Te Waka me te Whakatere

Ko te iwi te wairua o te waka, ko te waka te wairua o te iwi.

I Aotearoa, tētahi o ngā whenua whakamutunga o Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa i nōhia PAPAKUPU nōhia - ka ū ki runga, ka nōhia ai ai e te tangata, he hononga tō ia iwi Māori ki tētahi o ngā tupuna i heke mai mā runga i tētahi o ngā waka tuatahi. Koinei te tīmatanga o tō rātou whakapapa. E hia kē nei ngā momo whakamahinga mō tenei kupu, waka – arā, hei whakakaupapa, hei haerenga rānei e mahi ngātahitia ā-tinana, ā-wairua tahi.

He hiranga nui tō ngā waka ki ngā iwi o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa i mua rā, i nāia tonu nei. I ngā wā o mua, hei kawe tangata, hei hokohoko, hei kohi kai. I kiwaitaratia, ā, i whakamahia ia rā, ia rā. Ka waihangatia e ngā iwi o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa ngā tūmomo waka, tūmomo whakatere hoki, he hāngai ki a rātou tūmomo kaupapa.

Ākonga whakatere o Ngā Kuki Airani
Ākonga whakatere o ngā Kuki Airani Te Aru Rangi Reitu (Rangi, maui) rāua ko Kaiki Tarangi (Karl, katau):
I whakamōhiotia tēnei waka ki a māua anō nei ko tō māua whaea. Ka whakautengia e māua te waka. Inā ekea te waka, ka karakia māua, kāore māua e heke i te waka i mua tonu i te poroporoaki mā te karakia, ā, ka whakutengia tonutia i te mea ka whai ora māua i tō māua whaea. Me aroha taua waka anō nei ko ia nei tō māua whaea Ā, ahakoa ko wai te tangata ka whakaeke mai, ka whai mana ai te waka, nō reira, he momo wairuatanga anō hoki tērā. Inā tū māua ki runga i te waka, e tū ana māua i te taha o te hunga kua tū ki reira i mua i a māua.