Which parts of you are waiting to be uncovered, or better yet — remembered?
When Tāne finally made it to Tikitikiorangi, persisted through the attacks from his brother and no doubt other challenges as well, when he finally made it — he came face to face with Io.
Io the parentless, supreme being, beginning and end of everything and other interpretations of Io include God, Allah, the Universe, higher power, energy and existence itself. Io comes before Te Kore (the potential, formless) realm in the creation whakapapa (genealogy), kind of a big deal.
Now, let me introduce you to the lines below to help shape the wānanga (musing) for this blog post,
“Whakarongo mai e tama,
kotahi tonu te hiringa i kake ai a Tāne ki Tikitiki-o-rangi,
ko te hiringa i te mahara,
ka kitea i reira ko Io matua-te-kore-anake…”
— Tuhotoariki, in his oriori* (lullaby) for his grandnephew, Tuteremoana.
Loosely translated to ‘there was but one reason Tāne ascended to Tikitikiorangi, it was his unwavering belief that he would meet Io and in doing so,
realise his potential.”
When I was thinking about this pūrākau and how to interpret it for our wānanga, this part of the story stuck with me.
The more it marinaded, the more I started to reflect on it as if collecting/retrieving the baskets was just the by-product of Tāne’s deeper why, mission or purpose. Kind of like the flash award to recognise his commitment, skill and dedication to the cause. An acknowledgment for most resourceful atua (elemental force, eldest tupuna, god) lol I dunno, but you see where I’m going with this?
I mean, how many times have you, on your own pursuit of a goal or dream, found that upon accomplishing it — it wasn’t really about that at all? But something deeper instead?
Maybe it was proving to yourself you could do it? Proving others wrong? Something deeply personal and intimate for each of us…
Like, cool if our thing serves other functions too and contributes to community and collective advancement in some way etc. all of that, you know we love that here haha but often, on my various pursuits, what I’ve found is more of myself.
A deepened understanding, appreciation for who I am and everything that makes me, me.
This lines up pretty well with another interpretation of this is pūrākau; with Io likened to the universe and everything in it therefore an expression of Io. — so Tāne ascending to Tikitikiorangi and meeting Io = Tāne coming face to face with himself.
Which parts of you are waiting to be uncovered, or better yet — remembered? What pursuits can you embark on to meet them?
Tēnā tātou,
Hana.
Thanks to STM for the wānanga on this kaupapa.
*Oriori aren’t like the lullabies you might be familiar with today. They’re composed to include whakapapa-lines, connections to significant landmarks, waterways and the stars, and aspirations for the unborn baby. The oriori then recited while they’re in the womb, during birth and at other milestones during the child’s life, with more verses added as their journey progresses as well.