He matakite taku hoa
Nā Katerina Mataira
Ko Mere Ārihi te ingoa o taku tino hoa. He matakite a ia engari, tua atu o tōna whānau, ko ahau anake kei te mōhio. Koinei tā māua tino muna, kāre hoki a Mere Ārihi e pīrangi kia mōhio te tangata he matakite a ia.
"He aha ai?" taku pātai atu. "Nā te mea ka uaua aku mahi katoa," te whakautu mai a Mere. Nō whea taku mōhio he matakite a ia? Me kī pēnei ahau, nā tōna āhua matakite taku whānau e ora tonu nei i nāianei.
Nō tērā tau tonu a Mere ka haramai ki tō mātau kura. E ai ki taku kuia he whanaunga tata tonu māua engari kāre anō kia pērā rawa taku mōhio ki ngā whakapapa.
Heoi anō, i te taenga mai o Mere ki tō mātau kura, mīharo pai mātau katoa ki a ia. Ahakoa he aha te pātai a tō mātau kaiako ka taea e Mere te whakahoki.
Tino matatau a ia ki ngā mahi kura katoa tae atu ki ngā hākinakina. Ko ia te tino toa o te tākaro pāpāpāoro. Ko te tīma whiwhi i a Mere te tīma toa i ngā wā katoa. Otirā, tino whakamīharo ahau ki a Mere ārahi, taku pīrangi hoki kia rite ahau ki a ia. Nā tērā ahau i whakapiri atu ai ki a ia. Ko ahau te waimarie! Te rawe hoki o āna mea katoa - ana kākahu, ana hū, ana pukapuka, ana taputapu, me tana hōmai i aua mea ki a au inā pīrangi ahau. Ko te tino painga, he kōtata o māua whare, ka pai taku haere atu ki a ia, me tana haramai ki a au.
E whā marama pea, muri mai o te taenga mai o Mere i patu mai te waea. Nā taku matua i whakatau atu. "Ko tō hoa," tāna ki a au me tana hōmai i te kawereo, "Ko Mere." "Kia ora Mere.""E Tai, ka pai koe ki te haramai ki taku whare mō tētahi wā poto?
He take nui tāku ki a koe." "He aha te take?"
"Kāre pai te kōrero runga waea."
Tere tonu taku oma tika atu ki te whare o Mere.
"He aha kē te take nei?" taku pātai.
"E haere ana koutou ko tō whānau ki whea āpōpō?"
"Ki taku mōhio e haere ana mātau ki te huritau
o taku tipuna kuia. Ka waru tekau tau tana pakeke."
"Āwhea koutou ka haere?"
"Aua ... kia mutu pea te mahi a pāpā."
"Mā whea koutou haere ai?"
"Ha . . . mā te ara matua tonu pea. Koirā te huarahi e haere ai mātau i ngā wā hokihoki atu ki taku tipuna kuia."
"Aue ... me aha?" te kī a Mere.
"Me aha te aha?" Kua āhua ohorere ahau.
"E Tai. . . nō nākuanei tonu ka puta mai tētahi pohewa ki a au."
"He aha te pohewa?"
"He momo whakaahua i roto i tō hinengaro."
"Pēnei ki te moemoeā?"
"Āhua pēnā, engari ko tēnei ehara i te moemoeā.
I puta mai i a au e hīkoi ana i waho. Heoi anō, ki taku mōhio he aituā tino kino ka puta i runga i te ara matua ākuanei. Nō reira, kāre pai kia haere koutou mā te ara matua."
I pā mai ki ahau tētahi āhua tino wehi nei, me taku mōhio he pono te kōrero a taku hoa," Me aha ahau?" taku pātai ki a ia. "Koinā te mate," te whakautu mai a Mere ārahi, Kua kore te nuinga o ngā Māori e whakapono ki ēnei āhua.
Mena he kaumātua ahau āe pea, engari nā te mea kei te tamariki tonu ahau, kore rawa atu. Pēhea ō mātua? E whakapono ana rāua ki ēnei tū āhua, kāre rānei?"
"Aua . . . kāre anō ahau kia rongo ki a rāua e kōrero ana mō tēnei tū āhua."
