Kāhu ki Rotorua: Guardian Matuatonga stands vigil on Mokoia

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

See below for English translation

E noho mātārae ana a Matuatonga

He kōwhatu atua kūmara a Matuatonga, he whakapa-koko i utaina mai i Hawaiki kia whakatō te kūmara ka hāria ki waenga ki te iwi i ngā wā tika.

Ka karakiangia ngā kakano me ngā aha noa atu, kātahi ka whakatōkia ngā kakano me ngā hua ki te oneone. Nō Poronēhia, nō Hāwaiki Tawhitiareare, nō Nukutere, nō Ahuahu, nō Maketu tēnei tikanga.

He tikanga nā ngā tūpuna, nā ngā kaumātua, nā ngā pakeke e ora iti nei i a tātou te tangata. Me mātau ka tika ngā tohunga ki tēnei mahi nā reira ngā tūpuna i hakoke ai i ngā tini moutere o Te Moana nui a Kiwa, i tae ai rātou ki Rapanui, i tae hoki ai rātou ki Hāwai'i, ā, me ngā tini moutere o te moana.

Me i kūare ana ngā tūpuna ki te manaaki me te whakatō kai kua kore noa atu tātou. He tapu rawa ngā waerenga me ngā māra onamata, nā reira i tutū ai anō te pūehu, nā reira i wehe hoki ai ngā tūpuna i ngā oneone areare o Hāwaiki pāmamao.

Wheoi anō ko te mea tuatahi rawa ko te karakia kia tāpae ai ngā taumahatanga me ngā whakaaro hākoko otīā kia kaha ai te oneone kia tupu matomato ai te kai e ora te tangata, e ora te hapū me te iwi.

Ka karakiangia te wāhi, te whenua, te oneone, ngā kakano e ngā tohunga, koia ko ngā tangata mātauranga nui ki te taiao me te ao. Ka tukuna atu ngā kupu mahana ki a Kahukuraarikinui ki a Māui, ki a Panitinaku, whaihoki ki a Rongo. He atua ēnei i haria mai e ngā tūpuna hai painga mō tātou te tangata.

Kia kāua e tupuhi ai te puku. Tērā anō tētehi mahi a ngā tangata he mahi whakapakoko. Ko te whakapakoko te whakatinanatanga o ngā hiahia, o ngā whakaaro o te hapū me te iwi. Ko ētehi he rite ki te tangata, ko ētehi he pōwhatu noa iho, ko ētehi ka whai kanohi, he ihu, he taringa he āhua iti nei tana riterite ki te tangata, ā, ka whakaingoangia.

He waimarie nō Te Arawa kai te ora tonu wētehi o wēnei whakapakoko. Ko Horoirangi tētehi, ko Te Atuawhakaniho tētehi ko Parewaero tētehi engari pea ko te mea mana nui katoa ko Matuatonga ko Marutehe.

Kai te kitea tonutia tēnei whakapakoko. Kai Mokoia e noho puku ana. E mea ana ngā kaumātua e rua ngā tahataha o tēnei whakapakoko. Kai tētehi taha ko Matuatonga te atua o te ora, kai tētehi atu taha ko Marutehe te atua o te pirau. Ara anō ētehi tangata ka kī ehara e rua kē ngā whakapakoko.

Josiah Martin photograph. '[Matuatonga] Matuatonga Maori stone image'. Auckland War Memorial Museum

Ko Matuatonga tētehi, ā, ko Marutehe anō hoki tētehi.

Kai te hāngai tēnei kōrero iti ki a Matuatonga. Te whakapakoko o te iwi i mauheretia mō te wā iti. Nā te mea he mana nui he whakapakoko rangatira a Matuatonga ka puta te hiahia o wētehi tangata, Māori mai, Pākehā mai me te whakaaro ake kia hokona tāhaetia . Ka hui tētehi pahi itiiti he tangata kau wēnei tangata ehara i te rangatira. Ka tau ki roto i te ngākau ki te hoko ki tētehi tangata tauiwi māna e kawe atu ki te Mūheama o Akarana. Engari rā ka puta te mahi tinihanga nei ka rangona e ngā hapū mana nui me ētehi.

Ka keria ake e ngā tahae a Matuatonga kātahi ka haria ki tētehi whare pakupaku i Ohinemutu. Ka tikina ngā Pirihimana e te hapū, rererere ana te pūehu, ka whiua te hahani, ka takahia te mana o te whakapakoko. Ka roa e tohe ana, ka hikina e ngā pirihimana tō tātou atua ka haria ki te whare herehere.

Ki reira Matuatonga noho puku ai. Wheoi anō ka tū tana kēhi, ka tū anō ngā tohe, engari ko te kupu whakamutunga kai te tiati, ka whakatau e ia kua hē te hoko. He mahi mūrei, he mahi tinihanga.

Ka whakahokia a Matuatonga ki te motu tapu, ki Mokoia. Ā, kai reira a Matuatonga e noho mātārae ana.

Tērā pea ka oho ake te wairua o tātou te iwi e hoki atu ai tātou me ngā kakano māna tonu e whakahau māna hoki e whakakaha ki a tupu ururuangia ngā māra kai me ngā waerenga e rangatira anō ai tātou a Ngai Te Arawa.

Gardening dates back to when humans decided to plant seeds deliberately.

Māori have a tradition of gardening that stems back into the very depths of Polynesia to the homeland of Hawaiki.

Not content with their environment, these adventurers with an excellent thirst for exploration traversed the many islands of the pacific ocean, the largest and deepest of all Earth's bodies of water.

These journeys could not have been accomplished without an excellent knowledge and understanding of transplanting and gardening. Something always looked over when talking about the great voyages of the past.

The gardens of the past were highly sacred, and as part of the ceremony, usually, before the planting of the kumara commenced, the god/ s of the cultivations were consulted by the tohunga, the experts of the tribe. Kahukura was a god often consulted, and so too was Maui, who has a fascinating story regarding the origins of kumara; another necessary guardian was Rongo. In some areas, powerful whakapakoko were created to guard the fields and offer protection.

Of the many known to the tribe of Te Arawa, a few now sit in museums, some are buried, and others stand exposed to the elements and slowly watch time move forward. Matuatonga is one such guardian that today still stands overlooking the now quiet lands of Mokoia Island.

The site of the old Lakehouse.

A long time ago, the many tohunga would bring their kumara seed to the island so that they could touch Matuatonga, thereby making them fertile whilst also acquiring its mana. Matuatonga was said to be a contemporary of Matuatehe, another atua called upon by the tohunga.

A double-sided statue invoked that acknowledges both growth and decay.

Matuatonga was also involved in a tale of deceit, blasphemy, theft and imprisonment. Due to its status, Matuatonga was targeted by a curio hunter; confidently, the lead enquirer opened a line of conversation with some men espousing that they were men of influence over the tribe and, therefore, the custodians of Matuatonga; the purpose was to purchase Matuatonga to then have him relocated to the Auckland Museum.

Though the whakapakoko was hidden on the island, few people knew its location. Matuatonga was dug up, and a deal was made whereby it was then relocated to the gardens at the lake house, Ohinemutu.

The sale, however, was made without the knowledge of the tribe.

The police were informed, and the sacred atua, Matuatonga, was uplifted and removed to the local jailhouse. Finally, it was decided by a judge that Matuatonga was to be restored to the people of Mokoia Island.

Today the whakapakoko still stands to watch over the once fertile soils of Mokoia; maybe one day, the people will again return their tubers to the old guardian in the hope of acknowledging his mana.