‘… Stretched Out in the Waikato Valley …’ ‘An Invitation …’

Te Ao Hou, July 1973, Page 5

‘… Stretched Out in the Waikato Valley …’ ‘An Invitation …’ Loosen, loosen Loosen a post of your house so that it is free. A cloud hovers above coming from them who rest on Taupiri, My skin feels the great cold So let there be life in the world of light, in the world of the living. Therefore welcome, thrice welcome. Come all ye tribes of the country That we might swim together in the waters of Waikato And that we might be seen by the great multitudes. Be radiant, o Tane, be joyful o Tane. The waters flow by (of this old lady) From the north, Come the gentle breezes In the south Are Waihihi and Waihaha. It moves, So drag it forward. Let the axe be brought For tis ended! Let us gather together! Let us be one. Welcome, welcome, welcome all ye tribes of the land. Welcome, ye four winds. Welcome, ye descendants of all the canoes, Welcome all ye people of the land. Welcome ye of the younger generation Come to the day of the coronation of Te Arikinui, Te Atairangikaahu On the 23rd day of May 1973. On that day the foundation stone of the new Kimikimi will be laid by your granddaughter It was they, who have departed this world, who expressed the thought It was the living who nurtured the idea It was the tribes of the land who saw the idea through to fruition. Welcome, welcome, welcome.' Tēnei rā te pōwhiri i tae mai ki a au kia tae atu au ki Tūrangawaewae ki te whakanui i te tau tuawhitu o te ekenga o Te Ariki Tapairu, o Te Atairangikaahu, ki te ahurewa tapu o ōna mātua, tīpuna. Kāore e kore kei te mōhio katoa koutou Thus was the invitation worded which I received to attend the seventh annual celebrations of the ascent of Te Ariki Tapairu, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, to the sacred throne of her ancestors. No doubt you will all know that this is

Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko escorted by the Hon. M. Rata and Mr W. Paki ko tēnei te marae tino rongonui o te motu, ā, ki a au nei hoki, ko tēnei te marae tino ataahua o te motu katoa. E ai ki ngā kōrero ko te īngoa nei, ko Tūrangawaewae, i heke mai i a Tāwhiao, nāna nei te kōrero, ‘Ko Arekahānara tōku hāona kaha, Ko Kemureti tōku oko horoi, Ko Ngāruawahia tōku tūrangawaewae.’ Āroha ana ēnei kupu nā te mea ko te wāhi e tū nei te marae nei i murua e te Kāwanatanga, ā, he mea āta hoko mai ano taua wāhi e te iwi o Waikato kia ea ai tā tō rātou tipuna i kī ai. I te wā hoki e tamariki ana a Tāwhiao koinei ōna wāhi haututū, ā, i tipu ake ia i ngā tahataha o te awa o Waikato. I tua atu i tērā he puna i reira i inu ai a Tāwhiao nā reira i pīrangi ai a Te Puea mā kia tū te marae nei ki Ngāruawāhia. Na te werawera o ngā rae o Te Puea me tōna iwi i tū ai te marae o Tūrangawaewae me ōna whare ataahua, arā, a Tūrongo, a Mahinārangi, a Pare Waikato, a Pare Hauraki, a Kimikimi me ētahi atu o ngā whare kai. Nā, ko te whare kai e mōhiotia nei ko Kimikimi i hikitia mai i Mangatāwhiri ki Tūrangawaewae, ā, ka whakatūria ano ki reira. No te tau 1921 i hikitia mai ai taua whare rā. I nāianei kua kitea kua tawhito haere te whare nei nā reira ka tipu ake te whakaaro i waenganui i ngā iwi o Waikato kia mahia ano he whare kai hou ēngari me waiho tonu ko Kimikimi tonu hei īngoa mo taua whare hou. Nā, i te tau kua pahemo ake nei ka tahuri ano te iwi o Waikato ki te kohi moni hei whakatū i tō the most famous marae in the country and, in my opinion, this is the most beautiful marae in the whole country. According to tradition, the name Turangawaewae came from Tawhiao whose famous words were ‘Let Alexandra be my symbol of strength of character, Let Cambridge be my wash bowl of sorrow, And let Ngaruawahia be my footstool.’ These words are tinged with sadness, for the place on which the marae now stands was formerly confiscated by the Government and the place had to be bought back by the Waikato people so that what their ancestor said could be realised. At the time that Tawhiao was a child these were the places he played in, and he grew to manhood on the banks of the Waikato. Apart from that, there was a spring at which Tawhiao had drunk and it was for this reason that Te Puea and her people wanted the marae established at Ngaruawahia. It is because of the industry of Te Puea and her people that the marae of Turangawaewae was established along with its beautiful houses Tūrongo, Mahinārangi, Pare Waikato, Pare Hauraki, Kimikimi and the other eating houses. The dining room known as Kimikimi, was shifted from Mercer to Turangawaewae and rebuilt there. This shift took place in 1921. It is now seen that this house is getting too old and because of this fact the people of Waikato decided to build a new dining room but to retain the name of Kimikimi. In the year just gone by the They advance towards Mahinarangi, past the Arikinui and her elders

The guests listen to the welcoming speeches rātou whare hou. I te tau kotahi i kohia e te iwi nei ā rātou moni, ā, ko aua moni i neke atu i te kotahi rau mano taara. Ka kite mai ai koutou i te kaha o tēnei iwi ki te whakamahi i a rātou anō kia tū ai tō rātou whare. E tika ana hoki, nā te mea nā tō rātou tipuna, nā Te Puea, i whakatauira mai te āhei o ngā iwi o te riu o Waikato ki te mahi kia rite ai ngā wawata. Nā te kaha hoki o Te Puea mā ki te mahi ka tū tō rātou marae ataahua, a Tūrangawaewae e takoto nei i te taha o tōna awa, o Waikato, e kī nei hoki tōna kōrero; ‘Waikato taniwha rau; he piko, he taniwha; he piko, he taniwha’. Ko ngā āhua mahi katoa i whakahaerea e te iwi nei kia riro mai ai ā rātou moni, ā, ki tāku nei titiro ka ea i a rātou tō rātou wawata kia tū tō rātou whare ā tērā tau tonu. No te 23 o Mei i tahia ai te papa mo te Kimikimi hou, ā, ko ngā kupu o runga i taua papa ko ēnei e whai ake nei; He kōwhatu whakamaharatanga tēnei mō te tahinga o te papa e te Ariki Nui, e Te Atairangikaahu i te 23 o Mei, 1973 Kua whā tau au e noho ana i roto o Waikato, ā, kua tino mohio au ki tō rātou kaha ki te manaaki i te tangata. Kei te waimarie katoa au i te kaha manaaki mai ā te iwi o Waikato i a au, otirā mātou ko aku akonga o te Whare Wānanga o Waikato e tū nei i te tāone o Hamutana. Ko taku mahi he whakaako i te reo Maori me ngā tikanga ā ō tātou tīpuna kua riro nei ki Paerau. I waimarie ai mātou he nui nō ngā marae o Waikato nei hei hari atu i ngā akonga ki reira kite-ā-kanohi ai i ngā tikanga, ā, people of the Waikato set about collecting money with which to build their new dining room, and in one year they collected more than $100,000. From this, it can be seen how hard these people will drive themselves in order to see their new building standing. It is not surprising because their ancestor, Te Puea, proved how easy it was for the tribes of the Waikato Basin to realise their ambitions if they were prepared to work hard for them. It was because of the industry of Te Puea and her people that the beautiful marae of Turangawaewae was established on the banks of its river, whose proverb is as follows; ‘Waikato of a hundred monsters; at each bend of the river a monster.’ All types of activities were undertaken by these people to raise the money and, as far as I can see, their ambition to have the house completed next year will be realised. On 23 May the The Crown Prince replies foundation stone for their new Kimikimi was laid and the words on that stone are as follows; A stone in memory of the clearing of the site, by Dame Te Ariki Nui, Te Atairangikaahu on the 23rd day of May 1973. I have now been living in the Waikato for four years and have become very aware of the great hospitality of the people of this area. I lecture in Maori Language and Culture at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, and my students and I have been very fortunate to experience the great generosity of the people of Waikato. We are also fortunate because there are many maraes in the Waikato to which students can be taken so that they can observe at first hand the customs of the Maori and

Rev. D. Manihera leads the clergy from Mahinarangi for the unveiling rongo-ā-taringa ai i te reo e korerotia ana e ngā tāngata e tohunga ana ki tēnei mahi, te tu ki te marae. Kua tae mātou ko aku akonga ki ngā marae o Tūrangawaewae, ki Kai-ā-te-mata, ā, ki Hukanui. Katoa ngā marae i tae ai mātou i tino whakarangatiratia mātou e ngā pākeke ahakoa nāku kē rātou i kī atu i te haere atu mātou! Āpiti atu hoki i kī atu au ki a rātou kia waiho mai mā mātou e kōhuru atu tā rātou waiata tangi, arā, a ‘E Pā Tō Hau’. E kore kē e ea i a au ngā manaakitanga maha mai ā koutou, i a au, e kare mā, otirā mātou katoa ko aku akonga kua tae nei ki runga i ō koutou marae. Nā reira tēnei mōkai ā koutou, o roto mai o Tūhoe, i tuhi ai i ēnei whakaaro ruarua ōna hei whakamōhio atu a koutou i tana kaha whakamihi me tana kaha whahamīharo ki a koutou. Me pēhea kē atu he kōrero ki a koutou? Heoi ano rā, tēnā koutou katoa. Koīnei anake te marae o te motu tū ai ngā whakataetae haka ki te aroaro tonu o te whare nui. Whakaeke mai ana he kapa haka ki te haka, tū ana ngā kuia o Waikato ki te karanga i taua kapa, arā, ki te whakanui i taua kapa. Ko tēnei tau te mea tuatahi i pēnei rawa ai te nui o ngā rōpu i tae mai ki te whakataetae i ngā mahi, ā, nā tā rātou mahi kātahi ka kitea te āta kore e ngaro o ēnei tāonga ā tātou i te mata o te whenua. Nā, i tū ngā mahi whakataetae haka i te 19 me te 20 o ngā rā o Mei, kia āhei ai ngā mea e mahi ana ki te haere mai ki te hui. I tēnei tau i whiriwhiria au hei whakawā i ngā haka, ā, ko taku tau tuawha tēnei e can also hear the language being spoken by those people who are expert in this field. My students and I have visited the marae of Tūrangawaewae, Kai-ā-te-mata and Hukanui. We have been treated very kindly on every marae we have been to even though it was I who did the inviting! In addition, I have had the nerve to tell them to let us ‘murder’ their well known lament, E pa to hau. My students and I who have been onto your marae will never be able to repay the many kindnesses extended to us. That is why this mokai of yours, of Tuhoe descent, has written down these few thoughts of his to inform you of his gratitude and admiration. What more can one say other than, tēnā koutou katoa. This is the only marae in the country where cultural competitions take place in front of the meeting house. As each group comes on to perform the old women of Waikato rise to karanga that group and thereby honour it. This year was the first in which so many groups had arrived to compete in the cultural activities bequeathed to us by “they who have gone beyond the veil”. If these groups were seen performing one would be convinced that these treasures of ours will never disappear from the face of the earth. The Arikinui with Henare Tuwhangai and Mrs Hura, who unveiled the stone The cultural competitions took place on the 19th and 20th days of May so that those people who work would be able to attend. This year I was selected to adjudicate in the cultural competitions, and this was the fourth year I have done so at

