E ai ki te tikinare o Collins, "…tērā tētehi tangata, tētehi āhuatanga rānei kua tino eke ki te taumata nui hei tāwhainga mō te mārea".
He kupu kua nanakia te wā ki ōku taringa engari i taka iho mai i tētehi hui nui i tō mātou whare tupuna a Wāhiao i ngā wiki itiiti nei.
He hui i karangahia ai e Te Whare Kōrero o Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wāhiao ki te whakakitakita i te paepae whaikōrero o Tūhourangi. E nenehawa tonu nei i te korenga o tō mātou waha kākā a Mauriora Kīngi ko te tikanga he kaupapa māna tonu e kawe e arahi.
Nā reira ka whakatōpūngia ai ngā rangatira o Tūhourangi ki te hui me pēwhea e oreore anō ai te kauwae o Tūhourangi. Ko te mutunga iho ka whakaaengia e Tūhourangi kia awhinatia rātou e ngā hapū kē atu o Te Arawa.
Ko Muriwai Ihakara tētehi o ngā tōhunga whaikōrero, mātanga o te ao tawhito i puta mai ki te awhina.
I tauā rā tonu i te Oketopa ka noho atu a Muriwai ki tērā taha o te ātea nui e titiro mai nei ki te hunga kua whakaeke nei ki te wānanga. Ko ahau tētehi o te huinga kaumatua i noho ki tōna taha ki te kauawhiawhi i a ia.
He rangatira a Muriwai ki te whakarata i ngā āmaimaitanga o te hunga wehi nui, kāre e kore e kūare ana ētehi ki te kōrero, e whakapau kaha wawe nei ki te whakateitei i a rātou i te wā poto noa iho, nā wai rā ka matika tētehi, ka matika anō tētehi. Ka whakawāhingia te pāhi matua kia rua, ko tētehi ko te hau kāinga ko tētehi pahi ko te manuwhiri. Ki te hunga kūare nei ki ngā nuka o te whaikōrero, pēnei i ahau, ka nui kē taku whakamiharo atu ki ngā whakahau me ngā tohutohu a Muriwai ki āna pia.
Muriwai Ihakara, one of the titans of kapa haka and Māori culture and arts, has died aged 63. Photo / Supplied
Nā reira i tāhuri ai taku ngākau ki te mana nui o te whaikōrero, ehara i te mea he taki whakapapa, he panga whakatauki noa engari ko te whakahonohono tangata me te whānau i runga i te ngākau mahaki, i roto i te hākoakoa hoki.
He mātanga a Muriwai ki te awhina tangata, ki te poipoi me te manaaki i te wairua o āna pia engari rā ko āna tohutohu i ahu mai i tōna aroha nui ki te ao taketake me te aroha atu ki te hunga pīkōkō ki te hāpai i ēnei tūāhuatanga o te ao tawhito.
"Ko kotou ngā whakatauiratanga ki te iwi ki te hunga hiahia ki te whaikōrero'.
Mangu kau ana te ātea nui o Te Waiiti i ngā rangi kua pahemo atu nei ki te whakakēkeke i tana whānau ki te whakahiapo hoki i a Muriwai e takoto rangatira ana i te māhau o tōna tupuna i ngā rekereke o Haroharo ki tāhaki o te Waiiti nā tōna kaha ki te manaaki me te whai whakaaro ki ngā hunga katoa o te motu i pēnei ai, nā tōna ngākau whakaiti, nā tōna aroha nui ki te tangata, nā tōna whakapono ki tōna ao Māori i hau ai tōna rongonuitanga i runga i te mata o te whenua.
E Te Ao Māori anei kē tō tātou whetū kōmata te whakatauiratanga o te ao Māori kua ngaro nei i a tātou.
Ko Muriwai Ihakara te whakairatanga o ngākau whakaiti.
Haere rā e pā.
Exemplar is not a word in everyday usage.
The Collins online dictionary defines exemplar as " ... someone or something that is considered to be so good that they should be copied or imitated."
I heard it for the first time in decades at a hui in our whare tupuna Wahiao, just a couple of months ago. The wananga was called by Te Whare Korero o Tuhourangi to assess the progress of potential speakers for our pae tapu.
The untimely death of Mauriora Kingi had knocked the Tuhourangi-Ngati Wahiao succession plan out of the playing field. He was supposed to be at the helm.
So the whakre korero conferred and agreed that experts from outside of the iwi be asked to help.
Muriwai Ihakara was one of the whaikorero and tikanga tohunga who answered the call to help Tuhourangi. On that day in October he sat alone on one side of Wahiao, facing the dozens who had gathered.
Muriwai Ihakara. Photo / Supplied
I joined female members of my extended family to sit alongside him, to help keep that side of the whare warm.
It became apparent that some were playing catch-up, trying to cram months of homework into a few minutes until it was their turn to speak. The whaikorero "students" were alternately to play the roles of hau kainga and manuhiri.
To someone as ignorant of the finer points of whai korero as I am, Muriwai's assessments and comments were a real eye-opener.
They made me appreciate that good oratory was not just a matter of reciting whakatauaki and generations of whakapapa and delivering it smoothly with drama and humour.
Muriwai gave considered and thoughtful responses, making clear where more work was needed but giving encouragement.
"You are exemplars to your iwi, to those who take the whai korero path."
The hundreds who came from all over the motu to awhi Muriwai and his whanau during his final journey and again this week as he lay at Te Wai Iti are testament to his mana and his humility, his knowledge and creativity.
