Written by Selina Roimata Patia, Tāmaki Regeneration
Enuamanu, tāku ipukarea
E enua manea, purotu ōki koe
Rākei ia kite rākei tūpuna
Turoto ia e te manu o te reva
Tauranga manea no te iti tāngata
Taku ipukarea, ko Atiu Nui
Enuamanu, my homeland
A beautiful land! You are a beauty!
Adorned with the treasures of our ancestors
Sojourned by the birds of the skies
A beautiful home for my people
My homeland…Atiu Nui!
Heading into Retreat Two (Va Fonua, Fanua, Fenua, ‘Enua, Whenua) of The Mana Moana Experience, I found myself on edge, distracted and very nervous. My mind was focused on the work that needed to be done for my Enuamanu people and the huge step that I had just taken. Putting myself out there by being brave to show that change and youth was needed in our community in order to secure a future and to keep the legacy going for our people. I knew it was a tough battle, but it needed to be done!
The song at the beginning of my Reflection was composed by my Dad, Tangata Vainerere. It talks about the very land and people that I strongly connect to and have served all my life. How timely that at the very moment we embarked on our Va Enua retreat, my whole being was being consumed by my enua (island) and my iti tāngata (people). As the bus left Ākarana (Auckland), I knew at some point I would need to disconnect from the world that I had just come from and turn my focus to what was now in front of me – Va Enua and my Mana Moana whānau who immediately covered me with ofa, alofa, aro’a!
Never did I imagine that going into this Retreat I would:
· add new family members to my growing list of whānau resources
· be gifted a pou that sits with the gods
· be in the presence of te vai roto (lake) that I had never seen and yet felt so deeply connected to
· have trauma physically and spiritually released from my body
· have my mind blown and heart so deeply hurt from learning of the plight and suffering that our indigenous people around the world have endured over time
But! That is exactly what happened. The impact of that, post-Retreat, is the:
· deeper respect that I strongly hold for our Tangata Whenua who acknowledges us Tangata Moana as the tuakana
· gratefulness for the gift received from our newfound whānau
· strong desire to still be connected to my enua and my iti tangata regardless of the outcome of being brave
· continued healing for the body and the mind
· more strong, confident and courageous conversations about our indigenous people with people outside my ‘norm’
Even after being publicly told by my own through the stroke of a pen on a piece of paper that I am not wanted, Va ‘Enua helped me to still have the desire to serve the enua, the iti tangata, the tūpuna (ancestors) that I had brought onto my moenga (sleeping mat) on the first day of my Mana Moana voyage.
I am encouraged to be ‘leaderful’ in the spaces that I occupy with others. Meeting some of the most incredible leaders (in the space of a few months) who lead with a clear vision in their spaces has given me the strength to seek, learn and speak up for our indigenous people.
I runga I te Vaka Taurua, me kare e tūrama moemoeā, ka mate te vaka tangata! Io…ko…ko!
On a voyaging canoe, when there is no vision, the people will perish! Leadership requires vision!
Kia Orana e Kia Manuia!