He Waka He Tangata
Te Whakatere ā-lwi-Taketake
i te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa
Te Wehenga Atu
Mō ngā huarahi matua ki ētahi atu moutere, he wāhi ake mō te wehe. E mōhio ana te kaiwhakatere te āhua o tōna whenua inā wehe atu i tēnei wāhi. Ka whakarārangitia tōna waka ki ngā mātārae o te whenua, pērā ki ngā maunga, ngā toka, ngā rākau rānei. Ka wehe i te pō ka tahuna he ahi hei ārahi i a ia. Mā te ū ki ngā mātārae ka tika te haere. E ai ki te Pākehā, koinei te ‘taking back sightings’. He pai ake mehemea kāore e taea te kite i ngā whetū me te rā. Ki te neke tītaha te waka kia kōtiti i te rārangi o ngā mātārae, ka mōhio te kaiwhakatere ko te au PAPAKUPU au - te ahunga o ngā ngaru moana te take i pērā ai. Ka taea te whakarerekē i tana ahunga.
Whakamāunu ana tētahi waka, ka karakia PAPAKUPU karakia (tūingoa) - he waiata, kawa, tikanga ka waerea PAPAKUPU waerea - (tūmahi) ka waiata ngā kaiwhakatere, pērā ki te karakia o raro ake nei nō Tuamotu. Ko te kaupapa he manaaki i te waka haere moana.
Ringiringi te horo o tena vaka!
Ko nei au hiri ka.
Ko tena ko te piu ...
Tere rā te waka i te hukahuka
Nei au ka mīharo
Ki te moana piupiu nei ki taku taha ...
Nō Emory, K. P. (1969).
Ka karakia tētahi o Hatawara i mua i te wharau
Nei au ka noho, ka noho i te takutai pātata ki taku kāinga. Kia rite au mō te haere. He haere ki te uru. Ka purutia taua ahunga, te mutunga o tēnei haerenga he toa mātou.
Nō The Last Wayfinder © INCA 1989. He mea arataki e Andre Singer.