HAERE MAI, and welcome to the kōrero column for Poutu te-rangi (March). Cyclone Gabrielle has been a traumatic event for many people across the northern and eastern parts of Te Ika-a-Māui (the North Island).
Lives have been lost, homes damaged or destroyed; roads, bridges and livelihoods washed away by the power of te haumātakataka (the cyclone).
Some marae have been damaged by floodwaters while others have been strong centres of manaakitanga for their communities, providing kai, refuge and help.
In Māori tradition, Tāwhirimātea was the god of weather, a deity of stormy disposition. He was one of the sons of Ranginui, the sky father, and Papatūānuku, the earth mother. When his brothers separated their parents to allow light into the world, Tawhirimātea was enraged and fought his siblings with storms, wind and rain, causing havoc for the humans caught in the crossfire.
Kupu hou (new word)
- Haumātakataka (cyclone) — pronounced hoe-MAH-tah-kah-tah-kah
- I pakaru te whare o tātou e te haumātakataka tino kino. – The cyclone damaged our house.
(Other words for cyclone include huripari and taupoki.)
More words related to Cyclone Gabrielle:
- waipuketanga — flooding
- parawhenua — flood/tsunami/destructive damage caused by natural event
- kōkīkī — flood debris, fragments of wood and rubbish brought down by a flood
- parakiwai — silt/sediment from a flood
- manaakitanga — hospitality, kindness, support
Whakataukī (proverbs)
He maonga āwhā — The calm after the storm.
He rā ki tua. — Better times are coming.
E mihi ana ki a Titihuia Pakeho rāua ko Mairi Lucas.
Sources:
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary.
- https://www.massey.ac.nz/student-life/m%C4%81ori-at-massey/
- Basil Keane, Tāwhirimātea – the weather, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
