of resource gathering include bait hooks made from the upper leg bones of moa, fishing lures from bone and a variety of stone. RIVERS The awa with which Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu are associated are taonga. They are the ribs of the tūpuna, which plunge from the maunga down to the sea, creating we tlands and swamps on their way. Ngā awa carry the lifeblood of Papatūānuku and th e tear s of Ranginui. The wai flowing through these rivers symbolises the spiritual link between the past and present. Each awa has a mauri and wairua of its own. For Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu, ngā awa are a source of wai. Wai is considered to transcend l ife itself, as it sustains the ph ysical and spiritual survival of all things . Ngā awa support many life forms which are an integral part of these rivers and can therefore not be separated from them. Traditionally, awa provided a wealth of resources to sustain tūpuna. Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu view all natural resources as being gifts from ngā atua kaitiaki (spiritual guardians). Tangaroa is the spiritual guardian of ngā awa and Tane Mahuta of the forests, trees and birds. These guardians were central to the lives of tūpuna and remain significant to present day whānau. The following paragraphs focus on the relationship Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu has maintained w ith the Maitai, Waimea, Motueka, Tākaka, Aorere, Anatori and Paturau rivers since their arrival in Te Tau Ihu. This includes a description of some of the resources which have sustained ngā iwi for generation s. Tun a Pūrākau of Te Tau Ihu o te waka a Maui tell of the origins of tuna. Māui killed a taniwha called Tuna. Māui enticed Tuna across nine skids and repeated a karakia as Tuna crossed each skid. When Tuna reached the ninth skid, Māui killed him. This story is similar to other Te Waka-a-Maui iwi who believe that Tuna’s head became the tuna (river eel) and his body, Koiro (conger eel). Tuna are taonga, a species which has been central to the lives of Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu for generati ons. The places where tūpun a harvested eels were important tribal areas. Gathering and processing tuna was a customary practice that strengthened the kinship of iwi and whānau. Custom ary management practices followed the lifecycle of the tuna, and harvesting was regulated according to the seasons. Mahinga Harake ke Mahinga harakeke supplied tūpuna with raw products, such as building materials, rongoā and weaving materials. The two m ain industries associated with Whaka tū- pakohe and fishing - utilised large quantities of flax. Pakohe was carried out of the Maitai River catchment using flax kete and harakeke fibre was used to catch fish in the rivers and adjacent estuary areas. The harekeke wetland areas and associated lowland forests provided an important habitat for nesting birds and fish species. A large number of freshwater fish species were harvested including kōkopu, paraki (smelt), īnanga, korokoro (lamprey) tuna and kōar o. Ngaher e Traditi onally, papakāinga in the river valley were surrounded by an abundant source of timber. The river flats were heavily forest ed w ith tōtara and rimu, along with lush d ense stands of other native timbers. The fruits of the trees were a source of food. A vast range of edible resources were harvested from the forests including karaka berries, ngaio, kawakawa, rimu, matai, supplejack, hinau, miro and tōtara, as well as the young leaves, hearts and shoots of the nikau palm. Rata blossom honey, the fruit of kie kie, the trunk pith and frond stems of mamaku (black tree fern) were all gathered by tūpun a. Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 90 of 163