Tikanga

Tikanga is derived from the Māori word ‘tika’ which means ‘right’ or ‘correct’.  So, in Māori terms, to act in accordance with tikanga is to behave in a way that is culturally proper or appropriate.

There are tikanga, or rules, around using the waka. Some of these rules are purely practical; others are to do with using waka in a culturally respectful manner. Waka play an important part in te ao Māori or the Māori world. Māori trace their origins to ancestors who migrated here in voyaging waka bringing their history, atua (gods), customs, values, and beliefs. Because of this, many waka ama clubs in New Zealand recognise tikanga or customs regarding the use of waka ama, including our club. These affect how we behave in and around the waka.​

  • The Steerer is the person responsible for the waka and the people in it. Please always listen to what the Steerer asks you to do. The Steerer will be an experienced paddler with a good understanding of weather conditions, safety considerations etc.
  • Please do not step over the waka; walk around the waka if you want to get to the other side. This is part of showing respect for the waka.
  • Get into the waka from the left side (the ama – or outrigger) side. This helps prevent the waka from capsizing.
  • Do not stick the blade of your paddle into the sand or ground. Rest the blade on your foot or hold it up the other way (with the handle on your foot or off the ground. Treat your paddle with respect.
  • We respect our waka, and each other. Be encouraging to other paddlers.
  • We say a karakia, or prayer, before paddling. This helps us to remember to respect the Ocean, our waka, and each other; and to get into the right frame of mind for paddling. The words are on a laminated and is attached to the Club notice board.

Respectful Behaviour Includes

  • Listening or participating in Karakia (prayers), used by some crews to start and finish their paddles.
  • Not stepping over the hulls or hoe (paddles) out of respect for them and in reverence for the old belief that they embodied ancestors.
  • Not poking our paddle blades into the ground for the same reason.
  • We respect the sea.
  • Understanding the basic Māori commands, which are often used when paddling.
  • Trying not to swear or eat around the waka.
  • Trying to live by the concepts of kotahitanga (unity) and manaakitanga (hospitality).

Basic Commands In The Waka

  • Ngā hoe kia rite – Set up your paddle in the ready position
  • Hoea – Paddle
  • Hup – Change sides after one more stroke
  • Kia mau – Stop paddling
  • When everyone is in the waka and ready to paddle, the steerer will call:
    • Kia rite! Which means: paddles up! Everyone raises their paddle in the air above their heads. This shows the steerer that everyone is ready.
    • Hoea! Which means: paddle! Everyone starts padding, following the person in front of them, perfectly in time.
    • Kia mau!  Hold your paddles (stop paddling)

Rāhui (Protection, Restriction, Conservation)

Rāhui is a form of tapu restricting the use of land, sea, rivers, forests, gardens, and other food resources.  If a place is under that ritual restriction, access to it is forbidden to unauthorized people; for example, if it is an river, then there can be no fishing or recreational activities in the area.  A rāhui would be put on a place by the mana oaf a person, tribe, hapū, or family and would stay in place until it was lifted by an authorized group.

Tangihanga – Funerals/Hura kōhatu – Unveiling of a headstone.

Tangihanga can be held in different spaces, marae, private homes, churches, or public halls. There are many customs and traditions associated with tangihanga, therefore it is always good to have a point of contact that is the liaison between the whānau pani (family of the deceased) and the roopu (club) to convey all information pertaining to the tangihanga. 

Discussion needs to be had with those of the club who hold the responsibility of Te reo me ōna tikanga and the club committee, so the appropriate protocols are followed and relayed to those members of the club who will attend. 

Prior to visiting the deceased member of the club or whānau, it is always good to gather koha (gift of money) to help the whānau during this time.  This is placed in an envelope and given to a designated speaker or person.  It is always good for the group to have a waiata that can be sung to support the kaupapa, when appropriate.

Hura kōhatu or unveiling ceremony is one of many types of hui organized by the whānau pani, for remembering the dead.  When a person has been dead for a year or more the whānau will erect a headstone on the grave. 

Unveiling services are very much like funerals.  The extent to which a person is remembered can be shown by those attending.  Regarding the members of the club who are attending, a waiata and a giving of koha to convey the respect and mana that the person was held by the roopu.  Like a tangihanga, it is always good to have those who carry Te reo me ōna tikanga to be a point of contact for both the whānau pani and those members of the club.

Supporting resources:

  • Tikanga Whakaaro – Key concepts in Māori culture, by Cleve Barlow.

Karakia

As part of the tikanga of Waka Ama, karakia (prayer) is recited before we engage with activities on the water. Karakia often pay respect to Tangaroa (god of the sea) or to kaitiaki (guardians) of the waterways. Karakia before paddling is useful for bringing everyone together and it also helps to focus the crew and make them mindful of the task ahead.

Below are some karakia for use with Waka Ama.

Whakataka te hau

Whakataka te hau ki te uru  (Cease the winds from the west)
Whakataka te hau ki te tonga  (Cease the winds from the south)
Kia mākinakina ki uta  (Let the breeze blow over the land)
Kia mātaratara ki tai  (Let the breeze blow over the ocean)
E hī ake ana te atākura  (Let the red-tipped dawn come with a sharpened air.)
He tio, he huka, he hauhunga  (A touch of frost, a promise of a glorious day.)
Whano, whano, tū mai te hoe,
Haumie, hui e,
Taiki e!

