New edition of marae pukapuka honours wishes of late Kaumatua Kukupa Tirikatene
Te Tari Mātauranga Māori at MIT has a second edition of Ngā Kete Wānanga, on Te Kete Uruuru Matua, the wharenui of the Institute’s marae in Ōtara.
Originally published in 1999 to celebrate the opening of the marae, it was written by Master Carver Pakaariki Harrison and Peter Boyd, Māori Art Programme Tutor. The pukapuka presents Te Kete Uruuru Matua as a manifestation of Te Ao Māori, an experience with a tupuna.
In 2014, Kukupa Tirikatene expressed his interest in seeing the publication expanded on.
“We are delighted to be able to fulfil the wishes of the late Papa Kū to give new life to this material so our students, staff and community can enjoy a deeper connection to the wharenui as the gateway to campus life and mātauranga Māori,” says Pou Hautu – Māori Co-Leader of MIT and Unitec, Keith Ikin (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Apakura)
The new edition includes additional translations of karakia, waiata, whakatauki, kōrero and whaikōrero, following the conceptual approach of the wharenui as a tupuna. This is further supported by the inclusion of the essay, A Paradigm of the Māori View of Reality by the late Professor Ranginui Walker.
“We give thanks for the foresight of those who campaigned for a marae to be established at MIT, the artisans who used their skills to make our wharenui a reality and kaimahi who have kept the knowledge of its stories close for all these years,” says Chief Executive of MIT and Unitec, Gus Gilmore.
“The new edition does much to preserve and advance the mātauranga held by Ngā Kete Wānanga and Te Kete Uruuru Matua for future generations,” he says.
Ngā Kete Wānanga has been published with the support of MIT’s Strategic Research Fund.