Mahinga kai

Hey bloggers,

Today I will be talking about Mahinga Kai crusaders hope you enjoy!

Long before the arrival of Europeans and supermarkets Maori ranged far and wide collecting Mahinga Kai. Karl Russel condsiders himself a rich man living off the land the same way his ancestors/tupuna did. Just like them Russel, everything Karl eats he has grown,hunted,traded, or collected himself. He says it isnt very easy being a kai crusader, its wet and cold wading up the river in the middle of the night to spear slippery slimy tuna.

So what is Mahinga Kai? Karl says its anything edible that can be grown collected , or caught close to home. "if it runs,walks,flies, or  swims- then Ill eat it" Karl says. Karl Russel Lives on a marae at Arowhenua, near Tumuka. His family have hunted,gathered, and traded for many generations. In this last month Karl has picked blackberries,plums,apples,pears,and watercress.

When he was a little boy, Karl remembers they'd sometimes catch 100 eels a night. these would be shared all around the local families. "there was always enough for everyone" Karl remembers. Karl remembers In those days the rivers were bigger, with better back waters for tuna to live in.

Thank you for reading hope you enjoyed! :D