September 2024 Māori Law Review
Te Kauwae Parāoa – Hēmi Daly
Hēmi Daly shares and explains his mōteatea, Te Kauwae Parāoa, composed in anticipation of the opening of Te Pā Mataora.
Ko tēnei he mōteatea i titoa e au i tērā tau mō kā uri o Te Kauwae Parāoa. Ko Te Kauwae Parāoa te ikoa o tō tātau rūma MPI ki te kura ture o Te Herenga Waka. Nā Piri Sciascia i takoha mai te ikoa nei ki a tātau. E whakanui ana te mōteatea nei i kā honoka o tātau kā uri o Te Moananui-a-Kiwa. He tātai whakapapa te mōteatea nei, e rakitāmiro ana tātau ki a tātau mai i kā rā o tuauri ki nāianei - mai i Te Moananui-a-Kiwa, ki te whare wānaka nei. Ko te take o te titoka ko te whakatūwherataka o Te Pā Mataora e heke mai nei.
This is a mōteatea I composed last year for those who have shared in the MPI kaupapa at Victoria University’s law school. The name of our MPI room is Te Kauwae Parāoa. The name was gifted to us by Piri Sciascia. This mōteatea celebrates the connections of all of us as descendants of the Pacific Ocean. This mōteatea recites genealogies, binding us together from ancient times into modernity - from the Pacific Ocean, to this house of learning, the law school. This composition is in response to the impending opening of the Living Pā.
Nāia tētahi whakamāramataka nā David Jones i te whakatūwherataka o Te Kauwae Parāoa:
Here is an account by David Jones, from when the MPI room was opened:[1]
Te Kauwae Parāoa is a reference to the jawbone of the whale. The whale journeys thousands of miles every year throughout the Pacific and the world. This symbolises the journey that Māori and Pasifika students embark on at Law School, and the personal, mental and spiritual development that results from their determination and hard work. ‘He Kauwae Parāoa’ also references the Māori proverb: ‘He rei ngā niho, he parāoa ngā kauae’, which translates as ‘To have a whale’s tooth, one must also have the whale’s jaw’. This encapsulates the desire that Māori and Pasifika students have to excel at their studies, and the benefits of working towards the fulfilment of goals…
[I Te Kauwae Parāoa tētahi tauārai, e whakawerewere ana i te pātū o te rūma ināianei | In Te Kauwae Parāoa there is a screen, which currently hangs from the wall of the room] This panel is also an artwork, created by the collaborative effort of artists including: Tyson Tuala, Mose Viliamu and Johnny Andrews, with direction from David Jones and Tai Ahu. It illustrates the idea behind the name of the room. It is both Māori and Pacific in look and feel, which can be seen in the merger of kowhaiwhai and Pacific patterns.
The whale has three koru designs on its back symbolising 100-, 200- and 300-level laws papers, which lead to the jawbone of the whale. The whale’s jawbone is a prized possession for Māori and also a metaphor for knowledge. To attain knowledge is to take and hold the jawbone- kia mau ki te kauwae. Knowledge is power, and knowledge, such as law, is prized. The koru pattern from the head of the whale symbolises the whānau nature of Māori and Pasifika students who come to study law at Victoria. They find that through learning and travelling the path of knowledge together, a strong bond is created. The top of the design is the head of another whale-like creature. If the image is turned upside down, another is created of the whale which symbolises not just Māori but also Pacific culture coming together. The image has been split into four panels, symbolic of tukutuku panels and the waters of time, illustrating the amount of time and energy it takes to get through a law degree.
The panels also represent working together. One person cannot create a tukutuku, it comes from working with others where one person will “tuku” or send the aho or thread from one side through the structure and across to another person who will push it back through.
The camaraderie at Law School is captured in this idea of tukutuku. The room is in constant use by all students, not just Māori and Pacific students. Māori and Pacific Island tutorials are also conducted in the room. Māori and Pacific use of the Law Library has increased and it is hoped that more students use the room as a safe study environment.
| Te Kauwae Parāoa Ko te kauwae i heke ai Mai i te moana tuauriuri te karekare te marino Me ngā hau e whā rere tonu nei Ruruku tonu te ngahue ngā tūātea ki uta Ki uta a Te Ika a Māui a Te Waipounamu Ngā maunga horahora Ngā maunga matatū nei Te Ahumairangi Te Tumu Herenga Waka! Te Pā Mataora Ngā uri e | The whale’s jawbone It is the jawbone, descended From the ancient sea The agitated sea The still sea And the four winds, searching onwards The amassed waves are drawn together, crashing to the shore To the shores of Te Ika a Māui To the shores of Te Waipounamu Their mountains widely spread Ever enduring and watchfulTe Ahumairangi Raised above is Te Ahumairangi Below, our house of refuge Settled by Kumutoto, still flowing All are called together Te Tumu Herenga Waka! Te Pā Mataora Ngā uri e |
Ngā kupu āpiti - Notes
[1] David Jones “Kia mau ki te kauwae: Te Kauwae Parāoa” V.alum (Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington, December 2012) at 3. I whakaāe a David i te whakaputa o te kōrero nei i Te Ranga Huatau.
[2] He honoka i ēnei kupu ki Kāore Taku Raru. Ko Kāore Taku Raru kā ōhākī o Te Rangiāhuta Broughton.
[3] Ko Con Te Rata Jones tēnei. He uri ia nō Te Whānau a Apanui. Nāhana i whakahaere te mahi tukutuku mō Te Tumu Herenga Waka.
[4] E ai ki te kōrero a Pā Moana Jackson, ko te mea nui i takahia ai e te tāmitaka a te Karauna ko te whakapono o Kāi Māori i tōhona ake tikaka, me tōhona ake reo, me tōhona ake whakapono. Ko tāhana, he whakaiti tēnei ki te wairua o Kāi Māori. Nō reira, me whakanui anō tātau i ō tātau ake whare.
[5] He mihi tēnei ki kā tauira Pasifika. Nā Tupaia i hohou te roko i kā hara o Kuki ki kā tākata whenua o Aotearoa i tō rāua taeka ki konei.
[6] He honoka i ēnei kupu ki Kāore Taku Raru.
