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Ngā Taonga Tākaro
Māori games are the social tools handed down by our tūpuna, states Harko Brown. Harko is an expert on traditional Māori games and has written several books both as a solo author and co-authored with his daughter Yves Tennessee Brown. Written information on the subject was hard to find, so Harko’s books have been the result of much talking, listening, and travelling to research, and also revitalise, tākaro.
NZCER GfL conference 2017. Harko Brown - Tihei Mauri Ora, The Breath of Life.
Tākaro were highly localised – they emerged from the creativity and diversity of hapū and iwi, and were influenced by environmental habitats which differ vastly across the country. They were developed as a community; “tohunga, tribespeople and tamariki themselves had input into the...development of games. If a physical, social, or psychological skill was thought necessary for tribal resilience it would be studiously integrated into a form of popular play” (Brown, 2016, p.20). Tākaro encourage and develop leadership skills as well as hauora (wellness).
Despite being developed by individual communities, the games themselves were shared and adapted when different groups would meet through a process called tatū. Tākaro were fluid, they didn’t have proscriptive rules that could not be changed. A perfect example of this came about during Harko’s keynote at the NZCER Games for Learning conference in 2017 (watch above) where he pioneered “the first time ever in history that Māori culture and Western culture were combining cricket.”
The important role of sports in Māori society has led Te Pāti Māori to create the Whānau Pakari – Sport and Wellbeing Policy. “The Māori Party acknowledges that exercise has been a big part of who we are, how we came here and how we would traverse the lands of Aotearoa. Māori invented many sports prior to European arrival. Running, Swimming, Fishing, Waka, Hunting, Kī o Rahi, Taiaha/Mau rakau/Te Whare Tū Taua, to name a few - all examples of a tūpuna mindset, an ancestral way of being and acting which we call – Whānau Pakari. The ability to exercise and strive for excellence.”
Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa state that they are seeing a resurgence of opportunities in and for ngā taonga tākaro. As the government agency of sport and play in Aotearoa New Zealand, Sport NZ acknowledge “As kaitiaki of the play, active recreation and sport system, we have a goal to restore, reclaim and revitalise traditional knowledge surrounding tākaro Māori and we are committed to ensuring the mana of tākaro Māori is upheld and maintained.”
For more on ngā taonga tākaro, visit Te Ara, NZCER, or read one of Harko's books by clicking on the links. Or to learn how to play Kī o Rahi, click here.
Our Health Journeys would like to thank Harko Brown for his support, and contributions to this story.
Games were the nexus of society, supporting education and sustaining social order… When I went to school, sports jocks ruled. You had to be in with the sports jock crew. I played rugby and stuff like that – actually, there was just rugby. Rugby and netball. Now you’ve got diversity… you’ve got so many choices…” Harko Brown.