Kapi ai e te kupu tuna ngā tuna wai māori, ā, hei ētahi wā karangatia ai te ngōiro (conger eel) me ētahi atu ika moana ka rite te āhua, he tuna.
He tino kai nā te Māori te tuna wai māori– tae atu ki te piharau (lamprey).
Te pūtake o te tuna
He maha ngā kōrero mō te tuna.
Puna-kauariki
Tērā te kōrero mō Puna-kauariki. He puna tēnei kei te tihi o ngā rangi tūhāhā. Ko ngā kāhui ika o roto ko Para, ko Ngōiro, ko Tuna, ko Tuere. Ka maroke te wai i te rangi, ka heke iho te kāhui nei ki a Papatūānuku. Ko Tuna ka noho ki te wai māori, ko Para, ko Ngōiro, ko Tuere ka puta ki te moana nui.
A Māui rāua ko Tuna
Tērā anō te kōrero mō te tipua rā a Tuna, nāna ngā wāhine a Māui i whakamataku. Hei utu ka tapahia a Tuna e Māui kia rua ngā wāhanga; ko tētahi wāhanga o te tinana o Tuna ka rere ki te moana ka huri hei ngōiro, ko tētahi wāhanga o tōna tinana ka rere ki ngā awa ka huri hei tuna wai māori.
Tuna wai māori
E rua ngā momo tuna wai māori ki Aotearoa, arā:
- te tuna hiku roa (Anguilla dieffenbachia). He roa te taramutu, ko ngā awa me ngā kōawa o te tuawhenua o Aotearoa te kāinga ake.
- te tuna hiku poto (Anguilla australis). He poto te taramutu o te tuna hiku poto. Kāore e tawhiti atu tana noho i te moana.
Neke atu i te 100 ngā ingoa kei ngā iwi mō ngā momo tuna wai māori, wehea ai i runga i te tae me te nui o tēnā tuna, o tēnā tuna.
Ngōiro
Ko conger eel (Conger verrauxi) te kupu Pākehā mō te ngōiro (kōiro ki Te Wai Pounamu). He tuna wai tai tēnei, neke atu i te 1.8 mita te roa. Hopukina ai te ngōiro mā te tautau noke.
Tuere
Ko ‘hagfish’ te ingoa Pākehā mō te tuere (Eptatretus cirrhatus), te napia rānei. I ētahi wā ka karangatia ai te tuere ko te tuna pura, kāore hoki ōna karu, ko te tuna hūpē rānei, nā tana whakapūrikoriko i tōna tinana ina whakaekea ai. Ehara te tuere i te tuna, i te ika tūturu rānei, nā te mea kāore ōna tuaiwi. Neke atu i te kotahi mita te roa o te tuere, ka mutu he reka hei kai engari me tango te hūpē i te tuatahi.
Para
Ko te ‘frostfish’ te ingoa Pākehā mō te para (Lepidopus caudatus). Kei waenganui i te 1 ki te 1.5 mita te roa o te para. He rite tōna āhua ki te tuna, heoi, he hiriwa te tae, he unahi. He ika wai tai. Hei ngā rā hauhunga ka pae te mahi a te para ki uta – koinei te take kīia ai e te Pākehā ko te frostfish. Pakipaki ana ngā ngutu o te tangata i te reka o tēnei ika.
Piharau
He pūrikoriko te piharau (Geotria australis). Tōna rite ki te tuna, heoi, kāore he poroiwi. Arā anō ōna ingoa, te korokoro, te kanakana rānei. Pērā ki te tuna, ka noho te piharau mō tētahi wā ki te wai māori, mō tētahi wā ki te wai tai. Hei mua i te mate wawenga, ka whakawhānau te piharau ki roto awa.
