P U R U T I A TŌ M A NA
Purutia tō mana
We are building up a kete of waiata that are specific to the whānau of Wakatū. One of these is ‘Purutia tō mana’, a ngeri composed by Jamie Tuuta.
Ngeri nā Jamie Tuuta, i whakahī mai i ngā kōrero
‘Purutia tō mana’ is an exhortation, encouraging
i kohia i te wānanga mutunga o Rākau Pakiaka i
people to stand strong in their place and in
tū i te marae o Onetāhua i te tau 2018.
themselves. The introductory lines “E kore au e ngaro, ko te uri anō au o ngā hekenga”, translated
E kore au e ngaro, ko te uri anō au o ngā hekenga,
as “I am never lost, I am a descendent of the heke”,
arā, whākina, whākina, whākina mai rā
are inspired by the whakataukī “E kore au e ngaro, he kākano i ruia mai i rangiātea”.
He ao kei runga He au kei raro
The first half of the ngeri is symbolic of the journey
He tai timu
of our tūpuna to Te Tauihu. There is reference to
He tai pari
the movement of the clouds in the sky, the currents
He tai tangata
across the water, the movement of the sea, and
Ka tau e
the waves of migration that brought our ancestors
Ka tau e
to Te Tauihu. The second half reflects settlement,
Ka tau ki te ihu o te waka a Māui e takoto nei
specifically in Te Tauihu. It calls on people to hold
E te iwi e purutia tō mana, kia mau, kia ita
fast to their mana, hold fast to place, now and into
Aha ita, ita
the future.
Mau tonu e! It reflects a sense of place, the strength of our A ngeri is a type of haka, usually performed without
tūpuna, and the strength of our connection here.
weapons and without set movements, with each individual able to place their own meaning or
Listen to a recording of Purutia tō mana at
emphasis on the words. A ngeri can also be a call to
www.wakatu.org/ngeri
action, an expression of solidarity, or be focused on a particular kaupapa. ‘Purutia tō mana’ came out of Te Rākau Pakiaka, the wānanga whakapapa that Wakatū has been facilitating since 2018. Jamie Tuuta was one of the presenters at the wānanga held at Onetāhua Marae, and as part of his session, he facilitated a discussion with the participants about how the whānau of Wakatū connect to this particular place, here in Te Tauihu. ‘Purutia tō mana’ distils the themes from that discussion. Mārahau sunrise. Photo: Naomi Āporo
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