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.

Kaiwhakairo Māori Te Aturangi Nepia Clamp
Kei runga o Te Au o Tonga, he whakairo ko Tikitiki Tangata te ingoa, he whakaatu i te whiriwhiri ringaringa, ā, huri noa te waka ko taua tauira whakairo nei. Nā, i whakairongia pērātia hei tiaki i te waka. He whakatinanatanga o ngā mātua tūpuna, o tō mātou whakapapa me o mātou kaitiaki.