E toru ngā momo tuna kei Aotearoa – ko te tuna heke, ko te tuna ōrea me te tunga kōtingotingo o Ahitereiria (Anguilla reinhardtii) i tere noa mai ki Aotearoa e 25 tau ki muri.

He kai nui te tuna nā te Māori, ā, i mua i ara ake te pakanga mō te tuna te take. I mau te tuna i te hīnaki, i te pā tuna, i te matarau, i te kōrapa, i te toi, i te kōumu, i te ringaringa noa iho rānei. Neke atu i te 100 ngā ingoa o te Māori mō ngā momo tuna e toru kei Aotearoa.

Pēnei i ētahi ika ririki, ka tohe hoki ngā tuna ki te haere i te moana ki te wai māori, i te wai māori ki te moana ki te whakatutuki i te huringa ā-oranga.

Ngā pūtaiao hou: I tēnei ataata ka whakamārama a Erina i ngā hua inanaga ka ‘tere’ whakarunga i te au. Ināianei, e whakapono ana te ao pūtaiao kāore ngā hua e tere noa, engari he āheinga kaukau anō ō ngā hua e tae ai rātou ki te wāhi e haere ana rātou. He pērā te āhua o te pūtaiao, me whakaaro anō ō tātou huatau, mātauranga anō hoki.

Te huringa ā-oranga o te tuna

Tuhinga

Nā Erina Watene-Rawiri

Ko ngā momo taonga, he momo e whakaaro nuitia ana e te Māori.

He momo taonga te tuna, kua whakamahia te tuna e te Māori i roto i ngā whakatupuranga huhua.

He uaua te huringa ā-oranga o te tuna. Ka noho te tuna i te moana mō tētahi wā me te wai māori mō tētahi wā. Ki te tirohia ngā pakeke, ka noho ērā i ngā kōawa me ngā roto, ā, kia rite rā anō ki te whakaputa hua, kātahi ngā tuna huhua ka heke ki te moana. Ka tere ngā tuna mō ngā kiromita rua mano neke atu, e ahu atu ana ki Tonga, ki reira whakaputa hua ai i ngā wai āhua hōhonu.

Ka rewa ngā hua ki te karetai, ki reira puta mai ai ngā torongū meroiti noa iho nei, he kōataata te hanga, e rite nei te āhua ki te rau, e kīia ana ēnei he leptocephali. Ka pōteretere mai ngā leptocephali ki Aotearoa i ngā au o te moana, ā, i mua tata i te terenga atu ki ngā awa, ka huri ēnei hei inanga. He punua tuna kōataata nei te inanga, ka tere ēnei i te awa, ā, i te terenga i te awa, ka pango haere ngā inanga. Ka huri ngā punua tuna hei tuna ririki. Ka noho ēnei ki te wai māori mō te wā roa – mai i te 20 tau ki te 60 tau ki te 100 tau i mua i te pakeketanga, ā, kātahi ngā tuna ka hoki ki te moana ki te whakaputa hua anō. Ka mate ngā pakeke i te whakaputanga o ngā hua, ko ngā hua anahe ka puta mai

He whakamānawa: © Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato. Tēnā, tirohia ngā mihi kei te ataata e  kitea ai ngā whakamānawa.

Rights: Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
Published:19 March 2018