He taonga te harakeke

Ko te harakeke tētahi o ngā tino taonga a te iwi Māori. I ngā rā o mua, e whakamahia nuitia ana te harakeke e o tātou tūpuna hei waihanga mai i ngā momo mea katoa o te ao Māori. Mō te hopu kai, te hanga whare, te whatu kākahu, te hanga taonga tākaro, aha atu, ko te harakeke tērā. Waihoki, he rongoā anō hoki te harakeke.

Heoi, ko te kete tonu tētahi o ngā taonga harakeke e mōhiotia whānuitia ana. Otirā, he maha tonu ngā momo kete ka hangaia ki te harakeke. Ko ngā kete e kitea ana i ēnei rā, koia tēnā e whakamahia nei hei kawe i ngā taputapu a te tangata. Arā anō ngā kete, ngā kono rānei mō te mau kai, mō te pupuri kaimoana. Ā, ko ētahi kete he iti, ko ētahi he nui, ā, ko ētahi ka mau ki te ringa, ko ētahi ka pīkau kētia ki te tuarā.

Ka rarangahia anō hoki ngā whāriki hei kākahu i te papa o ngā whare. Ki te āta tirohia e koe ētahi o ngā tukutuku e whakarākei nei i ngā pātū o ētahi o ō tātou wharenui, ka kite tonu koe he mea raranga ki te harakeke.

Mai i te harakeke ko te taura, ko te aho hī ika, ko te hīnaki hopu tuna, ko te kupenga hopu ika. Ko te nuinga o ngā kākahu o te Māori he mea whatu mai i te harakeke. Arā ngā piupiu, ngā korowai, ngā hū pāraerae, aha atu, aha atu.

Nā, ka hangaia nā e rātou ā rātou taonga tākoro, pēra i ngā manu aute, ngā poi, ngā taura mō ngā kēmu taura. Ko ngā waihonga o ngā putiputi kōrari harakeke ka meatia hei whakareka i te kai. He rongoā anō hoki te harakeke, ā, koia tērā ka meatia nā hei patu i ngā whēwhē, hei whakaora anō hoki i ngā motu. Mō ngā pikitia o ngā momo tāonga a tāua te Māori, tēnā patua atu te wāhanga 'Taonga' i runga i te paetukutuku o "Te Papa Tongarewa". Tirohia aua pikitia mō ngā tāonga, he mea hanga mai i te harakeke, i te muka rānei. Ānei te ara ki taua paetukutuku; http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/images/image_thumbs.asp?language=english&page=1&categoryid=5& gallery=15&categoryname=Taonga%20Maori