Ko te tau kōura te tino tikanga mahi kōura o mua, o nāianei hoki, a ngā iwi o Te Arawa e noho rā ki ngā takiwā o Rotorua me Taupō. Ko te tau kōura, he tikanga i hua ake i ngā mātauranga me ngā rangahautanga o roto i te 500 tau. Ko te mea i kitea i roto i aua rau tau, he pai ake te tau kōura i ētahi atu tikanga mahi kōura pērā i te pouraka, i te hīnaki, i te paepae me te rama kōura.
Ko tētahi o ngā tino painga o te tau kōura, he tikanga tīpako pai, tōkeke nei, kāore ōna tītahatanga. Nō reira ka mau te kōura nui, te kōura iti, ka ōrite hoki te mau o te toa me te uwha. Ko te momo kōura ka kaha mau i te pouraka me te hīnaki, ko ngā tame āhua ririhau nei. Ko tētahi atu painga o te tau kōura, ehara i te mea me pūataata te wai, me pai rānei te huarere, pērā i ngā tikanga e riro ana mā te karu rawa e kite. Heoi anō, he pai tonu ērā atu tikanga mō te mahi kōura hei kai, e mōhiotia ai hoki āe rānei he kōura kei tētahi takotoranga wai, kāore rānei.
Mō te tau kōura, ka whakatakotoria he pūpū rarauhe ki te takere o te roto, te kōawa, te repo rānei, he wāhi huna mō te kōura. I roto o Te Arawa, ka kīia ēnei pūpū rarauhe he whakaweku. I ētahi atu rohe ka kīia he koere, he tāruke rānei. Hei tango mai i ngā kōura, ka hikina ngā whakaweku me te whakatakoto atu ki te kupenga, kia kore ai ngā kōura e rere. Hei mahi i te whakaweku, 10 pea ngā tā rarauhe ka paiheretia ki tētahi here pai (i ngā whakaahua i raro nei, kua whakamahia he ‘here taura’). Ka taea te tuku ngā whakaweku maha ki te wāhi kotahi (ka pēnei pea te tikanga i te roto me te hāpua nui), ka taea rānei te tuku takitahi ki te kōawa, ki te awa, ki te repo, ki te taha rānei o te roto. Ko te tikanga, ki te waiho atu mō te āhua 6 wiki ki te roto, mō te āhua 2 wiki ki te kōawa, i roto i taua wā ka āta nōhia e te kōura.
Ka kitea nuitia ngā uwha e mau mai ana ō rātou hua mai i te Paengawhāwhā ki te Whiringa-ā-rangi. Nō reira, he pai ake te hopu kōura mai i te Hakihea ki Poutūrangi, kia kore ai e raru ngā uwha whakaputa uri.
Atu i te pai o te whakaweku mō te hopu kōura, he pai anō hei tikanga tīpako i ētahi atu ika pakupaku ka mātua noho ki te takere o te wai, pērā i te toitoi (ngāi Gobiomorphus), i ētahi pepeke ka noho ki te wai māori (pērā i te caddisfly, te mayfly me te stonefly), me ētahi atu hanga tuaiwi-kore pērā i te ngata me te ngākihi.
He aha te take me mātua whakaora ake ngā taupori kōura?
He maha ngā tohu kua paheke haere te kōura mai i te taenga mai o ngāi tauiwi ki Aotearoa. Me kōrero hoki te pānga o ētahi āhuatanga taiao. Anei ētahi pūtakenga nui o te paheketanga:
- te taenga mai o ngā ika me ngā tipu rāwaho
- te iti ake o te hāora kei ngā wai i te takere o ngā roto. I pērā ai, nā te nui o ngā kohuke me ngā taiora e rere atu ana ki ngā roto i ngā pāmu me ngā pūnaha parakaingaki o ngā kaunihera ā-rohe, i tino nui ai te tipu o te pūkohu wai.
He kōrero kōputahi
E tūhono ana tēnei kōrero ki Te kōura – te mōrehu onamata, me Te whakaora ake i te kōura.
He whakamihi
I pūtakea mai tēnei mātaitanga i tētahi kōrero i titoa e Ian Kusabs (Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) mō te pukapuka Te Reo o Te Repo – The Voice of the Wetland.
