I takea mai te riri i te orokohanga, arā, i te hononga o Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku. Ko ā rāua tamariki i waenganui i a rāua i roto i te pouri kenekene. Ka toko ake i te atua o te pakanga a Tūmatauenga me patu ngā mātua, engari ko tā ētahi me wehe rā anō rāua. Kātahi ka matika ko Tāne te atua o te ngahere, ā, ka pana, ka whana, ka wehea ko te ao mārama. Nō te wehenga o ngā mātua ka pukuriri a Tāwhirimātea, ā, ka pakanga ki ōna teina me ōna tuākana. Ka toko ake i a ia te āhuatanga o te ‘utu’. Kātahi ka tūmātakitahi a Tūmatauenga rāua ko Tāwhirimātea, engari kore rawa tētahi i hinga i tētahi. Kātahi ka tahuri te aroaro o Tūmatauenga ki te patu i ērā o ōna tuākana kīhai i āwhina i a ia i ngā riri ki a Tāwhirimātea. I ōna mahi ka noho noa ana tuākana. Ko Tāne ka hangaia hei whao, hei waka; ko Tangaroa ka hīia ake hei ika; ko Rongo me Haumia ka hūtia ake hei kai. E kīa ana koinei te pūtakenga mai o te kaitangata.
He nui ngā ingoa o Tū ara:
Atu i a Tūmatauenga ko Kahukura, ko Uenuku tonu rā ētahi o ngā atua whai pānga ki te pakanga me te āniwaniwa. He atua rongonui a Maru nō Taranaki. E kī ana te kōrero i mauria mai a Maru e Turi ki runga o Aotea.
Ko te kawenga a ngā tohunga he tohi i ngā tamatāne o te pā ki te atua ki a Tūmatauenga. Ko ngā tohunga anō ngā kauwaka atua i roto i ngā pakanga. Inā te tauira ko te tohunga a Ngāi Tūhoe i a Ūhia. Ko Ūhia te kauwaka o te atua a Hope-motu, nō muri ka mōhiotia ko Te Rehu-o-Tainui. Koia te atua riri i kawea e Tūhoe ki te mura o te ahi.
He take mahi, he take ahurea hoki i pakanga ai ngā iwi. Ko ētahi take mahi ko te pupū ake o te taupori, tae atu ki ngā pakanga mahinga kai me ngā pātaka kai. Ko ētahi take ahurea ka hono ki ngā āria o te mana me te utu, ā, ka taututetute ngā iwi ki te mana o te iwi me ā rātou rangatira. Ka mutu ko te whai utu, ko te rānaki mate hoki tētahi take nui o ngā pakanga. Inā te kōrero e pā ana ki te pakanga, ‘He wahine, whenua, e ngaro ai te tangata’.
E whakaaro ana nō te rautau 1500 ka tīmata te hanga o ngā pā ki Aotearoa. Kei ngā manomano nei te huhua o ngā pā e hora ana ki ngā pae whenua o te motu. Otirā e 98 ōrau e takoto ana kei ngā one haumako e rite ai mō te whakatipu i ngā māra kai a ngā iwi o Kiwa. Kei roto anō i ngā pā ko ngā whata me ngā pātaka kai hei pupuri i ngā kai o te hauhake.
He mea nui rawa kia manaakitia te mana o te iwi. Ki te hinga te hoariri, ka tipu te mana o te iwi me ngā rangatira tonu o te iwi. Engari ka mimiti anō te mana i te mahi tāunu, hahani, whānako, kōhuru, tūkino me te mahi pūremu. Mā te utu rā anō ērā mamae e ea.
Kia mutu te pakanga me hohou te rongo. Ko te whakapākūhā tētahi āhuatanga i mau ai te rongo. E ai ki te kaumātua o Ngāti Porou a Tuta Nihoniho:
Ki te houhia e te tane te rongo o te whawhai, e kore e mau, ka kīia tērā he rongo tama-tane, he atua, he taitāhae. Engari ka riro mā te wahine e hohou te rongo, ka kīia tera he rongo tama-wahine, ka mau te rongo, he rongo taketake.
Ko te tatau pounamu ko te rongo mutunga kore. Mā tēnei tatau ka tuwhera te ara o Rongo ki ngā uri o ngā rohe iwi e rua. Ko te tohu o te rongomau ko te pounamu, ā, he wā kua kohaina te pounamu a tētahi ki tētahi hei tohu i te rongo.
Kei roto i te whakataukī nei e whakahua ana te whai hiranga o te wahine me te pounamu i te hohoutanga o te rongo: ‘He whakahohou rongo wahine, he tatau pounamu’.
