This is the Maori language component of New Zealand's national anthem, God Defend New Zealand. Note that these words are not a close translation of Bracken's 1875 lyrics. Also note that there are many corrupt versions of these lyrics in circulation.
|
|
Sound files
|
Play
this 1 K Midi melody line.
|
Bracken's lyrics
You can compare the Bracken version and the Smith version. Usually choirs sing only the 1st verse of each of the versions. Sometimes the 2nd verse of the Bracken version is sung too (and occasionally the 5th). I've never heard the 3rd or 4th verse sung.
|
|
|
Errors in the Text
The first verse in Māori has many errors in some published lyrics. These first crept in when the words were incorrectly transcribed by The Listener in 1940. From there, they were copied into the NZ Govt Gazette in 1979, then the NZ Govt Online website, adding a couple more mistakes each time, and from these sources to a school song book and about 60 web pages all over the internet:
- Ihoa for Ihowa. But it has been sung this way so so often, that it has become an accepted alternative in Māori speech and writing for "Jehovah."
- The two words A ta for āta
- 0 (zero) nga iwi, for O (Capital) ngā iwi,
- Matoura (Mataura is a town in Southland) for the two words mātou rā,
- Two words whaka rongona or whakarongo na for the single word whakarongona,
- aroha roa for aroha noa,
- And in verse 2, Kiri whereo for Kiri whero
- and repeke for rūpeke,
Wood's Music Score, 1878
E I - ho - wa A - tu - a, O nga i -wi ! Ma - tou ra
A - ta wha - ka - ro - ngo - na, Me a - ro - ha no - a
V.2 Ki - ri whe - ro . . . Ru - pe - ke ka - to - aNew Zealand Listener supplement June 21, 1940,
Could The ABs sing E Ihoa
any better than this?Click to see full cartoon
E I - ho - a A - tu - a, O nga i - wi! Ma - tou - ra.
A ta wha - ka ro - ngo - na, Me a - ro - ha no - a
Ki - ri whe - ro . . . Ru-pe-ke ka-to-aNew Zealand Govt Gazette supplement May 31 , 1979.
E I- ho- a A- tu- a, O nga i- wi! Ma- tou- ra
A ta wha- ka ro- ngo- na, Me a- ro- ha no- a
. . . Repeke katoaNZ Govt On-line web page
E Ihoa Atua, 0 (zero) nga Iwi! Matoura,
Ata whaka rongona; Me aroha roa.
Kiri whereo . . . Repeke katoa,NZ Govt. Dept of Internal Affairs web page
E Ihowa Atua, O nga iwi matoura
Ata whakarongona, Me aroha noa
. . . Rupeke katoa,NZ Govt. Immigration Dept web page
E Ihoa Atua, O nga Iwi Matou ra
Ata whakarongo na, Me aroha noa.
. . . Rupeke katoa,NZ Govt Ministry of Culture & Heritage webpage
E Ihowā Atua, O ngā iwi mātou rā
āta whakarongona; Me aroha noa
. . . Rūpeke katoa,Waiata Māori H T Rikihana kura song book 1992
E Ihowa Atua, O nga iwi mātou rā,
Ata whakarongona, Me aroha noa.
. . . Manākitia mai, AotearoaGod Defend New Zealand Nobby Clark Reed Children's Books 1997
E Ihoa Atua, O nga Iwi! Matoura,
Ata whaka rongona; Me aroha noa.
. . . Repeke katoa,
The Triple Star
from the shafts of strife and war"
Te Kooti's battle flag
modified from A. Martins,Thomas Bracken was a committed Irish nationalist. He was squarely on the side of the Maori from when he first arrived in New Zealand in 1869, during the middle of Te Kooti's battles with colonial troops, in his campaign for independance for Tuhoe Maori.In February 1870 Colonel McDonnell captured this flag flown by Te Kooti's forces at Tapapa, a few miles north of Putaruru. He presented it our local museum, here in Wanganui, where it is still kept. A colour photo of this flag, and of other triple star flags, is in Redemption Songs, by Judith Binney (AUP 1995).
The triple stars on Te Kooti's flag were more ornate versions of the stars on the flags shown here, used to mark the appointment of Potatau Te Wherowhero as the first Maori King in 1857, and other flags of the Maori King movement. Binney (1995) suggests the star emblems represented the three main islands - then called Northern, Middle and Stewart - in unity.
