Ko Te KootiTe Turuki Rikirangi tetahi o nga maunga teitei o te wa - he kokorangi i nga ra pouri, he tokotoko i te awakopaka. I tu ia hei toa i te whare o Tumatauenga, engari ki te Hahi Ringatu, heporopiti - he matakite nana i hapai nga moemoea, ngatumanako, me nga wairua o te iwi i nga tau o te ngarohanga: te whenua, teoranga, te mana motuhake.I tona ringamatau te pu me te riri, i tona ringa maui te whakapono, nga kupu whakaari, mete tohu rangimarie. Na Te Kooti i hora atu enei kupu ki nga marae o te motu,hei karere poropiti, hei tohu whakatupato, hei maramatanga mo nga uriwhakatipu. He kupu e korero ana ki te manawa, ki te wairua, ki te whenua.Ko teneipukapuka na Ta Pou Temara - he mema o te KauniheraTekau ma Rua a te Kuini, he ahorangi, he tohunga mo te kupu, mo te whakaaroMaori. Ka wanangahia e ia nga korero a Te Kooti: nga whakakitenga i tukuna kinga marae, nga waiata i tuhia hei huna i te mohiotanga, nga korero i poipoia iraro i te maru o te atua. Ka panuitia, ka wetewetehia, ka uia: kua tutuki raneinga kupu a Te Kooti? Kei te ora tonu ranei i enei ra?Ko ngawhakaaro o Ta Pou i ahu mai i nga korero tuku iho o Te Whanau-a-Apanui, o TeArawa, o Ngai Tuhoe - nga iwi i whakatupu i tona ngakau kia mohio aiki te ha o te kupu, ki te wairua o te whakapono, ki te tapu o te korero tukuiho. Na kona, ka rere mai tenei pukapuka hei puna matauranga mo te hunga e kimiana i te maramatanga ki te Hahi Ringatu, ki te poropititanga Maori, ki te reo,ki te hitori o te motu - mai i teuma o nga marae, mai i nga whakapono o nga tipuna, mai i te kore ki te aomarama.Te Kooti Te Turuki Rikirangi stands as a toweringfigure of his time - a storm in dark days, a staff for those adrift. A warriorin the house of Tumatauenga, yet to the Ringatu Church, a prophet - one whocarried the dreams, hopes and spirit of the iwi through years of loss: land,life and sovereignty.In his right hand, the gun of battle; in his left,the word of God. Te Kooti spread these words across the marae of the motu; amessenger, a guide, a beacon of understanding for generations to come. Hiswords speak to the heart, to the spirit, to the land.This book, by Ta Pou Temara - a member of the MaoriQueen's Council of Twelve, a professor, and a tohunga of Maori language andthought - offers a deep exploration in te reo Maori of Te Kooti's propheticmessages: his visions, teachings and songs. Through these pages, Ta Pou asks:have Te Kooti's words been fulfilled? Do they still live today?Ta Pou's insights, grounded in the ancestralknowledge of Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Te Arawa and Ngai Tuhoe, illuminate theessence of the word, the spirit of belief and the sacredness of tradition. Thisbook is a rich source of knowledge for those seeking understanding of theRingatu faith, Maori prophecy, the Maori language and the history of the land -from the heart of the marae, from the wisdom of ancestors, from the shadows tothe light.
