Kapa haka helped young woman find her ao Māori space.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
See below for English translation
Tū tū taiāhāhā
He puanitanita nō te onekura i Hāwaiki Tawhitiareare. Ka manaakitia te kura o te whare tapere ka pakekengia ka hua anō he tupu nō Tanerore.’ Ko te tū ātamira tahi me ngā tupuna he wā tuku wairua, he wā whakapuaki i ngā kokonga huhua me ngā kare-ā-roto o taku ngākau’.
' He wahine i hua ake nō te ao whakangāhau tūruhi. Nōku e kotahi tekau mā toru te rahi ā moroki noa iho nei he tū kapa haka te mahi. He koanga ngākau te kite i ngā pāpāringa kūrehurehu o te manuwhiri e mātakitaki ana i a mātau mahi ā Rēhia, nā reira e hihiko ai te whatumanawa’. Ko tō tātau kura tongarerewa wahine haka mō tēnei wiki ko Danielle Te Rauaroha Raiatea Selwyn, engari anō ko tōna whānau ake ko ‘Ina’ kē tōna ingoa poipoi. I whānau, i pakeke hoki a Danielle i Rotorua nei.
Engari tērā tētehi wā ka nuku tana whānau ki Ahitēreiria ka kōtia ōna herehere katoa ki tōna ao Māori.Ka mahuetia tōna ao taketake. He uri ia nō Ngai Te Arawa me Ngai Tūhoe. Ko Maketu tōna ipukarea, nōna e whāwhā haere ana i ngā wāhanga o tōna ao taketake ka puta ai tōna hau rongo ki te motu hai wahine haka.
Ko Te Māia-o-te-pūkohu-tāiri Tawhara tana huatahi. Kātahi nei a Ina ka rua tekau mā rua te rahi. ' Ko ia te tikanga o tōna ingoa, ko taku toa puta i te kohu. Koia koia! E tika ana hoki. Tiorhia te toto, he Ngai Tūhoe, he Ngai Te Arawa nā reira tēnei wairua toa ōna. Ha pakeke, he toa, he tupua!’. Kua rima tau a Danielle e whakaoreore ngātahi ana me te rōpū haka o Te Mātārae-I-Ōrehu.
Nōna e kotahi tekau mā whitu te rahi o ngā tau tana tū tuatahi me te rōpū.’ E hoki ana ngā maumaharatanga ki te wā i kite ai ahau i taku whaea kaokaoroa a Grace ko tana whakaahua nāna e kanikani ana i te nūpepa. Ka tae mai te whakaaro ki ahau, kātahi tēnei whakaahua, te mana, te rearea hoki engari anō ka tupu te whakahīhī o te ngākau whakaiti ki roto ki ahau mōna me te ahurea o tātau te Māori.
Koia te tauiratanga mōku mō te poi, me te haka otīā te ao o Rēhia’. Mō te taha ki te kimi rōpū tika māku, wheoi anō, ka nui ngā uauatanga. Ka nui hoki ngā rōpū, ā, he whānaunga nōku katoa rātau. ' Engari ko Te Mātārae. Ko Pāpā Wetini hoki. Ko wai atu i a ia, i a rātau. Te rerekē o ngā nekehanga. Te rerekē o te tū, ko ēnei āhuatanga katoa nā reira e rata ai ki taku ngākau. Tūturu kia noho hai tauira i a Wetini me Miri, ngā taniwha hikuroa o te ao haka. Taku Waimarie hoki’.
Kai te pae tata a Te Matatini, ā, e tere nei taku ngākau. ' Ko taku tū tuatahi tēnei ki Te Matatini, e hīnawenawe ana te tapeha. Nō mai anō tēnei moemoeā'. He ahakoa te ia o tana kauwhau ehara a Danielle i te tauhou ki te tū haka.
Kua takahia e ia te whenua o Haina, Hong Kong, te whenua o Peina me Portugal hoki. He kapa haka te take. ' Nōku e kura tuarua ana, ka puta te ihu o te waka i ngā whakataetae e rua taima. Whaihoki, he taitara whakataetae-ā-rohe pakeke ki te rohe o Te Arawa kua whitikingia ki taku tātua.’ Nōku te maringi nui, engari tonu ko te mea nui ko te tūhonohono tahi me ngā tupuna o te ao tawhito.
Danielle Selwyn, left, with her uncle Anaha Hiini and sister Jade on the stage for Te Mātārae I Ōrehu.
He wānanga, he pūkenga, he taonga heke iho nō rātau hai taonga mā tātau otīā ngā tamariki me ngā mokopuna’.
