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E HOKI KI TŌ MAUNGA The Quintessential Elements of Home A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Waikato By DEBRA JOY TEPORA EMERY The University of Waikato 2008 _________________ Abstract He kāpu puta tahi, he taura whiri tātou; whiringa a nuku, whiringa a rangi, te whatia e Issue of one womb, we are a rope woven of many strands; woven on earth, woven in heaven, it will not break (Rev Māori Marsden, 1992) Ngati Te Takinga is a hapū (sub-tribe) belonging to the Iwi (tribe) Ngati Pikiao. An affiliated member of the Te Arawa confederation of tribes, Ngati Pikiao occupies the Okere and Rotoiti Lakes district of Rotorua in the central North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. This thesis seeks to acknowledge and address the concerns that Ngati Te Takinga has regarding impending cultural discontinuity. The concerns arise due to the hapū’s limited human capability and capacity being the result of three things. Firstly, the ongoing demise of tribal elders (and leaders) and the subsequent loss to the hapū of cultural knowledge, skills, leadership and expertise. Secondly, the low numbers of adept, culturally proficient successors ‘coming through’ (to replace the elders) and finally, the detribalised and diasporic (dispersed) nature of our people. The hapū and the marae Te Takinga (a last outwardly discernible bastion of Ngati Te Takinga cultural identity and distinction) are jeopardised as a result of these phenomenon. This thesis is part of a hapū strategy that attempts to address these problems. Positing the reconnection of our dispersed Ngati Te Takinga ‘away-dwellers’ as a beginning solution, the central questions raised by this thesis are “how [does] Ngati Te Takinga ‘home-dweller’ discourse impact on the ‘coming home’ experiences and ‘reconnection’ of Ngati Te Takinga away-dwellers?” and “what are the [are there] implications for Ngati Te Takinga cultural continuity?” The maintenance of Ngati Te Takinga cultural continuity forms the aho mātua or main thread of this work. Using narrative enquiry as a broad methodological framework, stories were gathered from four different groups of Ngati Te Takinga peoples. The groups were home-dwellers (mana whenua or ahi kaa), te ahi tere (away-dwellers who have returned home to live); te ahi tere (away-dwellers who intend returning in the i future) and te ahi tere (away-dwellers who have no intention of returning home to live). The stories (narratives) investigated notions of home, belongingness and Māori identity in relation to the trichotomy of the connection, disconnection and the reconnection of Ngati Te Takinga peoples; the stories were analysed and co-constructed with participants for meaning. The stories showed that while the hapū aspires to gather up the strengths of a dispersed people to reinvigorate our culture and the marae, existing and competing discourses around authenticity, authority and Ngati Te Takinga identity create a tension between the home (mana whenua/ahi kaa) and away-dwelling Ngati Te Takinga people; including those away-dwellers who have returned. As a basic requirement, this tension must be diminished in order to build the relationships necessary to improve hapū allegiance (whānaungatanga), to build hapū strength and to maintain hapū culture and identity. As a priority, decolonising strategies that facilitate an understanding of diversity, promote participation, maintain tikanga and include our away-dwellers, our ‘returnees’ and/or our disconnected people in our hapū-marae interactions, must be considered, developed, promoted and practiced. ii Acknowledgments Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi Engari he toa takitini…. My strengths are not mine alone, they are the strengths of many This PhD research is the culmination of eighteen years of university study. Throughout these years the ongoing support of my whānau, friends, colleagues and the University of Waikato and staff, has been a major enabling factor in bringing the work to fruition. Special debts of gratitude are owed to many people. To the hapū and Iwi who supported and/or who participated in the project and to Te Runanga o Ngati Pikiao for the provision of a safe harbour throughout the research journey. To Ngā Pae o te Maramatanga for their unfaltering academic support, mentorship and the quiet space at Hopuhopu in which to write, revitalise and to recover. To the Foundation for Research Science and Technology and to the NZ Health Research Council whose financial support provided wings that gave flight to the project, thank you; and to the Ngati Whakaue