Covid-19 has severely disrupted the world, including our chances to perform at our regional kapa haka competition to qualify for the penultimate kapa haka competition of the world - Te Matatini. Despite the disappointment of not being afforded that opportunity, the team adopted the relentless perseverance of our ancestors to ensure our hard work would be witnessed by the world. With this performance we thank everyone who was a part of our year long journey of preparation through the highs and lows of the 2019/20 season.
Here is a brief explanation behind each item:
Waiata tira - Te Kōpū Mānia o Kirikiriroa (00:00)
This waiata tira is a metaphor for the life-sustaining properties of Te Kōpū Mānia, the historical gardens and the kapa haka team. As our historical gardens were to our ancestors in the context of physical and spiritual sustenance, the kapa is to us in the year 2020. Kapa haka is a foundation of spiritual sustenance for us all, a place to ground us and our cultural identity in this uncertain world.
Whakaeke - Kāpene Hamutana! Taurekareka, e! (03:11)
This whakaeke supports the movement of removing monuments that glorify oppressors of indigenous peoples. It makes specific reference to the Captain Hamilton statue in our own home town. Captain John Hamilton was a navy commander of the British Army who never stepped foot in the Hamilton area. He died in the battle of Pukehinahina. For many Māori of Waikato, Captain Hamilton is representative of the murderous, rapacious, lawless and deceitful acts of the British Army.
We use the imagery of the flourishing gardens of yesteryear to inspire our people to mobilise, and ensure that symbolism such as this is abolished.
Waiata tawhito - Kaikiri (05:48)
Racism is rampant in all corners of the world, and Aotearoa New Zealand is no exception. We use a traditional kaioraora style of writing to inspire our fellow Māori people to adopt the fearlessness of our ancestors and no longer tolerate racist attacks on our mana (a person's spiritual power that instills respect and reverence).
We confront two well-known racists that have been elevated to knighthood to highlight the idea that people like these need to be relegated from such titles and positions of power so that their actions do not continue to inspire or authenticate racial hate.
Waiata ā-ringa - Ngāti Oho, e oho! (08:00)
Wokeism is often a movement adopted by the blind, which presents the irony of this latest trend. We encourage people to have an open-minded approach to today’s issues, and not hastily take a popular political stance because the world, more than ever, is surrounded by misinformation created by those with self-serving agendas.
Instead of focussing on "woke" ideas, we remind our Māori people of the real issues. The Treaty is not being honoured, Māori people are overrepresented in negative statistics, and our land is continually confiscated, even to this day.
Poi - Kūmara Irikura (10:40)
The subliminal messages of our poi are centered around the care of a family, where the kūmara irikura (a treasured sweet potato) represents a precious child. The current world is inundated with negative influences that are far greater than any that have existed in the past. Social media is an example of a modern-day phenomena that is destroying the lives of many young people. If we do not meticulously care for our children like we used to care for our food gardens, they may rot away like the pīwaiwai (rotten kūmara) of a neglected garden.
Haka - Mate Kūkupa (14:06)
The kūkupa is a native bird that can become so inebriated on the berries it eats that it falls from great heights to its death.
The haka uses this imagery to metaphorically describe the way some people in high positions of responsibility can get drunk on power to the point of corruption. This haka is a warning to our fellow man, lest they suffer the demise of the kūkupa.
Whakawātea - Kia mau ki ngā tongikura (16:36)
As we bring our performance to a close, we reaffirm the support of Te Kōpū Mānia to the Māori King Movement. We also encourage our fellow Māori to take heed of the wise words of past Kings.
The tongikura we present in this song focus on strength through unity, and the need to holdfast to the law, faith and love, as nothing else is more important. A message that particularly resonates in the year 2020.
13 июл 2024
