Pakiwaitara can be used to describe stories that contain a moral within (interwoven). Unlike the transmission of whakapapa (genealogy of bloodlines, stories etc) the ‘layers’ need not be exact.
The word paki-wai-tara reinforces this viewpoint.
Wai (in this context): describes a memory or a recollection of words
Tara: describes a lack of exactness
Paki (the story): expresses what the storyteller has to say about this topic or subject.
Pakiwaitara can also be described as stories that provide accounts of local history. By that, stories that mark reference points to tribal territories, relationships with other groups (inter-marriage), kinship links and recognition of ancestors.
It is important to remember that there are variations in tribal interpretation of what pūrākau and pakiwaitara are. Some tribes will describe ‘their’ creation story as a pakiwaitara whilst others as a pūrākau.
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