We would like to dedicate this months pānui Aunty Shirley Lois Nāomi MacDonald who worked hard to support the revitalisation of Ngāti Koata rāranga harakeke , Kia Ngāwari kapahaka, Whakatū Marae and the many other Te Tau Ihu initiatives.
Moe mai rā e te kuia, ahakoa ka ngaro tō mata i te whenua ka maumahara tonu mātou i a koe
1927-2016
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Shirley Lois Naomi Macdonald
He uri no te tatai rangatira o Tekateka.
Rāranga evokes the strong unity of togetherness; the weaving together of the people into their families and tribes and into the Māori nation, and spiritually, the weaving together of all of creation into a single indivisible thread.
Aunty Shirley always acknowledged those who had taught her and would share memories of the weaving influences and mentors that began for her as a child. Her greatest influence was her grandmother Tire who would tightly and perfectly plait her hair to the point of hurt and how this reflected in her grandmothers tight and perfectly woven baskets that were being sold to help make money to feed her family.
Aunty Shirley's work was perfect too and was not only a weaver of flax, wool and taniko threads but she was also a weaver of the people as she used the many invisible threads to connect whānau, their stories and whakapapa together. She stood firmly and proud in who she was and who she represented. Her and Uncle Joe were always involved in the many revitalisation meetings and wānanga within the rohe, including the establishment of Whakatū Marae. She was a soft spoken women and had welcomed many into her home and shared her knowledge and skills with all who came across her path. She would always find the good in others work and with a kind and gentle voice would encourage those who came into her stewardship to continue to improve and always strive for perfection.
We thank you and will miss you xx
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Te Mārua
Te Mārua is a place of significance to the people of Ngāti Koata and many of our tūpuna heke lived here. There is also a well known pā harakeke that grows there and was where Te Whetu would bury his red hair which made it a very sacred place. The flax that grows there has a red edge on it and has been said that it is because of the red of his hair had grown into the flax. There is a pou in Whakatū Marae that talks to this.
When Ngāti Koata would go to collect the harakeke from this place, great respect was given and protocols were in place to protect the gatherer and the plants. This pā harakeke has withstood time and the elements and is still growing strong.
The taniwha of the Te Mārua harakeke
This following story is based on a real life experience shared by Aunty Molly Wineera pertaining to this pā harakeke.
For whānau living on Tinui they would go to Te Mārua as there was a source of fresh water. They would often collect water and take it back to Tinui. Aunty Molly had said her and her brothers went with Toro Roma to Te Mārua to wash their clothes and Toro Roma took a nap in the batch, leaving the children to their own devices as they played on the beach and around the immediate area. (This was quite normal as they were children of the Island). Toro awoke to a lot of yelling and screaming. Toro went to see what was happening and he noticed that the tamariki had gone into the pā harakeke and hacked out some of the harakeke to make weapons and boats. The boats were in the water and the children had used the harakeke as whips to move them along in the water. Right beside the children, where they were playing, was a taniwha which had scared the children and caused them to scream and yell. Toro performed a karakia which made the taniwha go away and the tamariki were then made to return the harakeke back to the pā.
Oral histories and stories like the above, make up the rich tapestry of who we are as Ngāti Koata. This story reminds us also that our people had customary practices in the collection of harakeke. There is no need for our people to collect harakeke from that pā and should be left as it is with a quite reverence and acknowledgement of our people, our places and our taonga that reside there.
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THE MANY USES OF HARAKEKE
When Māori arrived to Aotearoa they had to substitute the Aute (Mulberry) that used to be pounded to make the many articles of clothing for harakeke as the Aute would not grow here. From the constant use and adaptation to this new plant Māori identified it's many uses.
Māori utilised the harakeke for many purposes and not only the rau for weaving but also for the many medicinal properties that existed within the plant. From the the liquids that exude from the plant has been used as a laxative and disinfectant. The roots also can be crushed and used to heal wounds and burns. Flax seeds can be eaten when prepared properly and are referred to as a super food. There are ways in which the nectar can be used to make a sweet drink.
A NGĀTI KOATA EXPERIENCE.
An experience that was witnessed, was the use of harakeke in the removing of warts. One of our kuia cut a leaf from the plant and the liquid that excreted from the bottom was rubbed on the warts. The flax was then tied into knots and buried in the garden and left to rot. The person who had the warts was not allowed to see where this was buried. Once the flax had rotted the warts were to have been healed, and it happened.
One of our kaumatua had shared that Uncle Api Hemi was known to cure those around him with the same affliction using the same method.
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LETS GO BACK TWENTY YEARS
5th of August 1996
As there were no dedicated pā harakeke in the Whakatū area a small crew consisting of Shirley Macdonald, Eric Pahl, Ian Black, Louisa Paul and Manaaki Walker planted 23 harakeke on Nelson City Council donated land beside Whakatū Marae. The harakeke was sourced from Golden Bay and are part of the Rene Orchiston collection. It is one thing to plant these, but it is another thing to maintain and care for them.
