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Bob Koko, Te Puna Wai Matauranga (1993). University of Waikato, accessed 11/11/2024, https://onehera.waikato.ac.nz/nodes/view/10600
Te Puna Wai Matauranga, Blossom of Knowledge. Carved in 1993 by Bob Koko it represents the polynesian hero Tāwhaki and references his ascent to the heavens. The description on the nearby plaque tells the tale of Tāwhaki and his marriage to a high born celestial being called Tangotango. Hearing of his deeds and beauty Tangotango seeks out Tāwhaki, eventually bearing him a daughter. After the baby is born, Tāwhaki and Tangotango quarrel and Tangotango goes back to her heavenly home with their child. In despair Tāwhaki follows, enlisting the help of his grandmother Matakerepo and ascending to the heavens to be reunited with his family.
The tales of Tāwhaki have many variants. In the carving we see that Tāwhaki grips in his left hand a long rod representative of a vine and a bolt of lightning, marking him as a descendant of the gods. It goes that when Tangotango left him she called out one last piece of advice should he choose to follow her. She told him to grab the vine that is firmly planted in the ground, not the loose vine. This advice was reiterated to Tāwhaki and his brother Karihi by their grandmother Matakerepo, who guarded the vines to the heavens.
Karihi did not heed the warning and took hold of the loose vine. Immediately he was thrashed about as the wild winds blew him to the edges of the earth. In some versions Karihi only just survives, and is sent home by Tāwhaki. In other versions he falls to his death, having failed to properly utilise the information given to him. Learning from this, Tāwhaki then climbs the vine firmly rooted in the ground, connecting heaven and earth, and climbs to the heavens.
This vine is known as te aka matua, the parent vine. It has been attributed to both Tāne and Tāwhaki as the vine used to bring the gifts of knowledge to mankind. This knowledge included seafaring, enabling our ancestors to travel the highways of the oceans.
Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato is not simply a place to access raw knowledge. In our information rich era, being able to ascertain whether that information is credible and then utilise it in a meaningful way is a necessary and developable skill. The book in the right hand of Tāwhaki reiterates the importance of the relationship of learning and knowledge.
"Knowledge is no good without wisdom to apply it properly".