"Ka pehea ina riro mā ōku mātua e kōrero? Ka aro mai ō mātua kāre rānei? "
"Aua . . . engari pai kē atu tēnā i te kore noa iho. Kei te mōhio ō mātua ki tō pohewa?"
"Ae . . . kua waia kē rāua ki tēnei āhua ōku. Nā rāua i kī mai kia waea atu ahau ki a koe."
"Kāti... me haere tāua ki a rāua i nāia tonu nei."
I tōku hokinga atu ki te kāinga i haere tahi mātau ko Mere Ārihi me ōna mātua. E tatari mai ana ōku mātua, naku hoki i waea atu me te kī he tino take tā ngā mātua o Mere Ārihi ki a rāua. I waihotia atu e māua ko taku hoa rātau ki a rātau.
"Haere koe ki te whakarite i ō kākahu mō tā tātau haere āpōpō," te kī mai a taku kōkā. Tata pau rawa te rua hāora kātahi anō taku kōkā ka karanga mai ki a au kia haere atu māua. E noho ana rātau ki te inu tī. He inu anō hoki i reira mā māua ko Mere me te keke panana a taku kōkā. Tino toa taku kōkā ki te mahi keke panana. Otirā, nā te āhua pea o taku kanohi me te rongo mai a taku matua e tino āwangawanga tonu ana ahau, i huri mai ia ki a au me te kī, "Kei te pai kōtiro, kua kore tātau e haere āpōpō. Hei te awatea o te Rā Horoi tātau haere ai i runga i te waka rererangi."
I tō mātau taunga atu ki te papa rererangi o te hau kāinga e tatari mai ana a Pāpā Hati ki te kawe i a mātau ki tō mātau marae.
Ka mutu te hui rawe, ko tērā. I tae mai te katoa o te whānau, tae atu ki a rātau i rāwahi e noho ana. Kātahi anō ahau ka tūtaki ki aku taina, aku tuākana i pakeke mai i Ahiteiria, i Āmerika, i Hapāni hoki. Āhua whakamā mātau ki a mātau i te tīmatatanga engari kāre i roa kua tino hoahoa mātau ki a mātau. Nā taku mōhio ki te kōrero Māori i whaiwhai mai aku whanaunga o rāwahi i a au me te whakamahi i a au ki te kōrero. He pai anō hoki te whakarongo ki a Kereana e kōrero Hapāni ana.
Nō te taenga mai o tō mātau tipuna kuia ki te marae i hui atu mātau ko ana mokopuna katoa me tā mātau tākoha ki a ia. Kua tae mai noa atu tana kōrero ki te whānau, "Kaua koutou e hoko tāonga māku," tana kī. Kotahi te tākoha e pīrangi ana ahau. Kia kōrero mai, kia waiata mai aku mokopuna ki a au, i roto i te reo o ngā tīpuna." Mahi nui tērā te whakaako i ngā waiata ki te katoa o ngā mokopuna, tae atu ki a rātau o tāwāhi, engari nō tō mātau tūnga i roto i te wharenui ki te waiata, kotahi rau, whā tekau mā rima mātau katoa. Mōhio mātau i tino reka ā mātau waiata ki tō mātau tipuna kuia nō te mea i a mātau e waiata ana e māturuturu ana ōna roimata.
"Koinei te tākoha o ngā tākoha katoa," tana kī. Tino rawe tērā hui. Otirā, nō te mutunga o ngā mahi whakawhāiti i te wharekai i taua pō i haere ahau ki te rapu i aku mātua. I te wharenui rāua. Tau atu ana ahau ki tō mātau moenga ka hopu mai a pāpā i taku ringa. E pānui ana a Māmā i ngā kōrero o te nūpepa.
"E whā ngā motukā i tūtuki i te ara matua i te pōahiahi o nanahi nei. I mauria ngā tāngata katoa kite hōhipera engari kaore tētahi mea kotahi o rātau i ora mai. Kei te kimihia tonuhia ngā whanaunga tata o ētahi. Kaore anō kia kitea e ngā pirihimana nō wai te hē." I a au e whakarite ana i ahau mō te moe kotahi te whakaaro i roto i tōku hinengaro, "Taku waimarie he matakite taku tino hoa a Mere Ārihi!"