Kua whakanuia a Matariki i ētahi pukapuka tamariki i ēnei tau tata kua hipa, engari ko te pukapuka hou a Miriama Kamo, ko Ngā Whetū Matariki i Whānakotia te mea tuatahi e pā ana ki ngā whetū e iwa, kaua ko ngā whetū e whitu. I kōrero tahi a Miriama rāua ko Kristin Smith mō te pukapuka nei.
(You can read this interview in English here.)
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I te tau 2016, nā Tākuta Rangi Mātāmua i whakaora anō te kōrero mō ngā whetū e iwa (ehara i te whitu!) o Matariki. Kua tipu mai ētahi o tātou i runga i te pōhēhē e whitu kē ngā whetū, engari kua whakahētia e Mātāmua taua kōrero. Nāna tonu i whakamārama mai, nō te ao Pākehā kē aua kōrero e pā ana ki ngā kōtiro e whitu o ngā Pleiades. I whakahokia mai ngā kōrero mō ērā atu whetū, arā, ko Pōhutukawa rāua ko Hiwa-i-te-Rangi, ā, kotahi atu tātou ki te waiata i ēnei ingoa i taua waiata rongonui, arā: ‘Tīrama Tīrama Matariki’.
Kia tae atu tātou ki tēnei wā, ā, kua īnoi a Scholastic ki tō tātou nei kaikawe kōrero rongonui, ki a Miriama Kamo kia tuhia e ia he pukapuka mō ngā whetū e rua kua roa e noho ngaro ana. Ko Ngā Whetū Matariki i Whānakotia te putanga. He pukapuka tēnei mō ētahi patupaiarehe nā rātou i whanako ngā whetū, engari ko te kaupapa kei raro, ko tā tātou tirohanga ki ngā whetū o Matariki. Ahakoa nā ngā patupaiarehe te hē i te pukapuka, i tō tātou nei ao, nā ngā kōrero Pākehā nei i tāmi ngā kōrero o te ao kōhatu.
Heoi anō, i tua atu i aua āhuatanga hōhonu e pā ana ki te mana motuhake o ngā pakiwaitara Māori, he pukapuka ngāwari tēnei mō ngā tamariki nohinohi. I kōrero māua ko Miriama mō āna mahi tuhituhi.
Krissie: I te tuatahi, me mōhio tāua ki a tāua! Nō hea koe? Ko wai ō iwi?
Miriama: Nō Ōtautahi ahau.
Ko Kāi Tahu me Ngāti Mutunga ōku iwi.
K: E mōhio nei mātou he kaikōrero koe i te ao pāpāho, engari he momo kōrero kē anō tēnei. Kua roa koe e tuhi kōrero ana he pēnei te āhua?
M: Āe, mai i te wā i ako au ki te tuhi, kua kaha au ki te tuhi i ngā kōrero paki. Nā taku pāpā i homai ana rātaka, ā, ka riro nāku ngā whārangi i whakakī ki ngā kōrero me ngā pikitia. Ko Joanie te ingoa o taku tino kiripuaki – he maha ana mahi mātātoa. I aua wā, ka tuhi au i ngā kōrero, kātahi ka tono au kia noho tahi te whānau katoa ki te whakarongo.
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K: I pēhea te whānautanga mai o tēnei pukapuka? Ko tō pukapuka tamariki tuatahi, nē rā?
M: Ko tēnei te mea tuatahi i tā ai. Kua tuhia ētahi atu, ko te tūmanako ka tāngia hoki aua pukapuka ināianei! Kua tipu taku māia i te putanga mai o tēnei kōrero ki te ao, Tērā pea ka tohaina ētahi atu ki te ao ināianei.
K: Ko Sam rāua ko Te Rerehua ngā ingoa o āu tamariki tūturu nē rā? E pai ana rāua ki tō pukapuka?
M: Āe, ko rāua āku tamariki, ā, ko Pōua rāua ko Grandma ōku mātua. He rite te kōrero ki te āhua o taku tamarikitanga. I haria atu mātou ngā tamariki o te whānau ki Te Mata Hāpuku e ō mātou mātua ki te hopu tuna. He whare hararei tō mātou i reira. Nā tētahi koroua nō tōku pāpā i hanga – ko Jim Whaitiri – ā, i tukuna ki tōku pāpā whai muri i tōna matenga. Hoki atu, hoki atu tōku whānau whānui ki reira, ko ōku kaihana anō hoki. Koirā tō mātou whare.