Ina hoki te hohonu o te rārangi ingoa o ngā tangata o ngā rangatira i huri mai ki te poipoi, ki te awhina me te whakapakari i a ia. ' Ko Aunty Bubby Solomon, Faith Curtis-Flavell, Richard and Frances Wharerahi, Te whānau Webster, Laurelle Tamati, Michael Rurehe, Te Rauotehuia Pou, Miri Hare, Wetini Mitai-Ngatai, ka oti ko taku poutokomanawa ko Aunty Grace Hiini, kāore e ārikarika te mihi ki a kotou. T
ēnā kotou katoa’. Engari anō ko tana tūnga matua hai Māmā e hua ake tōna wairua ki te mana nui o te whakapapa me te kaha ki te whakapakari i tona arero Māori.’ Ko tāku he whāngai i ngā kai mārō o te ao Māori ki tana māngai, kia mātau ia ki tōna nui. Kāore e hiahia ki te kite i te wairua ngoikore ōna e whakapono kore nei ki ngā tupu katoa o tōna ao Māori, pēnei i a au e taitamariki ana. Nā reira i tahuri ai ahau ki tā tātau reo, kua roa tēnei hiahia ki taku ngākau’.
Ko āna kupu whakakapinga ki a tātau katoa. Puritia te mana rangatira o ōu tūpuna.
— Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
English Translation
Danielle Selwyn just loves kapa haka and that passion grows with each practice, each performance.
“I feel so connected to our Tupuna when I perform, it’s an outlet for me to express myself, whatever emotions I may be carrying.
“Also being in the tourism industry since I was 13, performing to tourists and seeing the joy on their faces as they watch and learn our culture has always inspired me.”
Her whanau call Danielle Te Rauaroha Raiatea Selwyn “Ina”. Born and raised in Rotorua Danielle lost connection with her ao Maori when the family moved to Australia for a few years.
The uri of Te Arawa and Ngai Tuhoe considers Maketu her home and it was while relearning her place in te ao Maori that she became involved in kapa haka.
At 22 the new māmā is proud of her son Te Māia-o-te-pūkohu-tāiri Tawhara.
“My brave warrior of the mist! And that he is! With strong Tūhoe and Te Arawa blood running through him from both myself and his Pāpā, he has shown us from the moment he was born how strong, resilient and gentle he is.”
Danielle has been with Te Mātārae I Ōrehu for five years, making her first stand at the Te Arawa regionals when she was 17.
“As I was relearning our culture I soon found that Kapa Haka was my thing! I actually remember when I was a kid seeing a picture of my Aunty Grace in the newspaper doing Kapa Haka, and I thought it was the most beautiful photo ever and thought “I want to look like my aunty one day”, the viciousness and beauty in her Pukana is what I try and portray every time I perform.”
Choosing a rōpu was hard as Danielle has many whānau members she admires in different kapa.
“But what inspired me to join Te Mātārae would be their different style, Papa Wetini instills a lot of traditional style which I love.
“But mostly to just learn under the wings of Uncle Wetini and Aunty Miri ... two of the greatest Kaihaka ever! It is such a privilege to learn under them both.”
Danielle me tana tama, Te Māia-o-te-pūkohu-tāiri Tawhara.
Te Matatini is only days away now and Danielle is growing more excited. “At the moment we are gearing up for Te Matatini in 2 weeks, this will be my first Matatini stand which I’m so excited for! This has been my dream stage since I found my love for Kapa Haka so its quite an emotional and special time for me.” In her years of performing Danielle has travelled to a number of countries showcasing our culture: China, Hong Kong, Spain, Portugal.
“I have fortunately won two secondary national titles with my old high school kapa - Raukura! And one senior regionals with Te Mātārae!
“I am so grateful and humble to have had these experiences, but for me its all about connecting to my tupuna, our history, and keeping it alive for our tamariki and theirs.”
Danielle counts many who have helped her along her kapa haka journey.
“I have had many influences along my journey to help shape me into the kaihaka I am today, Aunty Bubby Solomon, Faith Curtis-Flavell, Richard and Frances Wharerahi, Te whānau Webster, Laurelle Tamati, Michael Rurehe, Te Rauotehuia Pou, Miri Hare, Wetini Mitai-Ngatai and of course my Aunty Grace [Hiini]. I will always have the utmost gratitude for these people and their teachings.”
Becoming a mother has brought home to Danielle the importance of whakapapa and te reo.
“I need to ensure that he knows who he is, where he comes from, how important and beautiful our Reo and culture is. I never want him to have to feel “not Māori enough” as I felt growing up.
“So after I had my son I decided to start my studies in Te Reo Māori, something I’ve been longing for.”
