it is a beautiful day on the marae and you are a baby pūkeko

it is a beautiful day on the marae and you are a baby pūkeko

My name is Kikokia. My parents call me Kiko for short.

I am a baby! Maori, friendly, loved. And also funny and trusting.
I will grow up to be curious and cute.

I have big ass feet, a loud cry that tells all my friends I'm nearby, fluffed up feathers, and the largest, wettest eyes in my family 🥹.

Meet some of my friends!
> The whakairo carvings of the humansʼ tipuna (ancestors). They like to whisper history and stories to me! They tell the best stories ever.
> Tāwhirimātea, the atua (deity) of wind. He likes to tease me and send a breeze to ruffle up my feathers. It's good to have a friend to do a little rough play with sometimes.
> Te maunga, the mountain nearby. They like to watch everything around, including me! Sometimes I watch things with them. They have such a vast perspective.
> The marae ātea, the courtyard. This is the realm of Tūmatauenga, the ātua (deity) of people and war. The marae ātea teaches me how to stand up for myself and others. I'm still working on this skill.

Oh look, a rōpū (group) of people have arrived at my marae for a noho (stay)! A group of new friends just waiting to be made!
They're here to discuss the future of Māori people as a whole. It's a big, important, and serious kaupapa, they probably need some cheering up! Time to bring out the big guns: my great jokes!

Knock Knock
(Who's there?)
Howard
(Howard who?)
Howard I know?!
Hehehe

Hmm, most of them seem to enjoy my joke! But they get back to talking pretty quickly.

Ok, time for the powhiri.
I add the call of the words of the manu (birds), the plants, the rakau (trees), the maunga (mountain(s)), the awa (rivers), and the moana (ocean) into the karanga. Weʼre all important too. For this powhiri, I embody the maunga. It feels important to keep the wider perspective in mind.

Now time for the whaikōrero.
Iʼll recieve the koha (gift) that the manuhiri (guests) place after their kaikōrero. After all the kaikōrero have spoken, itʼs my cue to get it. Iʼll pick it up in my beak and take it back to the kaikōrero. Itʼs important to have someone important receive the koha, after all. I know this is pretty serious, so I'll walk carefully up to the koha and take it back to the kaikōrero. But I'll do a funny dance after!

After my dance is the hariru.
I want to meet everyone, and it helps that I'm already in the thick of it after handing on the koha.
Since I have called on te maunga, I am listening when they talk about the manuhiri and their tipuna. Te maunga says their tipuna are old friends of my tipuna, and that this reunion bodes well. Te maunga rarely calls things 'old', this must go way back!

I line up right at the front after the kaikōrero. I'm the koha holder after all! I'm important now. I am proud to hold a position for the non-human ones. The nearest kaikōrero is a friend. I've heard him practising his purakau around the marae. I hope he feels supported by my presence.

Now is time for the whakanoa! There are 15 manuhiri at this noho, I better introduce myself to a few of them.
> Te Pai (she/they/ia) is the rangatira (chief), so I go right up and introduce myself to her first. I show them my funny dance from before, so she can recognise who I am. I recite my whakapapa and wait for her response. She seems pleased, so I share a purakau of this marae. Sharing stories is a good way to get to know people.
> Te Hau (he/him/ia) is a kaumatua (elder), another important person. He surely has many stories to tell. Maybe I can learn more about their tipuna, and what te maunga was hinting at. He looks a little cold, so I brush my fluffy feathers against him for warmth while he talks.
> Ngarra (she/her) is another kaumatua. She comes over while Te Hau is talking and adds layers to his story. She points at her tattoos, showing things I don't quite understand. I look up at her with my wet eyes to show I value her stories even if I don't fully understand them.
> Seo-jun (they/them) is a kaitōrungapū (politician). I don't see many of those so I figured I better go have a look. I walk up dignified-ly, strutting my big ass feet. They appear rightfully impressed. A small group forms around us as we converse. There is much nodding and kind gestures.

Now it's our turn to share the whakapapa of the marae. I got in a bit of practise with Te Pai so I just keep things pretty quick, I'm worried I messed things up by doing it out of order. I talk about te maunga first, and then the whakairo. I almost stop there because I think I've talked too much, but the manuhiri smiled so warmly I kept going! I talked about Tāwhirimātea and finally the marae ātea, which holds us all now, and reminds us to be proud and hold boundaries at the same time as we meet to work together.

Eventually, it is dinner time. I can't chop things or cook things, but I can fetch pretty well! I do drop some ingredients too... but humans also do that! I was definitely helpful and not in the way.

Over dinner, I introduce Te Pai to the marae ātea. I think they need to talk to each other, just as much as Te Pai needs to speak with my whanau. They donʼt talk too much about themselves, instead they mostly bond over knowing me. I blush when they compliment my storytelling, and feel understood when they remember which stories matter most to me. They gang up on my potential as a storyholder, but that's a lot of responsibility!

The next day the weather takes a turn for the worse. The wind is howling and breaking tree branches. It feels like a tohu from Tāwhirimātea. Did I do something wrong? Is my friend ok?
I decide to introduce Tāwhirimātea to Ngarra. I think that she has the best chance of understanding what's going on. Turns out theyʼre actually old friends! They understand each other in a way I have never understood either of them. I feel a bit left out and like I don't know things I should. They both notice my sad eyes and remind me that I'm still a baby, I have lots of time to learn things.

The day after Tāwhirimātea is appeased, a big decision is made within the group, a decision that will impact all Maori people. I think it is the right decision because they are going to consult te maunga before they make it official - that was my idea!
I introduce te maunga to Seo-jun. As they talk, they realise they have a lot in common with each other. They both think of the bigger picture, of what it means to be a good ancestor and to care for your descendants even before they are born. I also like to think about my descendants, who will one day be babies like me! I don't really think in big pictures though, I just see what's in front of me, just one day at a time. Maybe when I'm older I'll think like that.

We arrive at the final dinner, and this time I stay out of the kitchen and help with where everyone should sit instead. But I want everyone to be friends with everyone, it's so hard!!
I do make sure to place the whakairo carvings next to Te Hau so they can share stories though. They also have a lot in common - so many stories! I also like stories, but I don't know nearly as many as they do. I'll just have to live some more and remember them.

After this noho marae, I've gained some weight! I ate a bunch of very yummy food. I like that I have more friends now, and that I've practiced my storytelling. I know I bit more about my strengths and weaknesses and I like that I can contribute proudly.

Well, I'm pretty tired after all that... wait what do you mean I have relatives coming over tomorrow?!