He Waka He Tangata
Te Whakatere ā-lwi-Taketake
i te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa
Ngā Tīmatatanga
I pēhea te orokohanganga o ngā moutere o te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa? Nō hea ngā tāngata o reira? I pēhea tā rātou noho? Nōnāhea, he aha rātou i nuku pēnei mai ai? Nā te aha rātou i ako ai ki te whakatere waka?
Mai rā anō, ka mau te tokomaha o ngā tāngata ki ngā pātai pēnei. Kua pātaitai, ā, he nui tonu ngā whakautu. Kei ia ahurea o te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa ōna kōrero anō– he ōrite rā anō ētahi, ko ētahi he rerekē – ā, kei ngā kairangahau o ēnei rā ā rātou kōrero anō. Kei ia kōrero ōna pono, ki te kore te katoa, kāore kau e tau te whakaahuatanga mai.
Ka kōrero a Mau Piailug, kaiwhakatere nō Hatawara mō ngā kaiwhakatere tuatahi
Ko te hunga wāhine ngā kaiwhakatere tuatahi, ko Pulap te moutere tuatahi mō te whakatere. I tīmata mai i te manu kuling (he manu moana tēnei), he wairua, ehara kē i te manu noa iho. Ka rere te kuling mai i ngā Moutere Māhara ki Pōnipei, ki Tūkk, tae noa ki Pūrapi ā, ka kai i ngā tāngata … ēngari mō ngā mea o Pūrapi.
Ka kī atu te kuling ki te tamāhine a te ariki, “Ki te āta whāngai mai koe i a au, ka kore au e kai i te iwi o konei.” Ka whākina e te kōtiro nei ki tana matua, ka kī mai a ia, “Haria tētahi wāhi taro me tētahi niu.” Ka pērātia, ka kai te kuling, ka ngata tana hiahia. Kātahi ia ka mea atu ki te kōtiro, “Kīia atu ki tō pāpā, māna e hanga tētahi whare mōku, ka whakaako au i a koe ki te whakatere waka.”
Ia ahiahi ka whakaakona te kōtiro e te kuling. Ka matatau ake. Nāwai rā, ā, ka kī atu te matua ki tana kōtiro, “E mōhio ana au ki te kōrero mō te kuling … nā me mōhio mai koe me pēhea e tāua te patu i a ia? Kī atu ki te kuling kia taihoa e haere – ka hoatu nei e tāua tētahi koha ki a ia.”
Ka ki atu te ariki ki ngā wāhine o Pulap kia tīkina atu te maha o ngā kete taro, ā, ki ngā tāne kia maha ngā kōkōnati. Ka utaina katoatia ki runga o te kuling nei. Ka rere atu te kuling, ki waenga o Tūku me Pāwhanga, ēngari ka heke iho, ka huri hei wheke. Ko tā te kaiwhakatere hei tiaki a ia anō mai i te wheke nei he pwanur, (arā, he karakia a te kaiwhakatere hei karo i ngā āhuatanga mōrearea).
