A large sperm whale found off the coast of the Far North’s Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē (Ninety Mile Beach) during the weekend has been harvested and buried according to tradition by mana whenua Te Aupouri, and surrounding iwi across Northland.
Kaumātua named the whale after the area of the region where it was found – Waimahuru.
Ngāti Wai descendant Te Kaurinui Parata said it's been a collective effort in ensuring customary traditions are kept intact when it comes to harvesting stranded whales.
"Ko te mea nui ki ahau ki roto i tēnei mahi ki te kite i a tātou Ngāi Māori, i a tātou ngā tāngata whenua e whakamahi ana i tō mātou tino rangatiratanga (What's most important to me is to see us, Māori, people of the land, carrying out our customary rights and self determination)."
As well as bones, spermaceti oil, a waxy liquid found in the head cavity of the whale, is taken from the carcass. It’s a tradition that Te Aupōuri descendant Niki Conrad says has been lost for generations.
"In our grandparents' time they use to deal with the whale, but we don't have that mātauranga now because there's all legislation over marine mammals and stuff like that.
"With the help of Ngāti Wai and sharing their mātauranga with us, I guess we're going to know much more about the values and taonga," Conrad said.
By Ethan Oneroa, Harata Brown
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