"Ko Tāku, Ko Tā Te Māori"
He Whakamārama
Nā Tā Apirana Ngata i tuhi ngā kōrero mō te toa o Te Moana Ngārimu i whakawhiwhia ai ia ki te tohu toa V.C, ki te pukapuka, 'The Price of Citizenship', arā, ki te reo Māori, 'Ko Tāku, ko Tā te Māori'. I huaina ai taua pukapuka 'Ko Tāku, ko Tā te Māori' mōtemea i tū tahi te Māori rāua ko te Pākehā ki te whawhai mō tō rāua Kingi me tō rāua whenua, engari ko tā te pukapuka e kōrero ana mō 'taku, mō tā te Māori' wāhanga o te pakanga.
Kua mōmōhanga taua pukapuka, kua kore e taea te hoko mai i ngā toa, engari kei ngā whare pukapuka e takoto ana.
Ko Tā Āpirana Ngata te Mema Pāremata mō te Rohe Pōti o te Tairāwhiti mō te toru tekau mā waru tau - 1905 ki 1943. Kei 'Te Wharekura' 12 ētahi kōrero mōna. Ko te katoa o ngā moni mō taua pukapuka i tuku ki te Tahua mō te Karahipi.
Inā ētahi wāhanga o taua pukapuka, nā Wiremu Ngata, tama a Tā Āpirana, i whakamāori.
Ko Tāku, ko Tā te Māori
nā A.T. NGATA
Ko Mua Upoko
I tukua te Ripeka a Kuini Wikitōria ki a Te Moana-nui-a- kiwa Ngārimu, he āpiha nō Te Taua Māori o te Whawhai Nui Tuarua, mō tōna māia me tōna toa ki te ārahi i tana taua. I taua whawhaitanga, ka hinga a Te Moana, ā, ka tukua taua tohu toa mōna, te Rīpeka a Kuini Wikitōria, ki ōna mātua i te tau 1943.
Tino nui te whakahī o Ngātiporou rāua ko Te Whānau-a Apanui, ngā iwi o Te Moana, mō tōna toa, mō tōna māia, nā reira ko te hui ki Ruatōria hei whakanui i te tukunga i te taonga nui whakahirahira te Rīpeka a Kuini Wikitōria.
Ka tono a Te Weihana, he mōrehu kaumātua nō Te Whānau-a-Apanui, ki tētahi o rāua, ki a Timutimu Tāwhai, mō te whakapapa o Te Moana.
Ka oti taua whakapapa, ka tuhi a Timutimu ki a Te Weihana. Kua tuhia ake taua pukapuka ki konei hei whakaata i tō te Māori tohungatanga ki te whakatakoto kupu.
Hei kaupapa mō tēnei pukapuka ka takoto te tono ki a Te Whānau-a-Apanui, nō reira rā hoki a Maraea, te whaea, mō te whakapapa o Te Moana. Nāku i tono atu ki a Te Weihana, ā, takitaro ake ka tae mai me te pukapuka a Timutimu. E tika ana kia tuhia ki konei taua pukapuka hei whakaatu ki ngā tohunga kei te raparapa i ngā kaupapa o ngāitāua o te Māori, i te whakatoitoi o te ngākau Māori ki te whakaatu i ōna whakaaro hōhonu.
Ākuhata 31, 1943
Ōtūwhare, Ōmāio.
Ki a Te Weihana,
Tēnei ngā mea nei te tupuna atu nei ki a koe, hai tuku. He nui te pōuri mō te roa, engari he mea kīhai rawa i taea e au. Ehara i te whakatoitoi i roa ai, engari he āhuatanga hou i pā mai ki ahau, i a au ka takatū te whakaaro ki te whakatutuki i te whakahau ki a au. Ka ngaro te hinengaro, ka taka ngoikore tōku tinana. Mōhio tonu atu kai te take maunutanga o rātau mō te tuku i a rātau he wāhi kē, he ringa tangata kē. I roto i tēnā āhua, taea ana e au te nohopuku, te inoi i roto i tōku whare karakia, kia whakawhiwhia ahau ki te kaha, kia arohatia mai, kia tutuki tēnei āhua i runga i te whakaaro mō te rā a te Motu, e tuku iho nei.
Ka kite iho koe i aku tuhituhi i roto i ngā whakapapa nā, te wiriwiri o taku ringa, te whakatoitoi o te pene ki te rere, ahakoa ko te ingoa noa o Pita. Tirohia te whakatukutuku iho i ngā tamariki a Te Aomoengariki. Nōnātahirā tonu ki nanahi nei, kātahi anō ka hoki mai taku āhua, ka hoki au ki te mahi kape hou o te katoa, o ēnei ka tukua atu nei.
Tōku whakaaro nui, e Wei, i roto i tēnei wā, ko te whakaiti i a tāua i raro i tēnei manaakitanga a te Atua i tā tāua mokopuna. Ahakoa i whakaputaputaina ia e au ko ia anake i roto i ngā whakapapa, e pai ana; i te mea i nā rungatia atu ia i a tēnei whakakoringa e whakangāueue nei i te motu, hai tirohanga mā te kanohi tangata, ahakoa hoki he kanohi titiro tonu kai te tangata, engari he kanohi kore kite.
He toki i roto i te ringa o te tangata i turakina ai te rākau te rite o tō tamaiti, o Moana. Ki a wai te hōnore? Ki te toki, ki te tangata rānei? Ehara ianei ia i te toki kau i roto i te ringa o tōna Kaihanga? He tika, me whiwhi anō te toki i tōna hōnore anō paku nei. Ko te tino hōnore ia ki tō tātau Matua i te rangi. Ko tēnā, kaua e pēhia e tō te toki hōnore.
Aroha. Nāku noa,
T. TĀWHAI
Ko te reo Māori nō tētahi tohunga o roto o ēnei rā, e whakaata ana i te ngākau tūpato kei whakapaea mō te whaka- manamana mō tōna ake. Ko Timutimu Tāwhai nō te waka nei nō Horouta., he mohoao kāore e kōrero noa ana hei whakarongo mā te tangata kē. Nā reira e te hoa, e Timutimu, ka tuhia ake āu kōrero ki konei, he kōrero nō tōu whatumanawa ake, hei kōrero mā te tokoiti, hei taonga whakahirahira mā te takitini, mā te takimano. Kua taha tēnei te wā e hunaia ai ngā taonga a te Māori ki ngā ngākau o te tangata takitahi, ki ngā pukapuka whakapapa rānei, hei kōrero mā ngā uri tuku iho anake e manaakitia, e ahatia rānei. He taonga ēnei tērā e warewaretia, e te hoa, ā, ka ngaro noa. E tika ana kia mau tonu, ake tonu atu. Nā reira me pupuri e tāua me ētahi atu, pērā me te Pākehā, me tuhi ki te pukapuka hei taonga mā te hunga e manako ana.
A. T. NGATA
PŌNEKE
15 Hepetema 1943