Waitangi day 2010
Waka Wananga for Mihaka family
4 weeks ago I thought I would send out a call for my family Mihaka to return homw to our local Marae for a Waka Wananga. Learn traditional Maori canoe customs and traditions leading up to New Zealands national day Waitangi. The plan was to celebrate the 70th year since the launching of the Ngapuhi Waka taua Nga Tokimatawhaorua. What a fantastic event this turned out to be. My family came from all over New Zealand and we ended up with nearly 40 of us including freinds paddling our double hull Taiamai Waka "Mahanga" on the 6th of Feb. You can view us practicing our Waka manouvres on YOUTUBE at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nLEHoPYPQI
Benefits
One of the benefits of this 4 Day Waka Wananga was that it brought members of my family together for a reason other than a Tangi or unveiling. We came together to learn about each other, to learn from each other and more importantly to explore the opportunity of our family perhaps getting together more often to reconnect broken family links from over 100 years of fragmentation caused by colonization and the urban migration to the cities in search of a better future. All of the family were absolutely blown away with the teachings and learnings they learnt during the weekend wananga. For some of our family it was a first time experience on the Marae with customs, traditions, histories, geneologies, waiata, haka and chants learnt through out the Wananga.
Waitangi Day
It was fantastic to see the 4 gnerations of Mihaka family on the Waka on Waitangi day. There we were out amongst all the Waka Taua of Northland with both Ngatokimatawhaorua Waka and a flotilla of other Waka also participating. All in all there were somewhere up to 20 + Waka involved in the Waitangi day event. For all of my family this was the a life changing experience and something never to be forgotten, always remembered.
Next Waitangi 2010
As a result of this Wananga our family are now setting up a family trust and we are looking at having up to 3 more weekend long Wananga this year so we can learn more waiata, haka, Waka tikanga and basically for whanaungatanga. We are using the Waka to bring and pull our family together and what a great kaupapa it is. Our plan at the next Waka wananga is to hoe the Kerikeri inlet and estuaries.
Special Thanks.
A special thanks goes out to Vinnie Ibanez of the Pechanga tribe from Los Angeles for being there. To Billy Tangaere of www.tewero.com for his imput and keeping the family full of laughter through out the wananga and also for his super efforts in supporting the Kaupapa. Orsum Billy, Nga mihi kia koe e kara. Mehe mea ka tutahi taki te kakaka re whe ka whati, mehemea ka whakapupungia, e kore e whati. A huge thanks to all the other whanau members who supported this Kaupapa whakahirahira. Mauri ora! I will always be grateful to my Waka, Mahanga, Te Arawai and of course my double hull Waka "Mahanga" for the contribution and power they have exhibited in pulling my family together. Nga Mihi kia koutou e nga Waka. Ko koutou i whakapiri, e whakakotahi nei toku whanau Mihaka. Tena koutou mo tenei huarahi e whakaritengia e koutou mo toku hapu mo toku whanau. E kore e waikurangia te mahara mo tou mahi tu whakahirahira. Mauri ora. The photo here was taken when my whanau were coming in to Maire Tahi to land on its beach and perform Haka. Orsummmmmm........
