Written by Riana Foster, illustrated by Munro Te Whata
Māori | English |
Ka noho | We sat |
i raro i te rākau tōtara a Nan, | under Nan’s tōtara tree, |
ō mātou kiri ōriwa | our olive skin |
e inaina ana i ngā hihi o ngā aho kōura. | soaking up the rays of golden light. |
Ko ngā kaihana | The cousins |
e miti haere ana i ā rātou | licked away at their |
rare reka kei ō rātou ringa, ā, | dripping sugary treats at hand and |
i te mutunga iho ka kata | by the end they were laughing |
me | with |
ngā memene iti, waha hāpiapia hoki. | simper smiles and sticky mouths. |
Ka noho i raro i te rākau tōtara a Nan, ō mātou kiri ōriwa.
We sat under Nan's tōtara tree, our olive skins soaking up the rays of golden light.
Ko ngā rau o te rākau tōtara | The leaves from the tōtara tree |
e toro ake ana | branched out |
i runga | above us |
e hanga ana i tētahi punanga, | creating a secluded area, |
e wātea ana he wāhi | leaving just enough room |
e inaina ai mātou i ngā aho o te rā. | for us to soak in the sun’s rays. |
Ko te pō nei te tīmatanga o Matariki, | Tonight is the start of Matariki, |
Te Tau Hou Māori. | The Māori New Year - Te Tau Hou Māori |
He wā e huihui ai tātou ki te whānau me ngā hoa; | A time to gather with our whanau and friends; |
ki te whakaaro ki te wā o uki, | to reflect on the past, |
ki te whakanui i tēnei wā, | to celebrate the present, |
ā ki te whakakaupapa i te āpōpō. | and to plan for the future. |
Ka mātaki mātou i a Koro i a ia e hika ana i te ahi puni, | We watch Koro as he starts building the campfire, |
e whakamahi ana i ngā taitama ki te āwhina i a ia. | getting the young tama to help him. |
Ka noho tonu mātou i raro i te rākau tōtara a Nan ā, | We continue to sit under Nan's tōtara tree and, |
kia rerehu te rā, ā, kia tāia te rangi ki te kahu pango mōnehu | when the sun fades and the sky is painted velvety black |
me ōna whetū pīataata, | with perfectly polished silky stars, |
ka kī mātou; | we say; |
'Tihei Mauri Ora' | ‘Tihei Mauri Ora’ |
Kua tae mai Te Tau Hou Māori. | The Māori new year - Te Tau Hou Māori has arrived. |
Ka meatia mātou e Nan kia ūhia mātou ki te hinu kawakawa; | Nan makes us cover ourselves in kawakawa oil; |
he kakara māori tōna | it has a fresh natural smell |
ā, ka ārai atu i ngā waeroa. | and keeps the mozzies at bay. |
Taro ake e hihī ana, e pakē ana te ahi, ā, | The fire is spitting and crackling in no time and |
ko te kakara o te tēki totetote e rere ana i te hau, | the smell of salty steak wafts through the air |
e whakawaiwai ana i ō mātou waha. | creating pools of saliva in our mouths. |
E auahi ana te rangi - e tiwhaia ana ki te kakara o te kawakawa. | The air smells of smoke - peppered with the subtle scent of kawakawa. |
Ka anga te titiro ki ngā mura wera | We look towards the burning flames |
me te kite i te kanohi memenge o Koro me tōna mingo kata more | and see Koro’s withered face and toothless grin |
e teretere ana ki a mātou mā te aho rehurehu | flickering at us through the dim light |
i a ia e kōrero ana ki ngā taitamariki mō te āhua | as he tells stories to the young tamariki about how |
o te patunga o te rā e Māui. | Maui slayed the sun. |
Kāti, ka tōaitia e Nana tana kīanga ā-tau; | Meanwhile Nan repeats her yearly quote; |
'Koinei te painga nui katoa o te noho hei Māori; | ‘It’s our greatest advantage as Māori; |
ka riro ko ngā whetū hei tiaki i a tātou.' | having the stars to look out for us.’ |
Ko te manako ka tiakina hoki a Nan. | I hope they look out for Nan. |
Ko ngā whetū o tātou tīpuna. | The stars are our tīpuna, our ancestors. |
Ka piri a Nan ki ō tātou | Nan will be with our |
Whetū Atua; | Whetu Atua; our star gods |
ngā atua o te rangi i runga, | our gods of the realm above, |
me te ao i raro. | and the world below. |
He wā anō ka tae atu ia | She will be there in her own time, |
ki a rātou, tāna kōrero mai; | she tells us; |
'Kia karanga mai ō tātou Whetū Atua ki ahau, ka tika anō taua wā.' | ‘When our Whetu Atua call on me, the time will be right.’ |
I tērā, | With that, |
ka mātaki mātou i a Koro me te kore o tana kata e paheke, | we watch as Koro’s grin doesn’t falter, |
me ngā karu o Nan e muramura ana, ko te rite ki te korōria o ngā whetū. | and Nan’s eyes sparkle as they mirror the glory of the stars. |
Nā, ka tīmata tātou katoa ki te rerehu atu | So we all begin to seep in |
ki te pōuritanga o te pō. | to the black of the night. |
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