タラナキ山 Mount Taranaki

English translation below:    　

　28日は、タラナキ山に登りました。ルアキリさんの説明を頂きながら、最も神聖な場所と言われる「テレレ・オ・カープニ」という場所へ案内してもらいました。パリハカのリーダーだったトーフーとテフィティ、ラタナ、マオリ王も神聖な場所に来て儀式を行いリーダーと認められたとのことです。山に入る前には、ルアキリさんがマオリのカラキア（お祈り）を捧げ、木幡弘文さんがアイヌのカムイノミを捧げました。

　子どもに新しい名前をつける儀式は、マオリの習慣で、子どもが5-6才になり、その子の役割や人格がわかってくると名前をつけるために行われるそうです。それまで子どもには先祖の名前をつけることを知りました。アイヌの習慣と似ている部分があり、参加者も興味を持って聞いていました。そこでルアキリさんは彼らが英語名とマオリの名前の二つ持つことに触れ、「マオリの名前は自分達の名前であって、例え彼ら（ニュージーランドの多数派の白人）に違う、と言われても彼らにその権利はなく、自分達で自分達の名前をつける」と主張されました。

　マオリが新しい名前を付ける際は、神聖な場所の川の水で身体を洗い流し、名を浄化してから新しい名をつけるそうです。その川に案内してもらい、その水を頭にかけ、飲み水として頂きました。ルアキリさんは、「川が神聖なものであるためには、人が神聖なものとして使い続けることが必要です」、と言い、どうぞと私たちをその特別に神聖な川へと招いてくださいました。

　タラナキ山は、マオリにとって本当に何かあった時、儀式の時にしか足を踏み入れないような場所であり、それは特に土地の権利を失うかもしれないような状況が迫った時だとルアキリさんは説明されました。タラナキ山は中心から放射状に土地の権利を8つの部族が有しており、しかしより重要なのは土地よりもそこを流れる川などの水であるとのこと。パリハカの長老のフイランギさんからルアキリさんも伝えられたように、ロンゴ（特に農作物としての食べ物）は、平和もバランスもグループで協同で働けることが大切で、何事においてもみんなが合意することが大切となる、という説明を聞きました。パリハカにとって重要なタラナキ山の見学を通じても、「合意」がマオリの部族のメンバーにとって非常に大切なものであることを学ぶことができました。

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February 28^th – We took a walk up Taranaki Mountain to Te Rere o Kāpuni. Ruakiri explained to us how this waterfall is the most sacred place on Taranaki to the Maori people. When you turn around from where we climbed up to, it seems as though you are in a Japanese landscape, the summits of Mount Fuji and Mount Taranaki being like two peas in a pod, both summits standing out prominently in the sky.

The two Parihaka leaders Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi, Ratana, and the Maori King have all been anointed as leaders at this sacred place. Since tourists like us could enter this place as well, ceremonies cannot be performed there, Maori began to perform these types of ceremonies at a separate place. However, Ruakiri hadn’t been there for several years since there was a landslide. For the first time in many years, a naming ceremony for Maori children was planned to take place the following week, so we went there with the dual purpose of also checking to see if was possible to do a ceremony there.    

It is a custom to give children a new name, so when they become around 5 or 6 years old, a name is given to them that represents their role and character. Until that time, they have a name that comes from one of their ancestors. This was so interesting to hear because this custom is similar to how Ainu name children.  Ruakiri explained that both Maori have both a Maori and an English name, and even if they are told by the majority Pakeha (New Zealanders of European Origin) that they can’t have two names, Pakeha do not have the right to say that, and Maori give their children Maori names as they wish.

Before entering the mountain Ruakiri did a Maori karakia (prayer), and Hirofumi Kibata did an Ainu kamuinomi (the Ainu way of communicating with the gods). A path is maintained on the mountain make it easier to walk through the lush trees and grass but there is still an issue with visitors to the mountain bringing an algae on their shoes. In just five years the rivers became consumed by this algae. He explained that birds also may be contributing to the spread of the algae once it is on the mountain. After hearing this it was easy to understand why the customs checks at immigration are so strict.

 

When giving a name to a child, water from this sacred river is poured over the child’s body, and once the name is purified, the child receives a new name. Ruakiri guided us to the waterfall where we anointed our head with the water and took a drink. Just before Ruakiri told us how this water is sacred- that it should continued to be used in a sacred way and motioned for us to go ahead and rejoice in the water.

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Maori only enter Taranaki Mountain for certain occasions, such as for a ceremony or when something important happens, especially when it seemed as if they were threatened with the loss of rights to their land. Radiating from the center of Mount Taranaki are the rights to the land of 8 tribes, but what is even more important than the land is the water flowing from the river.  Just as Parihaka elder Wairangi said, so did Ruakiri- Rongo- the god of cultivated food, said it is important that balance is maintained by all members of a group. Everyone must have a common understanding. Through our visit to Taranaki we learned how important it is to Maori to share a common understanding.