Year 1 Wananga 4 - Harata Meretana Ma Charitable Trust

Te Oomai Reia Romiromi & Rongoā Wānanga 4

Papa Hohepa De La Mere

The late Papa Hohepa De La Mere, a Tohunga Ahurewa, was of Te Whānau Apanui descent from a rural township called Whitianga. He was a healing priest of a higher order and a master in a unique form of romiromi taught to him by his elders called Te Oomai Reia. Papa Joe delivered his wānanga in an older form of te reo (language) Māori and although I was not fluent in this reo, I could understand what he was saying but didn’t know how I couldn’t understand him. He would ask me questions in the old reo and I would answer him in English. Papa De La Mere, used an old version of te reo (language) Māori to interpret Te Oomai Reia romiromi knowledge, with oral literature that cannot be readily found online, in the modern Māori dictionary, google or in academia. According to Papa De La Mere, there is an ancient reo that is otherwise known as the unspoken ‘voices of nature’.

Throughout the romiromi wānanga with Papa De La Mere during 2003, we as students received an oral transmission of knowledge through pūrākau (storytelling), takutaku (chants to invoke the phenomena of nature), kapa haka (songs with actions), te reo Māori (the spoken language as well as the unspoken voices of nature), and whakatauki (proverbs that teach values). There are many words in the ancient takutaku and karakia that have no translation in the modern Māori dictionary. The wānanga made me aware that coming together on the marae, created opportunities to build on new research ideas that could revive and reclaim ancient forms of oral mātauranga (knowledge) Māori.

Te Ao Tohunga versus Te Ao Pakeha (Christian Minister)

The mātauranga of our Tohunga has a unique body of knowledge with karakia, takutaku, whakawaatea and mahi a wairua, all of which are fully immersed in the metaphysical lores of traditional Māori healing. The waka tapu o Takitimu carried the Tohunga, the healing lores, the ancient kohatu and the spiritual kaitiaki of Tohungatanga, traditional Māori healing. This project is for the descendants of the waka tapu o Takitimu in the region of Te Matau o Maui ki Heretaunga. The rangatahi who come from this region are born with these spiritual abilities of the Tohunga of old, not knowing how to manage Matakite visions and spiritual experiences. The 1880 Native Schools Act was designed to stop the Māori elders from teaching their superstitious beliefs to the tamariki. Without the proper mentoring and training, these spiritual abilities turn into a nightmare, often resulting in the high rates of rangatahi being diagnosed with mental illness, high dropout rates in school, drug abuse, incarceration and the highest rates of rangatahi suicide in Aotearoa, that are also amongst the highest statistics in the world. The sectioning of our tamariki and rangatahi under the Mental Health Act in the courts lasts for a life time. A preventative measure to stop the Crown justice system from oppressing our whanau is to practice rongoā and romiromi in the home as a way of life rather than something we do when one of our whanau are unwell.

Dr Arikirangi Turuki Rangimarie Rose Pere

Some of you may have the recording of this waiata that was taught to me by the late Tuhoe Tohuna ‘Arikirangi Turuki Rose Rangimarie Lambert-Pere’, many years ago now. Having been mentored by Dr Rose Pere for 17 years, she was very particular that anywhere I publish her name that I ‘get it right’. The order is correct as you see above. Very few people know that she was in fact Te Kooti in a past life. My Masters research had a focus on the Tohuna – the sower of the seeds of wisdom whose purpose was to sow the seeds so that people will remember who they are and what they came into this lifetime to do. It is about igniting the Tohuna within to reach a state of spiritual enlightenment.

The book Te Tohuna Kura Waka book is available for you to download as a resource in our Documents section. Please take care of these resources as you are now the kaitiaki of this mātauranga so please don’t give these resources to those who are not part of these wānanga.

We went over the chant that calls upon the Ngāti Kahungunu Tohunga ‘Tuhaepo’ in wānanga 4, using the breath counting to seven before taking another breath as per the karanga. We were to sing this verse 7 times to bring in the female Atua and then another 7 times to bring in male Atua. The synchronicity of the male and female Atua thus giving the healing energy, full power. Over the 17 years I was mentored by Dr Pere, we used to sing this facing the east, the west, the south and the north sending the energy out to heal Papatuanuku and all her progeny, all around the world.

Ko te kura nui – the great school

Ko te kura roa – the ancient school

Ko te kura Tuhaepo – the school of Tuhaepo

Pa Rob McGowan, a retired Christian minister, was trained in rongoā Māori by a Māori kuia (elderly woman) in Wanganui. Pa Rob spoke fluent te reo Māori (the Māori language) and has much expertise in growing and maintaining rongoā in New Zealand (Tindall, 2017). However, Pa Rob does not profess to have an in-depth understanding of the metaphysical theory of mātauranga (knowledge) Māori and Tohungatanga (traditional Māori healing). He provides courses in Tauranga that are open to people of many different cultures who were not really aware of the difference between contemporary Māori healing rongoā knowledge and the body of traditional Māori healing knowledge held by the traditional Tohunga (priests/priestesses) rongoā (Smith, 2013). Pa Rob performed inoi (christian prayer in te reo Māori) rather than karakia Māori before going into the bush to collect rongoā and he is exceptionally gifted with the ability to converse with the plants in the bush.

