ITIMANUKA THE TOTEM TOLD BY RONGOMATANE MAKA KEA ARIKI TO TATUAVA TANGA . In their attempt to overcome the problems of nature our ancestors sought supernatural help through spirit beings or totems, which we call taura-atua. They act as protectors of certain tribes and may appear in this world in many forms, human or non-human. For many generations the mana (power) of the taura-atua was never doubted. Even to this day the taura-atua are still believed to exercise their mana if required by their people. The taura-atua featured in many sea voyages in which the lives of people were threatened by natural phenomena such as hurricanes. In some cases the taura-atua (the human medium of the spirit) prophesied, by way of dreams, important events that would take place within a certain tribe such as births, deaths and incidents. A well known taura-atua of Enuamanu (Atiu) is called Itimanuka, the spirit being of Rongomatane Ariki and his tribe. According to witnesses Itimanuka always appears on the marae Teapiripiri. This place was proc- laimed by Ngati Paruarangi as sacred. On the marae itself, two tiare maori trees stood close to a mound of rubble from a tumbled-down wall. It was at this spot that Itimanuka was always sighted. No one dared pick flowers from the two tiare maori trees except members of the Rongomatane tribe. Those who erred faced serious consequences. Itimanuka makes, its presence known on important lunar phases, like Marangi, Tangaroa and Tane. Itimanuka appears in the form of a woman on land and in the form of a shark or whale in the sea. Rongomatane Maka Kea related that in the olden days when Itimanuka leaped around in the sea at the mouth of Taunganui passage it was a sign that flying fish would be abundant and the common phrase used by the fishermen was Ka uri ki te puaka (literally translated — Cast to the pig) meaning that the catch would feed the whole island and there would still be a surplus. This sign never failed and upon seeing this the people of Atiu would immediately set about making preparations for the immense catch to come. Giant kotaa (fern) leaves for wrapping and firewood would be gathered. An extraordinary episode Many many years ago a ship departed Rarotonga for Mangaia and Atiu. Amongst those on board was a woman and her grandchild. The woman, a descendant of the chiefly clan of Rongomatane, was returning to her home island Enuamanu. In mid-ocean, darkness fell and disaster struck. A hole in the ship started to take in water. The crew tried desperately to repair the damage and to bail out the water but without success. Soon the vessel was completely swamped by water and sank. Some people managed to reach the ships lifeboat, but others drowned. The woman and her grandchild were amongst those who did not reach the lifeboat. While floating helplessly in the darkness she remembered something and she started to call out, summoning her taura-atua, Oh Itimanuka save us Oh Itimanuka my Taura-Atua ... where are you? Out of the dark water a great shark appeared. The colour of its skin from head to tail was like that of a ripe ti (cordyline) leaf. The woman, without fear, knew that Itimanuka had come to their rescue. She quickly secured her grandchild to her back with a piece of pareu cloth and then grabbed the pectoral fins of Itimanuka. It moved swiftly to a destination unknown to the woman since it was dark. At sunrise they sighted land straight ahead. Itimanuka carried the woman and her grandchild to the safety of protruding corals making up the fringing reef at a point in Atuokoro, Mangaia. The reef was high and dry because it was low tide, thus making it easy to crawl ashore on the rough surface. Itimanuka disappeared and a woman suddenly appeared supporting and helping the weary woman and her grandchild ashore. They were so ex- hausted from the ordeal that they dropped on the sandy beach and fell asleep. A group of fishermen found them later and took them to safety. Incidentally, there were no survivors from the sunken ship except the woman and her grandchild. The ariki of Mangaia looked after the two survivors and eventually they were returned to Atiu on the Atiu owned vessel Ngamaru. TE TAURA ATUA KO ITIMANUKA E irinaki-anga to te ui-Tupuna i pokerekere e tae ua mai ki te au