Nan: Ka tino koa te ngākau

Ka pai! Pupuri kia rua. He aha tēnei? Ko te kōnui me te tōroa. 

Tino koa te ngākau o te kuia nei, tino koa ki te rongo aku mokopuna ka kōrero Māori ki a rātou, ka kōrero Māori ki ō rātou mātua e kōrero Māori ki au. Ka kitengia e rātou he ingoa mo tēnā kuia, mō tēnā kuia, mō tēnā kuia. Ko tōku ingoa ki aku mokopuna ko ‘Old Nan’. Ka pātai au, ‘He aha koutou i homai? Koinā te ingoa mōku, ‘Old Nan’?’ Nō te mea ko tō kauwae, he kauwae kuia. Harikoa ana te ngākau o te kuia nei, nō te mea ka kitea te uru atu o te wairua, te wairua o ō rātou mātua tīpuna i roto i aku mokopuna.

Good! Hold it with two fingers. What is this? The thumb and index fingers. 

This old lady’s heart is full of joy. I’m happy when I hear my grandchildren talking Māori to each other, talking Māori to their parents, talking Māori to me. They have names they call each kuia. I’m known to them as ‘Old Nan’. I asked them why? Why am I known as ‘Old Nan’? Because of your tattooed chin, it is the chin of a kuia. It makes me happy, because of the spirit within them. The spirit of their ancestors is within my grandchildren.