a waiata for Rāapa

It's Te Wiki o te reo Māori, a week in which to celebrate the oft neglected one of our national languages, and to enjoy the discomfort of smug news presenters as they grapple with words they should, as part of their jobs, know how to pronounce. That sounds mean, but I love te reo and Māoritanga, and it really bugs me how so many people are content to butcher it without care but would die of shame if they mispronounced claret (although they frequently do), or camembert. There's been a bit of debate in the past few months about whether or not New Zealand is a racist country, and I think the way te reo Māori (not to mention Pacific and Asian languages) is treated compared with European languages is a prime example of the country's institutional racism. But that's a rant for another day.

For a lot of people, Te Wiki o te reo Māori just means having TV3's weather presenters use Māori place names instead of English ones (which I vastly prefer; did you know Auckland was named for a "colonial administrator" who never actually came here; thanks again, Hobson). In posting this waiata, one that is so infectious and ALWAYS makes me want to get up and dance, it's my hope that te wiki o te reo Māori becomes more than that for us this year. Many people in New Zealand worry about what they perceive as a lack of cultural identity (something I think is common to most immigrant countries); they're happy to claim the haka, and maybe to take visiting friends to a marae, but otherwise separate themselves from Māoritanga, largely because of a lack of understanding. To me, understanding comes through communication, and the easiest way to communicate is through language. So hurray for Te Wiki o te reo Māori! 

I defy you not to sing along with this (I've been trying to learn the words and it's not easy, but YOU CAN DO IT!), and then let's go out and give some others a go! If you're worried about people like me (and I should clarify I actually speak very little Māori, but I'm determined to change that) making fun of you after what I said about news presenters, let me assure you your worries are unfounded; those guys are supposed to know - we are trying, and people love people who are trying to get better at something! (Except maybe neighbours of people learning violin, and occassionally people driving behind learner drivers. But otherwise!!!) And if you're fluent or have just good pronunciation; don't be shy to help people out! Bad things happen to languages when good pronunciators (yes I just made that word up, but it's not English language week, so we'll continue) stay silent. Next time someone says "taw-poe", get in there! To misquote Liz Lemon, the name Waitakere need a defender!

Whaia te iti kahuranga ki te tuahu koe me he maunga teitei.

Aim for the highest cloud so that if you miss it, you will hit a lofty mountain.

Poi E

TE POI !

PATUA TAKU POI PATUA KIA RITE

PA PARA PATUA TAKU POI E !

E rere ra e taku poi poro-titi

Ti-taha-taha ra whaka-raru-raru e

Poro-taka taka ra poro hurihuri mai

Rite tonu ki te ti-wai-waka e

Ka pare pare ra pī-o-o-i-o-i a

Whaka-heke-heke e ki a kori kori e

Piki whaka-runga ra ma mui-nga mai a

Taku poi poro-titi taku poi e

Poi E whaka-tata mai

Poi E kaua he rerekē

Poi E kia piri mai ki au

Poi E-E awhi mai ra

Poi E tāpeka tia mai

Poi E o taua aroha

Poi E pai here tia ra

POI... TAKU POI E!

PATUA TAKU POI PATUA KIA RITE

PA PARA PATUA TAKU POI E !

POI... TAKU POI E !

RERE ATU TAKU POI TI TA' TAHA RA

WHAKARUNGA WHAKA RARO TAKU POI E!

Dedicated to my dear friend (and business mentor!) Heather, who loves this song and celebrates te reo Māori every week of the year.