Content notes for "With Dignity and Honor"
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ysabetwordsmithHere are the content notes for "With Dignity and Honor."
"The tā moko is the most precious thing that I have done to my body that I will wear with dignity and honour."
-- Grevis Beard
Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi
With your basket and my basket the people will live
Again referring to co-operation and the combination of resources to get ahead. This proverb can be very useful and is often said.
He waka eke noa
A canoe which we are all in with no exception
We are all in this together. An example of when this can be used perhaps when a group of you are going to the movies but one of them doesn't have any money so wouldn't be able to go along. You can say he waka eke noa, meaning you will pay as you are all in one group and it would not be the same if they were to miss out.
Kua hinga te totara i te wao nui a Tane
The totara has fallen in the forest of Tane
A totara is a huge tree that grows for hundreds of years. For one of them to fall is a great tragedy. This proverb is said when someone of importance passes away. The Totara is a native tree of New Zealand.
Ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi
As a old net withers another is remade
When an elder is no longer fit to lead, a healthier leader will stand in his place.
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga ka ngaro te iwi
Without foresight or vision the people will be lost
Said by Kingi Tawhiao Potatau te Wherwhero, to show the urgency of unification and strong Maori leadership.
Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei
Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain
This whakatauki is about aiming high or for what is truly valuable, but it's real message is to be persistent and don't let obstacles stop you from reaching your goal.
The Maori approach to superpowers was introduced in "Whakaeke."
More about haka mana appears in "The Leaves of the Manuka Tree."
Deirdre was introduced in "Valor's Widow." More of her backstory appears in "The Color of Her Eyes."
In "Confusing to the Ear," Valor's Widow and Granny Whammy talk about outreach.
"Gone the Sun" features the funeral of Granny Whammy and revelation of Valor's Widow as her heir.
Peacemaking
Peacemaking was an important activity for parties in dispute, and women emissaries were often sent to negotiate a truce. Peace mediated by women was known as rongo ā whare. In a letter to Māori newspaper Te Puke ki Hikurangi in 1905, Te Waaka Tamaira noted, ‘i nga wa o mua ... ki te haere te wahine ki te hohou i te Pakanga kia mutu, kore rawa e taea te takahi e tetahi taha, e tetahi taha, tona whakatauaki he rongo taketake e kore e taea te whakahe, ki te takahia kua he’1 (in times past ... if a woman went to mediate a conflict, she would not be touched by either side, for the saying associated with this event was that a lasting peace cannot be undone; if it is, it is an unforgivable transgression).
Moko kauae
Traditionally women who acquired moko kauae (female chin tattoos) received them on the basis of their mana, established through their whakapapa. They were nominated by the hapū to ensure there was a woman of mana to represent them on the marae.
Moko relate to many things including clans and whānau (extended families).
Dominance dynamics govern many relationships. It takes different forms in meerkats, wolves, ponies, chimpanzees, bonobos, humans, and other wildlife. Most dominance fights do not lead to serious injury or death, and most cape fights are dominance fights over things like territory, resources, or authority.
Threat displays typically precede dominance fights, and thus often prevent serious harm. They include things like staring and waving limbs. Some are particular to certain species. Humans use them to manage intertribal violence. The haka began this way, although now it has other cultural purposes such as showing honor.
Mana -- authority, power; secondary meaning: reputation, influence
Wellington (Māori: Te Whanganui-a-Tara) is the capital of New Zealand, at the southwest end of North Island. It is famous for its street food.
Traditional Māori Foods
Pāua (abalone)
Pāua is recognisable for its beautiful blue/green, iridescent shell and thin, black surface covering its creamy-white flesh in its natural state. Pāua is considered taonga (treasure), a gift from the god of the sea. It is highly valued for its firm meaty flesh and savoury, sea flavour. Its shell is used for jewellery and incorporated in traditional Māori carvings, usually to represent the eyes.
Tio (oysters)
Bluff Oysters are a prized delicacy in New Zealand and many of the fishers who catch them have lived on the sea for generations. The season to try these tasty morsels is from March until August.
Kōura
Kōura are freshwater crayfish closer in size to a king prawn than lobster.
Kūtai (green-lipped mussels)
New Zealand Greenshell™ mussels are the ultimate health food. They are a good source of protein and are low in fat and calories. As well as being particularly flavoursome, they are also a very good source of omega-3.
Hāngī
Hāngī, is a feast cooked in an earth oven for several hours. The kai can include chicken, lamb, pork, kai moana (seafood) and vegetables (particularly kūmara or sweet potato) and is placed on top of the stones then topped with dirt to trap the heat.
Rēwena bread
Rēwena paraoa (potato bread) tastes sweet and has a slight sour/tang flavour to it, a result of the long period of fermentation it undergoes. The bread is wonderfully textured and flavoursome.
