Kai Tahu Migration Haerenga story
Ngāi Tahu Migration Haerenga
Early on Sunday the 15th January, though later than timetabled, there was activity outside the Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka Office as vans and whānau arrived to load up for the long journey from Karitane to Waikawa Marae near Picton. 27 whānau members made the journey to retrace the first footsteps of our Tahu and Mamoe tipuna into Te Waipounamu through Totaranui and into the Wairau vicinity before arriving in the Kaikoura area and then moving further south to Kaiapoi. It was going to be covered in 6 days & 5 nights of close whānau time & there was quiet confidence that we were up to the challenge!
Matapura Ellison led us on this exploration of our history and whakapapa and his research and korero were enhanced by the insight given by the ahi kaa and others with knowledge of those places and tipuna including Maurice Manawatu and whanau, Rakiihia Tau Snr, Atholl Anderson, Peter and Takutai Beech and the whanau of Waikawa Marae, Barney Thomas and Molly Luke of Ngati Rarua based near Blenheim. Thanks also to Takarei Norton and the Cultural Mapping project for the maps.
As well as gaining a greater knowledge and understanding of our whakapapa and footprints of history, we also learnt that running late was something of a group characteristic which was only overcome on the last morning when clean up & pack out from Takahanga Marae was completed with almost 40 minutes to spare; this could have been due to the adults having given up the idea of getting a decent night’s sleep. It was also reinforced to us that we enjoy each other’s company and that we do travel well and work well together. We’ll be taking the korero into hui and wānaka at Puketeraki as we continue to consider the next steps for the interior adornment of our marae.
Quotes from the rakatahi:
“I loved going out to Cook Strait and seeing the pits at the pā sites and knowing that people used to live there”. “Lots of mean food”. “Both the marae were beautiful”. :”It was good travelling with my whānau, learning about our whakapapa and jumping off the wharf”.
Kei te mihi atu ki te Ngāi Tahu Fund mo te tautoko ki te kaupapa.
Na Suzanne Ellison
