Te riri o Tāne-māhuta
Nā Irene A. Cooper
Nā Clifford Whiting ngā pikitia
I tērā raumati, ka hararei haere māua ko taku tāne, ko Rāhara, i te Tai Tokerau. Ka haere māua mā runga motokā, he Volkswagen, ā, ka pō rawa, ka haere māua ki tētahi hōtēra kai ai, moe ai. Ka pai anō tēnei tū hararei; kāore he mahi tiaki, mahi whakapai whare, kāore hoki he māharahara mō te tao kai.
Nā, i tētahi ata tino paki ka tae atu māua ko Rāhara ki te ngahere rongonui o Waipōua. He tokomaha ngā tāngata haere mai ai ia tau, ia tau, kia kite i taua wāhi ātaahua. E kīia ana ko te kauri te rākau tino nui o Niu Tīreni nei, ā, kāore e kore, e tika ana tēnei kōrero. Ko te roroa hoki o ērā rākau!
Taro ake, ka kitea e māua tētahi pānui, e pēnei ana ngā kupu o runga: "Me haere ngā manuhiri mā te huarahi nei ki te mātakitaki i a Tāne-mahuta te kauri tino nui o te ngahere nei." Kāti, ka heke māua i tō māua motokā, ka haere tonu mā raro. Koata hāora pea māua e kōpikopiko haere ana i taua huarahi, kātahi anō ka tae ki tētahi wāhi mārakerake i tū ai a Tāne-mahuta.
Ka whakamīharo māua ki te tōtika, ki te teitei hoki o taua rākau. Rite tonu te whānui o tōna tinana ki tō te whare. Ki a māua, ehara tēnei i te rākau noa iho, he kingi kē. Āe! Ko Tāne-mahuta te Kingi tūturu o te ngahere nei. I ngā pō, tākaro ai ngā whetū i waenganui i ōna peka; i ngā rā, takoto ai ngā kapua i runga i tōna upoko.
Heoi anō, kāore he kapua i te rangi i a māua e mihi ana ki a ia; kua kaha te whiti o te rā. He rangi tino ātaahua tonu. Ka āwhio haere māua i te Kingi rā, e whakamīharo ana, e whakapai ana i a ia, e mātakitaki ake ana i a ia. Ka roa rawa, ka whakatauria me hoki atu māua ki tō māua motokā, nō te mea e hiahiatia ana me tae atu māua ki Rāwene i mua o te torengitanga o te rā.
"Mā Tāne koe e manaaki, e tiaki," taku kōhumuhumu ki a Tāne-mahuta.
Kātahi a Rāhara ka kata. "Me whakapaipai kē a Tāne i tana tamaiti, i te rākau nei. Titiro iho! He kiri kau ōna take. Kāore ōna hū. Kua hē tāua, e kui. Ehara tēnei i te kingi, he rawakore kē!"
"Kaua koe e kōrero pēnā mō Tāne-mahuta," ko taku karanga ki a ia. "He tangata rorokore koe! Kia tere tō mihi ki a ia, kei pukuriri ia ki a koe!"
"Kaua e pōrangi! Ahakoa rā he kingi tēnei nō te ngahere, he rākau anō. Ka haere tāua!"
"Kāo!" Kāore ahau i whakaae ki te wehe atu. "Ki te kore a Tāne-mahuta e mārie, ka pā te aituā ki a koe."
Ka puta mai te hēmanawa ki a Rāhara. "Kāti te hoihoi! Rite tonu koe ki te tamaiti ki te kōrero. Ehara au i te pēpi e mataku ana i te kēhua!
"Koia nā te mate o te kūware, kāore e mōhio he aha te aha. Ko te mea nui tō hara ki te Kīngi nei. E hoa, kia mōhio ināianei, kei pōuri ākuanei!"
Kāhore taku tāne i whakarongo mai, ēngari ka huri atu. "E wehe ana au ināianei," hei tā tāna. "Kia tere te haere mai, kei mahue koe i a au. E rua tekau mā ono māero pea te tawhiti o Rāwene i konei, ā, ki te haere koe mā raro ki tērā tāone, ka mamae ō waewae āpōpō."
