Te tuku reo ki te kūmara
Kāore te kumara e kōrero ana mō tōna ake reka. E tino mōhio ana a Ahorangi Paora Tapihana o Takarangi Research Ltd ki tēnei whakataukī. Kei te whai rāua tahi ko Ahorangi Merata Kawharu i tētahi ara ki te hōpara i ngā kōrero o te motu mō tēnei tino kai e kore e taea e te tirohanga Pākehā, whaipara. Kātahi ka taea e tātau te tūhura ngā kōrero mō te noho, ngā hitori, me ngā kōrero o Aotearoa me te whai whakaaro anō ki te uara ā-ahurea, ā-ōhanga o te kūmara mō tēnei wā me āpōpō
Published on 3 Whiringa-ā-rangi November 2022
He nui ngā āhuatanga ka taea hei whakatuwhera me te tūhura anō i ngā kōrero huna a ngā tirohanga tuku iho ā-waha a te Māori, mā te whakamahi i te kūmara hei aka matua e hono katoa ana i ēnei. E mātotoru ana ngā tuhinga mātauranga, hira hoki mō te kūmara me te arotahi a ngā rangahau whaipara mātauranga Pākehā i te uara o te kūmara ki ngā nōhanga tuatahi. Ahakoa he mea taketake tēnei kia mārama ai ki ngā kainoho tuatahi o Aotearoa, kei hea ngā hitori tuku iho a ngā uri whakaheke mō te kūmara i roto i ngā tuhinga kōrero mātauranga, tūmatanui hoki? Ki te kore te mātauranga, ka noho tarepa tonu, tohetohe hoki ngā tīpakonga pītauira me ngā whakamāramatanga whaipara mō te taenga mai o te kūmara, otirā e ū tonu ana ki te pōhēhē o te nuinga i te rau tau rua tekau i tūpono ohorere noa mai ngā iwi o Poronīhia ki konei, ā, nā te ia o te moana rātau i rātau i tere mai ki konei.
Professor Paul Tapsell, Takarangi Research Ltd. Courtesy NZIA
Ahakoa e taupatupatu tonutia ana te ahunga mai o te kūmara i mua o te taenga mai o te Pākehā i Te Moananui-a-Kiwa i roto i ngā tuhitaka, i tautokona e ngā whakapapa, ngā tohu whakatere, me te momo ruinga, kua āta tukua e te hunga mōhio ki ngā kōrero mō te kūmara tae noa ki ēnei wā. Kua whakawhiwhia a Ahorangi Tapsell, me te Kaitūhura Tuarua a Ahorangi Merata Kawharu, ki te takuhe Tahua Arowhānui a Marsden hei whakahaere rangahau e ārahina ana, e tautokona ana e ngā tātau o te hapori e matatau ana ki ngā kōrero. I te mea ko te mātauranga kei te iho o te tūhuratanga, ka āta tirotiro anō te rōpū i ngā mōhio mātauranga onāianei mō te kūmara mā tētahi tirohanga ā-whakapapa o te takohanga mātauranga. Ka kitea he ara whakamua i ngā mōhiotanga mō ngā hapori, otirā rātau e mahi māra kūmara ana i ēnei rā. Ko rātau te hunga ka toro i ngā akoranga o mua me te urupare ki ngā whakapātaritari nui tae atu ki te āhuarangi rangi me te kino haere o te wai, kia taea ai e rātau te whakakaha te taha ōhanga me ngā tikanga o ngā marae.
E mōhio ana mātau he hira te kūmara ki te tuakiri o te hapori me ngā kainoho tuatahi. Koinei te wā hei tūhura anō i te reka o ngā kōrero, te whai i tētahi tirohanga hou ki te hitori o tō tātau whenua me ngā pūmanawa nohopuku auaha ōhanga o te kūmara.