NGA TUHITUHI

Tu Tangata, Issue 35, 1 April 1987, Page 3

NG A TUHITUHI

Na Waimatao Murphy P.P. Te Kura o Ruamata

Dear Philip This information may be of interest to you and your readers. For my three younger sisters and myself, fashion designing has become a family affair.

It all started six months ago, when I heard about the “Te Kopu Fashion Awards” and told my sisters Anne and Bernice Haenga of Linden and Pam Keil of Porirua, that we should enter. From that, Anne won the knitwear section. My three garments were shown on television on two separate occasions. These garments then travelled down to Christchurch where they were included in a fashion parade and a photo appeared on the front page of the Christchurch Star.

Our garments were also on display during the “Te Maori” exhibition. A couple of months ago, I designed another three garments and entered these into the Benson and Hedges Fashion Design awards which took place on March 12 at the Michael Fowler Centre.

One of my designs, a black and red leather dress, appeared in the “High lights Parade”. My unsuccessful handknitted woollen two piece entry was modelled on a Maori theme. Again red and black with black tassels and red/black feathers. I sent a bone carved hook and earrings and asked for an ethnic model. The judges sent their special commendation for that entry. My evening wear entry was similar to one that made the finals. We are now looking to go further,

and have employed women to knit our designs which are mostly Maori. We are currently looking into opening a small shop, (money being a bit of a problem.) Our label will read “Exclusive New Zealand handknits by Haenga Design”. We are of the Ngati Porou tribe and came from Tikitiki, a tiny settlement on the East Coast, which our family still farms. Yours sincerely Maria Wilson

Dear Mr Whaanga Thank you for the impressive 9 photo series of the building and sailing of Hawaiikinui 1979-1985, in the July 1986 issue with Greg Brightwell on the cover. There is material in that great exploit for a book!

However I must comment on Alan Taylor’s thought-provoking article “Criminals”.

There is much good sense here but he has been too hard on children and a bit facile.

“Criminals are children who have failed to grow up” well and good, but why? He offers no answers, apart from that for Maori criminals (why not all?), a condition of release for 12 months or more would be the learning of Te Reo Maori.

Children do have the basic characteristics he lists but in their earliest years they are trusting and loving. Children learn by observation and are quick to follow role models. Two tenets which must be learned are self-discipline and a sense of responsibility which includes caring and sharing. Neither of these marks of the true adult are innate, they must be taught.

When parents fail, this can be done by grandparents, aunts, uncles, older brothers and sisters. So I must disagree with Alan Taylor as to environment having nothing to do with the problem of criminals. They are the result of a lack of caring human beings surrounding them in the “growing” time. Yours sincerely Mary Jeal Napier

Dear Mr Whaanga Some thoughtful suggestions I am concerned, have been an active foreign language teacher in other countries for twenty years and am busy now, so will be brief. Obviously the dearth of printed material news, magazines, novels in the Maori language is due to poor finance and demand. But this attitude is changing. The history of Maori newspapers makes the life of “Tu Tangata” appear precarious. With careful planning, I think you hold the solution to these two problems: (1) the furtherance of Maori language; (2) Increase of “Tu Tangata” readership.

My suggestions are: (1) Print a section in the Maori language. (2) Place it in 1 the centre so that it is easily withdrawn to be filed. (3) The articles should be semilanguage orientated; (this need not exclude advertisements) news, speeches, jokes, poems, songs, stories (for adults) etc. Both the beginner and the mature Maori student, youth and the elderly, could gain much from a lively section. In other countries such foreign language magazines exist and many school pupils enjoy them. Without this regular in-flow of new, modern idiom the classroom with set texts, quickly becomes sterile. Naturally the mind boggles at the bureaucratic procedures and Education Department liaison this would entail. Quality and wider distribution could lower the price of this magazine. There are many adults wishing to relax and enjoy their years of language grind. Please do something in this direction. (The situation is actually scandalous.) Good luck. Yours very sincerely Pamela Moore

Dear Sir May I comment on the article Kupu Whakamihi of the August issue. The reported statement by Patrick Nicholas is really good but the paragraph on the mentality of the Pakehas regarding business could do with further explanation.

Quote: “It is important to remember that if your motives are to get jobs for your people you must keep it secret from the Pakeha.” The point he is trying to make is that Pakehas treat each other this way, a sort of oneupsmanship, but it only lasts for a short while. Other statements imply that the Pakeha is even hostile to the advancement of the Maori in job creation. This is not so, Pakehas have difficulty in creating jobs for each other. Even the Treaty of Waitangi did not promise either the Pakeha or the Maori something for nothing. It will be a joy to all when I find my grandchildren have a Maori boss. Where there is fear let us spread hope. Yours truly A. P. Richardson

Kia ora koe Philip Recently I read an article in the Pakiwaitara section of the Feb/March edition of the Tu Tangata entitled, WHO AM I? Dedicated To All Our Children. Enclosed is a reply, written to encourage All Our Children to be proud of their noble heritage. I KNOW WHO I AM! Little child, your mother taught you well! Remember! her profound words: “Fear not the words of others for they can never harm you. People are people all over the world, some are kind, some are cruel, some belong to people and some don’t know who they belong to. But all people want someone to love them. When someone torments and teases you because of your colour, it is because they are hurting inside. If you run away from them and cry, they will never stop hurting, or if you fight them, it still won’t stop hurting. So they will keep coming back. The next time someone says something mean to you, I want you to turn around look them straight in the eye and give them your most beautiful smile ...” Yes! smile! for you are a treasured possession of “Te Iwi” “The People”, “The People of the Sun”, “The People of God”, “The People of Iha-Ra-Iwi (Israel)”. “You live in your ancestors, and your ancestors live in you.”

