He kōrero mō Matariki
“Ana, i te atapō tonu, ka rewa ake a Matariki, ka kitea mai, ā, koirā te tohu o te tau hou.”
Ko Pleaides, ko Messier 45 (M45) rānei ngā ingoa mō Matariki, e mōhio whānuitia ana i te ao. E iri ana tēnei kāhui whetū māhorahora ki te tātai whetū o Taurus te pūru, otirā, ki tētahi wāhi e tata ana ki tōna pakihiwi. E hia rau kē hoki ngā whetū kei te kāhui o Matariki, ā, ko ētahi whetū torutoru noa iho o ērā e kitea ana e te karu tangata.
I Aotearoa, kitea ai a Matariki i te roanga o te tau, hāunga rā te marama kotahi e tō ai ia i te uru i ngā hāora tuatahi o te pō o Haratua, tae noa ki tōna rewanga anō i te atapō i te marama o Pipiri.
E ai ki ētahi ko te tikanga o te kupu Matariki, he 'mata ririki', he 'mata iti' rānei. Engari e whakapae ana nā te Pākehā kē tēnei whakamāoritanga. Tērā tētahi kōrero e mea ana ko Matariki te whakarāpopototanga o te ingoa o 'Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea'.
Arā atu anō ngā ingoa Māori o Matariki, tae atu rā ki a 'Te Huihui o Matariki'; ki a 'Te Tautari-nui-o-Matariki'; ki a 'Tāriki' hoki, arā, ki te whakarāpopototanga o Matariki. Ko 'Aokai' anō hoki tētahi atu ingoa e hāngai ana ki te hononga o Matariki ki te kai; ka whakahāngaitia a 'Hoko', a 'Hokokūmara' rānei ki a Matariki nā runga i tana whakaawenga i te whakatipuranga o te kūmara.
E iwa ngā whetū kei tēnei kāhui. Ko Matariki te whetū nui katoa o roto i te kāhui (Alcyone). Kīia ai hoki tēnei whetū ko te 'kaiwhakahaere' o ērā atu. Ko Tupuānuku (Pleione) rātau ko Tupuārangi (Atlas), ko Waitī (Maia), ko Waitā (Taygeta), ko Waipunarangi (Electra), ko Ururangi (Merope), ko Pōhutukawa (Sterope) ko Hiwa-i-te-rangi (Calaeno).
E hono ana a Pōhutukawa ki te hunga mate, otirā, ki ērā kua riro atu i tēnei ao mai i te rewanga ā-maru whakamutunga o Matariki i te marama o Pipiri. E hono ana a Tupuānuku ki ngā kai e tipu ana i te whenua. He āhua ōrite a Tupuārangi ki a Tupuānuku, otirā, he hononga hoki ōna ki te kai me te tipuranga; heoi, i konei, ka hono kē ki ngā kai e ahu mai ana i te rangi. E hono ana a Waitī ki te wai māori me ngā koiora katoa o ngā awa, o ngā manga, o ngā roto anō hoki. E kitea ana te pānga o Waitī me Matariki ki ngā koiora o te wai māori. E pā ana a Waitā ki te moana, ā, e kīia nei ko Waitā te wai tai. Ko Waitā te whetū e tohu ana i te tini o ngā hua ka kohia e te Māori i te moana. E hono ana a Waipunarangi ki te ua, ka mutu, ka taea tōna ingoa te whakamāori kia kīia ai 'ko ngā puna wai i te rangi'. Ko te tikanga o Ururangi, ko 'ngā hau o te rangi’, kei tēnei whetū te mana o te āhua o ngā hau o te tau. Ko Hiwa-i-te-rangi te pōtiki o tēnei kāhui, ā, e hono ana tōna ingoa ki te tohu o te tau humi, ā, tukuna ai e te Māori ōna wawata, ōna awhero o te tau ki a Hiwa, me kore noa e tūpono ka whakatinanahia.
I ngā ata pongipongi o Pipiri, i te wā kei te wāhanga o Tangaroa te marama, ka tiaki te Māori kia puta mai a Matariki ki te rangi i te rāwhiti. I maharatia nā Matariki i tohu te huringa o te tau, pēnei i tā tēnei kōrero e whai ake nei: ‘Ko Matariki te whetū kei te ārahi i tēnei marama, he wehenga tau ki tā te Māori whakahaere.’
Ko te ingoa o tēnei marama tuatahi o te tau Māori ki ētahi, ko te 'Mātahi o te tau', ā, nā te mea ko Matariki te tohu o tēnei marama, i mōhiotia hoki ia ko te whetū o te tau. Ko taua ingoa mō Matariki kei tēnei mōteatea e whai ake nei:
Tirohia Matariki,
Te whetū o te tau,
E whakamoe mai rā,
E homai ana rongo
He wā nui te putanga tuatahitanga o Matariki i a Pipiri, i te wā kei te wāhanga o Tangaroa te marama, nā te mea nā tēnei kāhui i tāpae ngā hua o te tau ka whai ake. I te kitenga tuatahitanga ōna i te tahatū o te rangi, ka pēnei i te hōmiromiro te mātai a ngā tohunga kōkōrangi o te kāinga ki a Matariki. Ka āta aromatawaihia takitahitia ngā whetū e iwa, ā, ka maumaharatia ngā āhuatanga o ō rātau pīatatanga, ō rātau motuhaketanga, ō rātau tae me te tawhiti i ngā whetū e ponitaka ana i a rātau. Waihoki, ka mau te nekehanga, te tae me te hanga o te katoa o te kāhui. I ēnei mātaitanga, ka matapae te tohunga kōkōrangi mō te kaha o ngā hua o te tau hou.
Kāti, ko tā He Muka he whakaputa kōrero ki te reo Māori. Ko ngā tirohanga, whakaaro rānei kei roto i te tuhinga nei he mea whaiaro nō te tangata nāna te kōrero i tuhi. Ka mutu, kāore i te whakaatu i ngā whakaaro o, i ngā kōrero a, rānei, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, āna kaimahi, tana pae whakahaere, tana poari rānei, tae atu rā ki ngā tari, ngā pakihi rānei e whai pānga ana ki Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, ahakoa te hononga, hāunga i ngā mea kua āta whakahuatia ake ai. Ehara ēnei tirohanga, whakaaro, kōrero rānei i te mea whakaiti, whakahē rānei, i te iwi, i te hapori, i te rōpū, i te tari, i te pakihi, i te tangata rānei.