Soldier finds his "Maoritanga"

Tu Tangata, Issue 14, 1 October 1983, Page 50

Soldier finds his "Maoritanga"

Maoritanga is learnt at all levels from the marae to polytechnic institutes. The following article is a learning account by Bunny Tumai, a soldier in the Fourth Medium Regiment, Royal N.Z. Artillery.

Profile

Bunny Tumai —lB years in NZ Army South Vietnam in 1966 and 1968. At present Warrant Officer in Royal Regiment of the NZ Artillery. Whakapapa: Mother’s side Ngati

Hine of Ngati Hikairo original marae of her grandmother was Waipapa marae in Kawhia. Father’s side Ngati Kiriwai his father was Waikato and his mother was Ngati Whatua. Own marae is Horahora, in Rangiriri where the poukai celebrations is held on new year’s day each year. Ardent but passive supporter of the King movement, he is one of several kaikorero for the Army. Papakura Camp is represented by Sergeants Heta Tobin (Ngapuhi) and Cliff Waaka (Tuhoe). Waiouru Camp by Chaplain Sonny Melbourne (Tuhoe), Warrant Officer Junior Manihera (Waikato) and Sergeant Dave Ahuriri (Ngati Porou). Linton Camp by Warrant Officer Oma Nepia (Kahungunu). Wellington by Warrant Officer Jeb Brown (Te Aupouri) and Sergeant Ra Paenga (Ngati Porou). Burnham Camp by Whi Wanoa (Ngati Porou). WO Tumai is currently based at Ngaruawahia Camp and works in Knox Street, Hamilton.

I wa s delighted to be told by my superiors I was accepted to attend the Level 3 Maori Language Course at the Polytechnic School in Buckle Street, Wellington in June of this year. Delighted for a number of reasons. The need to consolidate my personal experience and knowledge gained through reading, to learn tribal history other than my own, to attain that level 0 f proficiency and confidence required to speak at length in any given situation, formal or otherwise. . . It ia n °t difficult in assessing why I, and the eleven others who comprised the course class, applied. ( Saaie ’ 1 +i? esire 0 to the people, to the marae, to the land after havin § neglected it in the pursuit of career-chasing m he cities and towns where the English language was an d w iH be, the spoken tongue. For others, it was the chance of learn ing to understand the Maori, as he was, why he is, and why he is still clinging to the sets of values that only the Maori could fully comprehend, even in this age of changing attitudes.

Personally, it was the gradual decline of my kaumatua meaning there will come a time when there will be no one left and the onus of whaikorero would be left to the likes of us. So, at the age of 38 years, I did not feel any sense of inferiority about applying, I enjoyed the course even if I was one of the oldest on it. The breakdown of my fellow students is set out below: Felicity Day of Wellington: School Teacher. Dan Heke (Tai Tokerau) of Hataitai: has j us j. completed 20 years in the Army. Adrian Hillary of Rhodesia: Former Army Officer with his country’s Forces, Hana j ac j cson (Taranaki) of Auckland: Maori Affairs Dept in Ponsonby. Bagil Johnson of Tr entham: Police Sergeant at Porirua College. Charlotte McCreanor of Wellington: University student, from Christchurch. Mirinoa Sanford (Tai Tokerau) of Masterton: Of the Post Office in Masterton. Simon Winterburn (Ngati Raukawa) of Otaki: Well known quadraplegic for his sporting efforts.

Atiria Pomare (Tai Tokerau) of Wellington: Who only just moved from Auckland. Whaingaroa Walker (Ngati Porou) of Wellington: Keen Rugby League player in the city, and Makere Love (Ngati Toa/Kahungunu) of Porirua: Who intends to continue her studies at Raukawa University. Chas Rihari, from Te Ti, in the far north, joined us for the field visit to the east coast. Postmaster in Wellington, he lent weight to our class. Our tutors (Kaiako) were: Te Ariki (Derek) Mei of Waimako Marae in Tuai, near Waikaremoana, Huiranga Waikerepuru of Hawera, and Roimata Kirikiri of Te Poho-o-Te-Rehu Marae in Nuhaka. The Ministry of Defence has always encouraged its serving personnel to apply for language courses and it is attracting more servicemen. There is a lopsided advantage servicemen enjoy when attending courses of this nature, compared to civilian students. Whereas the course fees are paid for us, salary and rank status are unaffected, and accommodation is provided at either Fort Dorset in Seatoun, or the Air Force Base at Shelley Bay. A number of civilian students actually sacrificed a lot to get here. Defence however, expects its money’s worth. On completing the course, the soldier can offer advice to his superiors on: a. Funerals, if the decreased is a Maori serviceman. b. Military funerals for Maori servicemen when liaison is necessary between the bereaved family and the Army. c. Protocol on the Marae, and

d. Military visits to a Marae, where the soldier may have to perform the task of kai korero on his commander’s behalf. As the Level 4 Course covers the art of whaikorero, much is taught on Level 3 that the student could competently speak on the paepae without jeopardising the formality expected. Week 1-2 The first day began in Building 3A with a powhiri and speeches from the tutors, concluding with some of the students replying. Building 3A became our home. At this level, all lessons were in Maori and most of us had difficulty in understanding initially, until we got to work on “Nga Mahi A Nga Tupuna”. This book contained classical Maori and it was a great help. Other books were read, waiatas were sung at every opportunity, karakia spoken throughout the day, and gradually things started falling into place. The dialectual differences between tribes was most noticeable when listening to Huirangi and Te Ariki. The Taranaki tribe completely ignore the letter “h” from its vocabulary, so that the word “aroha” is actually “aro’a”. It can be quite unsettling as I, in my naive way, thought Maori spoken was all the same in this country. Te Ariki made reference to Tuhoe, of which he is part, dropping its “g”. “Tangata whenua” became “tanata whenua” or “tanata wenua”. On our field trip to Tuhoe, the letter “h” was sometimes omitted, depending on personal preference we assumed.

