Whakataukī

He tina ki runga, he tamore ki raro.                                                                 In order to flourish above, one must be firmly rooted below

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e whai
Be a leader not a follower
Mauri tū mauri ora
An active soul is a healthy soul
Ko taku reo taku ohooho, ko taku reo taku mapihi mauria
My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul
Mauri tū mauri ora
An active soul is a healthy soul
Ko ia kāhore nei i rapu, tē kitea
He who does not seek will not find
Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou
Seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing
Whatungarongaro te tangata toitū te whenua
As man disappears from sight, the land remains
Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi
With your basket and my basket the people will live

Itiiti rearea, teitei kahikatea ka taea 

Although the rearea is small it can ascend the lofty heights of the Kahikatea tree

He manu iti te rearea i mātakitaki ai ngā tūpuna i te manu nei e kimi kai ana i te ngahere ka kitea pea tana rere. Pēnei ana tana rere, ka topa whakarunga, ā, ka paku heke iho ka topaki, ka tiu whakarunga anō ka paku heke iho anō kātahi ka topaki anō. I te wā i a rātou mā i kite rātou i tēnei manu e whakapau kaha ana kia tau ia ki te kōmata o te rākau, arā, ki te tāpuhipuhi, ki te tāuru o ngā kahikatea. Nā konā i whakaritea tēnei whakataukī hei akiaki i te tangata i runga anō i te huatau “ka taea e te rearea tōna matanā te tutuki, ka taea hoki e te tangata”.

The rearea is a small bird who’s actions of seeking food was observed by the ancestors. The rearea would fly upwards hover for a moment sometimes floating down a bit then fly upwards again continuing this process until it reached the top of the kahikatea tree (white Pine - Podocarpus dacrydioides) which were in early times 50 metres or more in height. Once the rearea reached the canopy it fed off the fruit. This whakataukī is used to encourage each other with the thought, that if a small bird can expend its energy to obtain food and achieve its goal then surely we can also with a lot of effort achieve our goals.

E koekoe te kōkō, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū

The parson bird chatters, the parrot gabbles, the wood pigeon coos

Kei tēnā manu, kei tēnā manu tōna tangi ake. I tino mōhio ngā tūpuna Māori ki tēnei tūāhuatanga. I whakaritea e rātou tēnei tūāhuatanga o ngā manu ki te tangata e whakaaraara ai i a rātou anō ki te motuhaketanga o tēnā tangata, o tēnā tangata kia whakatairanga ake i ia pūmanawa o ia tangata. I mōhio hoki rātou mā te kāinga katoa te tamaiti e whakatipu. Hei tā rātou anō ahakoa te momo tangata; tangata wairangi, tangata pōrangi, tangata hārangi, tangata kaha, tangata koi, tangata aha, tangata aha he taonga tonu ia.

The early ancestors recognised that, like humans, every bird has its own unique characteristics, like the individual cry they make. The native birds of Aotearoa have distinct calls and in some cases are named after those calls. This whakataukī alludes to the idea that like the native bird species we as humans also have individualistic traits. The literal lesson given by this proverb is two-fold:
a) it takes all sorts to make a world
b) variety is the spice of life.

He maurea kai whiria!
Ignore small matters and direct effort toward important projects
This whakatauki encourages us to keep things in perspective, to not get bogged down by the small things, the little details, but instead to maintain our focus on the vision, on what is important. It could be used to keep people on track, and/or to remind us/people to maintain focus on what’s important even in the face of great complexity.
Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou
Seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing
This whakatauki refers to the importance of learning for it is key to your wellbeing. If you follow the path of learning, the world will be your oyster.
Tē tōia, tē haumatia
Nothing can be achieved without a plan, workforce and a way of doing things
This whakatauki speaks to the importance of having a ‘plan of attack’. It could be used to guide conversation or lead a discussion in the planning of an event or community initiative.
Mauri tū, mauri ora
An active soul is a healthy soul
This whakatauki could be used to encourage people to be active participants in a project or initiative or to celebrate people’s involvement and participation in an activity.
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora a mua
Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead
This whakatauki also speaks to the importance of working together. It acknowledges and values the importance of both the leader and the followers for both are essential and co-dependent.
He rau ringa e oti ai
Many hands make light work
encourages people to work together. It can be used to invite people to participate or to acknowledge the effort and work of many.
Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa
Let us keep close together, not wide apart
This whakatauki speaks to the importance of keeping connected, of maintainingrelationships and dialogue so that we can keep moving forward together. It could beused when sharing information about community events or projects that bring peopletogether
Whāia e koe te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei
Pursue excellence – should you stumble, let it be to a lofty mountain
This whakatauki challenges us to pursue our dreams/our goals. It asks us to persevere through adversity and only bow our heads if the obstacle is truly great.

Itiiti rearea, teitei kahikatea ka taea

Although the rearea is small it can ascend the lofty heights of the Kahikatea tree

E koekoe te kōkō, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū

The parson bird chatters, the parrot gabbles, the wood pigeon coos

Photo Credit

STAY INFORMED

Thank you!

Error

Follow Us