First published August 1987 by DEPARTMENT OF MAORI AFFAIRS WHANGAREI Copyright 1987 Department of Maori Affairs PRINTED BY: Government Printing Office, Auckland e00016 FOREWORD "The language is the life essence of Maori tana". These Islands are remarkable in possessing a Maori civilisation whose origins can be traced back into antiquity. It is this fact which explains some of the unusual features of its ancient literature. Maori literature was for centuries preserved only by memory which naturally influenced the development of different forms of literary art, such as proverbs, poetic allusions, metaphor, epics and songs to name but a few. These were handed down from one generation to another in which wise sages embodied the results of their experiences and judicious observations. This is exemplified in the speach of the tribes of Taitokerau which in common with the rest of Maoridom is so rich in many pithy and satirical sayings and succinct statements now recorded for posterity in this impressive publication followed by comment or elucidation. It is a veritable treasure house of the genius, wit, condensed wisdom and silent telepathy in the storied souls of our ancestors calling across the ages to their descendants struggling towards the cultural light. Jane McRae of Auckland University the compiler of this work is to be congratulated for having brought out of obscurity many of the gems of our Taitokerau literature for as wide a readership as possible to study and appreciate. We are indebted to Tom Parore and Maori Affairs Department Whangarei and to all those who contributed for the successful realisation of the project. "Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Maori" fosees fener _— Sir James HenareINTRODUCTION This book contains a collection of pepeha and whakatauki which are special to ‘the tribes in Taitokerau. It is a revised edition of a list of sayings originally compiled between 1984-1985 from manuscripts and books in libraries throughout New Zealand. Subequently in 1985 as part of our progranme for the collection and publication of "nga Korero i tukua iho", the list was circulated in the region, first at Riinanganui o Taitokerau in July, and then at tuo hui convened especially to discuss the collection, at Kaikohe in Septenber, and at Te Tii in November. It became clear from these meetings that the kaumatua wished to follow up work on the list in their own tribal areas. A draft booklet was prepared and sent out at the end of 1985 for the five tribal representatives of the Rinanganui to take back to their people for scrutiny and discussion. Revision to the original list has been based on the suggestions made at all these hui, and on oral and written information from individual kaumatua and kuia who have contributed of their oun knowledge Also discussed and established was that whakatauki is a general proverbial saying and applies to most other areas and events whereas the pepeha is specific and concerns a particular event and place. The list now comprises 209 sayings. The aim in undertaking the collection of whakatauki and pepeha was to produce a list of sayings which clearly originated in and belonged to the tribes in Taitokerau. Other more general sayings which are used by all tribes in the country have not been included, apart from a few which are said to be used particularly often or which are in a version which is special to the region; a later collection by the department will focus on those which are used more widely. Tt was our hope to have all the items as fully described as possible, however, some sayings remain untranslated because their meaning is obscure and for others we could find little to explain them. We decided, however, to leave these in the list in the hope that more information about them might come from readers and which we could include in the next list. The collection of pepeha and uhakatauki, both those of the region and more general ones, is an ongoing part of our programme for the preservation and publication of traditional knowledge. this is the first in what will be a series of publications on sayings; subsequent issues will contain new items as well as any additional information to explain sayings in previous collections The list is intended, and so organised, primarily for readers with some knowledge of Maori language, custom, and the Taitokerau region and its tribal kérero. Many words which are commonly known (like marae, patu, waiata) are not translated and explanation about the sayings is confined to clarifying meaning and origin. The amount of possible information about any one saying is very large, for example, whakapapa could be given for each person referred to, stories could be told about the incidents mentioned, and so on. But this list offers one starting point for a more complete knowledge of the sayings and their content. Whakatauki are not heard in whaikérero and Korero on a marae in a long list each explained fully; there is always more to be learnt about a saying each time it is used, like what it means, who it belongs to, when it can be quoted. This collection is designed to stimulate interest in whakatauki and in all the information about them, that is, it offers a basis, especially for the young, from which to develop and build on a greater understanding of the traditions of the past. Ideally the collection should be used in conjunction with those elders who can elaborate on the short sketches of kGrero that are here00016 The research for the collection and the arrangement and editing of the list were carried out by Jane McRae, with the help of Te Aniwa Hona and with the invaluable advice of our regional kaumatua. The sayings are arranged in the following way: 1 The Maori texts in alphabetical order of first line. In copying sayings from manuscripts, changes have been made to word division or punctuation in order to clarify the sense of the saying and to record it in accordance with the conventions of todays written Maori. We have also followed a policy of using macrons to mark the double vowels in written texts; this makes clear the meaning of the word (that is for words which are spelt the same when the meaning can only be distinguished by the length of the vowel), and, in the case of names, to ensure that ‘the correct pronunciation is recorded and continued. As an example, the saying text written like this in a manuscript: no nga roro 0 te becomes in this list “and ng& roro o te matenga o Mataki, ko nga rona pipi o Poukoura” — a macron placed on matenga (head) distinguishes it from matenga (death), and on Mataka shows the pronunciation of the name. Long vowels in words are marked as recorded in A Dictionary of the Maori Language by HW Williams: for names we have marked the vowels in accordance with the pronunciation of our native speakers in Taitokerau. tenga o mataka konga rona pipi o Poukoura” 2 The English translation in round brackets. In eases where there is no translation we are unsure of the meaning and hope for clarification later. If there is doubt about a given translation this is marked by a question mark (7). Where the translation is not the work of the editor, this is indicated either by quotation marks (eg if it is froma book), or by the name of the translator following the translation. In most cases the translation has been kept as close as possible to the original Maori text, even to the extent of appearing a little awkward in English, so that a direct relationship with the Maori is retained as far as is sensible. Explanation or interpretation of underlying meaning or to capture the spirit of the translated text is given in square brackets. 3 Information about the saying Translation is followed by notes on the origin of the saying, or information which aids understanding of its meaning and how it might be used. In most cases, as we noted earlier, this amounts to only part of the information which could be gathered about the saying; in some instances we could find little to explain the text. We aimed to give sufficient details to clarify the meaning of a saying and to give some picture of the circumstances of its origin. Any supposition or interpretation by the editor is given in square brackets te 4 Source of the saying ti Reference is made to the source of a saying text and information about it by citing author, date and page of a book (a list of works consulted is included at the end of the collection), by giving the name, reference number and location of a manuscript, and, for oral information or notes, by reference to the donor, In many cases readers referring back to these sources will find more of interest about a saying, for example, long accounts of the background information on origin, or whakapapa, or stories about meanings and so on.