SARA TAUTUKU ORME
Taylor/ George Powel (Hori Powel)
Te Teko, Ngāti Awa, Tuwharetoa
Just about everyone here in Te Teko was brought up in the Māori language, but then the schools wanted to change. They wanted all the Māoris to speak Pākeha. It was okay because most of the work in those days was under the Pākehas, like haymaking with the farmers; they were all Pākehas. There weren't many Māori jobs those days. Nothing, actually, but that was all right. It was difficult for me speaking English because I was brought up speaking Māori all my life. To change over to Pākeha English was a bit hard. I managed. I retained my language.
There was one big bedroom. Everybody used to sleep in the one room. Mattresses all over the floor. My brothers and sisters. We all slept on the floor. That was the only way to keep us warm. We had an open fire to cook our kai. Everybody was living that way".
Mickey Taylor/ George Powel (Hori Powel) Te Teko, Ngāti Awa, Tuwharetoa
We’d watch westerns at the Te Teko Picture Theatre, like Hopalong Cassidy and Three Men from Texas, you know, all those kinds of cowboys. I remember Gene Autry used to sing that song, deep in the heart of Texas! So all the kids around here had this idea that Te Teko was Texas. We were sort of copycats, and we’d make ourselves out as cowboys too! So, yeah, that was us.
Well, most of us around Te Teko were brought up on a horse and buggy and on carts and wagons. Everybody had a horse and we used to go out hunting. We’d ride around with a girlfriend on the back. We’d ride up to Mt. Tarawera and hunt for pigs. It was a long way, but a horse was the only way to get around. We’d watch westerns at the Te Teko Picture Theatre, like Hopalong Cassidy and Three Men from Texas, you know, all those kinds of cowboys. I remember Gene Autry used to sing that song, deep in the heart of Texas! So all the kids around here had this idea that Te Teko was Texas. We were sort of copycats, and we’d make ourselves out as cowboys too! So, yeah, that was us.
