TE RAKAUNUI ME TE HOIHO by RICHARD KAIAWE Ko taku korero mo tetahi tangata ko Te Rakaunui tona ingoa. Ko tenei tangata he rangatira no tetahi pa i Pewhairangi. He horo hoki ia mo te oma (koia ahau te rapu nei pena ia he whanaunga noku). I te ra i rua tekau ma rima ai ona tau, ka tau mai he kaipuke Pakeha ki tetahi one i Pewhairangi e kiia ana inaianei ko Oihi Bay. I runga hoki i taua kaipuke tetahi hoiho. Ko tenei te hoiho tuatahi i tau mai ki Niu Tireni nei. Na te mea kahore te pa o Te Rakaunui i tawhiti mai i taua one, ka haere atu ia kia kite i nga taonga a nga Pakeha i mau mai ai. I tona taenga atu kua tau ke mai te hoiho ki uta, a tino nui tona wehi i tona kitenga atu. Kua pohehe hoki a Te Rakaunui kua kite hatana ia. Katahi ka tahuri ka oma atu ki tona pa. Tino tika rawa atu he tangata horo ia mo te oma. I tona taenga atu ki tona pa ka tonoa mai he karere ki te titiro he aha ke tenei mea kua tau mai. “A! e toku ariki, e he ana kia haere ko ahau. Ka riri mai taua tangata ki te haere atu ahau.” He tangata iti noa iho ki te karanga mai i a ia. “Haere koe ko koe hoki te tangata rongonui, a na te mea he rangatira koe no te pa nei, e tika ana ko koe e haere.” Na te matatku i korero penei ai taua tangata. Kihai a Te Rakaunui i pai kia mohio mai tona iwi e mataku ana ia. Katahi ia ka haere atu. I tona tatanga atu ka oma ia ki tua i etahi korari e tupu ana i te one, ki reira hoki titiro atu ai. Ka Kite atu ia i nga tangata e tu mai ana me te hoiho, hari ana hoki ia. Ka mea ia ki a ia ano, “Ehara tenei i te hatana, he tangata pai ke. Engari kei hea ke ona ringaringa. Te roa hoki o ona huruhuru ae tupu mai ana i tona mahunga ka ngaro i raro i tona korowai puta mai i tona tuara. Me haere ahau ki te mihi ki tenei tangata tino rangatira te hanga.” Ka haere atu ia a katahi ka karanga atu, “Haere mai e hoa, haere mai. E hari atu ana kua tau mai koe.” Katahi ia ka haere atu ki te hariru ki taua hoiho, a tino riri ana ia i te kore o taua ‘tangata’ e hariru mai ki a ia. Ka mea ia ki a ia ano, “Te whakahihi hoki o tenei tangata” Ka titiro atu ia ka wehi ano ia, te nui o nga kanohi me nga niho o taua ‘tangata’. Ka mea puku ano ia, “Kei mea koe kua raru ahau i a koe”. Ka mea atu ia, “E hoe, e hiahia ana ahau ki te whakataetae ki a koe mo te oma”. Kihai te hoiho ra i aha. Ka riri rawa atu a Te Rakaunui na te mea kua whakama katoa ia i nga tangata. Ka mea ia ki nga tangata, e hiahia ana ia ki te whakataetae ngo te oma ki taua ‘tangata’ “Engari na te mea e wha ke ou waewae, e tika ana me haere koe ki te mutunga o te one, ko ahau he tangata e rua ano waewae me haere ki waenganui.” Ka whakaae katoa nga tangata ra, a ka haere a Te Rakaunui ki weanganui o te one ka mauria hoki te hoiho ki te pito o te one. Katahi raua ka oma. Ko taua hoiho i kake tetahi o nga Pakeha ki runga. Kikai hoki i roa ka rongo a Te Rakaunui i te hoiho ra e oma ake ana muri i a ia. Pohehe ana ia a whatitiri ana, i te turituri hoki o nga waewae o taua hoiho. Katahi ia ka mea, “Ae, he hatana tenei, whatitiri ana hoki ki te oma ia”. Tino wehi ana ia. I tona mataku ka tino horo atu tona oma, raru mai ana taua hoiho i a ia i te nui o tona wehi. Ka hari hoki ia, ka mea ano ia me whakahihi ia ki taua hoiho. Katahi ia ka haere atu ki nga waewae o muri ki te hariru. E mea ana hoki ia, ki te kore nga waewae o mua e hariru ki a ia, tena pea kei muri ke. I a ia e tuohu atu ana, katahi ia ka whana mai, Whara tonu tona mahunga, a mate tonu atu. Na te mea kua mate a Te Rakaunui, me mutu hoki taku koreno ki konei. Kia ora mai ano koutou katoa.

SALE OF VALUABLE TIKI The largest known greenstone Maori tiki was sold in London last July for a record price of £850. It is believed to have come to Europe early in the last century and until recently was in the possession of Baron Adolf Collot d'Escury of Kloosterzande, Zeeland. His grandfather who travelled and collected extensively in the South Pacific, apparently brought this remarkable piece of sculpture from New Zealand. It was sold at Sotheby's to Mr Ken Webster, a New Zealand collector in Britain. The tiki is 9⅜ inches long, is beautifully carved from dark greenstone with light flecks and is very well rounded and detailed. Several buyers bid for it. Three years ago, Sotheby's sold another tiki 8¾ inches long. But this price, quoted above, confirms the high value placed by museums and private collectors on really first-class examples of Maori art, being almost twice as much as has been paid previously for a tiki in the salerooms.