In this complete story from Atakohu Middleton’s collection Waka Aroha: He kohinga pakipoto, loving mum Manaia supervises her six-year-old daughter, Kataraina, as she brushes her teeth before bed. This domestic scene is a comforting evening ritual for them both, as Manaia, gazing at Kataraina in the mirror, strokes her daughter’s hair, sings to her and makes her laugh. But there’s a crisis waiting just outside the bathroom door.
He iti nā te aroha
Tū ana a Manaia rāua ko tāna tamāhine, ko Kataraina, e ono ngā tau, i mua i te puoto. E titiro ana rāua ki a rāua anō i te whakaataata e iri ana i runga o te puoto.
Mau ana a Kataraina i ōna kākahu moe mō te hōtoke, ā, e pupuru ana ia ki tāna taitai niho me tētehi pū pēniho hīoi. Mau ana a Manaia i ngā tarau tāngari me tētehi hāte hāwerawera, he pango te tae. Ka pā ōna ringaringa ki ngā pokowhiwhi o tāna tamāhine.
“E kō,” te kī a Manaia ki tāna kōtiro, “Whakaatuhia mai tō mahi hei tiaki i tō menemene.”
“Mōhio ana au, Māmā,” te kī māia a Kataraina. Ka kauhuri ia i te taupoki o te pū pēniho, ā, ka āta kotē i te pēniho ki tāna paraihe.
Hei tāna, “Kia iti te pēniho, me he pī.”
“Tika tāu, e kō,” te whakautu a Manaia. “Pēnei i te pī te nui o te pēniho i tō taitai niho.”
Maka atu ana a Kataraina i te pēniho ki te taha o te puoto. Ka hītekiteki ia, kātahi ka toro atu i tōna ringa ki te kōrere wai kia mākū ai i tāna paraihe i te wai. Ka hiki ia i te taitai niho ki tōna waha paraihe ai.
“E rua meneti, e kō,” tā Manaia. Menemene mai ia ki tāna tamaiti i te whakaataata, ā, ka waiata ia i te waiata nāna i tito hei ako i a Kataraina i te putanga tuatahinga mai o ōna niho pēpi. (To the tune of “Row, row row your boat”.)
Wakuhia ngā niho
Te ata, me te pō
Runga, raro, huri rauna
Mahia anō.
I a Manaia e waiata ana, e morimori noa ana ia i ngā makawe whero, i ngā makawe roa hoki o tāna tamāhine.
Wakuhia ngā niho
I muri i te kai
Mā konā te menemene
e pīata ai.
Ka mau ngā whatu o te tokorua i te whakaataata. Ka pūkana a Manaia. Ka nui te menemene a Kataraina, ahakoa kei tōna waha tonu tāna taitai niho.
Ka waiata tonu a Manaia:
Wakuhia ngā niho
Kia tino mā
Niho kaha, niho pai
Ka tika me pena
Ka pūkana anō a Manaia ki tāna kōtiro i te whakaataata.
Ka mutu tā Kataraina waku i ana niho me te katakata.
‘Māmā!’
Haka ana a Manaia, ānō nei e tū ana ia i te aroaro-ā-kapa. Tūpekepeke ana, huri ana, pīoioi ana.
Wī! Wakuhia ngā niho
Te ata, i te pō
Raro, runga, huri rauna,
Me te arero. Wī!
Rere ana te wairua pai i waenga i te tokorua.
Kātahi ka rongo a Manaia i tētehi hou ki waho. He takahanga waewae.
E tau ana tōna āhua, ka huri atu tōna upoko ki te tatau. E ngau ana tōna puku i te āwangawanga.
E whakatata mai ana ngā takahanga waewae. He waewae toimaha.
I te kūaha, ka puta mai tētehi tāne. He tāne tāroaroa, he rangatahi te āhua, he pakari hoki te hanga. E mau ana i tētehi kahutumu muramura, he tohu nō te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau kei runga. Kei tōna ringa tētehi rama.
Ka mauri tau a Manaia. “Kia ora,” tāna ki te tāne.
“Kia ora kōrua,” tāna whakautu mai, nōna ka tūpou ki a Manaia rāua ki Kataraina.
Ka kōpēa e Manaia ōna ngutu, ā, ka hoki tana titiro ki tāna kōtiro. E waku niho tonu ana a Kataraina, ā, kāore ia e aro ana ki te tāne i te kūaha.
Ngū ana te wāhi, hāunga te huhū o tā Kataraina mahi.
Ka wharo te tāne. “Tēnā,” tāna kī, me te tangi whakamā o tōna reo, “Me raku au i te whareiti ā te whitu karaka. Kua tata mutu?”
“Kua tata,” te kī a Manaia.
“Ka pai,” te kī a te tāne, ā, ka haere atu.
Ka mutu tā Kataraina waku niho.
“Pai ana, Māmā?” “E pai ana, e te tau.”
Ka tuwha a Kataraina ki te puoto, ka muku i tana waha ki te ringaringa o tōna kahumoe. Ka nanao a Manaia ki te taitai me te pēniho, ā, ka makaia ki te pūkoro o tōna hāte hāwerawera.
Ka tirotiro haere ia i te whareiti, i te whakaataata i hangaia ai ki te mētara pīata, ki ngā pātū poraka raima, me ngā heketua e kanukanu ana.
“Hoake tāua,” te kī a Manaia.
Puta atu nei rāua i te whareiti, he pouaka e tū ana i tētehi papa rēhia nui i te tonga o Tāmaki Makaurau. Kei waho te tāne rā e tatari ana, i raro i tētehi rama e teretere ana.
I a Manaia rāua ko Kataraina e pahure ana i a ia, e mau ringa ana, ka kī mārie te tāne, “Ka huri rauna au i te taunga waka i mua i te mutunga o taku mahi, pēnei i tāku i mahi ai inapō.”
Ka tangi te mapu o Manaia i a ia e hīkoi atu ana, ka paku huri ia ki te tāne.
“Kia ora,” tāna kī, me te tungou ki a ia.
Hīkoi tonu ana a Manaia rāua ko Kataraina. Ka whai rāua i te ara hīkoi e ahu atu ana ki tō rāua waka, kī tonu i te taputapu, kei te pito pōuriuri o te taunga waka e tū ana. Kātahi ka nunumi atu rāua i te pō.
Glossary
Aroaro-ā-kapa: Front row of a kapa haka
Hāte hāwerawera: Sweatshirt
Hīoi: Mint
Hītekiteki: To stand on tiptoe
Hou: Sound
Huhū: To swish
Kahutumu muramura: Reflective vest
Kanukanu: To be dilapidated
Kauhuri: To flip over
Kōpē: To press together
Kotē: To squeeze
Mapu: To sigh
Morimori: To stroke, caress
Pena: To look after
Poraka raima: Cement block
Puoto: Sink
Taputapu: Gear, possessions
Tarau tāngari: Jeans
Taupoki: Lid
Teretere: To flicker
Wharo: To clear the throat, cough
Extracted from Waka Aroha: He kohinga pakipoto*, published by Auckland University Press, RRP$35. Out now.*
See also Atakohu Middleton’s account of her reo journey.
The post A short story in te reo Māori from ‘Waka Aroha’ appeared first on E-Tangata.
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