I roto i te ao Māori, nō te whānau me te hapū katoa ngā tamariki. Tere tonu te tamariki kia ako ko wai rātou i roto i te noho hapū. Ehara ko ngā mātua ake anake ngā mātua o te tamariki – engari ka whakapakekehia e ngā kaumātua, e ngā whāea me ngā pāpara. Mā konei ka noho haumaru ngā tamariki, arā ngā rangatira o te ao o āpōpō. Kei roto i tēnei whakataukī tērā āria e pupuri ana: ‘He kai poutaka me kinikini atu, he kai poutaka me horehore atu, mā te tamaiti te iho’.
Waiata oriori
Ka titoa ngā waiata oriori mō ngā tamariki rangatira. Kei roto i ngā oriori ngā whakapapa me ngā kōrero tuku iho e whai pānga ana ki te tamaiti. Mai i te kōpū, ka waiatatia te oriori hei ako kōrero ki te tamaiti. Ko tētahi tauira pai ko te waiata o ‘Pinepine te kura’, arā he oriori mō Te Umurangi, he uri nō te rangatira toa o Ngāti Kahungunu a Te Whatuiāpiti.
Manaaki tamariki
He mea whakapuhi, he mea poipoi te hunga tamariki Māori. Ko te pōtiki tētahi i whakapuhingia. Ka kitea tēnei manaakitanga e ngā mihinare me ngā tauiwi tuatahi ī haere mai. Ki tā te kaihōpara Wīwī ki a Julien Marie Crozet i tana haere ki Pēwhairangi i te tau 1772: ‘They seemed to be good mothers and showed affection for their offspring. I have often seen them play with the children, caress them, chew the fern root, pick out the stringy parts, and then take it out of their mouth in order to put it into that of their nurslings. The men were also very fond of and kind to their children' (He rawe ngā mama ki ngā tamariki. Ka tākaro me ngā tamariki, ka poipoihia, ka nānāhia ngā aruhe kia ngohengohe ai hei mānga kai mā ngā tamariki. He ngāwari hoki te manaaki a ngā tāne ki ngā tamariki). 1
I te tau 1820 ka kī ake te mihinare nei a Samuel Marsden: 'There can be no finer children than those of the New Zealanders. Their parents are very indulgent, and they appear also happy, and playful, and very active' (Kāre he tamariki i tua atu i ērā o Aotearoa. Ka whakapuhingia e ngā mātua, ā ki taku titiro, he tino ora ngā tamariki). 2 Ki tā te tohunga tā peita a George French Angas: ‘Both parents are almost idolatrously fond of their children; and the father frequently spends a considerable portion of his time in nursing his infant, who nestles in his blanket, and is lulled to rest by some native song' (He whakapuhi tonu ngā mātua tokorua i ngā tamariki; he rahi hoki te wā ka riro te tamaiti mā te pāpā e whakapuhi ki roto i te korowai aroha me te waiata oriori).3
Karakia tohi
Tohi ki te wai nō Tū!
Whano koe – tāngaengae,
Ki te hopu tangata – tāngaengae,
Ki te piki maunga – tāngaengae,
Me homai – tāngaengae,
Mō te tama nei.
Tohi ki te wai nō Tū!
Whano koe – tāngaengae,
Ki te mahi kai māu,
Ki te whatu pūweru mōu,
Ki te whatu kaitakā mōu
Ki te karanga pahī,
Ki te waha wāhie, māu
Ki te keri mātaitai, māu
Me homai
Hei whakatupu
Mō te tapairu nei.
He wāwāhi tahā
Ko te wairua ake o te hunga tamariki he nohinohi, he wāwāhi mea. E kitea ana tēnei āhua i te kōrero, ‘Ko te mahi a te tamariki, he wāwāhi tahā’. He kōrero hoki tēnei hei whakamahara i ngā mātua kia ako tikahia ā rātou tamariki, ā, kia kaua mā te ringa patu hei whakatika.
Te whānautanga mai
Ka whānau mai he tamaiti, kua toroa ake te tātai whakapapa o te tangata. He mea nui tēnei ki te aho rangatira hei whakanoho i te mana me te tapu o tō rātou tātai whakapapa.
Ka whakanōhia ngā wāhine hapū ki tētahi wāhi motuhake i te papakāinga. Ka kīia ēnei wāhi he whare kahu, ā, he wāhi tapu nō raro mai i te manaakitanga o te tohunga. Ka motu te tohunga i te pito me te whenua ā ka tanumia ki tētahi wāhi huna, ki tētahi rākau, ki tētahi ana rānei. Mā konei kua poua te tamaiti rā ki taua wāhi, ā, kua whai tūrangawaewae te tamaiti i roto i te iwi.
Tohi
Ko ngā tamariki tāne rangatira ka tohia ki te atua o te pakanga ki a Tū. Ko te kōhine, ka tohia ki a Hineteiwaiwa. Ka whakaritea ngā tohi e te tohunga ki te kōawa waimarino. Mā te tohi ka whakaritea ngā mahi katoa o te tamaiti me te whakapūmau i tōna mauri. Ko tā ngā tāne he whai i ngā mahi a te matua, ko tā ngā wāhine he whai i ngā mahi a te whaea. Inā hoki te kōrero: ‘Ngā tamariki tāne ka whai ki te ure tū, ngā tamariki wāhine ka whai ki te ūkaipō’.
