once you make it to the top, who says you have to stay there?
It’s lonely, there’s not much room for anyone else.. isolating…
We transitioned into Whiro (new moon) phases earlier this week, which with its influences on the taiao (environment) and the taiao/atua (elemental forces) within us — also brings us to a new kaupapa (topic) for our blog. I’m sure the latter is what most people look forward to lol
We’ve been covering Tāne’s ascent to Tikitikiorangi; battles with Whiro, collaborating with Tāwhiri, coming face to face with Io (Supreme Being, existence) realising his potential and retrieving the kete (baskets) containing the knowledge to bring into being, te ira tangata (humankind).
I thought it might be an insightful wānanga (reflection, internalisation) to stay on this topic but instead focus on his descent afterwards. That never gets talked about — well, only that he came back down, went to Kurawaka and fashioned Hineahuone (Earth-formed Maiden, first woman), they had a hongi and fast forward to us being here in 2021.*
One of the first thoughts was,
once you make it to the top, who says you have to stay there?
What connotations do you have with ascending to the top of anything? I remember from a young age being exposed to messaging about our lives travelling in an upward trajectory. Basically, it was up = good. Down = bad.
There’s probably some influence from the church there, with notions of heaven and hell, but then there’s also the ‘climb to the top’, whether that be the corporate ladder or to being #1, or in any aspect of life... And if ever you should descend from the top, you were in trouble.
But hold on just a second…
This very pūrākau about Tāne’s ascent only exists and gets retold and reinterpreted today is because he came back down. Perhaps ascending to Tikitikiorangi meant he realises his potential, but Tāne’s descent and what he did afterwards made it all make sense. Only then did the heart find a reason to beat and were his deeds worthwhile. I mean,
what’s the point in realising your potential, or “making it to the top” if you can’t share it with anyone?
Our lives are relational and inter-connected, what we want or don’t want doesn’t matter — it just is.
That’s what whakapapa is!?? Whakapapa describes and shows us connections, it makes links from one thing to another to another. And since we’re whakapapa in action, the culmination of everyone and everything who’s come before us and still to come, I think we’d enjoy the journey a little bit more if we embraced our relational nature and leaned into it a bit more. Simple, but not easy ha.
A good wānanga to start off this cycle I think, kia kaha te wānanga!
Tēnā tātou,
Hana.
*If you’re new to the blog, please know I’ve gone into depth on this pūrākau many times with various posts and this very quick summary is exactly that and intended to be a little cheeky. Search ‘Hineahuone’ in the search box below to find all writings about her and other things post-descent.