Turangawaewae Juniors sing and Tumate Mahuta speaks at the final function in Kimikimi dining hall mahi ana i tēnei mahi i Tūrangawaewae. I tēnei tau i kitea te ihi me te wana o ngā mahi ā te rēhia. Ko te kapa ī toa mo ngā pākeke ko Waioeka o roto mai o Te Whakatōhea. No te ekenga mai o tēnei rōpu ki runga i te marae ka karawhiu te ua. Ahakoa te heke o te ua ka haka tonu te roopu nei, ā, pakipakitia ana rātou e te whakaminenga i noho i roto i te ua ki te mātakitaki i ngā kapa haka. Kaha ake ana te heke o te ua, kaha ake ana te haka ā te rōpu nei, ā, e tika ana kia toa rātou nā te mea i tino kitea tō rātou wana ki te haka. Ko te kapa i tuarua no roto mai o Te Arawa, ā, ko tōna īngoa ko Ngārara Nui. Ko te kaitakitaki o tēnei rōpu ko Hōri Brennan nāna nei te rōpu a Te Rangiwewehi i tino mōhiotia ai. Ka rite ano tēnei roopu ki tērā o Te Rangiwewehi, ā, ki a au nei, a tōna wā ka puta ano tēnei kapa hei toa mo ngā mahi whakataetae haka nei. Ko te kapa i tuatoru no Taranaki mai, ā, ko tō rātou kaitakitaki ko Napi Waaka. He ataahua tēnei rōpu ki te matakitaki atu, ā, wana ana tā rātou poi. Ko te wāhanga mo ngā tamariki kei te haere ki ngā kareti i riro i te rōpu o Rangitikei o Te Hau-ā-uru. Ko te wāhanga mo ngā tamariki pakupaku i riro i te rōpu o Ngārara Nui. Ahakoa te pakupaku o ngā tamariki o tēnei rōpu no te putanga mai o ngā kotiro ki te poi wana kē ana. I a koutou te wana, kōtiro mā, i taua rā. Tēnā koutou katoa. I ki au i runga ake nei kātahi anō te tau i pēnei rawa ai te nui o ngā kapa haka i tae Turangawaewae. This year great expertise and enjoyment in the cultural arts were fully exhibited. The winning group in the senior section were Waioeka of Te Whakatohea. When this group came onto the marae to perform the heavens opened, and despite the falling rain the group continued its performance and were given a great ovation by the crowd who had remained in the rain to watch the performances. The more it rained the better the group performed and it was only right that they should win for they displayed in full their ability to perform. The group which came second was of Te Arawa and called Ngarara Nui. The leader of this group was George Brennan who was responsible for the Te Rangiwewehi group becoming so well known. This group is very similar to that of Te Rangiwewehi and, in my opinion, will soon emerge as a winning team in future competitions. The team which came third was from Taranaki and their leader was Napi Waaka. This group was very beautiful to watch and their poi was very beautifully performed. The intermediate section was won by the group called Rangitikei from the west coast. The junior section was won by Ngarara Nui. Although the children in this group were very small, when the girls performed their poi they were very beautiful to look at. Yours was the glory of that day, kōtiro mā. Congratulations. I mentioned earlier that this was the first year in which so many groups had come to celebrate the anniversary of the

