Te Ahua o nga Kupu Whakaari a Te Kooti

Ko Te Kooti Te Turuki Rikirangi tetahi o nga maunga teitei o te wa – he kokorangi i nga ra pouri, he tokotoko i te awa kopaka. I tu ia hei toa i te whare o Tumatauenga, engari ki te Hahi Ringatu, he poropiti – he matakite nana i hapai nga moemoea, nga tumanako, me nga wairua o te iwi i nga tau o te ngarohanga: te whenua, te oranga, te mana motuhake. I tona ringa matau te pu me te riri, i tona ringa maui te whakapono, nga kupu whakaari, me te tohu rangimarie. Na Te Kooti i hora atu enei kupu ki nga marae o te motu, hei karere poropiti, hei tohu whakatupato, hei maramatanga mo nga uri whakatipu. He kupu e korero ana ki te manawa, ki te wairua, ki te whenua. Ko tenei pukapuka na Ta Pou Temara – he mema o te Kaunihera Tekau ma Rua a te Kuini, he ahorangi, he tohunga mo te kupu, mo te whakaaro Maori. Ka wanangahia e ia nga korero a Te Kooti: nga whakakitenga i tukuna ki nga marae, nga waiata i tuhia hei huna i te mohiotanga, nga korero i poipoia i raro i te maru o te atua. Ka panuitia, ka wetewetehia, ka uia: kua tutuki ranei nga kupu a Te Kooti? Kei te ora tonu ranei i enei ra? Ko nga whakaaro o Ta Pou i ahu mai i nga korero tuku iho o Te Whanau-a-Apanui, o Te Arawa, o Ngai Tuhoe – nga iwi i whakatupu i tona ngakau kia mohio ai ki te ha o te kupu, ki te wairua o te whakapono, ki te tapu o te korero tuku iho. Na kona, ka rere mai tenei pukapuka hei puna matauranga mo te hunga e kimi ana i te maramatanga ki te Hahi Ringatu, ki te poropititanga Maori, ki te reo, ki te hitori o te motu – mai i te uma o nga marae, mai i nga whakapono o nga tipuna, mai i te kore ki te ao marama. Te Kooti Te Turuki Rikirangi stands as a towering figure of his time – a storm in dark days, a staff for those adrift. A warrior in the house of Tumatauenga, yet to the Ringatu Church, a prophet – one who carried the dreams, hopes and spirit of the iwi through years of loss: land, life and sovereignty. In his right hand, the gun of battle; in his left, the word of God. Te Kooti spread these words across the marae of the motu; a messenger, a guide, a beacon of understanding for generations to come. His words speak to the heart, to the spirit, to the land. This book, by Ta Pou Temara – a member of the Maori Queen’ s Council of Twelve, a professor, and a tohunga of Maori language and thought – offers a deep exploration in te reo Maori of Te Kooti’ s prophetic messages: his visions, teachings and songs. Through these pages, Ta Pou asks: have Te Kooti’ s words been fulfilled? Do they still live today? Ta Pou’ s insights, grounded in the ancestral knowledge of Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Te Arawa and Ngai Tuhoe, illuminate the essence of the word, the spirit of belief and the sacredness of tradition. This book is a rich source of knowledge for those seeking understanding of the Ringatu faith, Maori prophecy, the Maori language and the history of the land – from the heart of the marae, from the wisdom of ancestors, from the shadows to the light.