Te Aho Pito

Rānui Ngarimu

There are few people who can take a kakano (seed) of a whakāro and grow it instantly. Ranui Ngarimu is one of those creators who can cultivate an inkling into a reality. A master weaver in her everyday life, a tāua and kui to many of her own mokopuna and everyone else in the community who claim her as their own (including the author). Ranui has a wit and an inquisitive mind that  draws her to research, herstories and learning. She is a cleaver unraveller of the creative kind.  In order for Ranui to grasp a mahi raranga concept she needs  to deconstruct the mahi, ponder and pātai.  The end result is a completed piece of raranga alongside a more profound understanding of why, where and what she is crafting.

During a wānanga with our tapuhi (Māori midwives) they expressed a call from the whānau they work with for whītau muka to tie the umbilical cords of their pēpi. By the completion of this wānanga Ranui and the tapuhi had a plan.  A few weeks later, with a little funding from Te Pūtahitanga ki Ōtautahi, some of the Māori midwives gathered to harvest from Ranui’s pā harakeke in Kaiapoi. They were taught how to whakarite (prepare), hāro (extract) and miro (twist) the harakeke and muka. This was a very special wānanga for those tapuhi but they appreciated that making whītau muka requires regular practice. Our tapuhi are often time poor due to the nature of their mahi. Therefore, our wise observer Ranui took up the challenge to continue working on the whītau muka. Ranui gathered mostly from her Ruapani variety. Chosen for it’s fine narrow leaves and silky-like fibre. She described this variety as “fit for purpose and just a beautiful harakeke”.

Whilst doing this mahi Ranui’s natural curiosity kicked in and she commenced  her own research, finding out more about the use and placement of the whītau muka, this aided her decisions around the width, length and preparation of the muka.  Ranui made approximately 16 whītau muka out of one rau (leaf) and she prepared over 1000 whītau muka.  Ranui packagd them to be distributed by tapuhi within the Māori Midwives ki Tahu collective as a free resource for whānau. She gifted the name “Te Aho Pito” – the cord that connects the pēpi and māmā, the cord that recognises the connection between the whare tangata and Te Ao Marama. It is a thread that secures the pēpi’s pito post the disconnect from their whenua (placenta), and aids the transition of the pēpi into their new realm, and their life journey.

Like our Hākui website, Te Aho Pito is another resource to aid the restoration of our Ngāi Tahu customary birthing practices, and the knowledge that surrounds the use, the intent and the conservation of whakapapa and whānau mātauranga stored in our cultural practices.

For more information about Te Aho Pito please send a message via our contact page.