In 1858, ... the Turanga chiefs ... erecting their own flagstaff which should itself be called "King." It was their statement of autonomy. Flagstaffs and flags were potent images for Maori, for the post (and the flag) claimed the land. Binney, (1995, p. 41)From this evidence, Colin Andrews, an Auckland military historian, concluded that Bracken wrote God Defend New Zealand from a hidden Maori perspective. Bracken did not spell out what he meant by his "triple star" line, but Andrews suggests that he was was happy to have the public make their own conclusions.
Andrews has also drawn attention to comments by Elsdon Best (1986 p.17) about three tapu baskets (kete) of knowledge, symbolised as three four-pointed stars on their flags, that were the baskets in which Tane conveyed the stars to clothe and beautify his father Rangi, the sky. Notice how the three star symbols on the older flags are inside three square baskets symbols, and how Te Kooti's stars have have a woven appearance.
Traditional Maori thinking presents us with three sources of knowledge. These three sources of knowledge are spoken of as the three baskets of knowledge which Tane brought down from the heavens.
- First there is the knowledge based on the experience of our senses, (which Pakeha culture calls science).
- Secondly there is our understanding of what lies behind our sense experience, (which Pakeha call philosophy).
- Thirdly there is the experience we have, particularly in ritual, of our oneness with each other and with the past. (That is, spirituality.)
Bracken's oblique reference to Maori sovereignty is reinforced by a drawing on the cover of the 1878 music score of the anthem. The cover drawing shows two flags: the first is Te Hakituatahi, which was used in 1835 as the national flag of the independent state of New Zealand.
This flag was recognised as the flag of the confederation of chiefs of the United Tribes of New Zealand. The other flag shown on the music cover is the Standard of the British Royal Family.
It is notable that in the Maori lyrics commissioned by the colonial government, the "triple star" line is replaced by
Kia hua ko te pai May good flourish.Webpages:
http://flagspot.net/flags/nz_maoh.html
http://www.mch.govt.nz/nzflag/history/nzwars.html
Library books:
Elsdon Best, The Astronomical Knowledge of the Maori, N.Z Govt Printer,reprint, ( 1986). Allan Sutherland, Flags of New Zealand, 1959
An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand /Flags NZ Govt. printer, 1966
The Flag bulletin ; no. 106, Flags of New Zealand, Flag Research Center, 1984.Thomas Bracken
Thomas Bracken was born in Clonee, County Meath, Ireland in 1843. An orphan by the age of nine, he was sent to Victoria, Australia, to his uncle, under whose care he became a proficient horseman and shearer. He became known for his poetry and, at age twenty-six, he sailed to Dunedin and was employed as a journalist.History of God Defend New Zealand
Bracken's single most important achievement was his poem God Defend New ZealandIn 1938 The National Centennial Council recommended that the government adopt 'God Defend New Zealand' as the national hymn, and in 1940 the government purchased the rights to Bracken's words and Woods's music. The bilingual hymn was given equal status with 'God save the Queen' as a national anthem in 1979. FULL DETAILS
John Joseph Woods
Thanks
- To staff of the National Library, Wanganui District Library, and the Alexander Turnbull Library for finding old music scores for me.
- To Mereana Moore, Arama Rolton and Hinemoana Baker for their wise comments.
- To flag enthusiast Sam Lockton, who showed me where to find the Tapapa flag on the internet.
- To staff of the Whanganui Regional Museum for pointing me towards Judith Binney's book.
- To Colin Andrews and Judith Binney for their research, and for checking the accuracy of the Triple Star section.
- To my talented neighbour, Sonya Wilson who played the different scores of God Defend New Zealand for me, and told me about the art of choral arrangements.
- And to the operators of the Google search engine, who have made it so easy to locate all this information.
Page published 16 Feb 2002, latest revision 5 April 2002
Bracken
also entered politics for a short period. In 1881 he won the seat
of Dunedin Central, and was in Parliament for three years. His
first speech was a forceful criticism of the native minister.
Later he attacked the government's dealings with the Parihaka
Maori, the detention of Te Whiti and Tohu, and what he saw as
a dishonourable breaching of the commitments of the Treaty of
Waitangi.