Kōrero: Tangihanga

Whārangi 5. Tangihanga i ēnei rā

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te wāhi ki te tūpāpaku

He rite tonu te noho tuwhera o te kāwhena. Ka haere tonu ngā poroporoaki ki te tūpāpaku, anō nei kei te ora tonu. E whakapono ana hoki ka noho te wairua ki te tinana mō tētahi wā.

Mā te kawa o te marae e whakatau ki hea te wharemate (te whare tauā, whare pōtae rānei – te kāwhena). I ēnei rā kua whirinaki rānei ki te taha o te wharenui, ki raro rānei i te matapihi, ki roto i te whare, ki raro i te pou tūārongo, ki te poupou tuatoru rānei o te tara whānui o te whare.

Whānau pani

Kua rerekē anō te wāhi ki te whānau pani (te kura mate, te kura tuohu rānei). Kua whakamāmāhia ngā tikanga ki te nohopuku me te korekai. Kei ngā wāhi maha kua tiaki rā anō te whānau pani kia tō te rā, kia hauraro rā anō te haki o te marae. Heoi tonu, kia noho tonu tētahi i te tūpāpaku i ngā wā katoa.

Ko roimata, ko hupe

He tikanga whakamahea te tangihanga mō te Māori, ā, e toru rangi te roanga. I ō mua wā ka roa ake i te whai mana o te tūpāpaku me te whai wā o te whānau pani kei tawhiti kia tae ake. He mea tautoko tonu te whakaputa mamae. ‘Kāore te Māori i tāpoko i ōna mamae. He mea tautoko kē ngā tāngata katoa kia whakaputa i ō rātou mamae.’1

Te takotoranga tūpāpaku

I te wā o te tangihanga, ka āhei tētahi tira ki te tono kia takoto te tūpāpaku ki runga i tētahi atu marae, te tono rānei mō tētahi kawe mate ki tō rātou marae. Inā rīriri mō te wāhi takotoranga, te wāhi nehu rānei, kua tirohia tērā hei tohu whai mana kē mō te tūpāpaku. I ētahi wā ka rangirua tēnei tikanga ki tauiwi inā moe Pākehā kē te tangata i mate.

Ngā panonitanga tangihanga

He pēnei i ētahi atu tikanga Māori kua pāngia hoki te tikanga o te tangihanga e ngā panonitanga hangarau me te pānga ki te ao Pākehā. Nō te maunutanga mai i ngā marae ki ngā taone, ka pā te raru ki hea tangihia ai. Nā reira ka whakamahia tonutia ngā kāinga hei wāhi tangihanga. Kua tahuri ngā uri e noho manene ana i te wā kāinga ki te kimi huarahi hou hei tangi tūpāpaku.

Ngā whakaaro mō te tangihanga

Hāunga tonu ngā rerekētanga, ko te tangihanga te tikanga Māori e kaha rawa tōna rite ki tōna āhua ake i mua i te taenga mai o te Pākehā. Nā runga hoki i tēnei take, ko te tangihanga te huihuinga nui rawa a te Māori. Nā whai anō i kī ake te kaumātua a Tīmoti Kāretu, ‘Ki te wareware i a tātau tēnei tikanga a tātau, arā te tangi ki ō tātau tūpāpaku, kātahi tō tātau Māoritanga ka ngaro atu i te mata o te whenua ki te Pō, oti atu.’

Kupu tāpiri
  1. Rawinia Higgins me John Moorfield, ‘Tangihanga – death customs.’ Kei Ki te whaiao: an introduction to Māori culture and society. Ētita Tānia M. Ka'ai mā. Tāmaki-makau-rau: Pearson Longman, 2003, wh. 88. Back
Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Rawinia Higgins, 'Tangihanga - Tangihanga i ēnei rā', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/tangihanga/page-5 (accessed 24 April 2024)

He kōrero nā Rawinia Higgins, i tāngia i te 5 May 2011