REO TAUIRA
uia te rangi e tΕ« nei
Tuia te papa e takoto nei
Tuia te herenga tangata kei ngΔ tΕpito katoa o te ao
Ko ngΔ tauwhirotanga o te ao wairua ki runga i a tΔtou i te ao kikokiko nei
Tihei mauriora!
Mate-urutΔ Korona, COVID-19, Coronavirus… Itβs on the tip of everyoneβs tongues, itβs on the brink of everyoneβs minds. Whatever your worldview, however you think youβre immune or invincible – prepare yourself to think again.
Hei tauΔrai atu i te Mate-urutΔ Korona, kua rΔhuitia e Te Whare WΔnanga o Waikato Δ tΔtou tikanga MΔori mΕ te waa poto, ko te harirΕ«, te hongΔ« me te kihi. As a precautionary measure, the University has placed a temporary ban on our rituals of encounter including the shaking of hands, the hongΔ« and the kiss.
Which brings us to an ever evolving kaupapa kΕrero at the moment; tikanga MΔori in 2020 and the Coronavirus. I must admit I have been pretty calm despite the World Health Organisation declaring the virus to be a pandemic. This deadly ngΔrara is seeking refuge in our most vulnerable – our pΔpΔ and our kaumΔtua; the rito and the tΕ«puna of our pΔ harakeke. But for those of us awhi rito who donβt fit among those demographics, weβre not safe either. We raise pΔpΔ from the teachings of our kaumΔtua – we are just as part of this circle of life.
Enforcing a ban on the practice of the love we are used to giving has been tough. Ka mate ahau i te aroha, e! In this circumstance, I could die of love! But isnβt our tikanga supposed to keep us safe?
Tikanga moves when the people move and we have been shaking up society for many years now. Tikanga MΔori has never been stagnant but has always been constant. It is our custom to follow correct procedure, lore, manner and protocol. Embedded in our MΔori DNA are values and practices passed on by our tΕ«puna that have developed over time for survival in the social context.
Now is the time more than ever to practice tikanga MΔori, but at a social distance. Coronavirusβ impact on tikanga has shifted societyβs paradigm of tikanga MΔori in praxis. But what about every other tikanga that exists within te ao MΔori? MΔori mΔ, matike, maranga! HongΔ« is but just one way to put tikanga to praxis. Manaakitia, arohatia, whai whakaarotia ki tΔnΔ ki tΔnΔ o tΔtou. E kore e memehatia te tikanga MΔori i te rΔhuitanga o te harirΕ« mΕ te waa poto.
Experience the beautiful things we think we donβt have time for in our day-to-day βnormalβ lives pre-pandemic. Put your energy into resourcing the survival of our tikanga that has been put to many tests. We are not the only generation to fear for our tikanga.
Measures have been put in place to ensure that we donβt suffer further loss of life. And I believe that is whatβs most important at this time. He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. These measures move to protect whakapapa, whΔnau, hapΕ« and iwi until such a time when it is safe to practice harirΕ« and the rest of it again.
So take heed of Aunty Jacindaβs advice: adopt the East Coast wave, the Kahungunu Tukemata or even the NgΔpuhi kisikisi (not a real kiss, the juju lip action).
Love from a careful distance.
Think about our future.
Weβve got kids to raise, whakapapa to teach them, pepeha to show them, lands to walk with them, fresh water to drink with them, te reo MΔori to speak with them, MΔori empires to build with them and colonial structures to tear down with them.
Our reconnection post-pandemic will be a beautiful encounter.