This
was originally a chant used in a rite of passage that
a
young man performed when it was time to
leave his supportive flock of childhood mates. In his
search for a life partner, he is given the
free-roaming, solitary, strong and supreme bush falcon
as his totemic bird to emulate.
WAITAI recently released a version that has gone
through the folk process to make this a love charm to
gain the romantic affections of a loved one. Forest
birds are sent as messengers to activate the love
charm,
says Robyn Kamira, and to convince
a hesitant prospective partner to fall in love.
Should the reciter have sufficient mana, the
recipient’s heart will fill with love, and he or she
would become the “manu-tupu-tangata”.
Women can sing this to men to check their intent and
to allow the recipient to make their own choice, she
says. In the final part of the waiata, if the listener
stays attentive, they will hear the sound of the wings
as the birds, now armed with their task, fly off
through the canopy.
He aha ra te manu?
He pī-tori1
te manu
He aha ra te manu?
He kārewa2
te manu
I whano ki reira
pekī ai e
I whano ki reira
tūtū ai e
I whano ki reira
waiari e
E-i-e Repeat verse and
chorus
E-i-e
Te manu
atu tupu ra tangata
Tahu5
e! Nau mai!
Kia piri!
Kia tata e!
... i-e!
Literal
English
What was my
bird?
The bird is a tiny twister1
What's my
bird now? The
bird is a wanderer2
Always occupied
in twittering away
Always occupied in
gathering together
Always occupied
in chirping away.
Aye!
Aye! Now
I amthe bird
to bring forth mankind,
O darling,5
come here!
Cling to me,
stay close by.
...ohhh!
WAI.TAI'S
summary
What arethese birds?
they are
the bush-robins.
And what is this
bird? I am the
wandering bird.
They are
hopping about,
twittering.
getting together and
chirping away.
The birds
will
bring forth the one
I love.
My love, come hither
to
the lovers’ embrace!
A young man's rite of passage
according to "The Maori, Yesterday
and Today" James Cowan, (1930)
This
little karakia is a love-charm (atahu) of
the Waikato and Taranaki people (given by
the old man Kerei Kaihau, at Otautu, Patea,
1904). It is a potent karakia to gain the
affections of a girl. Should the lover be
doubtful of his success, he must go out into
the bush and by using a pēpē or call-leaf,
or by chirruping in imitation of bird-notes,
gather the birds around him. He then kills
one of the little birds with a stick, and
taking it in his hand, repeats this charm,
likening the desired girl to the captured
bird.
Kaihau
(1904)
Cowan
(1930)
Colloquial
version
He
hara wa*
te manu?
He pitori1
te manu,
He hara wa te manu ?
He karewa2
te manu,
I whano ki reira,
“Ti-ti” ai, '
I whano ki reira,
“Ke-te” ai,
I whano ki reira
tutu mai ai;
Te manu
atu tupu ra tangata,
Matua i a Tane
Tahu-ē,5
nau mai
Kia piri, kia tata
What
is this bird?
'Tis a wood-robin1a What
is this bird?
Now, 'tis a sparrow-hawk.2
'Tis jumping hither and thither,
chirping“Ti-ti!”3
'Tis jumping there,
calling ‘Ke-te!"4
'
Tis skipping,
flitting from bough to bough.
This is the bird
that is to bring forth men,
The parent of mankind.
O wife5
of mine, Come hither! Approach, fly to
my embrace.
What's
that bird?
It was a tiny twister
And what's this bird?
It's a wanderer.
That one was always
going “Squeak-squeak.”
While this one always
goes “Kair----t”!
Its behavior is
always outstanding.
You are the bird
to bring forth new
humans,
The parent of mankind.
O darling, come here!
Cling to me, stay close by
Straightway, should the lover have
sufficient mana tangata, (personal prestige
and psychic force), the girl’s heart - no
matter at what distance she might be—will
fill with love for him and she will be his
“manu-tupu-tangata.”
