He tōtara tēnei. Kei te rīpene kōrero he whakamārama mō te whakataukī, ‘Kua hinga te tōtara o Te Waonui a Tāne’.
Tuhinga
Kua hinga te tōtara o Te Waonui o Tāne and what are we saying in fact? And why? Because a tōtara is part of that forest and it is significant not only for its physical appearance, but what it provided for man's use. So the mere fact of using the tōtara in symbolising the magnificence of the tree, but also it signifies magnificence of man himself. So when you say kua hinga te tōtara o Te Waonui o Tāne, then you understand straight away that that person that has died is a man the very high standing in the community.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Reference: 10049966
by B. Smith
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