He Tīpakohanga: Waka Aroha, nā Atakohu Middleton

He rangatahi ngākau whiwhita ki ngā waka tetere. He kairapuhara wahine Māori e mahitahi ana ki roto i te ao kikokiko me te ao atua. He kaihoahoa hūmārie ka tukirae atu ki tētehi manuwhiri i te rārangi harirū.

Nā te kairīpoata rongonui a Atakohu Middleton tēnei kohikohinga tuatahitanga o ngā pakipoto ka tuhia katoatia ki te reo Māori. He rerekē ngā wā. He matatini ngā momo pakipoto. He tini ngā reo. Ka kite ngā kaipānui i ngā kōrero pirihimana, ngā paki ā-whānau, ngā kōrero pohewa me ngā pakipoto e pā ana hoki ki te huringa taiohi hei pakeke. He mea tuhi ki te reo ngāwari kia pai ai mā ngā tauira wharekura me ngā tauira kua eke ki te taumata waenga. He pakipoto whakaihiihi, he mea titi ki te ngākau hoki mō Aotearoa o nāianei.

Mā te tuhinga a Atakohu Middleton ka ngahau ngā tāngata matatau ki te reo tae atu ki ērā anō tāngata i runga i tō rātou ara reo Māori.

He iti nā te aroha

Tū ana a Manaia rāua ko tāna tamāhine, ko Kataraina, e ono ngā tau, i mua i te puoto(1). E titiro ana rāua ki a rāua anō i te whakaataata e iri ana i runga o te puoto.

Mau ana a Kataraina i ōna kākahu moe mō te hōtoke, ā, e pupuru ana ia ki tāna taitai niho me tētehi pū pēniho hīoi (2). Mau ana a Manaia i ngā tarau tāngari (3) me tētehi hāte hāwerawera(4), he pango te tae. Ka pā ōna ringaringa ki ngā pokowhiwhi o tāna tamāhine.

‘E kō,’ te kī a Manaia ki tāna kōtiro, ‘Whakaatuhia mai tō mahi hei tiaki i tō menemene.’

‘Mōhio ana au, Māmā,’ te kī māia a Kataraina. Ka kauhuri(5) ia i te taupoki(6) o te pū pēniho, ā, ka āta kotē (7) i te pēniho ki tāna paraihe.

Hei tāna, ‘Kia iti te pēniho, me he pī.’

‘Tika tāu, e kō,’ te whakautu a Manaia. ‘Pēnei i te pī te nui o te pēniho i tō taitai niho.’

Maka atu ana a Kataraina i te pēniho ki te taha o te puoto. Ka hītekiteki(8) ia, kātahi ka toro atu i tōna ringa ki te kōrere wai kia mākū ai i tāna paraihe i te wai. Ka hiki ia i te taitai niho ki tōna waha paraihe ai.

‘E rua meneti, e kō,’ tā Manaia. Menemene mai ia ki tāna tamaiti i te whakaataata, ā, ka waiata ia i te waiata nāna i tito hei ako i a Kataraina i te putanga tuatahinga mai o ōna niho pēpi.(9)

Wakuhia ngā niho
Te ata, me te pō

Runga, raro, huri rauna
Mahia anō.

I a Manaia e waiata ana, e morimori(10) noa ana ia i ngā makawe whero, i ngā makawe roa hoki o tāna tamāhine.

Wakuhia ngā niho
I muri i te kai

Mā konā te menemene
e pīata ai.

Ka mau ngā whatu o te tokorua i te whakaataata. Ka pūkana a Manaia. Ka nui te menemene a Kataraina, ahakoa kei tōna waha tonu tāna taitai niho.

Ka waiata tonu a Manaia:

Wakuhia ngā niho
Kia tino mā

Niho kaha, niho pai
Ka tika me pena(11)

Ka pūkana anō a Manaia ki tāna kōtiro i te whakaataata. Ka mutu tā Kataraina waku i ana niho me te katakata.

‘Māmā!’

Haka ana a Manaia, ānō nei e tū ana ia i te aroaro-ā-kapa(12). Tūpekepeke ana, huri ana, pīoioi ana.

