Keep the Home Fires Burning

We’re all in lockdown!  Our lives have been turned upside down!  But most of us nailed it from day 1!  Stay at home under lockdown for one month and reduce the spread of COVID 19 was the message from our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.  But her message for kiwis to stay at home was underpinned by one of the oldest traditions handed down by our tupuna, stay home and keep the home fires burning, “tahuna, kia ngiha te ahi”.  As a mother, a young woman and as one of the youngest prime ministers living, at 39 years of age, Jacinda Ardern motivated the entire country to stay home.

The lights went on in every house as whānau sparked up the home fires to keep them burning for at least one month.  Our home fires have shone a universal light on an enemy we can’t see.  The home fires have sparked unity for those in self-isolation.  They have drawn us together in the belief that social distancing will now save lives.  The home fires have ignited the belief in putting a rāhui around our homes.  Keeping the home fires burning has become the common denominator for all houses in Aotearoa to shine a light on the weeks ahead so we all know why we’re doing this and where we’re heading.  In today’s COVID 19 climate, it has become the rallying cry for the whole of Aotearoa as we remain in lockdown and fight the spread of this disease.

For Ngāti Hikairo, the home fires have been burning at Waipapa for generations.  It’s the same fire and rallying call that brings us all home year after year to our annual poukai. 

I want to take time to look back a couple of weeks at our own marae leadership during the poukai.  I wasn’t there.  I was at home recuperating from revision hip surgery.  But I heard the kōrero.  Our men and women took hold of the poukai reins and gave the horse a good shake.  Our poukai committee was slim in numbers along with our marae committee.  But this is when leadership rises to the fore and everyone jumps in to pitch a hand to keep the home fires burning.  This isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last time we hear the rallying cry to step up. But when it happens, like our prime minister we must acknowledge those leadership qualities our people have to stoke the fire.

Many have spoken to me about the leadership in the kitchen this year and how our women stepped up to the mark and created a beautiful presentation of kai for our manuwhiri.  Behind them in full support as always were our men.  Everyone deserves to be praised for their leadership skills because behind the kāuta and the pae was a skeleton crew on toilet duties all day to ensure the drains didn’t block up.  Our infrastructure is in dire need.  We’ve always had a crew on toilets over the years at poukai time in case the toilets blocked up.  This year we had back up with portaloos but it’s time for an infrastructure rebuild and our marae trustees are working on it as I write.    

I saw pictures on Facebook of the wharekai and what happens when the ringawera spark up the fires. The tables were simply elegant, and the kai was beautiful.  Now that’s the Waipapa poukai, I remember as a child, the tables were dressed and laden with kai.  The hangi was sweet.  And while facilities have dramatically changed over the years, I heard the same praise this year - the kai was sweet!

I saw this very image growing up as a child.  My grandfather in his time led Waipapa from the back of  the old kitchen feeding the manuwhiri with hangi sliced to perfection. As it is today, the hangi was cooked in the ground on stones held over the generations that kept the home fires alight. 

As the fires burned to heat the stones, my aunties were on toilet duties keeping our toilets spotless.  That’s who we are and that’s who I am.  We lead from the back from the ahikā and keep the fires burning.  And those skills of leadership rise in the smoke from the ahikā and weave their way to our paepae.  Our leaders are front and back of stage. 

The paepae welcomed our manuwhiri amidst karanga and waiata and got our guests to the wharekai right on 12:30pm.  After lunch I heard the meet and greet with the King was a memorable moment for our people as the pae entertained our guests on the marae.  The King was happy and stood to say so and then returned that evening for dinner.  The fire was still burning.  Again, I heard compliments about the kai. 

These are your accolades Ngāti Hikairo, to each and every one of you who made it happen front and back of stage, this is a huge mihi to you all.  And thank you for the livestreams that included those of us who couldn’t attend but felt like we were connected to the poukai and our home fires.

The whakataukī that springs to mind while I think of it is well known throughout the country, but it illustrates the achievement when front and back of stage are in sync.  

Te amorangi ki mua, te hapai o ki muri

This is a reference to marae protocol where the kaikaranga, the kaikōrero and kaiwaiata are all at the front of the meeting house and the kaimahi and ringawera are at the back making sure everything is prepared so the guests are watered and fed well. Both areas of leadership are equally important.  They are like the yin and yang of Chinese tradition for without one, everything would fail.

Our leadership is further synchronised to the rhythm of the tide that comes into the harbour every day and goes out again.

“Tai timu, tai pari, taihoa e haere, kia mutu taku riringi roimata e!” 

Among other songs, these are the words I heard the old people singing at Maketū and Waipapa because my grandparents worked at both poukai marae in their time and would celebrate the event once the manuwhiri had been fed and put to bed.

“Wait for the ebbing tide they’d sing

As the tide comes in, the tide goes out

Wait until I have finished crying and the last tear drop has fallen.”

While they celebrated after the poukai, they were also singing in memory of those who had passed on because they’d all stoked the very same fire that kept the ahikā alight. 

Two of our former chairs of the Waipapa Marae Trust who made huge contributions to this process sadly left us last year.  During their time both kept our home fires burning for many years.  Uncle Kīngi and Meto both led from the pae, the oratory bench.  Together, their legacy in leadership spanned a whole century of dedicated service to our people.

Their leadership qualities will be forever carved into the annals of tribal history because both served as our representatives in the tribal parliament, Te Kauhanganui.  In fact Uncle Kīngi also chaired Te Arataura, the governance arm of the Kauhanganui.   

This is our eulogy to their legacy and their leadership.

E taku matua e Kīngi kōrua ko te tuakana e Meto

Te taurima o ngā tikanga o te iwi

Mā wai e kōrero?

E te matua, e Kīngi, ko te huringa o te tau e haere ake nei

Ko te huringa o te tau kua pahemo ake i te pō e Meto

Hoki mai rā kōrua,

Hoki wairua mai ki tōu marae,

Hoki wairua mai rā ki o tupuna whare,

Nā kōrua tonu i whakairo ki te kupu

Oti rā, hoki wairua mai rā ki Te Maru o Hikairo

Nā kōrua tonu tōna moemoeā i hopu

Hoki mai, haere atu rā

Hoki atu ki te pae o maumahara

Moe ma i te whare okioki o Hinenuitepō

Paimārire!

We will always remember those who kept the home fires burning for us.

Our thoughts go out to everyone who has been affected by the impact of COVID-19. 

These are uncertain and unprecedented times. 

Stay home and keep the home fires burning New Zealand and keep shining that light on the spread of this pandemic.

Kia haumaru te noho,                                Be safe

Kia ngākau māhaki tētehi ki tētehi           Be kind to each other

#homefires by Hone Edwards #mybubble #covid19 #poukai #eulogy