Mana Whenua~ Strength of the Land; Taku Kai ~ My Sustenance, Taku Oranga ~ My Well-being.
Matariki is considered a primordial part of Māori culture, a significant time for Tangata Whenua to come together to reflect on the past and future. It symbolises rebirth, growth and togetherness, elements which are fundamental to our existence and connects us to Whenua ... our mother, Papatūānuku.
Tikanga Māori describes Whenua as an essential part of life, both physical and spiritual. It is eternal, and cannot be owned in the Western sense, as we simply borrow the land from our descendants.
The present generation is the current position on a continuum, linking the past to the future. An ideology which strengthens and reinforces that connection to land through Whakapapa, and binds us to her forever. While we journey through this modern age, the pull of one’s Whenua, to one’s Marae, will always bring us back to place our feet in the soil from which we came.
Traditional Māori culture aligns women with Papatūānuku. Women are regarded as the bearer for the Iwi and its preservation, therefore to be protected and guarded with respect. Mana Whenua; Taku Kai, Taku Oranga can be seen as a celebration, as well as a tribute, to their roles as mothers, nurturers, life bearers and protectors of succeeding generations ... ‘Kaitiaki o nga Mana Whenua'.
