Mourning the loss of Sir Wilson Whineray – Harawira

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By Hone Harawira

In the New Zealand Parliament today, leaders of all political parties were given an opportunity to speak to a notice of motion on the death of a sporting icon, Sir Wilson Whineray. As the leader of the MANA Movement, I joined with others in offering words of farewell to a great sportsman and a great leader off the sports field.

I also took the opportunity to address the passing of another great leader, Russell Means. I spoke entirely in Maori. Here are my words and their translation below:

“E tika ana kia poroporoaki ano ra ki tetahi atu, he rangatira ano ki roto i tona ao, he rangatira ano ki tona tima, he rangatira ano ki tona iwi, ara, ko te iwi taketake puta noa te ao. No reira e te rangatira e RUSSELL MEANS, haere, haere. Hoki atu ki to ukaipo, kia rere atu to wairua ki te ringa o to matua nui i te rangi. No reira e hoa, e te toa, e te rangatira, haere, haere, oti atu e”.

“It is also appropriate that I take this opportunity to farewell another great leader, a chief in his own world, a leader of his own band, and indeed a leader of his own people, the indigenous people of the whole wide world. And so I say farewell to you RUSSELL MEANS, farewell, farewell. Return to place from where you first received sustenance and let your spirit fly back into the hands of the sky father. And in closing I say to you my friend, you are a true warrior, and a true leader – farewell, farewell, and so it ends …”

Hone Harawira
Leader of the MANA Movement
And Member of Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau
House of Representatives
New Zealand

One Comment

1. 

   Galina

   May 19, 2013 at 12:23 pm

   Wow, awesome weblog structure! How lengthy have you been running a blog for?

   Reply