Ko te Awa
te mātāpuna o te ora
Ko ahau te mātāpuna o te ora, te oranga o tēnā matua iwi, o tēna hapū, o tēna whānau anō hoki. Ko te rurukutanga tēnei o ngā mātāwaka tangata ki ahau, toitū ko ngā ritenga whakaū nō te kawa ora.
I am a River that has supported and sustained an abundance of life and natural resources throughout the river valley, as well as the health and well-being of my iwi (tribal nation), hapū (sub-tribes), and whānau (extended families). Each of these groupings have a special relationship with me, and they have developed sustainable practices that are based on age-old knowledge.
I tēnei wāhanga o He Awa Ora, ka matua rongo koutou i te reo o ngā taonga, e rere kau ai i te takere o te Awa, i te kahu o te wai, i tēnā tahatika, i tēnā tahatika anō ōku. Ko ēnei mahi ko te tārai me te whakatere waka, he mahi whakahirahira hei utanga mā te kaupapa tangata. I te takapū o tēnei whakaaturanga ka whai māramatanga mō ētehi taputapu whakatupu māra, te tiki me te tutua kai, pērā i te tuna, te ika, me te manu. He whāngai mouri te tikanga o ēnei mahi, e rarata ai ko ngā atua o te tai, te rangi, me te nuku.
In this section of He Awa Ora, you will hear directly from taonga associated with some of the many activities related to living on, in, and near me. This includes making and using waka, an important mode of transport for my people. In the central island of the exhibition, you will learn about some of the items used by my people to grow, gather and preserve kai (foods), such as eels, fish, and birds. All activities have associated rituals, with reverence to atua (gods) that reside in or near me.
I am a pōhā, made of split aka kiekie (kiekie vine), aka rātā (rātā vine) and harakeke (flax), and created by Matthew McIntyre-Wilson, of Taranaki Iwi and Ngā Ruahinerangi. If you look through Ngā Wai Honohono, you will see other items used for gathering kai from the Awa and its tributaries. Upstairs, in the Fish in the River gallery, you will see a model of a pā tuna (eel weir), which were used to catch tuna the length of the Awa.
Pōhā (net), 2022
Matthew McIntyre-Wilson
Made from aka kiekie, aka rātā, harakeke
Tangata tiaki: Matthew McIntyre-Wilson
On loan
![IMG_7720[83].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0523ac_52b44e8fd1fd4d65a86ff2f0e2b1ec99~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_489,h_326,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/0523ac_52b44e8fd1fd4d65a86ff2f0e2b1ec99~mv2.jpg)
He pōhā
He pōhā ahau, kua hangaia ki te harakeke, ki te aka rātā, ki te aka kiekie, nā Matiu McIntyre-Wilson i whiri, nō ngā iwi o Taranaki me Ngā Ruahinerangi. I tāpirihia Ki te titiro koe ki te tūtanga o Ngā Wai Honohono ka kitea he taputapu anō, mō te kohi kai mai i te Awa matua me ōna kōawa iti. Kei runga anō i te whakaaturanga o Ngā ika i te Awa ka kitea he tauira o te pā tuna hei tango tuna i te Awa nui.
Whatu hīnaki
Tirohia te kiriata nō Patiarero (Hiruhārama) mō te whatu hīnaki.
Watch footage from Patiarero (Hiruhārama) of hīnaki weaving.
He pā auroa, he pā tuna
I hangaia te pā auroa me te pā tuna hei hao tuna i ngā wai o te Awa, he kaha te hanga kia tū i te waipuke me te kaupare atu i ngā rākau e rere atu ai. Ka whakaingoa ngā pā tuna me ngā pā auroa, he whakairo hoki ki ētehi. E hua ana ki konei ko te rārangi hanga o te pā auroa me te pā tuna. He wā anō tōna ka mārama ai koe he tauira te pā auroa mō te hanganga o te pou ture hou, me te tapa i a ia ki taua ingoa tonu. Inā he whānui tana hanganga, he mana tūroa tōna, ā, mā ngā iwi katoa a ia e hāpai.
Pā auroa (extensive eel weir) and pā tuna (eel weir) were built to catch tuna from my waters. They were built to withstand floods and logs. Pā auroa and pā tuna were named and some had carvings. Here is an outline of some of the structural elements of pā auroa and pā tuna. Elsewhere you will learn more about how the pā auroa has been used as the name for a new legal framework, one that is extensive, well-constructed, enduring, and is the responsibility of all to maintain.
Ākona ngā ritenga mō te hī ika, me te hanga pā tuna.
Learn more about customary fishing practices, including the construction of pā tuna.
He timo
Ehara te toa, he toa pāhekeheke;
Engari anō te toa ngaki kai, he toa mou roa.
(Kerehoma Te Korenga Tūwhāwhākia)
The warrior’s deeds can easily be forgotten;
But the gardener’s deeds will continue to bear food.
(Kerehoma Te Korenga Tūwhāwhākia)
Timo (cultivator, grubber), no date
No identified maker
Made from hardwood
Tāngata tiaki: Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi/Te Iwi o Whanganui
WRM 1925.23.54
He timo ahau, he taputapu kari whenua mō te whakatō kākano me te ngaki māra. I ētehi wā ka huaina ahau, ko tima, i hangaia ahau ki te torohanga rākau mārō.
I am a timo (cultivator or grubber), used to loosen soil for planting and gardening, and for weeding. I am sometimes referred to as a tima, and I am made from the fork of a hardwood tree.
Ko ngā mahi ngaki māra me ētehi atu āhuatanga, he mea hopu ki Koriniti i ngā marama o Māehe me Āperira i te tau 1921, nā Elsdon Best rātou ko Johannes Anderson, ko James McDonald, ko Te Rangi Hīroa o te whare pupuri taonga o te Tōminiana. Tirohia te kiriata, mā te matawai i te tohu waehere i te whare nei.
Cultivation and other activities were captured on film at Koriniti, between March and April 1921, by Elsdon Best, Johannes Anderson, James McDonald, and Te Rangi Hīroa of the Dominion Museum.