A fishing song from the Cook Islands, with Pacific Island
harmonies added to a Christian missionary tune.          

Taku wairua ora e tupu taku kino nei e? Aue, te mataku e Karekare, ka ma-tau e Karekare, ka ma-tau e Ka rū, Ka rū, Ka te hī au e Ka rū, Ka rū, Ka te hī au e Ka rū, Ka rū, Ka te hī au e Ka .. hae - re .. ki .. te .. o - ra .. mōu .. Ka haere, ka haere Kau-mā-tu-a e Ka haere, ka haere Kau-mā-tu-a e Ka rū, Ka rū, Ka te hī au e Ka rū, Ka rū, Ka te hī au e Ka rū, Ka rū, Ka te hī au e Ka haere ki te ora mōu...... Wairua ana rei te mataku nei e Will my spirit stay with me or will my bad luck now begin? Aye, I'm a bit scared. Ripples, so drop the hook Ripples, so drop the hook It's quivering, trembling, I'm pulling up the line It's quivering, trembling, I'm pulling up the line It's quivering, trembling, I'm pulling up the line. Here .. comes .. something .. good for .. you .... They're coming, coming the old people They're coming, coming the old people It's quivering, trembling, I'm pulling up the line It's quivering, trembling, I'm pulling up the line It's quivering, trembling, I'm pulling up the line. Here comes a treat for you. The spirits indeed have overcome the fear I had here. Variations "Ka te hi au e" are the syllables that everyone sings, and we know it is a fishing song, but what exactly does that line mean? Take your pick.... Ka tē! hī au e     - Bang! Catching fish I am Ki te hī au e       - To the fishing I've come Kati hī au e        - It bites! I've caught a fish! Kite hī au e        - I've found a fish and I'm going to catch it Usually only the first sequence is sung, being repeated several times. But I found this second verse about old people coming to get the fish, on a version recorded by the Kingston Trio on their "Close Up" LP in 1961, Ka haere, ka haere Kaumatua e Karekare kaumātua e. Ka rū, Ka rū, Ka rū, Ka rū, Ka te hī au e x 3 Ka haere ki te ora mōu...... Wairua ana rei te mataku nei Two of the Trio were born and educated in Hawaii, where they began their careers singing Hawaiian and Tahitian songs. Many Maori songs were covered, and sometimes modified, in Tahiti. This Kaumaua version probably came from Tahiti, possibly directly from the Cooks.   Turakina Maori Girls Choir Their version has beautiful echoing harmonies.   Deane Waretini And in complete contrast, here is Deane Waretini and the Arawa Concert Party in 1949. The singing is too fast and too technical for my liking, but you may enjoy it. Waretini MP3   Origins This song is widely known and sung in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. It is often referred to as "an ancient Maori fishing chant," but the tune dates from the period after European missionaries arrived in the South Pacific in the 19th century and has its origin in a Cook Islands himene, Taku Vaerua (My spirit). Maybe an old chant was modified by Western harmony and rhythm, as Te Tarakihi and Uia Mai Koia were. Karu or Ka Ru? The song makes word-play with "karu" and "ka rū." In NZ Maori Karu means "eye" or "look at it." Ka rū means "It is quivering." The song's title is usually written "Karu, karu" Look, look. But the accent in the song is on the -ru. So maybe it could be loosely translated as "Look at it quivering! Karu meant loosening? Te Rangi Hiroa (Sir Peter Buck) states "The people of Tongareva (Southern Cooks) gathered to bid farewell to the old year. They danced to the following song: Tekiteki karu, Karu ai na po. Dance to the loosening, The loosening of the nights. The word karu means the loosening of a rope. The passing of the nights of the old year is thus figuratively referred to as the loosening of the rope that bound them together." Ethnology of Tongareva So maybe in Cook Island Maori, Ka rū, karu, ka te hī au e, referred to the fisherman's anxiety as he pulls up the line - "It quivers, then goes loose, quivers, then goes loose - will I be lucky or not?" In NZ Maori the loosening of a rope is kaewa. Himene Note that a himene is not a church hymn, but a style of singing in the Tahitian and Cook Islands based on hymn tunes. Arrangements often use a combination of the original Polynesian drone harmonies with western-influenced third harmonies, combining the old and new. Maori Songs - Kiwi Songs - Home Webpage published 5 October, 2007, revised 2020