I te pukapuka, ka takoto a Grandma me āna mokopuna ki runga i ngā kōhatu, kei reira titiro ai ki ngā whetū me te kōrerorero – i pērā hoki i a mātou e tamariki ana. Kua waia kētia a Sam rāua ko Te Rerehua ki āku kōrero i te horopaki o taku mahi pāpāho, nā konei pea, kāore rāua i tino mīharo i taku pukapuka i te tuatahi. Heoi, ināianei kua tae mai te pukapuka ki toa pukapuka, tērā pea kua huri ō rāua whakaaro.
K: Kua roa au e tatari ana ki tētahi pukapuka pēnei e pā ana ki ngā whetū e IWA o Matariki, mai i te uiuitanga a Tākuta Rangi Mātāmua i Te Kārere i te tau 2016. Pēnei au ka puta mai he pakiwaitara, he kōrero pūrākau rānei nō te ao kōhatu mō ngā whetū e iwa, engari he rerekē rawa te āhua o tō pukapuka! He āhua rite te hanga o te kōrero ki tērā o te pakiwaitara, engari kua tuhia ki roto i te ao hurihuri nei, ā, i te mutunga iho he kōrero whakarite mō te ‘ngaronga’ o ngā whetū e rua. He kōrero matatini! Nā te aha i pērā ai?
M: Tēnā koe. He tino mihi tēnā. Nā Scholastic, arā nā te kaiwhakatā te tono kia whakaarohia e au aua whetū e rua o Matariki. Nāku te kōrero i tuhi, kātahi ka tukuna atu ki a Tākuta Rangi Mātāmua rāua ko Rereata Makiha. He whakahirahira ō rāua whakaaro ki a au, ā, i te mutunga iho, e whakaae ana rāua tahi ki tāku i tuhi ai.
He wāhi whai wairua a Te Mata Hāpuku, kī ai au, he kēhua ki wīwī, ki wāwā. E kore e taea te noho taepa ō kare ā-roto mō te wāhi – he wāhi mohoao, he wāhi hau niwhaniwha, he wāhi mīharo. Kei te āhua o te tangata ka arohaina te wāhi rānei, ka mauāharatia rānei. Mōku ake, ka nui taku aroha ki taua whenua. Ko taua wāhi he whenua i tū ai ngā pakanga i ngā wā o mua, ā, he kete kai anō hoki mō ngā tāngata o Ōtautahi. He maha ngā patupaiarehe me ngā taipō ki reira – hei kōrero whakatūpato ki a mātou ngā tamariki. Kua rangona te ao wairua i reira, he maha hoki ngā kōrero pērā i tōku whānau. E ai ki taku whaea, i ētahi wā ka huakina te kūaha kia haere koe ki te rapu tuna, ā, ka tere mōhio koe ehara tēnei i te wā pai ki te haere atu ki te roto, nā ka katia anō te kūaha, noho ai ki te kāinga.
Nā, mēnā he kōrero ‘matatini’ tēnei, mā te mōhio ki te horopaki pea e mārama ai taua āhuatanga. Waihoki, he hiahia nōku ki te whakaatu i tō mātou aroha ki te pakiwaitara, ki te tuhi hoki i tētahi kōrero mō te ao hurihuri e pā ana ki taua taupatupatu mō ngā whetū e whitu, e iwa rānei o Matariki.
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K: Kāore e kore, ka kitea ngā āhuatanga o te pakiwaitara me te kōrero pūrākau i tāu nā pukapuka. I rongo koe i ēnei momo kōrero i a koe e tipu ake ana i te taha o tō iwi?
M: Āe rā, he tangata kōrero te iwi Māori – ka whakakākahutia tō mātou ao e ngā mea e kite nei mātou, me ngā mea e kore e kitea, ā, he pai ki a mātou te rāranga i aua taha e rua i ā mātou kōrero. Waihoki, ka whakanuia e mātou te ao wairua, ahakoa i te hāhi rānei, i ngā kōrero paki rānei. Ka hoki aku mahara ki taku tamarikitanga me taku mīharo ki ō mātou tini atua; ko te atua Karaitiana i whakanui ai mātou i te whare karakia, me ngā atua Māori, arā, ngā atua o ia rā, ia rā. Kāore au i paku whakaaro mēnā he pai ake tētahi i tētahi atu. Ko taku whakatipuranga Māori nei he mea whakairo ki ngā kōrero o te ao wairua, o ngā kēhua, o ngā tipua, o ngā moemoeā, o ngā manu kawe karere, o ngā kōrero wehi, o ngā kōrero mō ngā mea e kore e taea te whakamārama atu.
K: Kua tāngia tēnei pukapuka ki te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā. Engari he reo Māori tonu i ētahi rerenga kōrero i te pukapuka kua tā ki te reo Pākehā. Kōrero Māori ai koutou i tōu kāinga?
