He aha e tino mārō ai te pounamu?

Published on 3 Whiringa-ā-rangi November 2022

E mōhiotia ana te pounamu i te ao katoa mō tōna tino mārō tēnā i ētahi atu toka, rauemi hoki. Nā tēnei ka tino pai rawa tēnei mō ngā mahi ā-rehe pērā i te whakairo, te ahuahu, me te pupuri taha koi; nā te taha wairua, whai tohu hoki ō ēnei āhuatanga motuhake, e tino hiahiatia ana ēnei. 

I Aotearoa, he taonga te pounamu, ā, he nui te mātauranga e pā ana ki tēnei. Ka wehewehea ngā momo pounamu, e kitea ana i ētahi wāhi anake i Te Waipounamu, e te Māori e ai ki te tae, whakatīaho me ngā mea o roto (ētahi atu ōpapa kei roto). Kei roto i ēnei ko te kahurangi, te kawakawa, te īnanga, me te tangiwai. Ko te āhuatanga ōpapa o te nuinga o ngā pounamu he nephrite engari he serpentinite ētahi.  

Dr Nick Mortimer (left) and Dr Simon Cox (right), GNS Science. Photo: Peter Johnson

Ahakoa tōna mana, kāore tonu i te mōhiotia te whakamāramatanga ā-ōpapa o te mārō o te pounamu. He āhuatanga tūturu tonu te mārō o ngā ōpapa katoa ka inea ki te tauine Mohs, ka whakatauria mai i te 1-10, ā, ko te whakatauranga o te 1 he ōpapa ngohengohe tērā pērā i te tāke, ā, ko te 10 he rite ki te taimana tōna mārō. Ko te pounamu nephrite he āhua mārō (6 - 7), ā, kāore i te hāngai ki te mārō me te uaua ki te wāhi ki tērā e mōhiotia ana. He maha ngā ariā mō tēnei hapanga – mai i ngā weu ōpapa e whīwhiwhi ana, e whiriwhiri ana i roto, ki ngā rahi pata iti rawa hei pupuri i te riaka. 

Ka whiriwhiria tahitia tēnei kaupapa takuhe Pūtea Marsden Arowhānui mahi tahi i te mātauranga Pākehā ki te mātauranga Māori hei whakarite i ēnei ariā, mā te whakamahi i te mātauranga matū tino hou rawa me ngā mōhiotanga tuku iho o ngā iwi kia tino mārama ai ki te whakamahinga o te pounamu i roto i te wā. He ahunga rua te rere o ngā mōhio: e whakakao mai ana i ngā tohunga pūtaiao kāore i te mātau ki ngā āhuatanga whakairo, hītori rānei o ngā tūmomo tīpako me ngā momo whakamahi i te pounamu kāore anō kia whakaurua mai ngā raraunga pūtaiao ōkiko ki ā rātau mahi. 

Ko ngā putanga mai i tēnei kaupapa ka whakawhānui haere anō i tō tātau mārama ki te āhuatanga mārō o te pounamu, e mōhio ai ki te tukanga tīpako me te tapahi o te pounamu tino kounga mō te whakairo, me te whakaari i te whanaketanga anamata o ngā rawa tino mārō rawa. Nā tōna hiranga pūtaiao ahurea, arowhenua, whaipara me te mātauranga rawa, ka taea e tēnei kaupapa te tuhi anō ngā puka akoranga o te ao mō te pounamu, ā, ko te mutunga atu ka pai ake te whakahaere i tēnei rawa kahurangi.