Te Kura Huna o Te Urewera (The Hidden Treasure of Te Urewera) speaks to the revival and intergenerational transfer of Tuawhenua kawa (protocols and etiquette), tikanga (procedures and guidelines) and mātauranga (traditional knowledge) as it relates to the kererū or New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae), which is recognised by Tūhoe as a manu rangatira (chiefly bird species).
Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research researchers Phil Lyver and Puke Timoti, together with the Tūhoe Tuawhenua Trust, worked closely over several years with the Ruatāhuna community to explore Tuawhenua’s relationship with the kererū and Te Urewera. They interviewed more than 60 kaumātua and community members over that time.
Part Two - Te Kura Huna o Te Urewera: He Whenua Kura - explores the genealogical connection, purpose and cultural expressions about Tuawhenua’s unique relationship to the kererū.
“We can use the information captured through kōrero-a-waha (spoken knowledge fixed to memory, the art of remembering, portraying or delivering knowledge), and the many kaiwaka (portrayal of knowledge through mediums such as waiata and mōteatea) that support the ahurea (cultural expressions) of the people necessary to transfer those learnings to future generations,” says Puke.
“At the heart of a Tuawhenua whakatauki (proverb), “Ko te wai te toto o te whenua, ko te whenua te toto o te tangata” (For water is the blood of the land, and the land is the blood of the people) is the description of the reciprocal relationship people have to their land and the responsibilities of preserving it. In turn the land nourishes the community with kai (sustenance), wairua (spirituality), and mātauranga.”
A haunting mōteatea (lament) about the kererū and its connection to mana whenua features at the end of Part Two. It was composed specifically to portray the importance of the bird to Tuawhenua, and to capture and transfer this knowledge to future generations through song.