A weapon discarded can be an ornament on the marae. (Mead, H. & Grove, 2003, p. 348)23
Mead and Grove (2003, p. 348) explain this proverb as “...a broken whalebone weapon can be made into an attractive neck ornament.” In the past weaponry, ‘rākau a Tū’, had physical utility in times of warfare. Specific weapons such as those made from scarce materials including whalebone or greenstone were of particular value. Some weapons may have taken on added
22 Mead and Grove cite: Williams 1908, p. 14, 1971, p. 353. 23 Mead and Grove cite: Downes 1914, p. 224.
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significance if brandished by an individual of high rank, or if used on important occasions. Such weapons were frequently named individually and their histories retained. Ornaments on the other hand usually had very limited physical utility but their value was aesthetic and a major part of their value was garnered through the history of the ornament.
The contrast between a disused weapon and a precious neck ornament described in this proverb is potent. Mead and Grove suggest the weapon represents the physical strength and agility of youth while the neck ornament with limited physical application illustrates the intangible and accumulated qualities of old age.
This proverb is a comment on the transformations that occur during life as people age. Ageing affects the ways in which people are able to contribute and is fundamental to how people are valued. It could be suggested that the deeds carried out during the life span can directly relate to outcomes in latter life.
In this instance weapons used in significant battles, or that had been used to slay notable enemies would be valued highly. The resulting ornament fashioned from the broken weapon would carry with it the narratives and history and therefore be of significant value.
113 Table 11 Proverb themes - ageing as a process
Proverb
number Proverb Themes
1 Ka eke anō i te puke ki Ruahine.
The person is ascending the mountain at Ruahine.
• Snow is an analogy for white hair
• Region specific circumstances can be applied widely
• Ageing is a climbing metaphor which includes ascent, summit, and descent
2 He pakaru ā waka e taea te raupine mai.
Damages of the canoe can be repaired.
• Old age is an irrevocable state
• Physical attrition is inevitable
• Ageing as a process occurs over time
3, 4
E mōkai tupunga rua, kawe ake, kawe iho.
O foolishness of two growths, one upwards and the other downwards.
Ka tūhoa te rā, ka warara, ka hinga.
The sun comes to its zenith, then declines.
• Ageing is a phenomenon that predated human existence
• Ageing is the sun’s cycle; rises, peaks; then sets
• Human ageing is grounded within naturally occurring cycles
5 Ka hia ngā kuikui i hoki ki Toitoi?
How many old women return to active life?
• Ageing is an irreversible process
• Implication of ascent followed by descent
• Illustration of physical changes during ageing process
6, 7
Te toa taua, mā te taua, te toa piki rākau, mā te rākau; ko te toa mahi kai, mā te huhu, mā te hanehane.
The warrior meets his end in war, the tree-climber is killed by the tree, but the cultivator dies without violence to be eaten by worms and rot away.
Ko te toa taua i mate ki te tarāwhare, ka mau te toa o tēnā; ko te toa taua i riro i tētahi toa, he toa hekeheke tēnā.
A warrior who dies of old age keeps his reputation always; a warrior who dies at the hand of another is a short-lived one.
• Decisions and actions made early in life effect later life
• Occupation during one’s youth has implications for old age
• Ageing involves the intergenerational transmission of legacy
8 E maha ngā rangi, ka tautau te remu ka taikuiatia ki te whare.
As the years pass, the hem of your garment will sag and you will have become an old woman.
• Māori observations of physical ageing may not coincide with Western norms
• Connection to the home place in latter life highlighted
• Advice to young people to treat elders well as they too will grow old
9, 10
He horo ki tūparimaunga, he hewa ki te tangata kotahi.
A landslide of a mountain cliff is like the baldness of a man.
Horo maunga ki tua, pākira ki tangata kotahi.
As a landslide denudes the mountain so baldness comes to a person.
• Use of metaphor from physical environment
• Physical appearance changes with age
• Difference between geological and human timescale
11 Te taru nei a te rūtawa te ara o ninihi.
This thing, grey hairs, is something that comes stealthily.
• Ageing is seen as a gradual process
• Acknowledgement of human conceptions of time
12 Rākau papa pangā ka hei ki te marae.
A weapon discarded can be an ornament on the marae.
• Ageing is seen as transformation
• Utility and value change with age
• Deeds carried out early in life have implications for old age and beyond
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The Aged