I te kōrero tonu ia, ka titiro ake ahau ki te rangi. Ai! Kei hea te rā? Kupi tonu te rangi i te pōkēao. Kua pōuri kē. Kāore anō ahau kia kōrero i tētahi kupu kotahi mō tēnei mea rerekē, ka tīmata te heke o te ua. Tērā e pōhēhētia kua rere ake a Tangaroa, ā, kei te riringi iho ia i ngā wai katoa o te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa ki raro. Kua tata māua te toremi!
Rerekē ana te āhua o Rāhara i a ia e kanakana ana ki a Tāne-mahuta. Mehemea kua kitea e ia te kēhua, pēnei tōna āhua.
"Kore rawa au i whakapono," ko tēnei tana hāmeme, "i āhei te rākau nei te whiu i te tangata whakatenetene ki a ia, ahakoa he kingi. He mākutu pea!"
Ahakoa rā te ua, ka kata ahau ki ahau anō. E ako ana pea ia ko te arero hangahanga te hoariri nui o te tangata. Engari, kāhore ahau i whakapuaki i ōku whakaaro; ko te arero hangahanga te hoariri hoki o te wahine. Kore rawa te wahine mōhio e kōrero mō ngā hē o te hoa tāne.
Ka karanga kē ahau, "Kāti, me haere tāua!" Ā, ka tīmata māua ki te hoki ki te motokā. I te tino kaha o te ua, ka mania te huarahi, ā, kāore i roa ka hinga a Rāhara. Nō tōna tūnga ake, paruparu katoa ōna kākahu. Ka haere tonu māua. Rē! Taro kau iho, kua hinga anō. Whero tonu tōna kanohi i te riri, ēngari ka haere tonu. Ai! Kāhore anō kia ono putu tō māua hīkoinga whakahuatanga, kua hinga anō taku tāne. Ka puta mai te māharahara ki ahau. He pai atu a Rāhara i te nanenane ki te piki, ki te peke, ahakoa rā, ko te hinga anō, ko te hinga anō!
I te takoto tonu ia i roto i te panipani, ka kōwhetewhete ake ia, "Ki a au nei, nā tētahi mea hīanga ōku waewae i hīrau ai. He aha te mea nei? Kei hea . . .?"
Ka ngaro haere tōna reo, ā, ka whakahāhaki ki tōna ringa ki tētahi mea e tū ana i te taha o te huarahi.
He tangata tēnei? Kāo! Āe pea. Kātahi anō māua ka kite i tēnei tū tangata. Tino rerekē te āhua o te tangata nei! Ko tōna roa, tekau mā rua inihi pea; he piupiu noa iho tōna kākahu; kāore ōna koti, kāore ōna hū, kāore ōna pōtae. He pango ōna makawe, he mea heru, tikitiki rawa. He parauri te kiri. Kī tonu ōna karu pango i te mauāhara. Nō tōna katanga, e rite ana tōna reo ki te tangi a te pere, ahakoa kāhore e pai ana ki a māua. I te tū tonu ahau me te whētētē ana ōku karu, ā, i te takoto tonu a Rāhara, e whētētē ana hoki ōna.
Ka roa rawa, ka hāmama te waha o te tauhou. "E tū!" Ko tana whakahau tēnei ki taku tāne. Kāhore a Rāhara i koni. Ka muramura ngā karu o te tauhou i te whakatakariri, ka totoro tōna ringa, ā, ka auē a Rāhara.
Ka peke ake ia, e auē ana, "Kua wera au. Au! Nā te taurekareka nei au i wera." Ka rure ringaringa ia ki te tauhou, ka karanga, "Ka patua ia e au ākuanei!" Aue! Ka totoro anō te ringaringa o taua tangata paku, ka wera anō a Rāhara.
"Ko Māia ahau," ko te kī mai a te tauhou.
"Ko ahau te tino toa o te Tai Tokerau. He kaha kē atu ahau i ngā tāngata katoa, he tere kē atu ahau i ngā tāngata katoa, he mūrere kē atu ahau i ngā tāngata katoa o te whenua nei. Ka whakakoa kōrua e haere ana ahau i a kōrua ki tō kōrua kāinga noho ai."
"E kī rā!" ka ngunguru a Rāhara. "Au!" Kua wera anō.