Pa Rob McGowan is an environmentalist. His work is in identifying plants and their medicinal properties but he does not teach how to make rongoā. He is NOT a Rongoā Māori practitioner nor is he a Tohunga. Although he speaks te reo, he is not fluent in Tohungatanga nor traditional Māori healing philosophies, rituals and practices.

Robbie Richardson is an experienced Tohunga Rongoā who comes from a rich ancestral lineage including Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Hauiti ki Rata, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Whānaunga. With over 40 years of experience, Robbie specialises in supporting whānau to know that they know by dealing with their unique gifts that are often misidentified as mental health and addictions. Her expertise lies in mahi a wairua, a practice dedicated to clearing the self, body, and environment, restoring a sense of lightness and ease in the lives of whānau.

As a mother of five and a Nana to two, Robbie brings a wealth of personal experiences to her work. She provides comprehensive training to staff, whānau, and whai-ora (individuals seeking healing), equipping them with practical tools that can be utilised at home for the benefit of all. In addition, Robbie has shared her knowledge and skills as a lecturer of Rongoā Māori at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa ki Te Papaioea, inspiring aspiring healers.

Robbie’s goal is to enhance the skills and knowledge of whānau, empowering them to offer mutual support and guidance during times of distress. Residing in Palmerston North, she also holds the position of Vice Chair at the Aotearoa Rongoā Māori Collective Charitable Trust. Her extensive spiritual expertise in Māori healing is evident in her compassionate and heartfelt approach, particularly when teaching and mentoring rangatahi, reflecting her dedication to passing down traditional knowledge with pono (truth), tika (correctness) and aroha (empathy).

This snippet was taken at the last romiromi wananga at the Mataweka marae in Central Hawkes Bay which gives you an idea of the humility of a Tohunga Rongoa who has worked in this field for 40 years

Evidence of Wāhine Mātauranga Waitangi Tribunal

It is a fallacy that the wahine were not Tohunga as the kuia played an important role in the transmission of the ancient healing ways of our ancestors. Dr Pere held me to task to recognise the mana of the wahine. Click on this Waitangi Tribunal link below for more information.

[click here for the Waitangi Tribunal website]

Poulticing with Rau

Many years ago, a kuia asked me to gather Puriri leaves to put on her back to draw out poisons on the back to help relieve her pain. I covered the leaves with a towel. The kuia also used the leaves in a bath putting them in a stocking and tying it to the hot water tap as the bath was filling.

This method can also be used with kawakawa leaves in the bath. The fresh leaves can be bruised by screwing them up to put cracks in them and you just need to add a handful for the bath to help ease your aches and pains. A kawakawa steam bath heals a number of skin problems like excema and provides relief from rheumatic and arthritic pains.

The kawakawa leaves are also used as a poultice to heal cuts and sores as well as draw out poisons and pus from edema that is a result of diabetes. The fruit can lower the diabetes blood sugar levels. Kawakawa can also provide relief from bruises, boils and neuralgic (head & face) pain.

Take care of the kawakawa plant and do not pick a branch but rather take the single leaves leaving the young leaves to grow still. Karakia before picking the kawakawa leaves and choose the older leaves instead of the younger leaves as they are more potent for healing. When picking the kawakawa leaves, prioritise the leaves that get the sun first thing in the morning. Choose the leaves that have holes in them as the insects are showing you that these ones are the best. Only pick enough leaves that you might need to prevent waste. To store, put them in a snap lock plastic bag then put them in the fridge until you are ready to use them. Only lasts a week or so in the fridge then they start to wane so time is of the essence. Remember being alive, the mauri is still in the leaves.

Wash the leaves quickly when you are ready to use them as a poultice or as a wairakau. Let them drain rather than soaking them in water as all the goodness comes out when you soak them.

When poulticing, dip the leaf in a plate of boiling hot water before placing the unshiny side on the skin. Continue this process on the skin before wrapping a toweling wrap cut to the size of a bandage over the top of the leaves. Wrap with glad wrap (not too tight) ensuring that the edges are pushed down to make it air tight. This provides a spa like environment for the kawakawa to do its magic. Cover with a blanket to create heat and lay down and leave for 2 – 3 hours or if you can, leave overnight and take off in the morning. The darkness of the leaves will show what has been drawn out.

Wananga 4 Notes