Matariki the Saviour / KO TE KAIWHAKAORA A MATARIKI
The story of Māui and his brothers capturing the sun is a well known Pūrākau throughout Aotearoa. Fed up with watching Tamanui-Te-Rā race through the sky, leaving the world in darkness with no time to finish their chores and eat their meals, māui and his brothers set out to find Te Rā and teach him a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget. They found their prey, and using magic flax ropes they had woven and blessed by karakia and calabashes of water they had collected, they were able to capture the sun. Using his magic jawbone, Māui beat Tamanui-Te-Rā mercilessly. “Why are you doing this to me?” Cried the sun, “From now on, you will travel slowly across the sky and never again will you dictate the length of our days. You are at our mercy” Māui cried triumphantly.
Bloodied and bruised, Tamanui-Te-Rā had no choice but to comply, he had not the strength or the willpower to do anything more. For the punishment of Māui had left its mark and a painful shame filled his being. He could not bear the thought that he had been bested by Māui and his brothers. He could barely bring himself to show face to the world and his painful wounds left him exhausted. Each day it grew harder to leave his resting place in the West, the dark place beneath the horizon. What Māui had done had the opposite effect. Slowly, but surely, the nights grew longer and the days even shorter and thus Takarua; Winter, was born into the world. The days grew hard and the nights grew deadly. The crops began to fail and the weak began to fall. Death and darkness lingered.
From their perch in the heavens, Matariki and her daughters looked down to Papatūānuku, and grew concerned for her and her children. They grew concerned for Tamanui-Te-Rā, for they were whanaunga; like family, all were heavenly bodies of Te Ahaaha O Te Rangi (immensity of Heaven). They were sad for their kin, they saw his pain and his shame and it brought an ache to their hearts to see him brought so low.
They journeyed to the Eastern sky, and nestled themselves above the horizon and the rising place of Tamanui-Te-Rā. They called down to their kin, singing songs and karakia of solace, healing, and aroha. The stars spilled heavenly water down onto the sun, healing his wounds and granting him strength. They sung to urge him to remember who he was. Matariki and her children glimmered with aroha and starlight, to restore their kinsman with love and light.
And slowly, little by little, Tamanui-Te-Rā was restored. As he healed his journey was made easier and swifter. In turn he brought the world from the clutches of winter, from darkness and despair, and the world flourished once more. Tamanui-Te-Rā was careful to take his time during his journey, for after experiencing the wonderous light of Matariki and her children, he now saw how his own light was vital to those below.
Aroha mai, Aroha atu
2 comments
Love this Pūrākau and how it ties into the designs!
Love this Pūrākau and how it ties into the designs!