He hekaheka nui tēnei (ka tupu ētahi kia ‘pereti-tina’ te rahi) ka tupu ki ngā tawa ora me ētahi atu rākau. Kitea ai e toro tiketike mai ana i te kahiwi i te paunga o te raumati me te ngahuru. He roa te kakau, he ‘panekoti’ parauri anō tōna (tirohia te whakaahua). I parauri ai i te mea e kapi katoa ana i te pua atua parauri. I te wā e iti ana, e porotaka ana tōna taupoki, e hono kē ana te ‘remu’ o te panekoti ki te nīao o te taupoki, ā, ko ngā pihapiha parauri e noho huna mai ana ki roto.
Āpiti atu ki ōna painga hei kai, he rongoā te tawaka ina tunua. I whakamahia hei patu i te kirikā, hei hāpai anō i te hauora o ngā wāhine e hapū ana. I hoatu anō te tawaka ki ngā tūroro i paitinihia e te karaka, e te tutu rānei.
Engari he taha kino anō tō te tawaka, e ai anō ki te kōrero. Ki te kai tawaka te tangata, kātahi ka tomo ia i te māra hue, ka pirau ngā hua o te hue. Ka hē anō ngā haere ki te hao, ki te hī ika – he iti te ika ka mau i te tangata kua kai i te tawaka.
Mēnā e minamina ana koe ki te whakatipu tawaka māu, e taea ana te hoko kete whakatipu. Ka hokona he took kua kuhuna ngā pua o te tawaka ki roto hei whakatō, hei whakatupu ki te poro rākau – ki te poplar, ki te plane rānei. Tirohia te Mushroom Gourmet.
Ngā Tohutoro
Best, E. 1924. The Māori. Tombs, Wellington.
Riley, M. 1994. Māori Healing and Herbal. New Zealand Ethnobotanical Sourcebook. Viking Sevenseas N.Z., Paraparaumu.
WHAKAAHUA: Nā Manaaki Whenua.
