Old ritual honours tupuna

For seven Marlborough men, yesterday's tupuna repatriation ceremony at Canterbury Museum was the chance to take on a special honour within the Rangitane group.

For the past four months, Omaka Marae manager Kiley Nepia has been training six men in the art of mau rakau, a traditional Maori weaponry ritual.

The hand-picked group consists of Mr Nepia's eldest son Tamahau Nepia, who at 13 is the youngest in the group, Wiremu Herbert, 17, David Tipu, 16, Tyson Thwaites, 15, and adults Paora Mackie and Shaun Wharehoka.

While some of the group had grown up witnessing the ritual, yesterday was everyone's first time performing it in public.

During the ceremony, Mr Nepia and the other six led the 100-strong Rangitane group into the Canterbury Museum chamber to reclaim the bones of their ancestors (tupuna).

Their job was to safeguard the Rangitane group and form a guard of honour for the tupuna until their reburial at the Wairau Bar.

Wearing traditional mourning attire, they carried out a ritual challenging the museum, expressing anger and hurt about the past and reclaiming the tupuna.

The men are also eating only raw fruit and vegetables.

Mr Nepia said it had always been his dream to lead the students in the weaponry training. It was a huge responsibility for the men, and they had performed 10 times better than he had thought possible.

"The fact that we were able to perform these cultural customs with pride and passion ... it was electrifying."

That seven Rangitane men now knew the ritual was an indication of the growth within the tribe, as it was once a rare skill, he said. The group was exhausted after the performance, which required a lot of concentration and demanded responsibility.

"I'm very proud of my boys," said Mr Nepia. "When we jumped out of the bus, we had a mission to represent our people and to bring our tupuna home."

Tamahau Nepia said he was happy about being part of the group. Mr Mackie said his role yesterday made him feel proud of his people, and humbled to be part of the group.

"I was a little bit nervous and out of my comfort zone, but once I got out there, everything else just takes over."

Wiremu Herbert described a big adrenalin rush after taking part.

"It was astronomical."

- The Marlborough Express