Kaura ki te
pakanga (2).
Chapter
1
The birth,
naming and names of Kaura.
Kaura kite pakanga was
in fact born on the 24 March 1947, However due to illness he died during
infancy and buried at Porahu.
Another baby was born soon
after on the 21 April 1948 he also assumed the name Kaura kite pakanga
(2)
This is the biography of
Kaura kite pakanga (2)
Brothers June and John often
refer to the first Kaura to have been the better of the two.
This is only because the second
Kaura out witted them both once too often.
Brother John “Kei reira te
murere e noho ana” “He is the most cunning person I have known”
Brother June “A koina te
hianga o nga hianga katoa” “he is the most mischievous person of
all”
Kaura went by many names. Kaura,
a name he did not like.
I recall him saying to mum,
“Na wai homai tenei ingoa wiriwiri moku?” “Who is responsible
for giving me this horrible name?”
To which mum would reply, “Kaua
e korero pena, he ingoa rangatira tena, he ingoa no te whawhai”
“Don’t say that! Yours’
is a noble name, a name which emanated from the war”
I could not help by laugh at
him and mum.
Witty as he was, he turned
to me and said,
“Kau e kata! raki koe i mate
tera nga Kaura. Mena i te ora tonu aia, ko riro ke iaua to ingoa pakeha
a George. Mena kare ko koe ke a Mahiti”
“You are lucky the first
Kaura died, otherwise I would have got your pakeha name George. And
you would have been named Mahiti”
I was amazed at his wittiness.
I replied,
“Kare ra taea te pehea, na
Te Atua e mahi ke pera, a me noho pera” “Unfortunately there is
nothing we can do about it now. That is how God wanted it to be, let
it be that way”
Kaura also went by the name
of “Te Great” Mahiti and I gave him this name when we were little
growing up at Porahu. It was a code name. This name emanated from some
of the tobacco John and June use to smoke. I think the packets were
green in colour.
Mahiti and I began calling
him great because he took a liking to the tobacco with green colour
packets. This name stuck with him forever. Even June and John and others
called him great.
Brother Kaura never saw eye
to eye with brother John, they were always in conflict with one another.
As a result John had specific names for him, such as “Wairangi or
Porangi” Although they rhyme perfectly with great names like Hikurangi
and Aorangi, both are derogatory names, names one would call someone
in anger. Both names refer to someone who has a mental problem.
Sister Mary who often dreaded
Kaura, (in particular after Kaura have had a few drinks and under the
weather) would refer to him as “Tau teia ra” e.g.
“Ka mau te wehi o tau teia
ra! Puta mai ki taku kaenga, haurangi, tau tiamu katoa nga tokena”
“That so and so is incredible, it turned up at my place drunk, with
socks smelling toe jam”
Many people did not know, but
while we were all living in Newcastle Australia 1970 Kaura went by the
name of John. I asked him why John? He replied
“Ngawari ke atu te John te
whakahu i te Kaura” The name John is easier to pronounce than Kaura”
I said to him, “well now
I know! I have had many calls while you were out from a number of young
ladies asking for a John Fox, and I told them that there was no such
person in this house hold by that name.”
He replied, “Kei te raru
ke au i a koe!” “You have disappointed me!”
The next chapter we will rekindle
some of the adventures we had with Kaura during the 1950s’ 1960s’
growing up at Porahu. Possum hunting, Breaking in wild horses, Plough
our (Mahinga kai) vegetable garden, Going to school on our horse, scrub
cutting, catching eels, pig hunting, life at Rangitukia school (When
we did make it to school) Piggy back by mum across the ice cold and
flooded Maraehara creek so we can catch the bus at Maraehara woolshed
for school. Inviting friends over to Porahu for the weekends just to
play Cowboys and Indians and declare war with them. We (Mahiti, Kaura
and I) being the Indians (because we mastered the art of making accurate
bows and arrows) Often our visitors would not come back a second time.
Kia ora
