Ma¯ori culture promoted with taiaha classes
Ma¯ori weaponry classes in the Kororipo Heritage Park are promoting the use of te reo, tikanga and teaching rituals and customs.
Kipa Munro, has been training in the art of Nga¯ Mahi Tu¯ Taua (Ancient Ma¯ori Weaponry), for the past 30 years, and he is now teaching taiaha (two-handed weapon) classes in Kerikeri.
‘‘The language, rituals, customs, and history of Te Ao Ma¯ori [the Ma¯ori World view] are all encapsulated when we train taiaha,’’ Munro says.
‘‘If we don’t continue to practice our customs and rituals then they could be lost.
‘‘Taiaha uses leg movements, weaponry movements, strikes, blocks and sparring, you learn to defend yourself, and it is mostly delivered in te reo.’’
‘‘We go through marae protocols which are part and parcel of the practice sessions, it’s not just taiaha, it is 2000 years of history that guides the journey through the learning process.’’
Students meet twice a week with Munro, where they begin and end their sessions with a takutaku (chant) on the rocks below Rewa’s Village opposite the Stone Store.
The classes come hand in hand with the redevelopment of the Kororipo Heritage Park by reviving some of the activities that were evident at the time around the 1800’s, Munro says.
Within the heritage park are a number of significant sites which include Kororipo Pa¯, the kainga, Rewa’s Village, the Stone Store and Kemp House.
The taiaha classes are an acknowledgement of activities which historically would have taken place, Munro says.
Munro, who is also the custodian of Rewa’s Village, says he wants visitors to experience each site within the heritage park.
‘‘We have an obligation and an opportunity to provide the visitor with an experience which takes them on a journey from preEuropean history to the first encounters with Ma¯ori.’’
It is a special place for Munro and his students to train given the significance of the site to Nga¯puhi and his hapu Nga¯ti Re¯hia.
‘‘To be able to train there is an honour and a privilege.
‘‘It’s a really special place.’’ Te Waha o Te Riri classes, Tuesdays and Thursdays, below Rewa’s Village, 4pm.