Nga Moteatea

An Introduction / He Kupu Arataki

Jane McRae, Heni Jacob

• Publisher: Auckland University Press
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781775581307
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Folk Music

The songs of New Zealand's Maori tradition are a living art form and an abundant source of knowledge about tribal history and culture. An introduction to the classic collection first compiled in the 1920s by politician Sir Apirana Ngata, this volume not only outlines the origins and history of the first publication but also celebrates the power and meaning of Maori song. Written in both English and Maori, it discusses the music's styles and roles, the methods of composition, and the poetry itself as well as the cultural content. Filled with illustrations, this enlightening book is a perfect entry point for students, teachers, scholars, and singers interested in learning about and passing on the rich and vibrant Maori customs.

Ngā waiata o roto i Ngā Mōteatea

Ko te tino o Ngā Mōteatea, ko tēnei ritenga a te Māori, te waiata. Kua emi mai ki roto ētahi o ngā mōteatea kairangi o neherā, ko neherā anō te kaupapa. Ahakoa i titoa, i waiatatia te nuinga i te rautau 19, ko ētahi, ko ētahi wāhanga rānei, nō mua noa atu i tērā. Ehara koinei ngā pao i paoa ai i te wā o te harakoa — he kaupapa āhua taumaha anō e rere ana i roto. Kei reira anō te mātotorutanga o te tohu ki te ao Māori, ki te whakaaro Māori, ki ngā tikanga a ngā iwi Māori. Engari kei te whakaata noa anō i te tangata, i āna nekeneke i te ao, i ōna āhua katoa.

Hei tauira ake, ko tēnei waiata tangi i titoa mō Mokowera, he rangatira nō Te Āti Awa i patua i te pā o Pūharaterangi, takiwā o Taranaki (189).1 Ko te tangata nāna ia i patu, ko Rewa, he toa nō te taua o Ngā Puhi.

Taku hou kōtuku

Ka whati i te rā,

Moenga rangatira

Ki runga o Puhara’!

’A kai atu au

I te tangata toro.

Arā taku kai, ko Rewa,

Nāna koe, e hoa,

I mate ai.

Ka kai Tu,

Ka kai Rangi’,

Ka kai Uenuku, ē ī.

Ko te rerenga tuatahi tonu e tohu ana i te tūranga tiketike o Mokowera. He puiaki hoki te kōtuku me ōna raukura, whakamahia nuitia ai i ngā waiata me ngā pepeha hei tohu i te tino momo tangata māna e tia tana tikitiki ki te rau o te kōtuku. He rangatira a Mokowera i te wā e ora ana, ā, i mate rangatira anō, arā, i hinga i te parekura, i te ‘Moenga rangatira; kei ētahi atu tangi anō hoki tēnei kupu whakarite. Kua kuhuna anō ki te waiata te ingoa poto o te pā i hinga ai ia, kia kore ai e wareware. I konā ka pakaru mai te riri o te kaitito, i tana hiahia kia kainga te tangata nāna i patu a Mokowera. He mea whakaingoa rawa te tangata nei, kia mau ai ki ngā mahara o te iwi. Kātahi ka ahu te kōrero ki tana hoa, he rerenga tāruarua, he rerenga kōiriiri, ko te kai anō te aronga, engari ko te noho kē mai o Mokowera hei kai mā ngā atua. He tangi poto noa tēnei, ko ōna kupu huatau e whakaatu ana i tērā āhua o te tangata, ka rongo i te mamae, i te pōuri, me te aha, ka hiahia kimi utu. Engari he neke atu i tērā āna whakapuakanga; e haere kōtui ana te kupu hāngai me te kupu whakarite hei whakaahua i tētahi rangatira, i tētahi āhuatanga i pā ki te iwi, i tētahi wāhi, i tētahi taonga whakarākei, i tētahi tikanga o te kawe ā-riri, me te wāhi anō ki ētahi atua.

The handsome kōtuku (white heron) and its striking feathers made an apposite poetic metaphor for chiefs.

Kātahi nā te kupu whakarite pai mō te rangatira, ko tēnei manu ātaahua, ko te kōtuku, me ōna raukura kōreko.

PACOLL-6203-05, NEW ZEALAND FREE LANCE COLLECTION, TE WHARE PUKAPUKA O ALEXANDER TURNBULL, ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY

Ngā momo waiata

Ko te nuinga o ngā hanga o roto i Ngā Mōteatea, he waiata ka hikina ki te reo waiata tonu.2 Koia hoki te tino momo waiata a te Māori o mua. O roto i tēnā karangatanga nui, e rua ngā wehenga matua, ko te waiata tangi, e whakaaturia ai te pōuri, te kōingo, me te waiata aroha, ko te whakaatu i te aroha, i te kaimomotu tāna kaupapa. E rua, e rua, he whakapuaki i te kare ā-roto o te tangata kotahi (engari nā roto i te waiatatanga, riro ana hei kare ā-roto nō te tini tāngata), he poto te reo, he hāngai, engari he auaha, he huatau, ā, e ū ana ki te tauira whānui kua takoto mō ēnei tū waiata. Ka mutu, he waiata ēnei i titoa hei whakaea i tētahi pōuri nui, he waiata kia kawea e te tokomaha hei whakamaua, hei whakamauru i te kino, i te mamae, hei whakaara rānei i ngā kare ā-roto, i te ngākau atawhai o ētahi atu. Kei tēnei karangatanga anō hoki te oriori, he waiata i paoa hei pōpō, hei whakaako i te tamariki. He uaua te reo o te oriori, he ū anō ki tētahi tauira whānui. He momo whakautu anō — ki te whānautanga mai o te tamaiti, ki te tamaiti tangitangi...