Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa has launched Te Oha digital repository, preserving and sharing Te Rarawa’s cultural heritage for registered iwi members.
The initiative includes historical records, artworks and more, ensuring access and preservation for future generations.
“The cool thing about this mahi is that, in the near future, our children and grandchildren will have this resource to use to their ability, and one of our descendants might go to university, and that requires research, and here we have it,” kaihautu Mike Te Wake said. “The main focus is to protect our learning and knowledge of our tribe, and the many marae within the tribe.”
This repository is protecting the knowledge, history, and stories of all the subtribes of Te Rarawa and, according to Te Whata findings in 2018, the population that belonged to Te Rarawa was more than 23,000, so there was no doubt that there is a lot of work to be done.
“Some of the rules are the authority of this work lies with the many marae within Te Rarawa,” Te Wake said. “We have yet to make a place for all the dos and don’ts and rules and then we will be set. At the end of the day, we are the arms and legs of this work.”
Rangatahi Kee-Lin Snowden from Rōma Marae and of Te Rarawa descent said: “It can really be quite profound, and sometimes it can be really heavy where a karakia is needed, but the majority of the time it is smooth sailing and calm. Most of the information given is cool, and quite interesting and, as of now, the work is mean!”
The launch event is on June 27 at Te Ahu Centre, Kaitāia.
