Corporal Jodeci Baker is the first in his whānau to return to the place where his tupuna, along with many others, died at Gallipoli.
His honour was further cemented when he was asked to perform the taki, or challenge, to Princess Anne, who led the delegation of officials to Chunuk Bair.
“Being able to carry the weight of our ancestors and our people on my shoulders, while opening that space for so many dignitaries, was an honour,” he said
He is a kaihaka for the NZDF rōpū haka. The group sang waiata and observed tikanga practice as part of the New Zealand part of Gallipoli commemorations.
Baker played a significant role in Anzac Day commemorations at Cunuk Bair. Performing the taki meant a lot to him. He was proud to perform haka on the land where so many soldiers, similar to his age, died.
“One interesting thing about the rōpū because you don’t have to be Māori to be a part of it. One thing we drum in with this group is we want every part of our culture group, like haka, waiata. Just to build that whakawhanaungatanga.”
Tutūnga o te puehu
Ko Chunuk Bair tētahi wāhi motuhake ki te kūrae o Karipori i te wā o te pakanga tuatahi o te ao. Ka mutu, he tino wāhi tēnei mō ngā hoia o Aotearoa me Ahitereiria.
Mai i te tau 1915 ki 1916 tutū ai te puehu i Karipori, i te pakanga tuatahi o te ao.
Ā, ko ngā hōia nō Ahitereiria, Aotearoa, Piritana Nui, Wiwī me Inia i mate ki te whakahaere i te ara moana ki Rūhia.
I te Akuhata o te tau 1915, pāhorotia ai a Chunuk Bair e te Pātariana o Wellington.
Heoi anō, ahakoa te māia o tā rātou tū, kīhai i mau i ngā hoia te wāhi nei i te taupaepae a ngā hoia o te Whenua Korukoru.
E whā rau whitu tekau mā whitu ngā toa i whakaekea a Karipori i te marama o Hūrae, 1915. I whakawhirinaki atu rātou ki ngā Mounted Rifles.
7,473 ngā hōia nō Aotearoa i mate, ā, ko te tupuna o Corporal Baker, ko Whare Baker tetahi o rātou i mate.
“My koro passed away here, and he is commemorated on Hill 60. So for me, it’s a personal journey where it’s good to experience the heaviness of this place. Because when you reconnect it back to what they felt, even more heavy,” he said