You are a child of a royal birthright, bom of a priestly line, Aperahama (Abraham), Ihaka (Isaac), and Hakopa (Jacob). Your culture is as old as the majestic mountains, that stand as sentinels on the distant horizon in the East, to far off Hawaiki (The Garden of Eden), where Tane moulded the physique and intellect of your Tupuna out of the sacred red earth of Te Papa, The Earth Mother, and breathed into his nostrils his spirit, the Breath of Life Te Mauri! Treasure your mother’s embrace, remember her wise counsel, walk tall, and love your brother, whatever the colour of his skin. For your “beautiful smile” radiates forth from a countenance that illuminates “the light of an ancient culture”, destined never to perish.

Aroha Nui M. Fay (Whiwhikiterangi) Campbell

Tihei Mauri Ora Tena koutou e nga iwi whanui puta noa o te motu. Tena koutou katoa. He korero whakamarama tenei mo nga ahuatanga o nga tamatoa e noho ana kei roto te whare herehere nei o Paremoremo. Ka nui a matou pirangi e whakaatu koutou te take mo te whanonga kei konei. No reira e koro ma, e kui ma, e nga iwi katoa, tena ra koutou, tena ra koutou, tena ra koutou katoa. An article in a recent issue of Tu Tangata magazine has prompted me to write on behalf of myself and the men in the A Block Maori Culture group here at Paremoremo prison. We would like to assure our people out there that we are not all like the childish, self pitying, greedy men described by Alan Taylor.

In fact many Kaumatua have come in to visit us and have had nothing but words of praise for the way in which we conduct ourselves in front of our manuhiri.

The majority of us had had little or no Taha Maori taught to us before coming to this prison yet now we are able to powhiri, mihi and manaakitia our guests who arrive here for various hui. The person mainly responsible for this is Anne Tia, a woman who has dedicated the last fifteen years of her life to helping young men in here and Mt Eden prison find their true identity and to stand tall in the world outside.

Tena koe e te whaea o te roopu nei, “He kokonga whare e kitea, he kokonga ngakau e kore kitea”.

Thankfully the teachings of our whaea have been reinforced by the sporadic visits of respected elders such as John Rangihau of Ngai Tuhoe and Hare Tawhai of Ngati Whatua/Nga Puhi. Their wider knowledge of Taha Maori is given freely to us and has enabled us as a group to better understand the reasons for certain kawa.

Through the learning of Tikanga Maori we the inmates of A Block Paremoremo have gained self esteem so that we are now able to hold our heads up high regardless of the situation.

In the eyes of the pakeha we are bad men for breaking their laws but in Te Ao Maori this is not so because we respect the kawa, the tapu, the mana and the wairua of our tupuna.

It matters little to us what the pakeha thinks but you our Maori people mean everything therefore heed not the words of this man Taylor and listen to the cry of your rangatahi.

No reira e nga iwi whanui, whakarongo kite tangi ote rangatahi, homai te aroha mete awhina kia whakatautoko a matou i te ao maori. Tena ra koutou, tena ra koutou katoa.

Na Kauwai Rua (Ngati Whatua/ Rarotonga/T ahiti)

p.s. Could you please include our address as a contact point for those who

may wish to help us in some way. Ki a ora ano koe.

P.O. Box 50124 Albany Auckland

Dear Sir, I venture somewhat warily into a field in which I have no expertise but would like to take mild issue with the Author of Bureaucracy v Mytholy p 52 of issue 31. He/she states “The fish is a country, and that’s official” “And straight away we have lost one of our most magnificent legends.” Supposing that all legends are based on fact, albeit often very obscure, is it not reasonable to suppose that this particular legend may have developed this way: Kupe discovered Aotearoa and sailed back to Hawaiki-nui and told his countrymen of his great discovery. “How do we get there?” they asked. “Follow the godwits when they migrate south,” Kupe replied. “How do we recognise Aotearoa when we find it?” they asked. “When Maui sailed to the south he fished up this country. Climb a mountain and you will see the fish or his canoe, or the anchor-stone.” In other words an easily remembered story to give sailing directions became legendary fact. The fish always was a country. The Maori just forgot that the

legend was more magnificent because it might be a clue to historical fact.

Yours cautiously JOHN CRESSWELL

Tena koe Piripi, E te Iwi Maori, Tena Ra Tatou Katoa. Kei te whakatuwhera tetahi kura Maori Motuhake Tuatahi ki Rotorua nei a te tau ko te tikanga o to matou kura, ka ako a matou tamariki i roto i te reo Maori anake, kia kore e ngaro te kakano i ruia mai i Rangiatea. Ko to matou tumanako tetahi tangata mo te turanga kai-ako. Ko tenei tangata, he tangata matauranga kite reo Maori me ona tikanga katoa. A, kei a ia he ngakau mahaaki ngawari ki nga tamariki nohinohi. Kua whiwhi ke i a ia te tohu o te kura mahita. No reira, e te iwi kua reri mai to matou whare me nga taonga katoa o roto, ka inoi atu matou ki a koutou, te iwi whanui kia awhina mai i a matou. Mena, kei te pirangi koe ki tenei turanga tuhi mai ki a matou: Te Roopu Whakahaere, Te Kura o Ruamata, P.O. Box 2313, Rotorua. Kia ora koutou katoa