Aotea (canoe)

Transcription

There are many types of adzes that our ancestors utilised - formal adzes, hollowing adzes, digging adzes and grazing adzes - and some of them are still buried in clifftops around NZ. This documentary is about the finding of a special argillite adze in Whanganui and the ancient tribe that used it. My name is Potonga, my tribe is Nga Rauru, Aotea is my canoe, and Matemate-a-One is my mountain. I'm a petrolhead. I love the big cars, the V8s, all of them. This is what I do to relax. While I work, I think of my ancestors and the ancient tribes that lived here. I think of my grandchildren and how I can provide for them. Mainstream thinking is different to Maori in regards to length of time we have been here in NZ. My elders always said that Maori have been here forever. It's said they came from the land - 'tangata whenua'. I've always done this ever since I finished school at 14 years old. I brought a car with my first pay. My first car was a 1934 Ford V8. Potonga is the last of his generation that always encourages the Rauru Ki Tahi tribe not to forget our independence. All of those traits our ancestors passed down. He is the strong one! No matter who you are, he will talk about it. He writes to the local newspaper every week. He is the strong one. But now our generation is also trying to find the way under the guidance of our ancestors. 'Guardianship' is our main focus. I went to the beach to look for firewood to take home. Potonga could feel something pulling at him. I sensed there was something special in the sand. I went to the landslide, and then I saw it. I'm not afraid. It's such an old adze. Some of my family are afraid, but to me they are a link to those who have been and gone. I feel such love for them. The ancient tribe of this area. I think it fell from the Rapa Nui cliffs, from the old inhabitants. I don't know how old this adze is, but I feel it is ancient. I'm so happy to find this beautiful treasure from the ancient tribes that was once here. Before I found this piece, all we had were the stories. But now there's proof. Here's proof of our histories, our stories that originate here at the Rapa Nui cliffs and the epidemic that occurred. It's different to any other adze from this region. In English it's called greywacke. This is very ancient. It is argillite from Te Manganui o Te Ao Stream that runs into the Whanganui River. We were pleased to see it. We went there once, even though the land was bought by a farmer. When the earth eroded, some bones were exposed. We sent off some of the bones to be carbon dated, and they found that they were well beyond 400 years old. Potonga got so excited. We all did. It confirmed that we found a very sacred dwelling, and we knew also that it was ancient. By the worn teeth, you could tell they ate bracken root (aruhe). Human bones and moa bones unearthed because of the rising sea levels. The scientists are right about the rising sea. Because of that, the cliffs are eroding. Hangi, bones and artefacts have surfaced. The old oral traditions say that the ancient tribe here was Nga Aruhe, because their main source of food was bracken fern root (aruhe). So I'm thinking this may be an adze for digging roots and not for hollowing out trees. There was an ancient civilisation here before the great Maori migration. The canoes that migrated here were Aotea and Kurahaupo. You must know these are not my words but the words of my ancestors. Matahorua canoe arrived here at the Whanganui river mouth. English historians wrote that when Kupe arrived, all that he heard were bird sounds, but if you heard the original language of the ancient tribes here, you can recognise their language. It sounds like this, 'Popo peopeo kekepo keokeo.' They were sounds similar to birds. And because of that, we disagree with the historians. There were people here, but they had a different language. According to historians, Kupe arrived first in 750 AD. But the Nga Rauru ki Tahi tribe say different. Tradition tells of many tribes that were here, and the cabbage tree plantations (for eating) and fortresses still remain alongside the Whanganui River today. The Nga Aruhe tribe was here when Kupe arrived. I asked the Whanganui Kaumatua Council what the name Kaihau Kupe means. Oh yes! They knew Kupe had been here and that he conducted an incantation for land that had already been occupied. We know the Nga Aruhe tribe were already there, because they held the oral history of Kupe's arrival. I've been to so many meetings where historians say we haven't been here long. 