Wī! Wakuhia ngā niho
Te ata, i te pō

Raro, runga, huri rauna,
Me te arero. Wī!

Rere ana te wairua pai i waenga i te tokorua.

Kātahi ka rongo a Manaia i tētehi hou(13) ki waho. He takahanga waewae.

E tau ana tōna āhua, ka huri atu tōna upoko ki te tatau. E ngau ana tōna puku i te āwangawanga.

E whakatata mai ana ngā takahanga waewae. He waewae toimaha.

I te kūaha, ka puta mai tētehi tāne. He tāne tāroaroa, he rangatahi te āhua, he pakari hoki te hanga. E mau ana i tētehi kahutumu muramura(14), he tohu nō te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau kei runga. Kei tōna ringa tētehi rama.

Ka mauri tau a Manaia. ‘Kia ora,’ tāna ki te tāne.

‘Kia ora kōrua,’ tāna whakautu mai, nōna ka tūpou ki a Manaia rāua ki Kataraina.

Ka kōpēa(15) e Manaia ōna ngutu, ā, ka hoki tana titiro ki tāna kōtiro. E waku niho tonu ana a Kataraina, ā, kāore ia e aro ana ki te tāne i te kūaha.

Ngū ana te wāhi, hāunga te huhū(16) o tā Kataraina mahi.

Ka wharo(17) te tāne. ‘Tēnā,’ tāna kī, me te tangi whakamā o tōna reo, ‘Me raku au i te whareiti ā te whitu karaka. Kua tata mutu?’

‘Kua tata,’ te kī a Manaia.

‘Ka pai,’ te kī a te tāne, ā, ka haere atu. Ka mutu tā Kataraina waku niho.

‘Pai ana, Māmā?’ ‘E pai ana, e te tau.’

Ka tuwha a Kataraina ki te puoto, ka muku i tana waha ki te ringaringa o tōna kahumoe. Ka nanao a Manaia ki te taitai me te pēniho, ā, ka makaia ki te pūkoro o tōna hāte hāwerawera. Ka tirotiro haere ia i te whareiti, i te whakaataata i hangaia ai ki te mētara pīata, ki ngā pātū poraka raima(18), me ngā heketua e kanukanu(19) ana.

‘Hoake tāua,’ te kī a Manaia.

Puta atu nei rāua i te whareiti, he pouaka e tū ana i tētehi papa rēhia nui i te tonga o Tāmaki Makaurau. Kei waho te tāne rā e tatari ana, i raro i tētehi rama e teretere(20) ana.

I a Manaia rāua ko Kataraina e pahure ana i a ia, e mau ringa ana, ka kī mārie te tāne, ‘Ka huri rauna au i te taunga waka i mua i te mutunga o taku mahi, pēnei i tāku i mahi ai inapō.’

Ka tangi te mapu(21) o Manaia i a ia e hīkoi atu ana, ka paku huri ia ki te tāne.

‘Kia ora,’ tāna kī, me te tungou ki a ia.

Hīkoi tonu ana a Manaia rāua ko Kataraina. Ka whai rāua i te ara hīkoi e ahu atu ana ki tō rāua waka, kī tonu i te taputapu,(22) kei te pito pōuriuri o te taunga waka e tū ana. Kātahi ka nunumi atu rāua i te pō.

[1] Puoto: Sink
[2] Hīoi: Mint
[3] Tarau tāngari: Jeans
[4] Hāte hāwerawera: Sweatshirt
[5] Kauhuri: To flip over
[6] Taupoki: Lid
[7] Kotē: To squeeze
[8] Hītekiteki: To stand on tiptoe
[9] To the tune of ‘Row, row, row your boat’
[10] Morimori: To stroke, caress
[11] Pena: To look after
[12] Aroaro-ā-kapa: Front row of a kapa haka
[13] Hou: Sound
[14] Kahutumu muramura: Reflective vest
[15] Kōpē: To press together
[16] Huhū: To swish
[17] Wharo: To clear the throat, cough
[18] Poraka raima: Cement block
[19] Kanukanu: To be dilapidated
[20] Teretere: To flicker
[21] Mapu: To sigh
[22] Taputapu: Gear, possessions