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Te Mana O Te Awa:

The following discussion of Te mana o te Awa is drawn from the statements of kaumaatua, senior Kiingitanga spokesmen and esteemed kuia (some of whom have since passed on).
They are statements of great importance because they embody beliefs that are familiar to thousands of Waikato-Tainui people and other River tribes, guiding their actions from day to day.
Such beliefs are not normally expressed publicly, but they are recorded here to underline Waikato-Tainui’s special relationship with their River, which is at the heart of the River claim. - Te Awa Tupuna - The River is a tupuna (ancestor) of Waikato-Tainui which has mana and which in turn represents the mana (spiritual authority, protective power and prestige) and mauri (life force) of the tribe.
 

The River


The River has its own powerful identity, its own mauri, its own spiritual energy. Waikato-Tainui and other River tribes share this relationship with the River, which lies at the heart of their tribal identity. Whakapapa and Unity of the River tribes.
 

The River is a tupuna


Thus the River iwi, as kuia Ngahinaturae Te Uira expressed it, are woven through whakapapa in a spiritual korowai (cloak); they celebrate their tribal connections through the rhythms of the whenua (land) and the awa.

For Tainui, that unity is also expressed in the Kiingitanga. For nearly a hundred and fifty years Kiingitanga has shaped and given purpose to the lives of all those who support it; its kaupapa (purpose) unites people from many marae and many iwi. In the words of kuia Iti Rawiri:

This is a responsibility that has been passed on to us from our tuupuna, a responsibility that we have passed on to our children and mokopuna. Waikato are the kaitiaki of the Kiingitanga so we must take care of the Kiingitanga by taking care of the people.

This care, this aroha, this mahi is what makes us strong and keeps us strong…the Kiingitanga is aroha ki te tangata, manaaki i te tangata, whaangai i te tangata, he rangimaarie i ngaa waa kaatoa.
 

The Ngaati Tuuwharetoa paramount chief


Tukino Te Heuheu IV also used this whakataukii to acknowledge the mana of Pootatau Te Wherowhero during the search for a king in the 1850s. Te Heuheu confirmed Te Wherowhero as the first Maaori King. Te Heuheu safeguarded the source of the Waikato River at Tapuwaeharuru on the south side of Mt Ruapehu. Waikato-Tainui refer to “Te maataapuna wai o Tongariro – the headwaters of the Tongariro; in recognition of the source of the Waikato River flowing through the waters of Taupo; te moana; the lake, to Te Taheke hukahuka; the Huka Falls.

From here the waters become known as the Waikato River, which flows from the Huka Falls to Te Puuaha; the mouth. The historical relationship between the Houses of Pootatau and Te Heuheu is thus bound up in their relationship with the River.

History of the Waikato River «Back (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) Next»