‘Tihei kei te pito!’
“Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua ko au.” I am the land and the land is me.
Ko Takitimu te waka
Ko Tamatea Arikinui te tangata
Ko Ngāti NgareNgare, Ngāti Papatuamāro, Ngāti Te Rēhunga, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Kotahi ngā hapū
Ko Kahurānaki te maunga
Ko Ngaruroro, ko Tukituki ngā awa
Ko Houngarea te whare
Ko Rakaihikuroa te tekoteko
Ko Tawirirangi te whare kai
Ko Te Pakipakitanga ā Hinetemoa te papakainga
Tihei kei te pito!
I have always known where I was from, my pepeha and where my roots lie. A little māori girl from Te Pakipakitanga ā Hinetemoa. Although I lived away from my whenua I was always reminded of the whakataukī, “Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua ko au.” I am the land and the land is me.
Māori pride themselves off identify. This can be seen with the exchanging of pepeha at the start of conversations to make connections. The whakataukī, “‘Inā kei te mōhio koe ko wai koe, i anga mai koe i hea, kei te mōhio koe kei te anga atu koe ki hea.’” If you know who you are and where you are from, you will know where you are going.”
I didn’t grow up knowing my native tongue, It wasn’t until I was 11 years old that I began learning more than the basics. My parents put my youngest brother into Kohanga Reo and my passion grew from there. From then it has flourished.
I took Te Reo Māori as a subject at high school, played ki-o-rahi, and was apart of the school Kapa Haka. Anything that meant I was emerged in Te Ao Māori. I had a drive and a fire in my pito to grasp with two hands anything māori I could.
I moved on to study a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Te Reo Māori and Māori studies at Te Herenga Waka (Victoria University of Wellington). Im currently in my third and final year of my degree with 6 weeks left! This degree has been one of the most challenging and rewarding things i’ve done in my life to date. But something I wouldn’t change for the world and something that has transformed me into the staunch māori woman I am today.
A saying from my university mate that has resonated with me and driven me to continue in my studies when things become challenging is “You are living your tīpuna’s dreams!” And yes, yes I am! Ive been gifted a space that I can learn my reo and speak it freely! Something they didn’t always have.
My dreams and aspirations is to one day be a fluent speaker, so I can speak the reo to my future children. I want to use this space and platform to thank all those who have been a part of my reo journey so far. Those who have encouraged me to take the wero (challenge), those who have supported me, those who have reminded me of my why, and those who have taught me.
Learning the reo has helped me connect further to my roots and has allowed me to see who I am meant to be in this lifetime. That being a staunch māori wahine who is healing herself, the world, all through Tikanga māori and kindness.
Its a beautiful thing to be māori! But I also understand the struggle of whakama. Something that can only be challenged when you take a leap of faith. I challenge everyone to learn Te Reo Māori, whether it is a few words, or taking immersion classes. Where ever your heart lies in your Te Reo Māori journey, I hope it feels tau and at ease. Something I both feel, see, hear, and am when I’m surrounded by all things māori. A beautiful feeling to say the least.
Ko Te Pakipakitanga ā Hinetemoa te papakainga,
Ko Maddison Gerbes tōku ingoa,
Tihei kei te pito!