Week 2 was a mixture of studying and raising money for our field trip and it passed quickly, although Friday night preceding our departure was spent convivially at the clubrooms of the Eastern Suburbs Rugby League clubrooms in the city.

Week 3

Sunday morning (12th June) saw us heading north for a week in the East Coast and Tuhoe regions. About 20 of us, including children made the trip and a student of the evening classes Chas Rihari, took time off to be with us. The first stop was in the afternoon at Te Huki marae in Raupunga, where Te Ariki was re-united with his wife after some weeks of batching with his son in Wellington. Te Huki was a famous ancestor of the Kahungunu and the picturesque meeting house in memory of him was very appropriate. After a belated lunch, it was on to Wairoa and Takitimu marae before nightfall. We were made welcome and some members of the culture group who entertained us at Te Huki, were present also at the rehearsals held that evening in Takitimu. We spent two nights at this imposing place, Monday’s travels included the Taihoa marae, in which the eponymous ancestor is Te-O-Tane. One of its famous sons was Sir Turi Carroll, who apparently initiated the name to the marae after a query by a frustrated landowner who demanded some speedy governmental action in regards to some land at issue at the time. I was told this story, I swear. Te Poho-O-Te-Rehu marae is nestled on farmland just north of Nuhaka where an impromptu waiata by the tangata whenua was well received. The Mahia peninsula was visited.

Monday evening was a teacher/student participation forum where we asked and the kaumatua answered to the best of their ability. We thanked them very much, especially the connections of the outer tribes, such as Waikato, to Ngati Kahungunu; for most of us, it was one of the highlights of the field trip.

Tuesday and we were on our way to Tuhoe. Bruce Aranga, the Community Officer for the Maori Affairs Dept in Wairoa joined us for this phase. A brief halt at Waimako marae, then a 3 Vi hour jaunt inland to the Maatatua marae in Ruatahuna. The road in is, well, driveable. Being from the Waikato, I sensed a twinge of claustrophobia at times with the tall native bush either side of the road dominating the landscape for miles on end. The only indication of habitation was farmland or pockets of it as we neared Te Whaiti marae, and horses meandering about, untethered, of course.

Maatatua marae is sited some distance off the tar seal and it was there my introduction to Ringatu was made for the first time. After the formal procedures were completed, it was lectures and whaikorero right through the early hours of the morning. A visit to the local school, tucked just off the road and surrounded by the inevitable bush, then to the Presbyterian church, which, we were informed is still used today, the influence of Ringatu notwithstanding. Thursday arrived and it was time to head back over the same gravel road to Waimako where we were to finish off the rest of our field trip. Comparative features noticed between the maraes of the East Coast and my tribe differs quite markedly in many respects. Each marae seen, in most cases conformed to high standards of hygiene and the whare kai erected were in all stages of renovation. Cooking facilities ranged from the hotplate affair normally seen in army kitchens to the outside kauta where the fuel is simply wood. The most impressive features was the full attention given to the wharetupuna, however. Each was richly adorned with the carvings of ancestors and taniwha pertaining to the history of that place. Tukutuku panels covered every inch of unused space, light switches and fittings were sited subtlety. Te Huki,

for example, had carpet on the floor. The maraes in Tuai had kuamatua flats, something which Waahi marae (Huntly) has. A rich experience was gained by my attending the course and I am indebted to the Polytech staff for allowing us the opportunity to see for ourselves. To my fellow students, ka kite i a koutou ano, ki Te Ariki, Hurangi and Roimata, kia manawanui, kia kaha ta koutou mahi akonga. Brief Coverage of our travels Te Huki Marae in Raupunga A short stay, but a pleasant one. A fabulous meeting house and a lively culture group. Takitimu Marae in Wairoa Takitimu is an awesome place, the modern facilities blending with the traditional structures set the norm for most maraes we visited. A beautiful wharetupuna. Taihoa Marae in Wairoa A warm place, I chanced a meeting with Piripi Kapa, the local Anglican Minister, whose boyhood days go back to Waikato and Tuakau. Te Poho-O-Te-Rehu Marae A sad reunion between Roimata and her whanaunga, and an enlightening experience with Cambridge Pene, the acknowledged orator of Rakai Paaka history. Kaiuku Marae in Mahia A remarkable event took place many years ago at Kaiuku. The locals were besieged and forced

to sustained themselves after an attack by a war party. That they did by eating the sod and earth within their pa, thereby surviving the siege and this is remembered by the people as an incident of courage and discipline. Kahungunu Marae in Nuhaka The meeting house is undergoing extensive repairs and stands isolated on a small section of land. Future intention is to build a wharekai to complement the scene. Maatatua Marae in Ruatahuna A shy type of people, I respected their reticence in displaying any form of over-friendliness and I probably learned more about Tuhoe and Ringatu history than I did by reading books. This was Maori protocol at its most formal. Waimako Marae in Tuai We learnt just as much here, though in an informal setting. The home of Te Ariki (Mei), three nights were spent exploring, observing, and listening. We visited Ruapani marae and Hinekura meeting house nearby. An enjoyable and relaxing time was had by all. I recall the names of those we met on the field trip, Pano, Bruce (Aranga), Cambridge, Piripi, Te Kapua Rurehe, Whare Witana, Te Hikawera, Whare and Margaret Biddle, Pera and Brenda Tahi, Laverna, the kaumatua who welcomed us onto Takitimu and gave every assistance. He mihi ra tenei i a koutou. There were many others whose names escape me for the time being, we salute them as well.