Ngapuhi activist David Rankin has barked a few remarks about repatriating the remains of Maori soldiers killed in the two world wars, but no one seems to take him seriously any more.
Nevertheless, the idea of exhuming their bodies in the wake of the 100th year since World War I, along with the Takamore case in Kutarere, and the resurgence of tikanga Maori and reo Maori, it seems timely that Aotearoa revisits this initiative while the rawness of the Maori Pioneer Battalion and the 28th Maori Battalion are still etched in the hearts and minds of their descendants today.
Based on tikanga Maori, the eternal resting place of an individual is where his or her whenua and pito are buried or hidden.
However, like the Takamore case, tikanga Maori can sometimes encounter bad weather when it comes up against common law of New Zealand. Despite this, during the late 1930s when the idea of a Maori only, race-based battalion was agreed upon for World War II, things tikanga Maori were still relatively uncontaminated by law and thus tikanga on burial rituals stood firm.
But, when handwritten letters and pre-war photos of loved ones began to replace tupapaku on a marae, tikanga Maori was forced to reform and was basically heading into a direction unknown.
If this was to happen today, there would be an uproar by Maori and New Zealanders alike to have their loved ones returned. Therefore, why should we not honour them with the reverence they deserve, similar to the soldiers of the modern wars, as well as the repatriation of mokomokai and Maori artefacts from museums across the world?
Apparently there were even some cases where whanau were ill-informed about the mortality of a family member at war and had to repeat the grieving ceremony once the information was authenticated. Alas!
As I look back on it now, I cannot help but feel for our parents and grandparents who managed to continue on with life despite being deprived of a fitting tangihanga for the bravery of their family members, who were and will continue to be exalted in Anzac Day commemorations.
Hence I truly believe New Zealand owes our world war soldiers this chance to return home, as well as owing their families an opportunity to finally cry over their deceased brothers, in-laws, uncles, fathers and husbands, and for them to have an opportunity to properly put them to rest in a place they call home.
This, I believe, is the least New Zealand can do for their "volunteering" efforts to demonstrate equality with their Pakeha companions.
Let me conclude with lyrics from a song written for the Maori Battalion which goes, "Aue ra e tama ma, te mamae, te pouri nui e patu nei i ahau", translated, "Ah for you our sons, pain and deep sadness beats so deep within me".
Thus I call compassionate New Zealanders to arms to have our fallen soldiers returned, immediately.
"I riro tangata atu, me hoki tangata mai".
Maori Translation:
Noo Kiingi Taawhiao e noho nei i te ahurewa, maatuatua ake nei ia i roto i ngaa take e hokihoki ai ngaa whenua i raupatutia ai ki te Maaori, ko taa raatou ko eetahi atu rangatira o Waikato o taua waa, ko teenei, "I riro whenua atu, me hoki whenua mai", ko tana whakapaakehaatanga ko teenei, "as land was taken, then land should also be returned".
Ka hori te 150 nei tau, aa, e whakapono ana ahau he hua tonu o ngaa maataapono o eenei koorero ki oo eenei rangi nei peeraa i oo eeraa raa, heoi ka aata panoni i ngaa kupu i roto kee i te kauanuanu ki oo taatou toa i hingahinga raa i te aungarea o te kakari ki ngaa pakanga i whakamaatauria ai te tauritetanga o te mana o ngaa Maaori, ki eeraa o ngaa Paakehaa, o Aotearoa. Ananaa, koia teenei, ko te huanga o te whakaupokotanga raa e kii ana, "I riro tangata atu, me hoki tangata mai", tana whakapaakehaatanga ko teenei, "as people were taken, then people should also be returned".
Kua puta i te ikawhakawera raa o Ngaapuhi, araa i a David Rankin, eetahi koorero e paa ana ki te whakahokinga mai o ngaa hooia Maaori kua tuupaapakutia i roto i ngaa pakanga e rua o te ao, heoi anoo me uaua kee ka taringa atu te tangata ki a ia inaaianei. Aua atu, ko te whakaaro raa o te hahu i oo raatou tuupaapaku i te waa o ngaa whakanuinga i te kotahi rau tau mai anoo i Te Pakanga Tuatahi o Te Ao, tatuu atu ki ngaa nawe e paa ana ki te keehi Takamore i kookiritia raa ki Kutarere, atu ki te whakarauoratnga o ngaa tikanga, me te reo Maaori, ee, mokori i aata whakaarohia anoo e Aotearoa teenei take i te waa e mata tonu ana waa te Maori Pioneer Battalion, me waa Te Hokowhitu-a-Tuu mahi ki ngaa manawa, me ngaa whakaaro o oo raatou uri i eenei raa.
