"Ka kakati te namu"

This saying comes from Te Tangi a Kawiti, first uttered in the days immediately after the withdrawal from Te Ruapekapeka on Jan 11, 1846.

 

It is said that while the defenders of Te Ruapekapeka, withdrew, were resting and convalescing at Pukepoto, a small hill in the area now known as Glenbervie, Kawiti gathered his loyal warriors and addressed them in the dawn of the early morning.

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‘Ka kakati te namu’ are but four words from Kawiti’s full address. Literally these words mean ‘The sandfly nips’.

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The rest of the line is ‘i te whārangi o te pukapuka’ or at the pages of the book. The book refers to He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

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‘Hei kōnei ka tahuri atu ai’ meaning ‘At that time, you must arise and resist’.

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Thus ‘Ka kakati te namu’ is a call to arms when those sacred covenants are being undermined.

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Right now, the government is dispensing laws on a number of fronts that seriously undermine our Ngati Hine Mana Motuhake as inherited from our ancestors such as Kawiti.

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Therefore, ‘Ka kakati te namu’ is a rallying cry to rise up and defy the government moves to undermine our mana Motuhake.

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The full statement was:

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E te whānau,

I te pakanga ahau ki ngā Atua i te po,

Hoi, kīhai ahau i mate.

Na reira, takahia te kino ki raro i o koutou waewae

Kia ū ki te whakapono, kei poai Pākeha koutou i muri nei. 

Waiho kia kakati te namu i te whārangi o te pukapuka,

Hei kōnei ka tahuri atu ai

Kei takahia e koutou ngā papa pounamu a o koutou tūpuna e takoto nei

Titiro atu ki ngā taumata o te moana.

 

My kinfolk,

I fought with supernatural beings during the night, but I survived.

So I call upon you to trample hatred underfoot. 

Hold fast to our beliefs to prevent Pākeha assimilation

When the sandfly nips at the pages of the book (He Whakaputanga me te Te Tiriti o Waitangi)

At that time, you must arise and resist.

You must avoid violating the sacred customs bestowed by your forebears.

Look beyond the horizon and your current circumstances.

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- Pita Tipene