Let’s learn more about pou
TPart 2 of the Pou whenua series by Te Rarawa chairman Haami Piripi.
This week is about “Waimimiha”
Ambergris
A place of identity
He Kainga Noho he environs of Waimimiha along Te Oneroa a Tohe include dunes, artesian water, a nest of lakelets, marshlands and in its former state, teeming with birds and fish so numerous that, you could cross the Waimimiha stream walking on their backs.
It is perfectly positioned as a stopover location along the beach and for over1000 years it has been a favoured camp site of the iwi living there.
It was also accessible from both land and sea, making it an important, strategic coastal site during times of
Over the centuries many
ancestors have enjoyed the hospitality of the lake but over the last 50 years
or so, the knowledge and practices associated with
it have diminished.
both war and peace.
During seasonal hunting expeditions food was gathered and preserved at Waimimiha beside the lake which was then much deeper and prolific.
The Waimimiha lake and water system is connected to the Tangonge lake catchment and 100 years ago the system was the largest lake in the region and the natural resources associated with it provided for entire communities, living around Kaitaia, Pukepoto and Ahipara.
Māori history identifies lake Waimimiha and the area surrounding it as culturally significant and it is one of the lairs of our Taniwha, Paraweta, who still patrols the inshore as our kaitiaki.
Over the centuries many ancestors have enjoyed the hospitality of the lake but over the last 50 years or so, the knowledge and practices associated with it have diminished.
This has been the result of draining the wetlands by local farmers and consequently the severe depletion of the fish and bird life.
The erection of the pou whenua is part of an iwi and hapū initiative to regenerate an understanding of the importance of the area and restoring the ecological integrity of the lake system and wildlife.
The beach itself also has cultural and historical significance and the term Waimimiha is our word for “Ambergris” which is found in the vicinity. It is also a place where a spiritual ancestress “Moehau” has emerged from the ocean on the back of a whale and communicated with our elders.
The “Arawairua” or spirit path also passes through the area linking it to numerous other sites of significance along the beach.
The beach front, the lake and its surrounds, remains an important cultural site for us as a food source and we expect that the siting of a pou there will rekindle our own association with it and encourage others to support its ongoing protection as a historical and cultural marker of our iwi identity.
Thus, the pou is our link to the past, our place in contemporary society and our view to the future health and
wellbeing of our people.