*He
hara wa = He aha ra
A
Confidence-Building Exercise
Cowan saw this chant a magic love charm,
and Wai.tai
reinterpret it as a young woman on a
introspective forest walk being assisted
by the flock of little birds. But
examination of the ritual associated
with the originals chant shows it was
what is called "psycho-therapeutic role
play" or "a confidence-building
exercise" in our society today.
The young man lacking in self confidence
had been one of a group of youngsters,
all relying on each other for support,
like a flock of insect-eating birds. But
this
ritual impresses in his mind that his
communal insect-feeding persona
is dead and gone, and he is now like a
falcon, strong, independent and full of
courage, capable of going far with a
desirable but dauntingly different
fully-grown young woman (female falcons
are almost twice the weight of males)
When a young person starts demonstrating
self-confidence, independence and new
capabilities, then of course he or she
becomes much more attractive as a
potential partner for adding new life to
the iwi.
Bird names
1.Pītori in this context
probably refers to any bird in the flocks
of mixed species that travel through the
forest together seeking tiny insects.
Pītori is an abbreviation of Pipi
(chicklike, tiny, squeaking), and toitoi
(darting, twisting), describing any insect
catcher.
However it also is a name sometimes given
to the Ground Robin,
a long-legged grey bird called in
various regions pī-toitoi, kā-toitoi,
hā-toitoi, kā-tuhituhi,
toi-toi-reka or totoi.
Pītoitoi or Pipitori are also names
sometimes given to the miromiro, Tomtit
or Macrocephala toitoi. Here
they all are.
2.Ka-rewa,
ka-rewa-rewa, kā-rea-rea,
ka-ea-ea,sparrow hawk,
bush hawk, falcon or Falco
novaeseelandiae.
To wander is ka-ea. Hence when we call a
falcon a ka-ea-ea, ka-rea-re, karewa-rewa
or karewa, we are calling it a wanderer.
With eyesight six times more powerful
than humans, flying at speeds up to 230
km/h and uttering a short terrifying
scream, the falcon will fall upon some
hapless bird in mid flight.
Through the winter, pairs of falcon live
apart but stay more or less within a known
territory. Come spring, no wilder creature
exists than a falcon in its home range at
nesting time. When the tiercel (male)
comes courting he will approach the hen
while she is perched and fake an attack.
Later he will invite her to chase him.
Smaller and lighter, he sets the pace. His
ultimate act is to fly past carrying food
in one talon, the bait of courtship.
3.Ti-ti! or Squeak-squeak!
4.Kete! describes the
rapid, piercing Ket-Ket-Ket-Ket-Ket call I
frequently hear high overhead as our local
tercel marks the bounds of its home
territory.
5.Tahu can be a husband,
spouse, lover, darling. (It also can be a
building's ridge pole, kite stiffener, one
who attracts, tempts, creates fire, cooks,
or is closest in line of descent!)
Tohunga
use of psychotherapy.
Calming a patient with deep-seated
anger: Turou
whakataha
"Let us
push aside the obstructive
atmosphere here.
May you
all drift away to me o spirits...
A
tasty smorgasbord for me.
Down you all go, out my
bum,
Rebirth therapy for deep-seated guilt Pinepine
Te Kura
"Eventually the great canoe nibbles at
the sand,
gnaws on the ponga log,
munches on the mamaku"
Rite of passage for baptism into tribe
Papa,
Papa
"Strike,
strike, the thunder above...
Move, move, heaven, to this
boy..."
Rite of passage for entry to adulthood He Hara Wa What
is this bird? Now it is a bush
falcon..."
Robyn
Kamira
Robyn
Kamira is an IT professional who is
dedicated to bringing the benefits of
computers, databases, internet,
satellites, drones, 5G etc to Maori.
Robyn
Kamira is an IT professional who is
dedicated to bringing the benefits of
computers, databases, internet,
satellites, drones, 5G etc to Maori.