M: Āe, ka whakapau kaha mātou ki te kōrero Māori i te kāinga. Kei tētahi karaehe reorua tā māua tamāhine, ā, i haere ia ki te kōhanga reo hoki. Ko te wero kē ki a māua ngā mātua, he ako tonu i te reo kia taea ai e māua tōna reo Māori te tautoko. He whakahīhī nō māua ka kore pea ia e whawhai ki te ako i tōna ake reo, pēnei i a au nei.
He Pākehā taku tāne, ā, ko māua tahi tērā e kaha tautoko ana i tana tipu mai i roto i te ao Māori. I aku tuhinga katoa e whakaaro ana au ki te mahi whakamāori. He mea nui ki a au nei te koha atu i ētahi kōrero hou ki te kāhui pukapuka Māori o te ao, kia pānuitia ai i te kaipānui Māori me te kaipānui Pākehā. Nā konei ka puta tonu mai te pukapuka reo Pākehā anō.
Me mihi atu au ki a Ngaere Roberts me tāna whakamāoritanga ātaahua. Nōku te whiwhi ko ia te kaiwhakamāori o te pukapuka nei.
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K: He ātaahua ngā pikitia nā Zak Waipara! Ka kitea taua āhua o te pō i roto i ngā kupu me ngā pikitia hoki. I mōhio rānei koe ko ia te kaitā pikitia? Kua tūtaki kōrua?
M: Āe! He hoa nōku te tuakana o Zak, ko Tama Waipara. I kī mai a Scholastic e rapu haere ana rātou i tētahi kaitā pikitia, ā, ko ia tētahi. Kātahi ka haere māua ko Tama ki te kaputī, ā, nāna te kōrero: ‘Ee, mā Zak ngā pikitia o tō pukapuka e mahi.’ E rawe ana au ki ta kaha o āna pikitia. Ka mōhiotia e au he pikitia nāna ahakoa ki hea – he kaha, he ātaahua.
K: Ki a au nei, ka ako tātou mō tātou anō mai i tēnei mahi, te mahi tuhi kōrero. He aha tāu i ako nā i tō tuhituhi i tēnei pukapuka?
M: Me tuhi te tangata i tāna e mōhio rā. Nā Scholastic te tono kia tuhi au mō ngā whetū o Matariki, ā, nā tāku tāne, nā Mike te whakaaro kia tū ai te kōrero ki Te Mata Hāpuku. He mea nui aua tohu e rua i te wā i tīmata ai te tuhituhi. I tuhi au mō te whenua e mōhio nei au, me te hītori o tōku ake whānau. Māringa nui au i tōku whānau me taku hononga ki taua wāhi.
K: He whakakapi – ko wai ō tino kaituhi pukapuka tamariki he tangata Māori rātou?
M: Whakamōhiotia mai! Ko Witi Ihimaera taku tino – mei kore ake i a ia mō te whakatipu kaipānui. I a au e tamariki ana, ka nui taku hiahia ki te whai i ana waewae – kia pērā hoki āku tuhinga i āna.
He rawe te pukapuka The Little Kowhai Tree mō ngā tamariki nohinohi, ā, mō ngā tamariki 8+ te pakeke, he rawe te pukapuka: Pounamu Pounamu. Kātahi tonu māua ka pānui i tētahi pukapuka pai ki tā māua tamaiti e ono te pakeke, ko Rona, nā Chris Szekely – he whakangahau, he hatakēhi, ka mutu, he mīharo.
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NGĀ WHETŪ MATARIKI I WHĀNAKOTIA
nā Miriama Kamo rāua ko Zak Waipara
nā Ngaere Roberts ngā kōrero i whakamāori
Scholastic
RRP $17.99
Krissi Smith
Kua roa a Krissi e noho ana i Te Whanganui a Tara nei, i roto rawa i te rohe o Te Āti Awa nō runga i te rangi. Heoi, nō Kōterani kē ōna tīpuna - he tangata mau panekoti, he tangata noho maunga, he tangata whai huruhuru! Kotahi tāna tamāhine haututū - ko Nina Manaia te tou tīrairaka. Nō Rongomaiwahine, nō Ngāti Kahungunu, nō Te Āti Haunui a Pāpārangi hoki tāna hoa wahine. Kua waimarie ia i tana mōhio ki te reo Māori, he taonga nui i kohaina mai i ōna pouako, i ōna tuākana, i ōna hoa anō hoki. I ēnei rā, he kaiako reo Māori ia, he kaituhi, he kaiwhakahaere tānga hoki ki Te Whare Ture Hapori o Te Whanganui a Tara me Te Awa Kairangi. Engari, ko tana tino hiahia i tēnei wā, ko te takoto noa i te moenga mō te rā katoa, pānui pukapuka ai.