Ngā kōrero ā-iwi
Kua roa nei te Māori e mārama ana ki ngā tohorā. Whāia, he nui ngā kōrero mō te tohorā atu i te mahi kai me te hanga rākau. Arā, he tipua takitaki ngā momo tohorā nō ngā waka i heke mai ki Aotearoa. Kei roto i ngā kōrero tuku iho, whakairo, reo me ngā ingoa wāhi te hononga o te tangata ki te tohorā. He maha ngā mātauranga ā-iwi e pā ana ki te tohorā.
Ngā ingoa tohorā
Kei ia iwi ōna ake ingoa mō ngā tūmomo tohorā. Ko tētahi o ōna ingoa tawhito ko te ‘ika moana’. Arā anō te karangatanga ingoa mō ngā kāhui tohorā, arā ‘te whānau puha’. Ahakoa ko te tohorā (tohoraha rānei) te ingoa mō ngā momo katoa, ki ētahi iwi ka pā anake te ingoa nei ki te southern right whale. Ētahi atu momo:
- hakurā, iheihe rānei – scamperdown whale
- miha pakake – whale calf
- paikea – te southern humpback whale , tētahi momo rānei he mā te puku
- pakake – minke whale
- parāoa – sperm whale
- ūpokohue – blackfish, te pilot whale rānei.
Ko ētahi o ngā ingoa mō ngā tohorā me ngā kāhui ko Tūtarakauika, ko te Kauika tangaroa, ko te Wehengakāuki, ko Ruamano, ko Taniwha me Tū-te-raki-hau-noa.
Te pūtakenga mai o te tohorā
He maha ngā kōrero ā-iwi mō te takenga mai o ngā tohorā. Ki ētahi ka ahu mai ngā tohorā i te atua o te moana i a Tangaroa; ko Te Pūwhakahara, Takaaho me Tinirau ētahi o ngā tīpuna nui o te ika. Arā anō te kōrero, ko Te Hāpuku te tipuna o ngā tohorā, aihe, kēkeno tae atu ki ‘ngā ika ō te ngāhere’, - arā ngā rarauhe.
Ka whakatauira ake te kōrero mō te tohorā me te kauri i te āhua ō tō rāua noho ki roto i te ao tūroa. Ka tono a Tohorā ki a Kauri kia noho ki te moana, engari he pai ake te whenua ki a kauri. Ka mea anō a Tohorā, me hoki rāua, engari ka whakahē a Kauri, i runga i tōna whai pakiaka ki te whenua. Koinei i rite ai te kiri o te Kauri ki te Tohorā. Koinei hoki e mōmona ana te tohorā i te hinu, me te Kauri i te kāpia.
Te whakairo pakake
He whānui te momo whakairo a te pakake ki ngā maihi o ngā whare whakairo, pātaka hoki puta noa i te motu. He whakapono nā ētahi e kōrero ana tēnei tūmomo whakairo mō te patunga o te ika mōkai a Tinirau.
Ka haere te tohunga a Kae kia kite i te rangatira nui a Tinirau. Nō tana hokinga, ka tono a ia mō te mōkai pakake a Tinirau hei whakahoki i a ia. Nō te taenga atu ki tōna kāinga, ka paea e ia tērā tohorā ki uta, ā, mate rawa; ka taona ki te ahi me ētahi rākau koromiko. Nō te rangona o Tinirau i te matenga o tōna mōkai, ka patua e ia a Kae. Whai muri ka waihangatia e Kae he whare hei whakamaumahara ki tōna mahi taurekareka. Kei runga i tētahi maihi ka whakairotia te tōiatanga o Tutunui ki uta. Ki runga i tētahi atu ka whakaarihia te tunu te ika. Ko ngā kōiwi ka whakairia e Tinirau ki roto i te whare ki runga hoki i ngā heke. Hangaa te whare o Tinirau hei maharatanga ki tōna tohorā.