uki e manganui i muri mai i teia pakau e Taura-Atua. Kua akauruuru ia teia e ratou e kua mana i roto i ta ratou irinakianga. Ko teia apakau e Taura-Atua ko te tauturu teia i to tatou Ui Tupuna i te au atianga e rokoia ei te vaka tangata teretere na te moana e te tumatetenga. E riro katpa ana te Taura-Atua i te akakite mai kia ratou — na roto i te rika- moe, i te au angaanga nuinui te ka tupu i roto i te matakeinanga. Mei te mate te tu, e te vai atura. Ko Itimanuka tatai o taua au Taura-Atua nei o runga ia Enuamanu. Koia oki te Taura-Atua no te Ariki Rongomatane ma tona vakatangata. Te vai nei e tae ua mai ki teia ra nei e rua (2) nga tumu tiare-maori taito, pera ki te patu (kua makuru i teia nei) i runga i te marae Teapiripiri. Ko te ngaai teia e kitea ia ana a Itimanuka e ko tona tuanga nei oki teia o te Marae Teapiripiri tei akatapu ia e to Ngati-Paruarangi nona. Kare tetai uatu tangata e akatika ia kia aaki i tetai tiare i te tuatau mua no runga mai i teia nga tumu tiare nei, man ua e au tangata rai no roto i te kopu ariki o Rongomatane. Me pera tetai ka rokoi aia e te tumatetenga. I te au po nunui, mei te Marangi, Tangaroa e te Tane ko te au tuatau teia 0 te marama anganua e maranga ana aia. I tetai au atianga ka kitea aia e te au tangata o roto i te pa-ariki. E tutu vaine tona tu, me kitea ia aia i runga i te enua. Kareka kia ano aia na te moana ka taui aia iaia ei mango me kare ra ei tora. Kia tae ki nga po maroro i te tuatau mua, i na Rongomatane Maka Kea ei, me rere a Itimanuka i raro tikai i te ngutu-ava i Taunganui, ka kite meitaki to Atiu au ravakai e, e aka maroro te ka ei mai — ka uri ki te puaka — (aiteanga, kare e rauke i te rave). Kare rava oki e tarevake ana taua akairo nei. I reira to Atiu e ropi ei i te kotaa ei vaii i te maroro, ma te akapapa i te au rara e te vaie ei rara i te maroro. Tetai mea umere kua tupu: Kia akaruke tetai paii ia Rarotonga no Mngaia e Atiu i te tuatau mua, kua aru katoa mai tetai vaine e tana mokopuna i taua tere nei. No roto aia i te kopu-ariki o Rongomatane, te akakoro ra i te oki ki te ipukarea Enuamanu. Kia tae te paii, ki te area moana i rotopu ia Mangaia e Rarotonga — e po te taime, kua tupu tetai tumatetenga nui. Kua puta te paii, e kua akamata i te ki i te tai. Marie ua te tupuanga o teia inara, raukaanga kore i te au tangata o te paii i te tata i te riu ki vao, e te openga iora, kua viviki te paii 1 te tomo ki raro te moana. Kua aue pu ua te au tangata o te paii pera ki teia metuavaine e tana mokopuna. Kua manuia tei o atu ki runga i te poti o te pai, ko tetai au tangata ra kare i o atu, kua maremo ia ratou. I taua atianga tumatetenga nei i maarai i te teia vaine nei tona Taura-Atua Te paanua ua ara raua ma ia katoa ite avaanga. E Itimanuka apai ia maua kia ora, Teiea koe e taku Taura-Atua e Itimanuka Kare i roa kua tapiri roa mai tetai aka mango. Mei te rautipara te tu o tona pakiri, mei mua i te omi e tae uatu ki te iku. Na teia i akapapu ki teia vaine nei ma tona ekako kore e, teia te Taura-Atua i te akaora ia raua. Kua nati aia i tana mokopuna ki te pareu, takai ki runga i tona tua, ma te piki atu ki runga ake i te tua o te faura. I tona mouanga ki runga i nga peau mua o te Taura kua akamata aia i te ano viviki atu. Kite kore roa raua e te ano nei te Taura kiea i te mea oki e e po te taime. Kua anu tikai raua, e mea papu rava te reira. Kia kake ake te ra i te popongi roa e enua te tu mai nei i mua ia raua. Kua tapiri roa te Taura-Atua ma te akaurunga i tona upoko ki runga i te rea (akau). No te maro i te tai i Atuokoro, Mangaia, rauka ngoie atura ia raua i te totoro acre ki uta. Kua ngaro ua i reira a Itimanuka, e kia itirere ake raua e vaine teia tei te pae e takitaki nei ia raua ki uta. No te nui rava i to raua paruparu e te anu, kua topa ua raua ki runga i te kirikiri (one tea) i te pae tai e kua ngaro roa to raua ao i te moe. Na tetai au tangata tautai i kite ia raua e kua rauka te tauturu i reira. Kua karanga ia e, ko raua ua i taua paii tangata ra tei ora mai e ko te katoaanga kua ngaro. Kua ariki ia raua e te ariki o Mangaia i te reira tuatau, e kia roa i muri mai na te paii o Atiu na Ngamaru i akaoki ia raua ki Enuamanu.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 11:19:40 +0000
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