Moea tō poi, moea tō taiaha!’
E rere ana ngā mihi ki a koutou kia whakaora ai te reo Rangatira I tēnei wiki. I te poupoutanga o te rā, I haere mātou ki te takaro he kēmu rongonui ki ngā tangata katoa ara ko Housie, aka Bingo/Housie! Ka hokinga mahara au ki te kī o tōku Nanny ki a mātou ko āku whanaunga, ‘E moko, he kēmu tere he kēmu pai, nā reira I raro I te mana o tōku aroha, kia tere ake!’
It brings me such joy to welcome us all into day 4 of our celebrations for such an important week for us all here within Aotearoa, to celebrate Te Reo Māori. Today, we headed to play one of the most famous games I think known to man here within Aotearoa, Housie aka Bingo where we were playing for poi, kai and mātauranga. Whilst playing, I was reminded by the infamous saying from my nanny, ‘Moko, a good game's a fast game, so with all my love, hurry up!’ With that in mind, let’s see what today’s post has in store for us all:
Poi
Poi has transformed and developed over time and generations. Traditionally, poi was reserved for our tāne anake (only men) in helping to strengthen and keep their wrists soft and subtle for battle and the use of the various weaponry. The ball end of the poi refers to the ūpoko or the head of the poi, quite literally representing your head hence one reason why we wouldn’t go around hitting people with them. The taura is the string that was woven together with harakeke as it provided a sturdy hard base. You move to the frilly end of the poi, there is the herehere which is looks like your hair when you let it all out, placed in between the herehere and taura, we have what is known as the kati, the purpose for this is so the poi doesn’t fly out of your hands.
Nowadays, wāhine as well as some of our tāne have taken to using our poi as a form of entertainment and a vessel to carry our pūrākau. For me, growing up left handed I never felt that I had an issue with poi until I realised nobody did looked like me when they did it. Then came the overwhelming task of teaching myself how to use my right hand for poi, then transitioning into 2 poi! Now I’m able to help teach poi and even had a chance at helping to create some actions for the various kapa I’ve been apart of. I need to shout out to my aunties, my nannies, my cousins, my sisters, my mum and all those in between that helped me to push myself to strive for more in poi.
Speaking of poi, we need to give a huge shout out to one of our whanaunga, Tangaroa Paul with the release of the pukapuka, Rere atu taku poi! Let my poi fly!. Published at the start of the year, this pukapuka ‘is a whānau-friendly celebration of self-expression, cultural pride, and having the courage to do what you love.’ E mihi manamanahau ana ki a koe mō tēnei taonga, kia whakaaro au ki tāku iramutu, he pukapuka I kite ia he tangata rite ki a ia, it means a lot for us to have a pukapuka that my nephew can now relate to in hopes that it inspires him to carry on with his love and passion for poi, just as much as his aunty adores them. Taking it back now, this waiata is a classic but have a look at ngā raukura o te wharekura o Ngā Taiatea.
Te waiata, tukuna mai ki te ao
Today’s waiata, definitely one for the books. This waiata takes us back to the 80s anō where the sounds of Pātea Māori Club rung and echoed throughout. Poi e, the waiata that for many, to this day still marks the moment that ‘the anthem of the next generation’ came to fruition.
Maramataka o te rā
Today’s marama brings us into Oturu. Today’s a very good day for bobbing eels, fishing and planting in the afternoon, though I’d try and get out there during the breaks within the rain and hail if that sounds like a little bit of you. Today’s energy levels are at a high so kia manawanui tō haere, kia tau tō mauri, remember to slow the roll and to reground yourself back down in moments of heightened chaos.
Mauri
Now, mauri comes in to our uara (values) as we consider the mauri (energy) that is within ourselves and understand the similarities of the ever-changing patterns of our emotions, our way of speaking and the output of our different deliveries of everyday things. Thinking about the energy levels within the maramataka, we know it is the environment that is affected by the energy levels and that the environment influences and affects how we feel and go about our day, the mauri within that is unique and key for us to begin to understand as it may just well help us to understand a few things we do as a BAU.
Going back to poi, mauri for me looks at the essence of my journey through poi and now passing that onto my nephew and nieces. My nephew loves poi and from the puku to now, he swings them like there’s no tomorrow, they are his footprints in the world. I see the extension of poi from the tips of my fingers to the end of the ūpoko of my poi, I feel the mauri move around and fill my space as it connects with the different parts of my arms and torso to create life on stage as well as within the kapa and my performance, that is the power of mauri right there.
Kupu o te rā
Today’s kupu takes us a back to one of the most simplest things in the world, aroha! Aroha refers to love, now although it’s a bit of a squishy kupu for us to dive into, I want us to think about aroha andwhat it means to you. Aroha for me plays out through mauri, through mauri I get aroha and the cycle literally repeats just like that. ‘Aroha mai, aroha atu!’ Now I know times are changing, things are happening and for some, this week may be a challenge and that is okay. This whakataukī encourages us that the love we give is the love we receive so be considerate and mindful of others and their journey they are currently embarking on so that we can all feel safe and a sense of aroha in our bubble.
Ko te manako nui, kia haumaru te hoki ki o koutou kainga i tēnei ahiahi, kia rangimārie tō pō, hoki ora mai āpōpō mō he kōrero anō,
Ngā mihi,
Justice
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