I tatū te rongomau ki waenganui i te iwi Moriori o Rēkohu mō ngā whakatipuranga maha te roa. Kātahi te rangatira o te iwi Hāmata, a Nunuku-whenua ka whakakore i te kōhuru me te kaitangata, ā, kia tino korehāhā nei ngā pakanga mō ake tonu atu. Ka mōhiotia tēnei huatau ko te ture o Nunuku. Ko te āhua tonu anō nā te pukahu hoki o ngā kai ki Rēkohu kāore i tahuri anō ki te pakanga.
He mea hanga te rākau Māori kia hāngai ki ngā riri tata. Ina takahia te ara o riri whakanekeneke, ka mauria ko te rākau roa – he taiaha pea, me te rākau poto pērā i te patu. Ko te rākau poto ka puritia ki te tātua. I tua atu i te maro me te tātua, ko te tāpahu, me te pauku hei ārai i ngā reke. Kīhai te Māori i whakamahi nui i ngā peretao. Ko ngā rākau rongonui ka tapaina ki te ingoa, ā, ka whakahekehia ki tēnā whakatipuranga, ki tēnā whakatipuranga.
Ko te taiaha te rākau rongonui a te Māori. He mea whao i te rākau, i te parāoa rānei. Nā tōna hanga kai pōhēhē he tao. Kei tētahi pito ko te ārero hei wero. Ka puta mai te ārero i te ūpoko, whai muri ko te ate kātahi ko te tinana. He mea whakamahi te tinana ki te tīhoka, ki te karo me te āhei.
He rite tōna hanga ki te taiaha engari he koikoi tētahi pito. Ka mutu he whānui ake tōna tinana i tō tērā o te taiaha. Ka whakamahia hoki tēnei rākau ki te wero, ki te karo me te kuru.
He rākau roa anō te tewhatewha. He rite tōna hanga ki te toki kakauroa, ēngari he mea whao mai i te rākau kotahi, i te parāoa rānei. He koi tētahi pito o te rākau, ā, ko tōna rau he rite tonu ki te rau o te toki.
He rākau onge nei te hoeroa kāore i kitea nuitia i tōna hanga mai i te parāoa. Tē mōhiotia i pēhea te whiu i tēnei rākau, engari ākene pea ka herea tētahi pito ki te ringa, kātahi ka whiua.
Ko te roa o te tao kei waenganui i te 1.5 ki te 1.8 mita. Ko te mānuka, ko te akeake rānei te rākau pai mō te hanga tao. Ko ōna whiu he wero, he pare, he kuru hoki. He roa ake te huata, ā, kei te takiwā o te 3.5 me te 4 mita tōna roa. E rua rā anō ngā toa ki te mau, ā,
Ka hangā te patu ki te rākau, ki te kōhatu, ki te pounamu me te parāoa. Ko te rau me te kakau anō ka whakamahia hei hahau, hei te tipi me te pare.
He mea whao te patu ōnewa i te kōhatu ōnewa.
He puiaki whakahirahira tonu te patu pounamu me te mere pounamu. He tohu rangatira te mere pounamu.
He mea whao te patu parāoa i te parāoa tonu.
He momo kotiate te patu. Kei tōna ingoa ko tōna hanga, arā, he ate kua kotia. Ka hangaia mai ēnei i te rākau me te parāoa.
He rerekē te hanga o tēnei patu, inā rā kei roto i tana waha ko te whakairo o tētahi tangata. Ko tōna ingoa ka tauiratia i tōna rite ki te waha o te ika me tētahi matau hī ika.
Ko te ingoa o te ope pakanga he taua. Kei roto i te taua ko ngā toa, ngā rangatira me ngā tohunga. Me he rarahi tonu te ope taua, kua tere mā runga i ngā waka taua ki te pae o te riri. He maha ngā tūmomo taua, pērā i te taua toto, te taua hiku toto, te taua tapu me te taua whawhati rau rākau. He iti ētahi taua, he huhua tonu ētahi taua. Ko te hokowhitu, e 140 toa. Ko te rau mā whitu’, ko te 170, engari ka huaina hoki mō te pahī e 100 ki te 200 tōna rahi. Ko te ‘kotahi rau mā whitu’, ko te ‘kotahi rau hokowhitu’ rānei ka huaina mō te 340, engari kāore e pā noa iho ki taua nui anake.
Ko te tinihanga me te nukarau tētahi rautaki pakanga. Nā te kōpā o ngā kakari, he taonga nui te whakaohomauri i te ito. He mea whakamahi nui te tinihanga me te nukarau i te wā e whakatata ana te ope ki tētahi marae, ki tētahi pā rānei. He rite tonu ngā wā ka huakina te manuhiri, te tangata whenua rānei i te wā o te pōhiri. Nā te hanga pakari o te pā, ka nukarau hei tomo i te pā.
