Kōrero: Ngā manu

Whārangi 5. Ngā whakataukī, ngā kupu whakarite, ngā pūrākau

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Kei ngā whakataukī e whakarite ana i te tangata me ōna whanonga – pai, kino – ki te āhua o tēnā manu, o tēnā manu. He wāhi nui tō te manu i ngā pūrākau a te Māori, pērā i ngā kōrero mō Māui.

Kāhu (harrier) me te kārearea (falcon)

Tirohia ai te kāhu anō he rangatira, ko te kārearea he toa, he nanakia. Tērā te kōrero e mea ana, me mōhio koe ko wai ō haumi, ko wai ō hoariri:

Homai te kārearea kia toro māhangatia,
Ko te kāhu te whakaora – waiho kia rere ana!

Kawau (shag)

Ko te ope taua ka kōkiri i te hoariri i runga i te takitakitū, kua kīia he kawau mārō. Tērā te whakataukī e mea ana ‘Ka mārō te kakī o te kawau’, he whakaata tēnei i te toro o te kakī o te manu nei te kawau i a ia ka rere.

Kōkako

Nā tōna reo ātaahua ka hau te rongo mō te kōkako. Tērā te wā ka tono a Māui ki tēnā manu, ki tēnā manu kia tīkina he wai māna. Ka whakaae te kōkako ki te tono a Māui, ka haere, ka whakakīia ōna taringa ki te wai. Ka koa a Māui; hei utu mō āna manaakitanga, ka kumekume e ia ngā waewae o te kōkako kia roa atu, kia tere ake ai tana pekepeke haere.

Koreke (New Zealand quail)

Kia tae ki te tau 1875 ka ngaro te koreke ki te pō. He manu ohooho te koreke, ka whiti, ka rere, i konei ka rongohia te pakipaki o ana huruhuru. Ka whakarite te Māori i tēnei āhuatanga ki te tūpono ki te hoariri:

Whiti koreke, ka kitea koe!
Haere whakaparirau i a koe, haere whakamanu.

Korimako (bellbird)

Ka whakaritea te kaiwaiata rōreka me te tohunga whaikōrero ki te korimako. Arā te kōrero:

He rite ki te kōpara (korimako) e kō nei i te ata.

He kōrero i te kāinga he kōrero kē i te haere

Tērā tētahi kōrero, ‘He kūkū ki te kāinga he kākā i te haere’, e kōrero ana mō te tangata kāore e whakapai i tana āhua i te kāinga, engari ka puta ana ka whakapaipai i a ia anō. Arā anō he whakamāoritanga o tēnei kōrero, inā, he tangata wahangū ki te kāinga, engari ka puta ana ki wāhi kē, he waha papā.

Kōtare (kingfisher)

Ki tā te Māori titiro ai, he rite te āhua o te kōtare ki te tūtei. Ka noho whakaroau te manu nei ki runga i te rākau; kia kite rā anō i tāna i whai, ka hihiko tana rere atu. He kupu anō te kōtare mō te ahurewa, te nohoanga o te hunga whakaaraara i ngā tāngata o roto i te pā, kia mataara tonu i te pō.

Moa

Kua mate noa atu tēnei manu nui te moa. Kei ngā pūrākau, ngā waiata, ngā whakataukī kitea ai te nui o ngā kōrero mōna. Tērā te kōrero whakamomori e kī ana, ‘Kua ngaro i te ngaro o te moa’.

Pārera (grey duck)

He kaihoro te pārera. Whai anō whakaritea ai te tangata kaihoro ki tēnei manu, inā ‘He pārera apu kai’.

Poaka (pied stilt)

Whakaritea ai e ngā iwi o Hauraki tō rātou tipuna a Pāoa ki te poaka, nā te mea he rite ōna whanonga rangatira me tana hōkai ki ō te poaka. Inarā te kōrero:

Ka kōhure a Pāoa, me te turuturupourewa te āhua e haere atu ana.

Pūkeko

He māia, he pūkeke tēnei manu te pūkeko – ka toro i ngā māra mō te kūmara, mō te taro. Mēnā he tangata ūpoko mārō koe kua kīia koe he taringa pākura (he ingoa anō te pākura mō te pūkeko).

He kōrero mō ōna ngutu whero. He tangata pūrotu a Tāwhaki; i a ia e whakamate ana, e heke ana ōna toto, ka haramai te pūkeko ka totongia ōna ngutu i ngā toto o Tāwhaki.

Weka (woodhen)

He mahira te manu nei te weka, nā whai anō he māmā noa tana hopukanga. Tērā te kōrero mō te weka e ui ana mēnā ka hoki anō te tangata ki ngā hapanga o mua:

Makere te weka i te māhanga e hoki anō?
Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Kelly Keane, 'Ngā manu - Ngā whakataukī, ngā kupu whakarite, ngā pūrākau', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/nga-manu/page-5 (accessed 29 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Kelly Keane, i tāngia i te 24 Sep 2007, reviewed & revised 17 Feb 2015