'A tree that has its roots firm in the ground 'will be the last tree standing when the rain subsides.' So that's what some people want to make out, that Maori are foreign also, but you and I both know that our genealogy runs deep. Starting from Rua-Tipua, there are about 70 generations we can account for. In the family tree, there is Te Kahui Kapua; Kapua Nui, Kapua Roa, Kapua Taraua, and to Te Kahui Tara. My elder Ruka Broughton's teachings state that there were many ancient tribes here before Aotea canoe arrived. Te Kahui Whata, Te Kahui Tara, Te Kahui Kapua and many more descending, as Potonga preaches, to the tribes or subtribes that start with the word 'nga', like Nga Aruhe. Any tribe starting with 'nga' were here before the great canoes, before Aotea and Kurahaupo. The tribes starting with 'nga' occupied the land - Nga Rauru, Nga Ariki, Nga Wairiki, Nga Paerangi ki te Wainui-a-Rua, Nga Ruahine over there. These are the original tribes of this region. Part of my research would consist of sitting and listening to my elders. Some of them were clairvoyants. They would always reiterate that before Aotea canoe arrived, we didn't all live together as one; we lived in regions. Those that were inland would maintain the mountain; the people in between were the guardians of the forest; and out to those on the coast would protect the sea. That's how they lived before Aotea canoe, but when Aotea arrived, everything changed. The cliff area that the argillite adze slipped down from is named Rapa Nui, much like our relations in the Pacific. Rapa Nui (Whanganui, NZ) was named because it was a treeless plain, and that's what my elders would say, that when the first people settled on this land, they burnt the whole forest. This is a sign of how long Maori have been here - Rapa Nui cliffs is where the adze fell from. Te Kiri o Rauru is the name of that beach, and so I am well aware of how accurate my elders were when they said Maori have been here for a long time, and the adze is proof of that. I heard Maori Polynesians voyaged to America and Africa before the English. The English were scared they would fall off the end of the earth, but back then Maori Polynesians travelled everywhere. The elders of Rapa Nui Island always talk of a great continent named Hiva (The Marquesas Islands). They say Hiva was like Atlantis in that it vanished beneath the sea. And even with that oral history, I know that after the Ice Age, the sea rose 10,000 years ago. So I feel that this is the amount of time Maori and Polynesians have been in the Pacific. This adze is proof because of its age. The adze also is proof that we are an archaic tribe from ancient times. Unfortunately, the Nga Aruhe people were struck down by disease. In 1796, Te Ariki arrived. Te Ariki was cholera. Nga Rauru and Taranaki named cholera Te Ariki because most people in Taranaki were killed by it. So I have great love for this connection to them because they were all lost in this epidemic. My elders told me Rapa Nui (NZ) was riddled with death - almost everyone was wiped out. And now Nga Rauru Ki Tahi look to the future. It's simple - we must come together. So here I am with my wife living here in Taipake so our fires are ever burning in Ngati Pukeko and Ngati Tamareheroto. As chairman of Te Kahui o Rauru, the well-being of our marae is in our best interest. The main point is we must return to our marae. Most of Nga Rauru Ki Tahi are living out of the region. This is our precious place. Papatupu is our land and home; Nga Paiaka is the meeting house, our link to the land. This is where we originate. The origins of Nga Rauru come from here at Waipapa Marae. The old bracken ferns (aruhe) grew so tall in the old days, and the tukutuku panels are made from bracken stalk. The memories of the ancient tribe of Nga Aruhe are held within the walls of their house. I wish I could bring back the days of old, the time I was a child, because I grew up in Pakaraka. It was awesome because all the elders and all the community stayed together in Pakaraka. Those were the days. I want to bring back that feeling for all of the younger generation in Nga Rauru. In the old days, they shot the big, massive eels because you could get injured by the big ones. They would break the gaff. We need to keep the fires burning and bring the family to our marae and homeland. My meeting house, Nga Paiaka, at Waipapa Marae is lonely. We only come for meetings and funerals, and then we go home. That's an important project - knowing how we can look after our sacred and ancient sites. It's hard sometimes because most of the local farmers living on the land are ignorant. But because of that, we turn to the councils in the region. But it's a huge concern that those sacred sites are on those farmers' lands. Some farmers understand. Others are coming around. To me, if we keep talking, they'll come to understand why Maori are strong advocates for the land. Greetings to everyone watching. I sit here on my homeland, and I acknowledge you all. Our ancestors say we will never be lost and Nga Rauru Ki Tahi will never perish. When I found the adze, I thought of an old civilisation. Where is the place they stayed? I want to see where the adze is really from. Nga Rauru, rise up. Don't forget the old oral histories from our ancestors. Bring the land back to the people, and bring the people back to the land. This the main focus. Our power and life force is here and not in the city. Come home! The main thing to me is that we build and maintain our own family settlements so everyone will return to work together as a community, in the food gardens and so on. A family settlement is all important. It is the lifeline for the family and the tribe. It's the only way we can appreciate real Maori spirit and soul. If you have any story ideas for Waka Huia, please visit our website.