He aha tēnei mea te karakia?
Mā te karakia kōrero ai te tangata ki ngā atua. Ki tā Te Rangi Hīroa, ko te karakia ‘a formula of words which was chanted to obtain benefit or avert trouble' (he kupu kōrerotanga i karakiatia hei whiwhi painga, hei turuki whakataha rānei i te raruraru).1 Ehara te karakia i te īnoi, i te whakamoemiti rānei. Ko tētahi momo karakia ko te tūā.
Ko wai te hunga i karakia?
Ko te tohunga te tangata tika hei karakia, ko rātou hoki ngā kauwaka atua. Mā ngā kupu tonu mā te mana hoki o te kaikarakia ka kaha ai te karakia.
Ahatia ko ngā tāngata katoa i karakia – tamariki mai pakeke mai. Ko tētahi karakia poto hei ārai raru ko ‘Turuki, whakataha!’
Ngā momo karakia
He maha ngā tūmomo karakia. Arā atu hoki ko ngā karakia tamariki. He karakia ngāwari tēnei mā te tamariki hei whakataha i te ua:
E rere te kotare
Ki runga i te puwharawhara
Ruru ai ia o parirau
Kei maku o kuao i te ua
Mao, mao te ua.2
Ko te kī tao he momo karakia hei whakamana i te rākau pakanga. Ko te tā kōpito he karakia mō te hunga e pāngia ana e te mate. Ko te tūā moe he karakia mā ngā kaihopu manu hei whakamoe i te tūī. Ko te tūā pana he karakia āwhina i te whakawhānau tamariki. Ko te hoa tapuae he rārangi karakia hei whakahohoro i te haere a te toa.
Anei ētahi whakaotinga karakia:
Tūturu ka whakamaua kia tīna, tīna, haumi ē, hui ē, tāiki ē!
me tēnei:
Whano, whano, hara mai te toki, haumi ē, hui ē, tāiki e!
Ngā tūmomo karakia
Ko ētahi momo karakia ko te:
- ātahu: mō ngā mahi whaiāipo
- hoa: hei wāwāhi kōhatu, hei whakamaroke i te rau rākau, hei patu manu rānei
- hoa tapuae: hei whakahohoro i ngā waewae, hei tāmoe hoki i te hoariri
- hono: hei tūhono i ngā kōiwi whati
- kaha: e whai hua ai te patu manu
- kawa: hei hiki i te tapu o ngā whare hōu
- kī tao: hei whakakaha i te tao – e kīa ana hoki he reo tao
- kī rākau: hei whakakaha i te rākau patu
- ngau paepae: hei kaupare i ngā mākutu ki te ope tauā (whakaariki)
- pou: hei whakatau i te ihomatua i ngā wā akoako
- rāoa: hei whakatuha mai i tētahi mea rāoa
- rotu: hei whakamoe i te moana, i te tangata rānei
- tā kōpito: hei whakaora i ngā mate puku
- tohi: hei whakanoho i te tapu me te mana ki roto ki te tamaiti
- tohi tauā: hei tāuwhiuwhi i te tauā
- tūā: he tohi i te tamaiti whai muri i te motunga o tōna iho
- tūā pā: hei kaupare i te aituā
- whai: hei whakaora taotū, weranga, rāoatanga
- whakanoa: hei whakanoa mā te wete i te tapu.