Tangaroa

Tangaroa wai nui, Tangaroa wai roa
Nāu ko te hōhonu, Nāu ko te rangiwhāwhātanga
Nāu ko te ngarungaru, Nau ko te marino
Nāu ko te huanui a ō tātau tīpuna i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa
Tangaroa te wai ora, Tangaroa te wai tapu e
Whano, Whano, tū mai te hoe
Haumi ē, hui ē
Tāiki ē

Ko te hā

Ko te hā  (the breath)
Ko te rā/pō  (the day/night)
Ko Tangaroa  (God of the sea)
Ko te mana  (the authority/prestige/power)
Ko te kotahitanga o ngā mātāwaka  (the unity/oneness of all canoes)
Haumi ē (to join)
Hui ē  (come together)
Tāiki ē  (let it be so)

Waiata

Māori have an extensive tradition of song and dance, with a broad range of styles. Waiata were written to mark important events such as the birth of a child or the death of a chief. Waiata serve many functions. They can be used to support a whaikōrero (formal speech) or sung to express grief after a death. Waiata were used to help teach children, to urge people to take up a cause, or to mourn in times of loss. Waiata can record a tribe’s past by referring to ancestors, events and places. They are sometimes used to settle historical debates. Traditional waiata are still sung on marae and at gatherings. New waiata continue to be written, often about current concerns.

The waiata below is a local waiata written by Na Piri Sciascia concerning the voyaging waka Takitimu.

Waitatia:

Waiatatia te maunuhanga mai i Hawaiki – (x2)

He waka tipua, He waka atua
Te waka Tākitimu e!
Waiatatia te maunuhanga mai i Hawaiki – (x2)

He maiangi nui, He maiangi roa
He maiangi tipua
Whakaea te waka ki runga ki te karemoana – (x2)

Tū-hikitia rā, Tū-hāpainga rā,

Tū-whakaeaea e
Rauawatia te waka o Tamatea- Arikinui – (x2)

Tōia mai te waka, Utaina mai te waka
Kauria te moana e
Ngā tai poroniga, Ngā tai whakaruturutu
Ngā tai o Ruamano e

He rei ngā niho, He terenga parāoa
Ko Hine-makehurangi e
Ko Hine-kōrito, Ko Hine-kōtea
Te uru o Paikea e

Ko Tamatea
E tu pawhai ake
Ko Tākitimu
E tu pawhai ake – (x3)
He waka tipua, he waka atua
Te waka Tākitimu e!

Tai aroha

Ko te aroha anō he wai  (Love is like water)
E pupū ake ana (continually bubbling up)
He awa e māpuna mai ana (a river that will keep flowing )
i roto i te whatū-manawa  (x2) (from within the very seat of the emotions)

Ko tona mātāpuna he hōhonu (From a very deep source)
Ā ina ia ka rere anō (x2) (it will keep on rising)

He tai timu (an ebb tide)
He tai pari (an incoming tide)
He tai ope  (a forceful tide)
He tai roa (an expansive tide)
He tai nui (x3) (a full tide)

He hōnore

He hōnore, he korōria (Honour and glory)
maungarongo ki te whenua (Peace on earth)
whakaaro pai e (and good thoughts)
ki ngā tāngata katoa. (to all people)

Ake, ake, ake, ake, amine (Forever, amen)
te Atua te piringa (It is God who draws us together)
tōku oranga (and sustains us)

Haka

Haka are a large subclass of waiata and a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment. Peruperu, performed on the battlefield with weapons, is the fiercest haka. Haka taparahi is a ceremonial dance performed without weapons. Haka pōwhiri are performed during a welcome – usually by men, although the women of Ngāti Porou and Te Whānau-a-Apanui also perform these haka.

Tika Tonu is an iconic Hawkes Bay haka that calls for young people to look inside themselves.
“There you will find the integrity that will lead you out of your troubles.”

As far as is known, the haka Tika Tonu was composed by Waimarama Puhara, a highly respected chief of the central Hawkes Bay area. Waimarama was born at Paki Paki in about 1875, the son of Urupene Puhara and Marata Herea, and he married Ngahiti Rautu in about 1900.

Apparently he composed the haka in about 1914 as a message to his son Moana, who had been born in about 1899 and had been attending St Patrick’s College, Silverstream. At the time Waimarama could see his son was having difficulties – something like a chip on his shoulder or some other intangible problem.

Young people are taught this haka as it contains an appropriate message for many adolescent males, particularly at that point in their lives where they are making the difficult transition into adulthood. The message of this haka is of challenge, struggle, perseverance and achievement. It is often used at events such as 21st birthdays and graduations. It is also used at tangi, to pay homage and respect to those who have guided young people through difficult times.

Tika Tonu

Kaea (leader): Ringa ringa e torona
kei waho hoki mai! (Arms outstretched, out and back! )
Katoa (everyone): Kss hi, Kss hi!
Kaea: Tika tonu (What is right is always right!)
Katoa: U….e (In – deed)
Kaea: Tika tonu (What is right is always right!)
Katoa: U…..e (Ah … yes)

Katoa: Tika tonu atu ki a koe e tama! (Be true to yourself, my son!)
Hiki nei koe aku whakaaro pakia! (You have raised my concerns, so listen up!)
E hiki aha to hiki (What is this problem you are carrying?)
E hiki roa to hiki  (How long have you been carrying it for?)
i a ha ha (Have you got that? Right, let’s go on.)
E tama te uaua ana (So son, although it may be difficult for you)
E tama te maroro ina hoki ra (and son, although it seems to be unyielding)
Te tohu o te uaua ana e tau nei (the answer to the problem is here inside you)
Ana aue, ….aue, ….aue, hi! (Indeed! Indeed! Indeed! Yes, indeed!)