"The tā moko is the most precious thing that I have done to my body that I will wear with dignity and honour."
-- Grevis Beard
Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi
With your basket and my basket the people will live
Again referring to co-operation and the combination of resources to get ahead. This proverb can be very useful and is often said.
He waka eke noa
A canoe which we are all in with no exception
We are all in this together. An example of when this can be used perhaps when a group of you are going to the movies but one of them doesn't have any money so wouldn't be able to go along. You can say he waka eke noa, meaning you will pay as you are all in one group and it would not be the same if they were to miss out.
Kua hinga te totara i te wao nui a Tane
The totara has fallen in the forest of Tane
A totara is a huge tree that grows for hundreds of years. For one of them to fall is a great tragedy. This proverb is said when someone of importance passes away. The Totara is a native tree of New Zealand.
Ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi
As a old net withers another is remade
When an elder is no longer fit to lead, a healthier leader will stand in his place.
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga ka ngaro te iwi
Without foresight or vision the people will be lost
Said by Kingi Tawhiao Potatau te Wherwhero, to show the urgency of unification and strong Maori leadership.
Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei
Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain
This whakatauki is about aiming high or for what is truly valuable, but it's real message is to be persistent and don't let obstacles stop you from reaching your goal.
The Maori approach to superpowers was introduced in "Whakaeke."
More about haka mana appears in "The Leaves of the Manuka Tree."
Deirdre was introduced in "Valor's Widow." More of her backstory appears in "The Color of Her Eyes."
In "Confusing to the Ear," Valor's Widow and Granny Whammy talk about outreach.
"Gone the Sun" features the funeral of Granny Whammy and revelation of Valor's Widow as her heir.
Peacemaking
Peacemaking was an important activity for parties in dispute, and women emissaries were often sent to negotiate a truce. Peace mediated by women was known as rongo ā whare. In a letter to Māori newspaper Te Puke ki Hikurangi in 1905, Te Waaka Tamaira noted, ‘i nga wa o mua ... ki te haere te wahine ki te hohou i te Pakanga kia mutu, kore rawa e taea te takahi e tetahi taha, e tetahi taha, tona whakatauaki he rongo taketake e kore e taea te whakahe, ki te takahia kua he’1 (in times past ... if a woman went to mediate a conflict, she would not be touched by either side, for the saying associated with this event was that a lasting peace cannot be undone; if it is, it is an unforgivable transgression).
Moko kauae
Traditionally women who acquired moko kauae (female chin tattoos) received them on the basis of their mana, established through their whakapapa. They were nominated by the hapū to ensure there was a woman of mana to represent them on the marae.
Moko relate to many things including clans and whānau (extended families).
Dominance dynamics govern many relationships. It takes different forms in meerkats, wolves, ponies, chimpanzees, bonobos, humans, and other wildlife. Most dominance fights do not lead to serious injury or death, and most cape fights are dominance fights over things like territory, resources, or authority.
Threat displays typically precede dominance fights, and thus often prevent serious harm. They include things like staring and waving limbs. Some are particular to certain species. Humans use them to manage intertribal violence. The haka began this way, although now it has other cultural purposes such as showing honor.
Mana -- authority, power; secondary meaning: reputation, influence
Wellington (Māori: Te Whanganui-a-Tara) is the capital of New Zealand, at the southwest end of North Island. It is famous for its street food.
Traditional Māori Foods
Pāua (abalone)
Pāua is recognisable for its beautiful blue/green, iridescent shell and thin, black surface covering its creamy-white flesh in its natural state. Pāua is considered taonga (treasure), a gift from the god of the sea. It is highly valued for its firm meaty flesh and savoury, sea flavour. Its shell is used for jewellery and incorporated in traditional Māori carvings, usually to represent the eyes.
Tio (oysters)
Bluff Oysters are a prized delicacy in New Zealand and many of the fishers who catch them have lived on the sea for generations. The season to try these tasty morsels is from March until August.
Kōura
Kōura are freshwater crayfish closer in size to a king prawn than lobster.
Kūtai (green-lipped mussels)
New Zealand Greenshell™ mussels are the ultimate health food. They are a good source of protein and are low in fat and calories. As well as being particularly flavoursome, they are also a very good source of omega-3.
Hāngī
Hāngī, is a feast cooked in an earth oven for several hours. The kai can include chicken, lamb, pork, kai moana (seafood) and vegetables (particularly kūmara or sweet potato) and is placed on top of the stones then topped with dirt to trap the heat.
Rēwena bread
Rēwena paraoa (potato bread) tastes sweet and has a slight sour/tang flavour to it, a result of the long period of fermentation it undergoes. The bread is wonderfully textured and flavoursome.
