Rongomaraeroa
Loss and Separation Part 3
Offering the Sacred Balm called Presence
(E Hoatu te Tapu o te ko te Mana)
By Raymond Te Korako Ruka
Son of Waitaha
Stephen W. Emerick Ph.D.: Raymond my brother, is there anything else you would like us to understand about your sacred Marae? It has been such a blessing to have been with you in Part 1 and Part 2. Thank you for drawing us in, informing us, blessing us, and now bringing the series to a conclusion.
Raymond: Our Houses, Our Marae, as each tribal area have their own customary lore’s, but with respect, generally speaking, are large sacred Houses, fulfilling for tribal members a variety of roles and are used as Communal Houses, Recreational Houses, Funeral Houses, for offering sacred services. One house filling all these roles. The Marae are usually named after Ancestors of renown.
Actually, there are in truth, 2 large Halls, One is used for ceremony and doubles at night as the sleeping quarters, for all those present – mattress’s laid out on the floor in 2 or 3 rows along the length of the hall. In this Hall is conducted all the formal ceremonies, after the mattress’s and assorted linen have been stored away. The other Hall is used exclusively for meals and other associated social/ recreational time-out.
The way it has always been.
Everyone altogether. All the families conjoined into one. We can’t hide secrets from each other when we come together in union to share the sacred ritual of, not only our ancestral bloodline, but our common humanity – to sleep and allow our bare bones to be exposed. That which makes us common, and with that trust given, a human unification is solidified – unbreakable, and which can only be found in family, no matter how far away from a common ancestor the distinction is made.
Because in truth – it all becomes irrelevant, when our common Ancestress is Aroha or Love.
Stephen W. Emerick Ph.D.: To our listener and reader. The good news is this is not the first nor the last sharing that Raymond blesses us with. See the many stories, remembrances, and vibrant information Raymond shares on his other pages. They help take us deeper into understanding the preciousness of the Waitaha, and especially the richness of the sharing that comes from Raymond Tekorako Ruka, son of Waitaha, of The Water Carriers of New Zealand.