'The concept of time now has an indigenous alternative'
"I was staying with my nan at Waituhi [near Gisborne], and she said to me: 'Wake up... we have to get going,' because outside our window there were all these people carrying lamps and walking up the hill opposite, where Takitimu marae was.
"I was a townie boy and loved my sleep and said: "Can't this wait until morning', but I come from a place, Waituhi, that was a Ringatū stronghold, ... and so we went outside and I followed these lights going up towards the Takitimu marae, and then suddenly a deep sigh went up and the villagers began to chant.
"It was a really reverent welcoming chant, and the words were to that group of stars that we are going to be celebrating soon - and they had magically appeared in the canopy of heaven, and then nan... said: 'Now tomorrow, we can begin to plant kūmara.'"
Ihimaera said reflecting on the first Matariki public holiday, more than 70 years on, those words from his nan come back to him.
Link to recording and article:Witi Ihimaera: 'The concept of time now has an indigenous alternative' | RNZ News
