Taku moko Te Aoimihia
Nā Pani Pahina
I tīmata mai te tā moko nei i a Derek Lardelli i te tau 1990.He tau nui tērā mō te iwi Māori. Kotahi rau e rima tekau tau mai i te hainatanga o te Tiriti o Waitangi. I taua wā, Pani Pahina te whakaahuaka whakaaro a Derek Lardelli he aha rā tāna mō te Māoritanga. Ka whakaaro a ia mō te moko. Ko tāna wawata, ōna moemoeā me whakahoki mai te moko ki roto o Ngāti Porou i te tau rua mano. Me kī i roto i Te Tairāwhiti. I taua wā ka haere a ia ki tōna iwi ki roto o Rongowhakaata. I reira ka kōrero a ia mō tana moemoeā me ngā āhuatanga o te moko. Ka pātai ake ngā pakeke o reira, "Me pēhea e taea e koe te whakahoki mai?"
Ka mea atu a ia, "Ka kimihia e au ngā wāhine e karanga ana i runga i te marae."
Nā, ka puta ake a ia ki Te Poho o Rawiri. Kei reira awau e mahi Kōhanga ana, ā, ka kōrero mai a ia mō ana whakaaro e pā ana ki te moko. Ka titiro atu awau ki a ia, ka mea atu, "He pai ki awau tēnā whakaaro."
Nā, nō te toru rawa o ana pātai mai ki awau, ka kī atu awau, "Kei te pai. Anei tāku ki a koe, me āta whakaarotia e wau i te tuatahi, nā te mea he mahi taumaha tēnei." Ka mea atu anō awau ki a ia, 'Tukuna awau kia hoki ki tōku iwi, te whānau ā Ruataupare i roto o Tokomaru. Mā rātau e whakaae mai, mā rātau e whakakore rānei. Koirā te mea tuatahi. Tuarua, ka haere awau ki Ngāti Porou whānui ki te kōrero ki a rātau."
Nā, ka hoki awau ki te kāinga ki Tokomaru. I taua wā he hui tā te Rūnanga ā Ngāti Porou ā iwi o Tokomaru. Ka whakaaro awau, "Me pēhea rā e taea e au te kōrero atu?" Ka kōrero awau ki aku kōkā. Tokoono rātau i te marae o Pākirikiri i Tokomaru. Ko te mea tipua, i hāngai tonu atu awau ki te poupou o Te Aoimihia. Ko ia anake te whakairo he moko kei Pākirikiri ā, i te aronga kē o Te Aoimihia, ko Tūwhakairiora. Ka mutu taku kōrero, ka tū mai tētahi o aku kōkā ka kī mai, "Arā tō moko - Te Aoimihia." Ka whakaae mai rātau. Ko taku mahi nui ināianei he whakaaro me pēhea taku haere ki Ngāti Porou whānui. Ka whakaaro awau me titiro awau ki ngā tāngata ngangahau i waenganui i a Ngati Porou. Arā ko taku matua kēkē a Api, ko Kōkā Whaia McClutchie, ko Kōkā Louie Tuhura, ko matua kēkē a Pāhoe, he tokomaha tonu rātau. Me te aha hoki, me tā rātau kōrero mai ki awau, kua eke awau ki tērā taumata. I mua i taku hokinga ki te kāinga, i karakia awau kia hōmaitia he māramatanga ki au.
Te whakaaetanga mai, ka hoki mai awau ki a Derek. Ka mea atu awau ki a ia, "Kai te pai, engari anei tāku ki a koe. I te wā e mahia ana awau, kāore awau e pīrangi i te pāpāho, te tango whakaahua rānei. Ko taku hiahia kia mahia i te wāhi wehe, ā, ko taku tohunga ki tōku taha. Ko tōku hāhi he hāhi Ringatū."
Ka kī mai a ia ki au, "Kai te pai. Engari kei te hiahia tango whakaahua ahau māku tonu." I whakaae awau ki tērā ki te tango whakaahua mō āna ake mahi. I awau e tatari ana mō taku moko, taku mahi i te ata, i te pō, he karakia. I hou mai te māramatanga ki au me whakatūpato tonu awau, me aku tamariki, me aku mokopuna. E whā, e rima wiki pea i muri mai, pai ana te rere o ngā mahi. Reri rawa mai a Derek, kua reri anō hoki awau. Nā, haere katoa ngā tikanga ki runga i tāku i tono ai.
