Welcome to our pain, po¯whiri told
If there was ever a doubt as to the fierceness of the Ma¯ori warriors Captain Cook encountered, it was dispelled with a haka po¯whiri on Northland’s Te Tii Marae yesterday.
Crew off the Tuia 250 flotilla were welcomed to Waitangi in the Bay of Islands to help mark 250 years since Captain James Cook first arrived in New Zealand.
A powerful haka po¯whiri (welcome dance) performed by nga toa (warriors) from Nga¯puhi iwi welcomed the officials and some 2000 spectators, giving a strong reminder of what Cook encountered.
And the stoicism was not just reserved for the performances.
Stanley Taurua, a kaumatua from Nga¯ puhi’s Ngati Rahiri spoke passionately about the enslavement of Ma¯ ori by the European tall ships.
‘‘Your tall ships are not a sign of happiness for us.
‘‘Many people have been taken from us and taken on your tall ships,’’ he said in his mihi.
‘‘Welcome to the truth; welcome to no sugarcoating today.
‘‘Welcome to our history; welcome to our pain.’’
While Taurua said he was not proud of the history, he said it was good to be able to talk openly about what happened.
Other participants wore shirts saying ‘‘250 years of bulls...’’. But they too, respected the process of the po¯whiri and allowed people to speak.
Former prime minister Dame Jenny Shipley, co-chair of the Tuia 250 national co-ordinating committee, said she thought Tuia 250 was all about acknowledging the past, warts and all.
‘‘This is the safest environment to discuss our history that I have seen in my adult life,’’ she said.
The three-hour-long po¯ whiri was not all serious. Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon won laughter from the audience with his mihi in te reo Ma¯ ori.
While tangata whenua acknowledged their tı¯puna (ancestors), from Kupe to recently departed navigator Sir Hekenukumai Busby and Waitangi’s Pita Parone, Foon also acknowledged English ancestors King Arthur and Shakespeare.
While the Waitangi event was in good spirit, not all were happy with the official Tuia 250 events in the Bay of Islands.
Nga¯puhi hapu¯ Te Kapotai was upset about being left out of the formal celebrations, saying tourist dollars were being favoured over history.
Kaumatua Kara George said the hapu¯ wanted to acknowledge the historic interaction between their tı¯puna Te Koukou, who was shot by one of Cook’s men, and Cook’s Tahitian navigator Tupaia who helped to heal his wound.
The hapu¯ went ahead with their celebrations at Waikere Marae yesterday anyway, with double-hulled waka Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti taking part in a dawn ceremony.
Formal Tuia 250 events continue in Northland this weekend.