12/09/2025
When someone tries to turn you and your identity into a fraction.
Think of Tama and his kōrero with the Taniwha
One night, Tama sat by the river with the taniwha ❤️✨
The moon shone on the water, quiet and still.
Tama asked, “They say I am part Māori, but what part is it?
My toe? My shoulder? My hair?”
He frowned and looked down.
“I don’t know where I fit.”
The taniwha smiled gently.
“Those are the words of another world,” he said.
“Our people are not fractions, e tama. You are not broken, and you are not missing pieces. You carry whakapapa inside you.”
Tama hesitated.
“But what if I don’t know my whakapapa? What if I can’t find it?”
The taniwha nodded.
“You do not have to go searching far. Your whakapapa is already here.
It moves with you, waits for you, and will greet you when you are ready.”
He pointed to the river.
“See the rain? It falls from the sky, runs into the river, and flows all the way to the sea. No one asks which part is the rain and which part is the river."
It is all one water and so it is with you too. All of you carries the story of your people.”
Tama looked at the water and saw his reflection.
For the first time, he saw the whole of himself... and he smiled.