Education Endowment, the Ngati Pikiao Land Trusts, the University of Waikato and the Massey University Building Research Capability in Social Sciences network who have all contributed generously toward this work, thank you also. Thank you everybody. I thank my supervisors both formal and informal; Russell Bishop, Angus Macfarlane; and Liz McKinley who walked with me in the early stages of the journey. From the hau kainga I thank Pare Aratema for her willingness to read my work and for the enthusiasm she displayed in this undertaking. The feedback I received from Pare was not only useful and motivational but as well, it helped to keep me ‘safe’in the process of gathering and writing oral histories from our hapū. The academic and cultural guidance, support and mentoring I have received from all of these people throughout the long research journey, has been invaluable. In addition, I salute Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga for the annual quiet afforded me in my writing space at Hopuhopu; and Alison Jones whose writing guidance was highly valued. From the sideline, Alison’s words “you can do this” have continually ‘cheered me on’ in my solitary writing ‘race to the pinnacle’ – te tihi o te wānanga Pākeha. iii A very special thank you also goes out to my father Tione Emery, the project kaumātua. Dad’s quiet wisdom, humble ways, dignified manner, spiritual guidance and selflessness have opened doors to the old world that would have otherwise remained closed. His walk beside me during the long journey of this research has been humbling. Ever present, his quiet strength and friendship in what has sometimes been a lonely research-writing world, will always be remembered. It has been an honour and a privilege to have worked with my father and I rejoice that he was here and that we did it together. Writing a PhD with your father and your mother beside you is a truly wonderful experience. And while on the subject of whānau, to my sisters Waitiahoaho, Pania and my sister in law Lee, to my big girl Pareurutira Holli and to my niece Te Rangiamohia for all the childcare support over the past four years, kia ora hoki koutou. My good friends Jill and Heather also deserve a special thank you; for caring and for continually touching base and for helping me when it all felt too hard. For assistance in maintaining motivation and focus, kia ora kōrua. And to my brother-in-law Laurence Tamati, who opened doors and smoothed the pathways that provided access to support mechanisms, a special thank you also. Last but not least, my very special thanks and appreciation go out to Dell, Takiri te Ata and Waiwhakaata. To the whānau members who lost a mother and gained a ‘mad professor-writer’; a recluse who lived on her rorohiko (computer) forgetting sometimes to cook and clean, to change out of her pyjamas, to exercise and to engage in family activities. Thank you for your patience and your aki aki (continuous prompting), for affording me the space to write and for excusing my absence in your times of need. Māmā’s tuhingaroa is done. Kua hoki ahau ki tōku maunga - my ‘schooling’ is over and I am home. iv Table of Contents Section Title Page PART ONE Preamble Ko au ko au: Know then thyself 1 Chapter One E toru ngā whakapapa: Laying the foundations 6 Chapter Two He raruraru kei te haere: Problems down at the pā 19 Chapter Three He anga whakaaro: A framework from the literature 49 Chapter Four Methodology and method 73 PART TWO Preamble Nga tāhuhu kōrero: A hundred years of history 113 Chapter Five Nga reo o te kainga: Voices from home - Te mana 118 whenua ki Mourea Chapter Six Ngā reo o te kainga: Voices from home - Te mana 133 whenua ki Rotorua Chapter Seven Ngā reo o te kainga: Voices from home - Te hunga hoki 170 mai Chapter Eight Ngā reo o te hunga haere: Voices from away 214 PART THREE Preamble Kua rite ki te whāriki: A weaving of themes 239 Chapter Nine He whakawhitiwhiti kōrero: Discussion 242 A summary of research themes Chapter Ten Kei tua: Moving beyond 267 Epilogue Ki te whei ao ki te ao mārama 274 Glossary of Terms Ngā kupu Māori: Māori words and phrases 278 References 281 v E HOKI KI TŌ MAUNGA The Quintessential Elements of Home A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Waikato By DEBRA JOY TEPORA EMERY The University of Waikato 2008 _________________ Abstract He kāpu puta tahi, he taura whiri tātou; whiringa a nuku, whiringa a rangi, te whatia e Issue of one womb, we are a rope woven of many strands; woven on earth, woven in heaven, it will not break (Rev Māori Marsden, 1992) Ngati Te Takinga is a hapū (sub-tribe) belonging to the Iwi (tribe) Ngati Pikiao.