5.6 Matakite
5.6.1 He Tohu nō Tūmatauenga
I tēnei wāhanga ka tirohia ngā kōrero e whai take ai ki te pakanga, ki te parekura, ki te aituā. Ki tā te Māori titiro ko te rerenga o te auahi-tūroa ki te rangi he tohu aituā. Heoi anō, kei te āhua tonu o te auahi-tūroa e mōhio ai te hōhonutanga o tēnei tohu (1982, p. 442). E ai ki a Best (1982) “A sparkling appearance was a bad sign, as also was an upward extended tail, a horizontal tail was a good sign, and one extending downward told that the adverse omen concerned distant places
80 only.” (p. 611). I kitea te auahi-tūroa e rere ana i te pakanga o Te Tapiri i te tau 1865, ā, i mua i te pākarutanga o Tarawera i te tau 1886, he tohu parekura, he tohu aituā (1955, p. 65).
Ko Tāwera te whetū i wana ake mō te taha ki te pakanga; “Ka ngau a Tāwera ki te marama; he tohu nō Tū” (Mead & Grove, 2003, p. 172). Ki tā te Māori titiro, ki te piri atu a Tāwera, ko tētahi atu whetū rānei ki te marama, kua kīa rā kei te ngau, ā, he tohu pakanga (Ngata & Jones, 2005, p. 400). E ai ki ngā kōrero, ko te marama te whakatinanatanga o te pā, ā, ko te whetū te whakatinanatanga o te ope tauā. Mō te iwi e noho ana ki te pā, he tohu aituā, he tohu parekura. Engari anō mō te tira haere, he tohu ka horo i a rātau te pā (Best, 1924, p. 229; 1996, p. 571). Kua titi ake tēnei tohu i roto i te mōteatea mō te parekura ki Mātakitaki. E ai ki tēnei waiata i kitea tēnei tohu i mua i te whakaekenga mai o Hongi mā ki te pā. Anei tētahi wāhanga o te waiata nā Puhi-Rāwaho (2004) nō Waikato;
Tākiri ko te ata Ka ngau Tawera, Te tohu o te mate
I huna ai ngā iwi (p. 398)
Ko te pakanga o Ōrakau i tū ki Kihikihi nō roto mai o Ngāti Maniapoto e whai take mai ki tēnei wāhanga o te tuhinga. E ai ki ngā kōrero, tōna rima tekau ngā toa o Tūhoe i rere ki te mura o te ahi hei kōkirikiri i te puni Pākehā (Best, 1996, p. 566). Ko ētahi o Tūhoe i whakahē atu, ko ētahi i te whakaae atu. Ka whakaaro ake ētahi ki te riro a Waikato i te karauna, he wā tōna ka whakaekea a Mātaatua, nō konei ka rere ai te whakataukī; “kia tāwharautia a Mātaatua” (Best, 1996, p. 566). Ko te otinga atu, ka rere te tauā o Tūhoe hei kōkiri i te ito. Nō rātau e takahia ana i te huarahi ki Ōrakau, ka mātaitia e Tūhoe te tohu pakanga nei. Ko te whetū e piritata ana ki te marama. Anei ngā kōrero o tētahi o ngā ika a Whiro o te pakanga o Ōrakau, a Paitini Wi Tāpeka (Joseph & Meredith, 2014) nō Ruatāhuna;
The moon represents a fort, the star is the war party attacking that fort. If the star passes behind the moon and re-appears, it is a sign that the fort will
81 fall. We saw such a sign just before the fight at
O-rakau and, as we were a war party, we thought it a good omen. But we built a fort and so turned the omen against ourselves. The fort did fall, but then it was our own fort. (p. 30)
Kua kite ake i ngā tikanga e rua o te whetū ka ngau i te marama. Kei raro iho nei ka tirohia ngā marama o Rehua me ōna take ki te pakanga.
Kei roto i te whakataukī e whai ake nei ka kōrero mō te kaha o ngā iwi ki te pakanga i ngā marama o te raumati; “Tukua atu ki tua, ki ngā rā o te waru” (Mead & Grove, 2003, p. 409). E whakahau ana i tangata kua tūkinotia e tētahi atu, kia tāria ngā rā o te waru, arā, ngā rā roa o te raumati hei ngaki utu. Ko Rehua te whetū ka rewa ake i te ata o ngā marama o te raumati. E ai ki ngā kōrero koinei te wā e wātea mai ana ngā tāne i ngā mahi kai. Kua taki puta ki te muru, ki te tāhae, ki te pakanga (Best, 1955).
Kei te mōteatea kei raro iho nei ka whakahua mai ai a Rehua. Karekau he whakamārama e haere ngātahi ana i tēnei mōteatea mō te tangata e tangahia ana, nā wai ia i patu, te aha atu rānei. Engari, ki tāku nei titiro, he waiata hei tangi i te tangata i hinga i ngā muru, i ngā tāhae, i ngā pakanga o te raumati. Nā Noema (2007) nō roto mai o Taranaki tēnei waiata i tito, kei raro iho ko te wāhanga i tīpako ake;
I te rā roa o te whakakumu, ī,
I ngā tūranga rau o Rehua huna kai, huna tangata: Koia koe ka ngaro nei, ē ī. (p. 141)
Ko te whakakumu nei he kupu e rite tonu te tikanga ki āmaimai, ki te mataku (Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, 2008, p. 1097). Nō reira, ko ngā rā roa o te whakakumu e kōrerohia nei, he whakarite mō te iwi e noho āmaimai ana, e noho mataku ana. Ka whakahua mai a Rehua, otirā, ka kī atu hei te wā ka eke ia ki te rangi, ka murua te kai, ka mate te tangata. Arā, ko Rehua huna kai, huna tangata. Nō konei, ka mārama e kōrero ana mō ngā rā roa o te raumati, otirā, mō ngā rā o
82 te waru. Nō reira, e whakapae ana ahau kei te kōrero tēnei waiata mō te āhua o te iwi i te wā o te raumati. He wā tēnei e tū mataara ana te iwi ki ngā ope tauā e rere ana, otirā, koinei te wā i mate ai te tangata e tangihia nei.
Hei whakataurite ake, i te wā ka rere a Rehua i te ata pō, ka rere ake a Meremere i te ahiahi pō. He tohu a Meremere kua hipa te wā o te pakanga, otirā, he tohu kua tau te rangimārie. Nā konā, ka mana ai te whakataukī nei “Tērā, ko Meremere e taukapo mai ana” (Mead & Grove, 2003, p. 387).
Heoi, ko Rehua te whetū ka tohu i te raumati me ngā pakanga o tēnei peka o te tau. Kei te mau aua kōrero i roto i te whakataukī nei “Rehua kai tangata” (Mead & Grove, 2003, p. 350). Ka mātaitia te ekenga o tēnei whetū hei tohu i ngā murunga kai, i ngā pakanga, otirā, hei tohu tūpato mō te iwi. Ki te hipa ngā rangi, ā, karekau he murunga, karekau he pakanga, karekau he mate, kua rere te whakataukī mō Meremere hei tohu i te rangimārie.