KEY POINTS:
Amster Reedy loves putting his doctorate thesis into practice with seven-week-old mokopuna Rikipapaki.
The 64-year-old will research oriori, Maori lullabies, with a specific focus on Ngati Porou examples. Since the latest whanau addition has arrived, Mr Reedy says he's been getting in lots of practice.
"It's marvellous how
they [babies] chime in. They're kicking, their hands are up punching the air and they're going 'ahh'.
"I feel like licking their heads because they're like icecreams, they're tiny little treasures."
Oriori are recited at birth, during a child's upbringing or to observe the death of a child. But they were a little-known feature of the culture.
Part of the impetus to do his PhD came from the murders of the Kahui twins and other babies, Mr Reedy said.
"The talk was 'these Maori people don't know how to look after their babies'. But my understanding of the Maori world is that there is a comprehensive child-rearing tradition. Oriori are part of this - it isn't just about haka."
The purpose of oriori was simple.
"It's about connecting children to their ancestors, the land, where they're from.
"They remind children of who they are, what a wonderful way to enter into the world of light. They tell of ancestors' deeds and things children should aspire to."
Besides those functions, there was something beautiful about being able to watch his children transmitting oriori to their children, Mr Reedy said.
"Just watching them do that and being with them, you've got three generations in the same room, so you get that intergenerational transmission happening. Children will hear these [songs] throughout their childhood and then it's their responsibility to pass them on."
He hopes his work will lead to a revival in Maori birth rites and practices.
Today Mr Reedy travels to Beijing - he is part of the athletes services unit for the New Zealand Olympic team - but although it's a golden opportunity, he'll be missing Rikipapaki and Tuhorouta, another seven-week-old grandchild.
"That's the first thing I'll dowhen I get back, is go see themokos."
TRANSLATION
He rawe ke ki a Amster Reedy te whakatinana i tana tuhingaroa tohu kairangi, i te taha o tana mokopuna, e whitu wiki te pakeke, o Rikipapaki.
Ka rangahautia e te tipuna nei, 64 ona tau, nga oriori Maori tuturu, me te arotahi ano ki o Ngati Porou waiata. He rite tonu tana whakawaiwai i nga ra nei, mai o te whanautanga o te piripoho nei.
"Katahi na te mahi whakamiharo, te huri mai a te kohungahunga ki te whai. Kua whanawhana, kua mekemeke nga ringa, kua aa mai ki a au. Hiahia tonu au ki te miti i te upoko penei i te aihikirimi, he kura pinepine te rite."
Waiatatia ai tenei mea te oriori hei a whanau mai te pepi, hei a tupu kia tangata tonu, hei a poroporoaki te tangata i te matenga o tetahi tamaiti ranei. Engari kaore i tino mohio nuitia i waho i te ao Maori.
Na te kohurutanga o nga mahanga o te whanau Kahui me etahi atu pepi i toko ake ai tana hiahia kia whaia tana tohu kairangi, e ai ki a Amster. "I whiua te korero, 'kaore ke te Maori e mohio ki te tiaki pepi.'
"Engari ki taku mohio, ara ano te tini o nga ritenga, o nga mahi, whakahaere, tikanga ranei, e pa ana ki whakatupu tamariki. He wahi ano te oriori o enei tikanga, kapa ko te haka anake."
Marama tonu te kaupapa o te oriori.
"He ahuatanga e tuhonohono ai nga tamariki ki o ratou tupuna, ki te whenua, ki te wahi no reira mai ratou. Hei whakamahara i te tangata ko wai ia, na, katahi te putanga whakamiharo ki tenei ao. Ka whakaakona te tamaiti ki nga mahi nunui a nga tipuna, me nga mahi e tika ana kia mahia e te tamariki."
I tua atu i ena ahuatanga, he mea ataahua kia kitea ana tamariki e ako nei i nga oriori ki ana mokopuna, te ki a Amster.
"Kia kite koe i a ratou e pera ana, ara, kia noho tahi me ratou, e toru whakatupuranga i te ruma kotahi, ka tika ai te ki kua pipiri te noho a-whanau o nga whakatupuranga ki te tuku korero ki nga uri."
"Ka rongo nga tamariki i nga waiata i te tamarikitanga, hei te tupunga ake ka riro ma ratou e tuku ki o ratou uri."
Ko tona tumanako kia hoki mai ano etahi o nga tikanga whakawhanau tamariki o te ao Maori tuturu ki te ao marama, kia kitea ano e te kanohi tangata.
I tenei ra ka wehe atu a Amster ki Peihinga, koia tetahi o te ropu awhina kaiwhakataetae o te tima o Aotearoa. Ahakoa he rawe te whainga wahi kia haere atu, ka mokemoke noa ia ki a Rikipapaki raua ko Tuhorouta, tetahi atu mokopuna tenei e whitu wiki ano hoki te pakeke.
"Koia ano taku mahi tuatahi i te hokinga mai, he haere kia kite i nga moko."
