BEAUTIFUL LEARNING

We recently received a query on facebook asking which was the correct name of the river at Taipā – Ikatiritiri or Ikateretere?  This was a cool opportunity to provide answers and teach some fundamental tenets of our beautiful matauranga – both as science (a body of knowledge) and pedagogy (the method of teaching it).

First, our matauranga has the capacity to accommodate different perspectives, experiences, retellings and repurposings of hakataukī, pūrakau and other methods of transmitting knowledge. Hence, the pūrakau of Kahukura and the kupenga at Whatuwhiwhi may be retold and repurposed at Warawara; or perhaps it is the other way round.

In any event, both versions of that pūrakau have their place and purpose and only a misguided Māori or a complete foreigner would insist on a single version or perspective where there are clearly more than one. I tell my tamāriki mokopuna, if you come across such a person, kia tūpato (be wary). 

However, our matauranga does not accommodate the stories that some recently arrived settlers in our rohe like to try and tell about us. Again, if my tamāriki mokopuna come across a person who accommodates those kinds of stories, they know, kia tūpato.

Another tenet of our matauranga is to question someone directly only with regard to an area in which they have proven expertise or knowledge.  Otherwise, we simply lay a question on the papa (the floor) so that those who can kōrero to it may do so, if they wish. 

A third tenet of our matauranga is to hear and debate other perspectives with a view to learning from the exercise, not just winning it.  Fine examples of this practice can be seen in the Māori TV series Tautohetohe. 

With that brief context, I now give an even briefer response to the question above.

There are many different pūrakau behind both Ikatiritiri and Ikateretere with huge depth to each., but the space limits of this column mean I can only shallowly touch on just two of them.

Ngāti Kahu’s traditions record many events associated with Kupe in our rohe, such as his landing at IKATIRITIRI in Taipā because there was an abundance of shellfish and fish (ika) there which his people could catch and generously distribute (tiritiri) to feed themselves.

However, the name of the awa is also rendered by some as IKATERETERE. One pūrakau for this name references the shoals of fish (ika) there when they are schooling on the surface (teretere).

Knowing both versions is important because it helps one understand why each exists and why one group will use Ikatiritiri and another will use Ikateretere.

However, it’s even more important to apply that understanding to the present.  Hence, the focus of the local hapū and iwi today is to clean up and restock the river at Taipā so that we may once again tiritiri nga ika kei reira as well as see nga ika teretere.  

And the beginnings and underpinnings for it all is our beautiful matauranga.