Definition
Subject / Aronga
Term
Curriculum
Resources
[ Video Resource ]
- Title: Insights into kaupapa Māori: Taonga
- Description: This video explores Taonga.
- Video Duration: 4 minutes
- Video URL: https://player.vimeo.com/video/772263519?h=17cced2989
- Transcript: English A taonga. What is a taonga? Again
English
A taonga. What is a taonga? Again, this word has been expanded. In the past there indeed were taonga, but it was not used lightly. Today, what is considered a taonga is so broad. There are a lot of things now that are taonga. It did not pertain to things like a patu, or things like adornments for your neck or ears. A conversation can be a taonga. A taonga is handed down. Even the deceased are viewed as taonga. I hear callers say 'return oh treasured one'. So, today, what is truly the definition of taonga?
For me, it is something that is highly prized or valued, right? And so I think that taonga can certainly manifest in terms of physical objects. You know, the things that we wear. But it’s so much larger than that because our mātauranga too is a taonga. And quite often, people hear the notion or the concept taonga tuku iho, and so that which has been passed down from our forebears. But what is passed down is tikanga, is a way of being and seeing in the world, our identity, our language and our culture. So I think that when we're starting to think about taonga, I think sometimes that's narrowly defined as physical objects that we can see, feel and touch. But actually, it's so much more than that because it is about... Even the notion of possession is a little bit hard for me to kind of associate with taonga because often, it's not an individually held or prized possession, but quite often it is a collective one that we receive as whānau or as a larger group, you know?
I have two main ideas. Firstly, it is children and young people, they are the taonga. When our whānau, our parents send their kids to school, it’s like they are taking off their taonga around their neck and they're giving it to kaiako to look after. You know, their number one taonga, out of everything, are the kids in front of us. And so we should treat them as such and care for them as such. This supports what you say, what else is a taonga? It is waiata, it is haka. It is stories, it is incantations, it is amusement, it is kī-ō-rahi, it is toys, and those types of things. it is carving, and other treasures handed down by our ancestors. So just like the kids who are in my kura, in my classroom, are the taonga handed to us for a time by their parents. We have also been gifted taonga from our tīpuna, from our ancestors, and those are the language. That's our tikanga. It's the taonga tākaro we play. It’s the karakia. It's the pepeha. It's the pūrākau, the legend and the stories. So when we are aware that these things are taonga, that will change the way, that should inform the way that we interact with them and treat them. Because this is very precious to me, and so if I give it to you, then I want you to take care of it.
Māori
He taonga. He aha te taonga? Anō, kua whakawhānuitia te kupu nei. I ngā wā o mua he taonga, ko ētahi anake ka karangahia he taonga. Ināianei, te āhua nei, hika, inā kē te whānui o te taonga. He nui ngā taonga ināianei. Kāore i titiro ki ngā taonga pēnei i te patu, i te taonga mō tō ātaahuatanga o tō kakī, ō taringa. He taonga ngā kōrero, he taonga tuku iho ērā, he taonga anō ngā, he taonga te mate Kei te rongo au i ētahi e karanga ana ‘hoki mai rā te taonga o te mate’. Nō reira, i tēnei wā, he aha te tino whakamārama mō te taonga.
Mōku ake, he mea e tino matapoporetia ana, e tino uaratia ana, nē? Nō reira ki ōku whakaaro, he tino mārakerake te kite i te taonga hei mea ōkiko, arā, ngā mea e mau nei e tātou, engari he nui noa atu i tērā, i te mea ko tō tātou mātauranga hoki he taonga. Rongo ai hoki te tangata i te kaupapa nei, te ariā nei o te taonga tuku iho, arā, ko ngā mea ērā i tukua iho mai i ō tātou tīpuna engari ko te mea kua tukua mai, ko te tikanga, he momo tūnga, he momo tirohanga ki te ao, tō tātou tuakiri, tō tātou reo me tō tātou ahurea. Nā, ki ōku whakaaro, ki te whakaaro tātou mō te taonga, he wā anō ka whāiti noa ki ngā mea ōkiko e taea ana te kite me te pā atu. Engari he hōhonu ake i tērā, otirā ko te whakaaro hoki o te pupuri i tētahi mea, he uaua mōku, te tūhono i tērā ki te taonga, i te mea kāore pea i puritia takitahitia te taonga engari kē nō te takitini kē te taonga ka riro mai hei whānau kē, hei rōpū nunui ake nē?
E rua ngā whakaaro matua āku. Mea tuatahi, ko ngā tamariki, ko ngā rangatahi ngā taonga. I te wā ka tono ngā whānau me ō tātou mātua i ā tātou tamariki ki te kura, anō nei kei te wetekina tō rātou taonga kei ō rātou kakī ā, ka tuku kē ki te kaiako māna e tiaki, otirā ko tō rātou tino taonga tērā, o ngā taonga katoa ko ngā tamariki kei mua i a tātou. Nō reira me pērā anō tō tātou tiaki, manaaki hoki i a rātou. Me te mea hoki e tautoko i tō kōrero, he aha atu ngā taonga. Ko te waiata, ko te haka ko ngā pūrākau, ko te karakia, ko te mahi a te rēhia, ko te kī-ō-rahi, ko ngā taonga tākaro, ko ērā ngā, te whakairo, ko ērā ngā taonga kua tuku iho mai i ō tātou tīpuna. Pērā anō hoki ki ngā tamariki kei taku kura kei roto i taku akomanga, he taonga tuku iho nā ō rātou mātua mō tētahi wā. Kua whiwhi taonga katoa tātou i ō tātou tīpuna, otirā ko te reo tērā. Ko ngā tikanga ērā. Ko ngā taonga tākaro e whakakorikoritia ana. Ko te karakia. Ko te pepeha. Ko ngā pūrākau, arā ngā kōrero toa me ngā pakiwaitara. Nā, kia mārama tātou he taonga ēnei mea, ka hui pea te tikanga e whai mōhio ai te huarahi e tauwhitiwhiti ai tātou ki a rātou, e manaaki tātou i a rātou. I te mea, he tino tongarerewa ki a ahau tēnei mea. Nā, ki te hoatu e au ki a koe, me tiaki e koe.