My father and mother met at a blue-light disco. My nan went to primary in Ngaruawahia before moving to Auckland. My koro left Maatauri when he was 16. My nannies were part of the Maaori women’s liberation movement. My tuupuna, Matire Toha and Kati Takiwaru Te Wherowhero, brought peace to Ngaa Puhi and the Waikato through marriage. Maikuku’s taniwha wept, giving rise to the story behind the name Waitangi, and Tane pushed Papatuaanuku and Ranginui apart bringing the world light. These are only a few stories of my tuupuna.
We have:
- 2 parents
- 4 grandparents
- 8 great-grandparents
- 16 second great-grandparents
- 32 third great-grandparents
- 64 fourth great-grandparents
- 128 fifth great-grandparents
- 512 sixth great-grandparents
- 1,024 seventh great-grandparents
- 2,048 eighth great-grandparents
And if you are lazy and skipped the numbers… in summary, we all have a whole lot of tuupuna!
Every ancestor has a story, and who is here today to tell those stories? Whakairo, waiata, karakia, whaikorero, pepeha, tikanga, puurakau—these are how we remember those who came before us. They make us who we are, and without their stories, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to narrate our own.
But how does this link to my experience in India?
I’ve had the chance to engage with various communities, from the locals of Gharapuri to the members of the Hijra community. One of the most memorable experiences was exploring the caves in Gharapuri and discovering puurakau within the walls. Sameer, our beautiful tour guide, explained the whakairo of Shiva, a central figure in the Hindu religion. Shiva is a dancer, a lover, and, most importantly, a “destroyer,” “creator,” and “preserver.” He is known for destroying the old and negative to make way for prosperous new beginnings. One carving in particular depicts Parvati, Shiva’s wife, moving from his left to his right side. This beautifully mirrors the transformation from independence to becoming equal partners. To this day, Hindu weddings tend to carry on this tradition and reflect how stories of those who came before us inform current-day traditions.
All this maatauranga is depicted in single carvings set in stone. I also noticed that many of Shiva’s carvings are partially destroyed, with missing limbs or damaged surfaces, and this was due to the colonisation of the Portuguese. Despite this, the furthest carving of Shiva in the cave was well hidden and remained undiscovered until the 1905s hundreds of years after the Portuguese came through Gharapuri.
All of this was spoken by our new friend Sameer – he and his family have been living in Gharapuri for generations, have adapted to the societal changes and now continue to share precious Maatauranga with those who visit. Absorbing all of this knowledge would not have been possible had it not been for Sameer and his passion for his culture… my heart and kete are full.
I believe this history is a testament to the enduring culture and traditions of the locals of Gharapuri and the Hindu people. More importantly, it speaks to the stories of their ancestors and deities through puurakau. To this day, Sameer continues to teach his children the many stories that continue to echo within these caves.
Whakairo in many hapuu were hidden to preserve our taonga. Others were damaged or stolen, and some wharenui still stand with little or no whakairo. However, for those that remain, a similar language hums in the Gharapuri caves as it does in any wharenui you may enter—and that is a song of endurance, knowledge, and identity.