Nā ko tōku tohunga ko Nick Pēwhairangi, tētahi tonu o māua. I runga awau i te tūru, ka takoto whakamuri taku māhunga, ka tū mai a Derek i muri i awau. Ko ia te mea tā haere te moko. Ko tana hoa wahine, he Pākehā ki te whakamārō haere te kiri nē, ā, ko tōna taokete ki te hārau i te toto. E whā haora te roa e mahia ana. Katoa. He waimarie ki te kī te tīpune i te toto. Pērā te pai o te mahinga. Ko Nick ki te tauira mō te haere o te moko.
I mua tata tonu o te tīmatanga, hāngai tonu ōku whakaaro ki a Te Aoimihia, ki tōna waihanga i Pākirikiri. Mau tonu ki roto ki ōku whakaaro. Ka katia e wau ōku whatu, ā, ka tīmata a Derek. I tīmata mai a ia i taku kauae i raro ake i ōku ngutu. Kore rawa awau i rongo i tētahi mamae, ā, tae rawa ki te haora whakamutunga. I noho tonu mai te kuia rā i mua i awau, me taku kite tonu i a ia, engari, nō te hāwhe haora ki te mutunga, ka ngaro ia. Kātahi anō ka rongo awau i te mamae. Ko ngā ngutu te wāhi tino ngohengohe. Nō te kitetanga o Derek i ōku roimata e heke ana, ka mutu tana mahi.
Titiro atu awau ki a ia ka mea atu awau," Whakaotingia". Ka tīmata anō ia. Ka moe aku whatu me te whakamomori i te mamae. I taua wā tonu, ka pā mai te kohiko o te kāmera. Nō te puaretanga o ōku whatu, kua uru kē mai he tangata ki roto i te rūma. He hoa nō Derek. Te mututanga o te mahi a Derek, huri tonu atu awau, ka pātai atu wau ki a ia, "Mō wai te whakaahua nā?"
Titiro mai a ia ka mea mai, "Mōku tonu."
Mea atu awau ki a ia, "Anei taku kōrero ki a koe, mē mō te nūpepa, mō te pāpāho rānei, anei tāku kōrero ki a koe, me kore." Rite tonu ki tāku, kāore te whakaahua i puta ake. Pēnei te kōrerotanga mai a Derek he tika ngā kōrero a te kōkā a Whaia mō ngā wāhine o Ngāti Porou he mana wahine. Kia mōhio mai koe, mā te wahine anake kua puta i tēnei mahi i te tā moko, e mōhio te wāhanga kei runga i a ia, e kore e taea e te kupu te whakamārama atu. He hōnore nui, te tono rangatira mai a Derek ki awau. Nā te hokinga ki te kāinga, i tau pai ai ngā mea katoa.
Anei te kōrero mai a Derek, tērā pea mā te toru marama rawa ka mahu tōku moko. Engari ko tōku, kāore i rua rā. Nō te rā tonu i muri mai, ka hoki awau ki te Kōhanga. Nā ko ā mātau pēpi i muri i te tina ka moe rātau. Ka takoto awau taha i a rātau. Ka moe rā aku pēpi. E mea tonu atu awau ki te moe ka rongo awau i te mea nei. Pēnei nei i tētahi mea e hārau ana i taku moko, mā te awe. Ka puare ake ōku whatu, ka mutu. Ka moe anō aku whatu, ā, ka tīmata anō te āta hārau i taku moko. Nō te toru o ngā ohonga, kātahi ka rutua awau i te moe. Tōku ohotanga kua heke kē te pupuhi.
I puta mai a Derek i te rā tuatoru ka kōrero awau ki a ia mō taku wheako, me taku whakapono noa ko te kuia rā. Kore rawa awau e titiro whakamuri. I ētahi wā ko au e kōrero noa iho pēnei nei, ahakoa he moko tōku. Ka kai paipa tonu, ka kōrero pōrangi. Engari ki runga i te marae, tahuri rānei ki ngā tikanga Māori, ka pupū ake ko tērā taha ōku. Ko te moko nei kei te whakapakari i awau, kua koi tōku hinengaro ki ngā tikanga Māori, he nui ngā akoranga kei te wahaina e au.
Hei kōrero whakamutunga pea māku: mehemea e hiahia ana te rangatahi ki te mau moko, ko tāku ki a rātau, ātōna wā mehemea mō te mau moko, ka puta ngā tohu. Engari mō te pīrangi mau moko noa iho nei i runga i te whakaaro he mea pai, kāhore. Kaua e rere noa. Me whakaaro tonu, ā, ka hoki ki ō mātua tīpuna, ki tōu kāinga tūturu, ki tō whānau kōrerorero ai, whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro ai. Kia riro mai i a koe tō rātau nei whakaaetanga, nā, kua wātea ngā āhuatanga katoa. Nō reira tēnā koutou katoa.