Aunty Shirley Lois Naomi Macdonald took the responsibility of the maintenance and cleaning of this pā. She would see an anomaly and possible threat and would quickly try to prevent it. There was ongoing discussion between Aunty and the Nelson City Council on how to support the pā and would be annoyed at how novice users would come in and cut however they wanted to, sometimes leaving a mess in their wake. Aunty Shirley worked diligently on this place until her body was no longer able to. Over the years these plants grew and were maintained by a small crew of Ngāti Koata people to support her vision. Although the flax could still be cut and utilised by Iwi members the maintenance and care to try to keep this area well kept was not enough to prevent it from being over grown and needed more care than what was able to be given to it. Aunty Shirley would see a flax plant for its potential and the many possibilities. Where ever Aunty Shirley lived she would take care of all and any harakeke plants that were in the same vicinity as her.
She was a true kaitiaki.
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FAST FORWARD TWENTY YEARS
Friday August the 5th 2016
To honour, acknowledge and support Aunty Shirley's vision for her work within Te Tau Ihu with the revitalisation of weaving the pā harakeke was finally named and re dedicated. This was performed by Kaumatua Joe Paul and attended by whānau and Iwi. The pā harakeke is to be a place a peace, creativity and contemplation for all those who use it.
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PREPARATION FOR THE NAMING
A crew of whānau, office and iwi members worked diligently in three stages.
Stage one was the cleaning of the plants which required weeding and removing the dead rau.
Stage two Noela and Pene went in with the weed eaters and mowed done the grassy pathways in between the harakeke.
Stage three consisted of preparing and then placing the signage for the plant names and the temporary sign to name the space.
Mark Davis is currently working on the permanent sign and will be erected when completed.
For those who have tried to take care of this place acknowledge the hard work of everyone and was amazed at how quickly this could be done.
The weather forecast was miserable and it was expected to rain the whole week. However it did not rain on the day of the work-bee. It wasn't until the last plant was cleaned that the rain began to fall. By that time the team was already packed up and ready to go.
He tohu tēnēi.
For the participants it there was an acknowledgement of Aunty Shirl who was looking down on us and was happy with the work that was going on as she blessed us with good weather, the ability to work expeditiously and were untied for the common cause.
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Top left- Lorene working hard in her high heels
Top right- Planning for the work
Bottom left - Manaaki leaving with harakeke in tow.
Bottom right- The harakeke crew getting ready for the task at hand.
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HOW TO CUT HARAKEKE
The Harakeke grow from the centre, in fans (whānau).
Find and leave the centre (tamaiti) which should be the smallest leaf (rau) and also the leaves either side of it which are the mātua (awhi rito).
Cut on a downward angle as close to the base as possible away from the plant.
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WOVEN PRODUCTS FROM HARAKEKE
Weaving is the most common use of the harakeke and in the hands of an experienced weaver many beautiful products can be made from it. This can range from the simplest putipti to the more advanced kete whakairo and korowai.
MUKA
He makawe tō te upoko, he muka tō te harakeke
Like hair to the head is muka to the flax
Muka is the fine fibre that can be extracted when the green is removed with a mussel shell. The fibre Muka is strong and difficult to break and specific species of the harakeke have better and stronger muka than others and these plants are often the weavers most prized possession. The muka can be woven into the most delicate and intricate kahu or korowai and have been strong enough to be used for ropes.
There are a many Ngāti Koata exponents of weaving and have been taught by those of our weavers who have past on. If you have weaving expertise and knowledge and would like to progress a weaving wānanga please contact louisa@ngatikoata.com.
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A big shout out to this handsome couple, Aunty Ngāwai and Uncle Bill who ensured that our obligation was met by delivering the kina from Te Tau Ihu to the Koroneihana at Tūrangawaewae.
We hope that you had time to rest and relax with loved ones along the Journey.
One complaint though and it is only minor. Where was the taste test before you left ? :-) We love you and thank you.
Photo credits: Ngā mihi ki a koe Nita Hippolite
DISCLAIMER - The kina photographed are not the kina that were taken North. However they were definitely enjoyed at Aunty and Uncles 50th wedding anniversary.
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Ngāti Koata Te Reo achievements and Awards celebration
The Ngāti Koata Te Reo Celebration and awards will be held on Friday November the 4th from 6:30pm at Whakatū Marae. These awards will be celebrating the many Ngāti Koata Te Reo initiatives and heroes over the year. This will also be utilised as the official launching of 'KIA WHAKATŪ TE REO' The Ngāti Koata Te Reo strategic plan.
This celebration will be held in conjunction with our our Annual General Meeting which starts at 9am on Saturday the 5th of November.
Once we have signed our contract with Mā Te Reo we will be seeking expressions of interest from Ngāti Koata people to assist in the organising, co-ordination and facilitation of this event.
Please watch this space.
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