TE KORERO MO TE ONO KUMARA —TE HUHUTI TIPU: Ko te mea tuatahi hei mahitanga kia tika te mahinga, ko nga tipu. Ka huhutingia nga tipu ki waho o te whakaika. Kia nui nga tipu ka here-here kia noho ki ro kakati, kia kotahi rau pea ki ro kakati. He mahi roa te mahi huti tipu mehemea he kaita te mara. Ka tae ki nga mano e hiahia ana te tangata, ka puru ki ro wai tu ai. Mea ai etahi i nga weu ki ro paru. He pai tenei, no te mea kaore e pirau nga weu, a ka noho makuku tonu. Ko nga tipu nui atu nga weu kei runga nga tino tipu. Hoatungia ai te hutinga tuatahi ma te tangata ke, no te mea kaore ano kia nui nga weu, kaore ano kia pakari nga tipu. Kei nga hutinga o muri mai nga tino tipu. NGA MARAMA ONO: Onongia ai nga tipu i nga marama o Hepetema tae noa ki Noema ki Tihema. Ko Hepetema me Oketopa nga marama mo te kumara mataamua. Ka ono i Tihema meana e pirangi ana ki te mahinga tomuri. Ko te nuinga onongia ai i Noema. TE POU KUMARA: Ko ta te Maori tana mahi kumara he awhina i ona hoa, ara te whakatauaki. “Mano tini mano nui ka rite te whai.” Ko te mea tuatahi hei mahitanga ko nga poka mo nga tipu. Ma nga korokoro matamua o te ringaringa katau e pou, a ka pupuritia te kakati i roto i te ringaringa maui. Ka panga te tipu kia toru inihi ki roto i te oneone kia ngaro katoa nga THE STORY ABOUT PLANTING KUMARA When the garden is ready, the first thing that has to be done is the picking of the kumara plants from the seedbed. When a large number of plants has been picked, they are then tied into bundles, each containing about a hundred. Picking kumara plants is quite a long job if the garden is a large one. When thousands of plants have been collected, they are then placed in water. Some people place the roots of the plants in mud-pudding. This is a better way. The reason is that the roots will not dry out but will remain moist all the time. The plants which have more rootlets attached to them are the best ones. The first lot of plants picked out of the seedbed is generally given to other people, because they have not grown enough rootlets, and the plants are not strong enough. The plants picked afterwards are the best ones. The kumara is planted from September to December. September and October are the months for planting early kumara, and in December, if a person desires a late crop. But most people prefer planting their main crop in November. It is a Maori custom for friends to gather to help. Hence the proverb “Many hands make light work.” The first thing that has to be done is the forming of holes for the plants. The first two fingers of the right hand make a hole, while the left holds the bundle of plants. The plant is then placed three inches into the ground, so that the roots are covered. They may be placed a foot apart from