Kōrero: Te Ao Mārama

Whārangi 5. Te mana, te tapu, te mauri

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Ka pā te mana te tapu me te mauri ki te tangata, ki te taiao hoki.

Mana

He hōrapa te awenga o tēnei mea te mana. He tino te mana. Ka pā tēnei ki ngā hihiri, ki ngā awenga i te ao tūroa. He rerekē, he kanorau ngā āhuatanga o te mana ka pā ki te tangata. Ka puāwai te tangata ki te kuhu te mana ki tōna ao.

Ko te mana nui rawa ka ahu mai i Te Kore, arā, te ao tē kitea; ki ētahi, koianei te tino ao.

Tapu

Mā te ū ki ngā tohutohu, ngā here me ngā tikanga, ka whai tinana te mana – i te tangata, te kararehe, te manu, te ika, aha rānei. Ka hui katoa ēnei āhuatanga ki raro i te kupu nei te tapu. Hei tauira, he tapu ki tēnā iwi, ki tēnā iwi ō rātou maunga nui, ā, he tikanga kei runga i ngā mahi me ngā kaupapa tērā ka whakahaeretia i runga i aua maunga.

Mauri

Ko te mauri te hiringa ka hono i ngā mea katoa i te ao. Ki te kore he mauri, e kore te mana e āhei te kuhu ki te tangata, ki te mea ranei.

Te rere o te mana

I te ao Māori, ko te tapu me te mauri ngā waka e rere ai te mana ki te ao. Hei tauira, ka purua he kōhatu mauri ki roto i ngā kupenga hī hei kukume i ngā ika; he pērā anō mō te mahi manu, arā, ka waiho he kōhatu mauri ki ngā tāwhiti. Kāore te Māori i titiro ki te ika, ki te manu anō he mea noa iho; he hiringa kei roto. Ka mau he ika, ko Tangaroa tonu tērā, he mana ki roto.

Waihoki, ka whakamahia te kōhatu mauri hei mua i te whakatōnga o te mana ki roto i tētahi tangata. I te wā i ngā whare wānanga tūturu o mua, ka hoatu he whatu (kōhatu pakupaku) ki te tauira i tana kuhunga. Ka horomia e te tauira te whatu rā, kia noho ki tōna puku hei mana, hei takenga mātauranga mōna. Koianei te tikanga o te nohopuku, arā, te āta noho ki te wānanga i ngā mea rā kei roto i tō puku.

Taniwha

He tipua te taniwha, he kaitiaki i tētahi wāhi, he whakatinanatanga o tēnei mea te mauri. He rite te kitea o te taniwha i ngā awa me ngā wai, e tiaki haere ana i ngā kai me ngā rawa.

Ka taea e ngā tohunga te tango i te mauri ka whakakuhu ki roto i tētahi toka, rākau, ika rānei. Nā te nui rawa atu o te mana, ka tirohia taua toka, taua rākau, anō he mea ora. He maha ngā kōrero mō ngā poro rākau kua kitea e piki whakarunga ana i te ngā awa – he taniwha.

Te taniwha me te rangatira

He kupu whakarite te taniwha mō te rangatira. He pānga tata tō te ora o te whenua i tētahi takiwā ki te mana o taua whenua me te mana o te rangatira o aua whenua. Kei te rangatira te mana ki runga i ngā taniwha kei ngā awa. He mea nui tēnei ki te kōrero koe mō te tangata whenua. Ko te tangata whenua anake ka āhei te pupuri ki te mauri me te ora o tōna rohe.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, 'Te Ao Mārama - Te mana, te tapu, te mauri', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/te-ao-marama/page-5 (accessed 29 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, i tāngia i te 24 Sep 2007