"Nā tō mahi heahea i pēnei ai! Nōu tonu te hē! Nā tō hara ki te Kīngi o te ngahere nei, ki a Tāne-mahuta, ahau i panaia ai i tōku kāinga.
Nō reira, e tika ana kia hōmai e koe he kāinga hou mōku."
"Nōku te hē? He teka tēnā! He teka au!"
Ko taku pātai ki a Māia, "Kāhore ahau i te mōhio i te take nei. Ki a koe, nōna te hē. He aha ai? He aha koe i kōrero pēnā ai?"
Tino wawana te āhua o Māia. "Nāna te kōrero mō Tāne-mahuta he rawakore noa iho, nē? Noho ai mātou ko ōku whanaunga i waenganui o ngā take o te Kīngi, ā, ka rongo mātou i ana kupu hara mō te Kingi. Aue, ka kata ahau. E! I te tino whakatakariri o Tāne-mahuta kua whiua atu ahau i tōku kāinga tupu. Kāti, ka haere tātou. Kei hea tō kōrua kāinga?".
Ka whakahoki ahau, "Kei Hāmutana." Tere tonu te huri haere o ōku whakaaro. Ka whetewhete ahau ki a Rāhara, "Me haere tātou. Me haere! Ākuanei kitea ai tētahi kaupapa e mahue ai te taurekareka nei."
Taihoa, taihoa!" ko Rāhara i mea mai i te reo nui. "Mātua me hoki au ko au anake ki te motokā whakawātea ai i te nohoanga mō Māia. Me tatari kōrua ki konei kia tīkina atu e ahau tētahi hamarara, kei mākū kōrua."
Kātahi te pōrangi! Kua mākū kē mātou katoa, ēngari he waimarie kāore a Māia i mōhio ki te pōrangi o tā Rāhara kōrero, ā. i taku tāne e oma atu ana, ka ui mai ia, "He rākau nui a Hāmutana?"
Ka whakamārama ahau ki a ia ehara a Hāmutana i te rākau, ā, ka whakaatu i te āhua o te tāone. Kāore i roa ka hoki mai a Rāhara me tōna hamarara nui, he mea pango.
Ko te pātai a Māia, "Ko tō motokā tēnā?"
"Ko te hamarara kē," ka whakamārama a Rāhara.
"Ko te mahi a te hamarara nei he whakaruru i te tangata kei uaina ia. Titiro mai! Tuatahi, whakatūwheratia! Tuarua, puritia ki runga ake i te upoko! Tuatoru, whakakopia ia anō! E pēnei ana ngā mahi."
I te kōrerotanga pēneitanga o Rāhara, ka nui tōku mīharo. Ehara i te tika tēnei! Heoi anō, ka wehe a Māia i te rekareka, ka hoatu ki a ia te hamarara. Ka whakatuwheratia e ia, ka pupuri ki runga ake i tōna upoko, ā, kātahi anō ka puta mai te mōhiotanga ki ahau. Whakakopia ana ia e te hamarara, ka ngaro kau!
Ngaro kau ana a Māia, ka oma atu māua ko Rāhara. Te tere hoki o tā māua oma! Kāhore anō māua kia tae ki tō māua motokā kua pau katoa tōku hau, ā, kua tōia ahau e Rāhara, Eke ana māua kī runga it e motokā ka haere atu i taua wāhi. Ē! Kāhore anō a Māia kia puta mai. Tino koa ō māua ngākau, ā, ka kata haere, ka waiata haere.
Ka roa rawa ka whakaaro ahau, "Ahakoa rā, ka āhua pōuri ahau mō Māia. Ehara tana raruraru i te hanga noa iho. Kāore kē he kāinga mōna."
"Te heahea hoki! Pehea tāna mahi kino ki a au? Mehemea kua mauria ia e tāua ki tō tāua kāinga, he maha ngā raruraru hua pā mai."
"Āe, āe, He whakaarokore kē nōku i kōrero pēnei ai ahau. Hei aha, kua mutu. Kore rawa a Māia e kitea anō e tāua. Kāore e kore ka hoki anō ia ki a Tāne-mahuta, ā, kāore e kore ka aroha a Tāne-mahuta ki a ia." Ka haere anō māua ki te ngahere e tū nei a Tāne-mahuta? E kore te pātiki e hoki anō ki tōna puehu!