He pūrongo tēnei nā Pūkāea
Ko te rere o te aroha e totō mai ana i ngā iwi o Mataatua whānui i te matenga o Raniera “Danny” Poihipi, he pou o Te Hāhi Ringatū, he tohunga taiao, he mātanga hao kai, he whare kōrero tuku iho hoki mō Te Whakatōhea me Te Whānau a Apanui.
I mate te koroua nei i te hōhipera o Tauranga Moana i te ata o inanahi, e waru tekau mā tahi ōna tau.
Nō te pō rā, ka kawea tōna tūpāpaku ki Terere Marae i Ōpōtiki, kia takoto mō te pō kotahi ki waenga i tōna nui o Te Whakatōhea. Ā, inā te haruru o tōna hinganga ki waenga i tōna iwi nei, e ai ki a Tracy Gilmer nō te hapū o Ngāti Ngahere.
“Kua horo ā-roto. Tēnei koroua kua riro.”
He pou mātauranga tuku iho a Poihipi ki a Gilmer, otirā ki ngā whakatupuranga maha.
“Tohunga whakairo. Koia tō mātou tohunga mō Te Whare Wānanga, nāna hoki tēnei whare i whakatū ki roto i a mātou o Ngāti Ngahere. Nō reira, tika ana ngā kōrero mō te tōtara kua hinga.”
He Ahorangi o mua i Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi a Tūkorehu Waaka (Ngāi Tūhoe). Hei tāna, ko Raniera tētahi tangata e pupuri ana i ngā kōrero a Te Whānau a Apanui.
“Ahakoa ki te taha ngahere, te taha moana, i a Rāniera katoa ngā kōrero. Mārama katoa a Raniera ki ngā wāhi hī ika katoa o Te Whānau a Apanui,” te kī a Waaka.
Nōna e taitama ana i Ōpōtiki me Te Kaha, i whāngaihia a Poihipi ki ngā mātauranga tuku iho a tōna koroua, a Tuakanakore Nikorima. Nā konā i pakari ai tana mōhio ki ngā tikanga mō te taiao, ki ngā kai o te whenua me ngā mahi katoa i te moana.
Nāwai rā, i noho pāpā hoki a ia ki tana whanaunga, ki a Rapaera Black (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui) e rongonuitia whānuitia ana ko Tuna Dundee mō tana mātau ki ngā tikanga tuku iho mō te mahi kai. Ko rāua tahi ko Poihipi, he kai noke te momo.
“Āhua pērā te koroua nei, ka whiua te kahawai, ka kainga ko ngā puku. Ko tōna āhua tērā,” hei tā Black.
He tangata patu [manu], he tangata whai poaka. Māna katoa e waha ngā mīti ahakoa pēhea.”
I pīkau hoki a Poihipi i te whakapono o ōna pākeke ki te Hāhi Ringatū, hei kaiārahi i ngā karakia me ngā tikanga Māori i roto i te hapori.
Nō te whakatūnga o Te Kura Mana Māori o Maraenui, ka noho hoki a Poihipi hei pou mātauranga ki ngā tamariki o te kura, hei kawe tonu i ngā wawata o ngā tūpuna.
Ka mutu, i rata te tangata ki a ia, pakeke mai, rangatahi mai. Ā, he nui ngā maharatanga mōna.
“He rata tērā koroua,” te kōrero anō a Black.
“He ngahau, he toki mō ngā mahi whakairo, whutupōro, he maitai i tōna wā.”
Ki a Gilmer, kāre he tangata e rite ana ki te koroua nei.“He taniwha,” hei tāna.“He rerekē āna tirohanga.
He kaha ki te whakaaro whānui mō te āpōpō. Koia tērā i whakakotahi mai, whakakao i ngā tama ki te ako ki te tārai rākau.”
Nō te whitu karaka i tēnei ata, tōia atu ai te kura nui o te mate nei ki tōna rahi, ki Maraenui Pā, ki reira takoto ai ki waenga i tōna rahi o Te Whānau a Hikarukutai tae noa atu ki tōna uhunga ā te Rāhoroi.
