Tamaiti whāngai
He tikanga nui te whāngai ki roto i te ao Māori. He rite tonu ka whāngaihia te tamaiti ki ētahi kāre e āhei te whai tamariki. Anō nei aua tamariki nā ngā mātua whāngai ērā tamariki, ā, ka tukua ki a rātou he taonga, he whenua hoki. Hei ētahi wā ka whāngaihia te tamariki ki te whakapūmau anō i te taura here whānau, ēngari ka mau tonu te taura hono ki ōna mātua ake.
Ka whāngaihia hoki ngā tamariki e te kuia me te koroua hei whakapakeke kia wātea ai ngā mātua ki te mahi. Nō konei ko te kuia me te koroua ngā kaiako tuatahi o te tamariki. Kei ngā kōrero mō Māui Pōtiki e tauiratia ana tēnei tikanga, arā, ko te nuinga o ana mōhiotanga, ka haramai i te reanga kaumātua. Nā ōna kuia i a Murirangawhenua, i a Mahuika, i a Hine-nui-te-pō me tōna koroua i a Tamanuikiterangi a Māui i akoako ki te whakatutuki i ngā mahi i mahia e ia. I te nuinga o te wā ka riro te matāmua i ngā kaumātua hei ako ki ngā kōrero me ngā whakapapa o te iwi.
Mātauranga
Ka whakamauhia ngā tamariki ki ngā mōhiotanga hei whakarite i a rātou mō te ao. Mā te titiro me te whai wāhi ki ngā mahi o te māra, te kohi kaimoana me te mahi manu ka ako ai rātou. Ka tirohia hoki ngā tamariki mēnā kei a rātou ngā pūmanawa ki te whakanoho ki roto i ngā whare wānanga.
Ngā tākaro me ngā ngahau
He maha ngā mahi hei whakaharakoa i te tamariki pērā i te waiata, te haka, te kōrero pakiwatara me ngā tākaro pērā i te whakarere manu aute, te pōtaka, te mahi whai me te whiu kōpere. Hei ngā pō, kua kohi katoa ngā tamariki ki roto i te whare tāpere, arā he whare mō ngā mahi ā Rēhia. Hei te awatea kua mene katoa ki tētahi moari. E ai ki a George Angas: ‘A pole, generally the trunk of a kahikatea pine, is erected in the centre of an open space adjoining the village; flax ropes are suspended from the top, and, holding on to these, the natives swing themselves round and round' (Ka tiria he pou, he tinana rākau kahikātea rānei ki waenganui i te pā; kātahi ka herea ngā taura harakeke ki runga kia pai ai te tārere haere).1
Taumau
He wā kua whakaritea tētahi tamaiti hei hoa rangatira mō tētahi atu tamaiti. E kīia a ana tēnei tikanga he taumau, he tomo rānei. He tikanga nui tēnei ka tū ki mua tonu i te iwi. Ko te nuinga o ēnei taumau he paihere whānau, iwi hoki. Ko te wahine ka taumauhia ka kīia ia he puhi, ā, ka āta manaakihia tōna whakapakeketanga. I te nuinga o te wā ka whakaaetia e ngā tamariki ēnei hononga. He hōnore nui te taumau, ā, mā ngā taha e rua e manaaki te kaupapa tae noa ki tōna tutukitanga.
Tā moko
E ai ki ngā kōrero o mua, ka tāia te tangata i mua tata i te pakeketanga. Hei tohu te moko i te ahunga ki te pakeketanga, tāne mai, wahine mai. E ai hoki ki ngā kaikōrero o mua, pēnā kāre he moko tō te tama, ehara ia i te toa, ā, ko te kōtiro, kāre anō kia rite mō te moe tāne. Ka tāia katoatia ngā tuāhine, ngā whanaunga rānei o tētahi hapū ki te moko kauae, ka mutu ka āta tohu ngā kaumātua i ēnei wāhine kia whiwhi i te moko hei tohu rangatira.
