Kāhu ki Rotorua: An internal mourning

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

See below for English translation

Tangi Apakura mōu ē Nuku

Ehara i te mea he mōteatea kau. He waka kawe kōrero e whakatō ai ki te puku o te tangata, he ahakoa pou kawe waiata, he ahakoa pou whakarongo waiata ngā toimahatanga e tāmi ana i tō tātou ruruhi a Papa e takoto iho nei. Ka rua, e mea ana te ūpoko o te tuhinga, he tangi apakura , e pai ana , engari ka waiatatia me he waiata tangi mō Papatuanuku te take. Kai ngā rerenga kōrero ngā whakaaro ake o te tohunga tito waiata, engari ko tāku noa ki a tātou e areare ana ngā taringa? Kai te kite tātou i āna tohu whakatūpato?

Song of mourning for our mother (Papatuānuku).

E Nuku, E Nuku

Kai te rongo te ngākau

I tō tangi Apakura

Ko koe rā e kauawhi nei

Ko te kuare e ngau mai i ahau

E nuku. e nuku.

Murua rā aku hara

I ngā tukinotanga

kua pā nei ki a koe…

Kia uia te pātai, (nuku internally speaking to mankind)

Mā wai rā ngā haepapa e pīkau,

Kua tao nei ki taku kiri pounamu....

Kua eke te wā,

Kia wātea ai wēnei hara,

Kia māhea ai te hunga ora, (ira tangata)

Whakamutua wēnei hara,

Kia mahea ake ai taku tinana,

Toitū te whenua

Ka ngaro te tangata!

Ko te aroha o te matua wahine ki tana tamaiti, te uho o tōna ao hurihuri. Kia mātara hoki tātou kāua noa tātou e pōhēhē ko tōna aroha hohonu he mea e takahia e whakatāhō noa i tōna tuara.

Titiro ngā kanohi ki ngā āuētanga o Papatuanuku kua tukino nei, e horo ana ngā pari, e ehuehu kau ana ngā roto moana, kua huriroro te whakahekenga tuna ki te moana, kua kumea iho ngā maunga hai mānia, otīā e māuiui ana te whenua. Nā ā tātou kawenga mahi whakahīhī e pēnei ai. Ko ngā kinonga katoa he mea heke iho i ō tātou ringaringa,ko ngā mahi poroheahea nei nā tātou te tangata. He mea hōmai e Te Awa o Te Ahipukahu, he uri nō Ngāti Tunaeke karanga hapū o Ngāti Whakaue nui tonu.

English Translation

The Waiata tangi here, is an internal message for the singer, & listener. Although the title says Tangi Apakura ā Papatuānuku, (that is in reference to our internal cry for our loved ones) in this context it is sung as a Waiata Tangi, or song of mourning for our mother (Papatuānuku)

The composer here is lamenting into words what papatuanuku is telling us internally, and externally, yet are we humanity heeding the warnings?

Toitu¯ tewhenua Ka ngaro te tangata!

E nuku, (mother earth)

My heart listens to your wordless (Dirge/mourning)

For. It’s you who embraces me.

Nevertheless,

My innocence/naivety gnaws at me. May i be forgiven for my wrong doings, e nuku.

(Mother earth to mankind) now i pose the question/concern.

Who do i hold responsible for this pain, (turned to scars) being pearced into me.

The time has come, to obliterate wrongdoings so mankind maybe free, The time has come to obliterate the wrong doings.

(Destroying the earth)

So that i (nuku) may be freed of pain and hurt.

I will always remain,

While mankind will always perish (ka mate te tangata ia ra ia ra)

It is done.

A mother has unconditional aroha for her tamaiti. Let’s not mistake her kindness for weakness, as it’s been evident to the world with all the natural disasters, from floods, storms, our marine life been unable to migrate (the thousands of Tuna) in our NZ waterways, to our river banks trying to shift back to their original places they once were, but in doing so, mans doing has driven our mother earth to clean herself out, but in the process we have lost so many loved ones and homes. Mother nature is not at fault here, this is humanity’s doing.