He taonga nui te tohorā i ō mua wā; arā ko tōna kiko hei mīti, ko ōna rei me ōna iwi hei rākau, hei taonga hoki. Nō tētahi rangi ka hangaia te āhua o tētahi tohorā i ngā kahu kurī, kia pōhēhē te pā i runga ake kua pae te tohorā. Kotahi rau ngā toa ka huna ki roto i te tohorā rā. Nō te putanga o te pā ki te tiro i te ika ka whakaekea rātou e te taua. Nāwai ka mōhiotia taua iwi rā ko Ngāti Kurī.
I te Matau-a-Māui ka tohu a Taraia kia tāpapa ōna toa ki te onetai, ā, kia ūhia ki te kahu pango kia pōhēhē mai kua pae te rāngai ūpokohue. I te atatū ka tiro te pā ki te pukahu o te tohora e pae mai ana ki tātahi. Nō te putanga atu ki te tātā i te tohorā ka patupatua rātou e ngā toa o Taraia.
Ko te ingoa ake o Te Aupōuri ko Ngāti Te Awa. Tērā te wā ka awhitia tō rātou pā a Makora. Kātahi ka tahu te pā i te ahi nui, ā, ka pōkia a Whangapē e te auahi pouri. Mā roto i te auahi puta ai te ihu o te iwi rā. Nāwai ka mōhiotia rātou ko Te Aupōuri.
Kāore e ārikarika ngā kupu e pā ana ki te pakanga:
Kia mutu rā anō te hauhake o ngā kai kātahi anō ko ngā marama mō te pakanga. Ka mutu kua makuru te wā, kua whai wā hoki ngā toa. Ko te atatū te tino wā o te rangi ka tukuna te kōkiri.
He wā kua tono te hapū kia haramai tētahi hei uku mō tētahi pakanga. Ko tētahi tikanga ko te whiu i te kara, arā, he rākau, he taonga rānei ki tētahi iwi kiritata kia hono mai ki te pakanga. Ki te whakaaetia aua kara, he tohu whakaae i te tono. Ko te take-kai-kīnaki ka pā ki te taonga o te kai ka tukuna ki iwi kē atu. Ki te kainga aua kai, kua tūhono taua iwi hei haumi.
Ko te tohunga koia te kauwaka o te atua. Koia kei te pānui i ngā tohu me te whakamōhio i ngā rangatira ki ōna kitenga e riro ai te pae o te riri. Ko tētahi anō ō āna kawenga he uhi i te tapu ki runga i ngā toa i te wā kei te pae o te riri.
Ina ka takahia te ara o Tū, me patu te tangata tuatahi ka rokohia mai e te taua. Ka kīia tēnei ika ko te ‘maroro kokoti ihu waka’.
Ko te tangata tuatahi kia patua i tētahi kakari, ka kīia he mataika. He hōnore nui te patunga o te mataika. Ko ētahi anō kupu ōrite ko te mātāngohi me te ika i te ati. Ina ka hinga te tokorua i tētahi tangata ka kīia tērā he ‘ika hui rua’. Ki te patu te tangata i te mataika, kua karanga ia,’kei au te mataika!’. He mea poka tōna manawa hei kai mā te atua. Ka kīia tēnei tikanga ko te whāngai hau.
I mua i te pakanga kua haka. Ko te tino haka ko te peruperu, arā, he haka mau rākau. I muri rā te rangatira e taki ana, e akiaki ana i ōna toa. He rite tonu ka hinga ana ngā kaingārahu i roto i te pakanga, kua ohorere, kua takirere ngā toa. Heoi ko te toa ka noho tonu ahakoa te wera o te ahi, ka kīia he ‘toka tū moana’.
I muri i te pakanga ka whakaraua ngā hoariri tae atu ki ngā tamariki me ngā wāhine. He wā ka kainga ngā tama-ā-hara. He rerekē ngā whakawhiu i te pātata o te whanaungatanga, i te kaha rānei o te riri i waenganui i ngā iwi. I ētahi wā ka whakamoea ngā wāhine ki roto ki te iwi.
Kia hoki rā anō te taua kātahi ka wetekina ngā tapu i runga i a rātou.
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Best. Elsdon. Notes on the art of war: as conducted by the Maori of New Zealand. Tāmaki-makaurau: Reed in Association with the Polynesian Society, 2001.
Haami, Bradford. ‘Māori traditional warfare.’ In The Oxford companion to New Zealand Military History, edited by Ian McGibbon, pp. 303–307: Tāmaki-makaurau: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Vayda, A. P. Maori warfare. Te Whanganui-a-Tara: Reed for the Polynesia Society, 1970.
Walker, Ranginui. Ka whawhai tonu mātou: struggle without end. Tāmaki-makaurau: Penguin, 2004.