta tonu atu Turi ana ngā taringa Ki te umere E whakaminamina nei Ngā hua o te ao. Whakarongo kore Ki ngā kōhimihimi whakangāwari, Whakamoemoe, whakamāngere e. Ahakoa he hunao Mātāmua te haere. He mahi pai te kahu kiwi Hei whakamahana taku uma mātao, Ko te tika, ko te mōhiotanga Hei raukura Mō taku rae pononga. Ko ngā hua o te mātauranga Te mere pounamu. Ki taku ngākau He aroha noa iho. Ae e porori mokemoke Uri o te moenga hoariri Ko koe anō, Piripoho Wiriwiri ana, Akuāianei ka mōhio koe Ka mōhio ki te aroha tangata. Mā reira e hine Ka tū koe He uri nō ngā atua. And my heart … Have I a heart? You crude and covetous woman Daughter of no race. Where is your greenstone mere Your cloak of kiwi feather? Where your crown of honour Even a lovely face? Denuded of all grace are you! All that I am Is here In yellowed limbs And curdled Blood. That pathway is not for me Neither is that. I must hew my own way through The tangled undergrowth Toward the open space. My ears are deaf To the screaming Allurement Of worldly gain. Neither do I hear Whispers and soft sibilance Of sanguine sloth. Although I be unfeathered chick Forward shall I go. Good deeds shall be the kiwi cloak To warm my chilly breast, Wisdom and truth Shall be adornment For my lowly brow. The fruits of knowledge Shall be the greenstone mere. And in my heart Shall be love. Ah yes, you lonely waif, Product of bedded strife, Even you, Oh child in arms, Oh shivering babe, Soon you shall know, Know the love of man. Then dear maid Will you be The kin of Gods. nā Katarina Mataira