E ai ki ngaa tikanga Maaori, ko te waahi e okioki ai te tangata ko te waahi tonu i taapuketia ai, i hunaia ai raanei toona whenua, me toona pito, heoi anoo peenei me te keehi Takamore raraa, maarama ana kitea ka pariparia ngaa tikanga Maaori, i eetahi waa, e te tai o ngaa ture o Aotearoa. Haaunga teenei, noo ngaa tau o te 1930's i te waa i mahuta mai ai he whakaaro e tuu ai he ope taua, Maaori anake, moo Te Pakanga Tuarua o Te Ao, hanga maaori tonu ana ngaa tikanga Maaori i taua waa i te kore i kaha uru mai o te ture i teeraa waa, naa whai anoo i tuu maaroo tonu ai teenei tikanga. Heoi anoo, kia kapi raa anoo ai i ngaa tuhituhinga reta, me ngaa whakaahua noo mua mai i te pakanga, te waahi ki ngaa tuupaapaku i runga marae, ee, i aakina ake te panotitanga kinotanga o ngaa tikanga i konei, aa, i te anga aa taatou tikanga ki teetahi waahi noo hea rawa i moohiotia ai.
Kia peeraatia inaaianei, ee, kua tutuu te puehu i te Maaori, tahi nei me te toenga o Aotearoa, kia hoki mai ai oo raatou i arohaina ai, noo reira he aha taatou i kore ai e whakanui i a raatou ki te kauanuanu e tika ana moo raatou, peenei i ngaa hooia o ngaa pakanga mohoa, me ngaa whakahokihokinga mai a ngaa mokomookai me ngaa taonga Maaori noo ngaa whare taonga, puta, puta noa i te ao?
E ai hoki ki eetahi koorero, teeraa hoki eetahi waa i hee te whakamoohiotia o eetahi whaanau ki te hinganga a teetahi o oo raatou kaihana noona i te pakanga, aa, i mate ki te tooai anoo i te tangihanga raa i te rongohanga tikatanga o ngaa koorero. Aawaiaa!
I ahau ka manatu ake, ka toro taku ngaakaunui ki oo taatou maatua, me oo taatou kaumaatua i maaia tonu ki te koke whakamua ahakoa i kaawhakina ai te aaheinga i a raatou ki te tangi tika moo te maarohirohi o oo raatou uri, eeraa raa i kaha whakanuitia, aa, ka whakanuia tonutia ia te raa ANZAC, ia te raa ANZAC. Koinei puu te take e whakapono nei ahau, e nama ana a Aotearoa ki oo taatou hooia o ngaa pakanga kia hoki mai ai raatou ki te kaainga, e nama ana hoki ki oo raatou whaanau he aaheinga kia tangihia ai oo raatou tungaane, tuaakana, taaina, taokete, autaane, matua keekee, paapaa, hoa rangatira raanei, e whai waahi ai hoki raatou ki teetahi okiokinga tika ki teetahi whenua e kiiia ana e raatou, ko te kaainga. Koinei, ki taaku i whakapono ai, te ititanga i taea ai e Aotearoa moo ngaa mahinga 'tuuao' i whakaatutia ai too raatou mana taurite ki eeraa o oo raatou hoa Paakehaa.
Teenaa kua nei, kia tooia ai te tatau o eenei koorero ki eetahi kupu noo teetahi waiata i titoa motuhaketia ai maa Te Hokowhitu-a-Tuu, teenei ko teenaa, "auee raa e tama maa, te mamae, te poouri nui e patu nei i ahau", tana whakapaakehaatanga, "ah for you our sons, pain and deep sadness beats so deep within me", koia teenei, ko te take e rere nei te karanga ki te hunga ngaakaunui o Aotearoa kia whiitiki ai taatou e hokihoki mai ai oo taatou hooia kua roa e taapuketia ana ki tawhiti, inaaia tonu nei.
"I riro tangata atu, me hoki tangata mai". "As people were taken, then people should also be returned".
• Mataia Keepa runs the Normalising Te Reo in Social Media Facebook page and is a tutor at Te Wananga o Aotearoa in Manukau.