mai ki te whakanui i te rā o Te Ariki Tapairu, o Te Atairangikaahu. Ko ngā kapa i tū i aua ra e rua tekau mā toru. Ia tau he tuārangi anō ā Waikato, ā, i tēnei tau ko Te Pirīmia, ko Norman Kirk, rāua ko Whetū Tirikātene-Sullivan ngā tuārangi mo te rā. Kei te mōhio hoki koutou he nui tonu ngā rangatira o te ao whānui kua whakamanuhiritia e Waikato ki runga i tō rātou marae ataahua. Ko ētahi o aua manuhiri ko Te Kuīni o Ingarangi me tana tane, ko te tāne ā Te Kuini o Hōrana, ko te tama ā Te Kingi o Tiapani rāua ko tane wahine, tae atu ki Te Tumuaki o Amerika, arā, ki a Richard Nixon. He tokomaha ngā manuhiri rongonui ā ngā iwi o Waikato kua manaakitia, kua whakarangatiratia e rātou i runga i tō rātou tipuna marae. Kaati ra, ko ēnei kōrero nā tētahi e titiro whakamīharo nei ki te iwi o Waikato me tō rātou rangatira e manaaki nei rātou i te ono ki te tekau mano tāngata ia tau, ia tau, i runga i tō rātou marae, i a Tūrangawaewae. Ko tēnei mea ko te āroha nui ki te tangata ka kitea ki konei no reira, e kare mā, tēnā koutou katoa mo ā koutou manaakitanga maha. Ko ngā kupu i waiho ai au hei ūpoko mo ngā kōrero nei no roto mai i tētahi manawa wera i titoa e ngā wāhine o Ngāi Tūhoe ki Ruatāhuna. Ko te nuinga o ngā wāhine nei i pouarutia i te haerenga mai o ā rātou tāne ki te āwhina i a Waikato i te wā o te pakanga nui i tū ki Ōrākau. Nō te hokinga atu o ngā tāne i waimarie ki te ora tonu ki Ruatāhuna, ka haka mai ngā wāhine rā i tā rātou haka, ā, koinei ngā kupu tīmatanga, ‘I hoki mai koe e Te Whenua-nui ki te aha? Tē mate atu ai i te unuhanga o te puhi o Mataatua? Ka mahora ki te riu ki Waikato, ki te aroaro o Maniapoto …’ Waiho rā, e rau rangatira mā, mā ngā kupu o tēnei haka ā ōku tīpuna e kawe atu ki a koutou te kaha whakamihi atu ā tēnei tamaiti o Ngāi Tūhoe ki a koutou. Mā ngā kupu o tētahi o ngā whakataukī i whakarērea mai ki a tātou e whakaata ōku whakaaro ki a koutou, ‘He kokonga whare e kitea; he kokonga ngākau e kore e kitea.’ coronation of Te Ariki Tapairu, Dame Te Atairangikaahu. There were 23 groups which performed over those two days. Each year the Waikato people also have distinguished visitors and this year they included the Prime Minister, Norman Kirk, and Whetu Tirakatene-Sullivan. You know that distinguished people from all over the world are welcomed by Waikato on their beautiful marae. Some of those distinguished visitors have been Queen Elizabeth II and her Consort Prince Phillip, Prince Bernhardt of Holland, Prince Akihito of Japan and his wife, also the President of the United States, Richard Nixon. Many other famous visitors have been welcomed by the people of Waikato on their ancestral marae, also. This article was written by someone who looks at the people of Waikato and their paramount chieftainess with great respect, for the very efficient way in which they are able to cater for 6 — 10,000 people each year on their marae. On behalf of the many people who have experienced your great hospitality, I say Tēnā Koutou Katoa. The words I have used for the title of this article come from a haka composed by the women of Tuhoe who lived at Ruatahuna. The majority of these women were widowed when their men came to the support of Waikato at the time of the great battle which took place at Orakau. When these men, who were fortunate enough to survive the ordeal, returned to Ruatahuna the women performed their haka and these are the opening words, Why did you, o Te Whenuanui, return? It would have been better had you died when the pride of Mātaatua fell, Stretched out in the Waikato Valley, in the sight of Maniapoto … Therefore, you people of Waikato, let these words of the manawa were composed by my ancestors convey to you the gratitude of this descendant of Tūhoe. Let also the words of one of the proverbs bequeathed to us reflect my thoughts, The corners of the House can be seen; but the corners of the heart can never be seen. nā Sam Karetu