This ancient action-chant has has recently become well-known since it was sung by Kiri Te Kanawa on her 'Kiri Maori Songs' CD, and on the Millennium global telecast. This is the version she sings.

E, pakia kia rite E, ko te rite kia rite E, takahia kia ngawari E, torona kei waho Hoki mai E whakarongo ai au Ki te tangi mai A te manu nei, A te tarakihi, I te weheruatanga o te po Tara ra-ta kita kita Tara ra-ta kita kita Wiri o papa, towene, towene Wiri o papa, towene, towene Hope whai-a-ke Turi whatia Ei! Ei! Ha!

Clap in unison, in unison, in unison. Stamp your feet smoothly Hands outstretched then back. I listen to the cry of this flying creature of the cicada in the middle of the night. Tara ra ta ki ta ki ta .... cicada noises Quivering rear end, whirring, whirring Quivering rear end, whirring, whirring Knees bent hips swaying Ei! Ei! Ha !

Tune sample

I have just learnt how to made multi-instrument midi files. I am real proud of this 3 k Tarakihi MIDI. Listen to Kiri te Kanawa sing it on this 236 k Tarakihi MP3 sample. This is highly compressed. The original, on her CD, Kiri, Maori Songs, sounds even better. Here is Alfred Hill's 1900s music score, kindly supplied by Max Cryer, who directed the "Kiri - Maori" CD.

Origins

Mahinarangi Tocker, who sang with Kiri on the Maori CD says she was told by her elders that

"Tarakihi is from Ngati Maniapoto. It is more than 300 years old and talks about the cicada as a huge strength. Hiding in a cave at night and coming out to sing its stories by day. It's a symbolic story of people."

Johannes C. Andersen wrote in 1921 (Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand)

This song was obtained by the writer through the kindness of Mr. Henry Stowell.
("Hare Hongi" Stowell, b.Waimate North 1859, f. JS Stowell (an engineer), m. Huhana (Nga Puhi). Worked 3 years surveying in the north, during which time he studied Maori language and tribal lore, and was admitted to the whare wananga)

It is an extremely popular haka, based on the shrill summer-singing of the tarakihi (cicada). This is the song that came to a Maori poet, wandering on a summer afternoon in search of inspiration. Approaching a grove of mahoe, in a sequestered, romantic nook, he was suddenly aware of the delirious joy-song of the assembled tarakihi throbbing in the air. At once he composed an introductory stanza followed by a chorus of tarakihi sounds:-

This song quickly seized the popular imagination, and it was soon converted into a haka, ie a posture-song and dance, with the following introduction :-

E pakia kia rite, E ko te rite, kia rite, E takahia kia ngawari, E torona kei waho hoki mai.

O slap-slap in unison, O evenly, evenly, O stamp the feet regularly, O stretch well forth and draw back again.

Tarakihi, or Tatarakihi (Cicada cingulata)

Johannes C. Andersen also wrote in 1921 (Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand)

"The cicada's song was liked by the Maori above all others; indeed, he called the cicada "the bird of Rehua." Rehua was the lord of kindness, and the reason the Maori held the insect in such estimation was that its cheerful song sounded in the summer when the days were warm and long and food was plentiful. Then the Maori, happy himself, enjoyed the shrill song of the merry cicada."

The Story

Max Cryer, who produced the Kiri Maori Songs CD, has kindly supplied this explanation.

"This song tells of the Maori people practising their dancing and watching the 'dance' of the locust - who sings joyously by making his crackling sound .....'tara-ra-ta-kita kita.'

The singers notice that the locust only appears during daylight. So the singers wonder if the locust goes into a cave each night and hides, like the sun does -Maori belief was that the sun disappeared each night by hiding in a big cave- and then comes out at the same time as the sun, to dance, make up his song, and fly up into the sky whenever he feels like it."

It seems that the word "locust" is used loosely here. It is the cicada that makes the noise at night, although maybe the singer is dreaming at night about cicadas singing on a hot summer's day.

Performance (from J. C. Andersen)

On the word pakia, the thighs are slapped with the open hands, and again on the word kia:-
E pa-ki-a kia ri-te,

so keeping time whilst the leader gives the next line, where the thigh-slaps are on the words ko and kia :-
E ko te ri-te, kia ri-te,

and are continued rhythmically through the next line.

Following the thigh-slap, on the word ngawari, the right feet are brought down with a stamp in unison with the corresponding thigh-slap.

The stamp and slap together then continue through the fourth line.

Following the stamp and slap, on the word hoki, all arms are stretched well forward, and brought back until the fingers of the inturned hands just tip the shoulders, exactly in time with the foot-beats.

These actions are continued through the delivery of the opening stanza :-
E whakarongo ai au.

On the word Ta, the first of the chorus of the cicada, the hands are slapped together, probably in imitation of the clicking accompaniment to the insect's chirring song, and so on according to arrangement.

The rhythm of the chorus is most distinctive. The syncopation carried through all but the last line, and doubled in the last but one, is characteristic of the Maori rhythms.

tarakihi, pronounced Ta-rakihi is a locust or cicada.
tarakihi, pronounced Te-riki by speakers careful to avoid saying something like the following word, is a common NZ fish.
But tarakihi, pronounced Tara-kihi, is, for some Maori, a highly potent social and sexual put-down. Be very careful!

1992 - Inia Te Waiata -   Festival of Mäori song (recorded 1966) CD
1999 - Kiri te Kanawa -   Kiri, Maori Songs  EMI CD
2000 - National Maori Choir -   Waiata Taonga ma te Hinengaro   CD
2003 - Elena CD

Alfred Hill 1870-1960

Born in Melbourne in 1870 and came from a musical family. From 1887-1891 he studied in Leipzig. He played as a cornet player at concerts conducted by Brahms and Tchaikovsky.

In 1892 he went to New Zealand to become conductor of the Wellington Choral Society. There he wrote various Maori-themed works including the Maori Symphony (No. 1). From 1896-1902 he was based in Sydney but went to back to NZ in 1906 and 1907 to direct his Maori opera Tapu.

From this point forwards he seems to have been predominantly a voice in Australian musical culture although still a presence and visitor to New Zealand. He was extremely active in the production of operas (perhaps we will hear them sometime) and his Waiata Poi sung by Australian singer Peter Dawson became a world-wide hit on 78rpm records.

Other compositions by Hill; Hinemoa, A Moorish Maid, Tangi, Tapu, Time's Great Monotone, Waiata Poi.

The information on this page was gathered at the request of Hiroshi Masumoto, the conductor of the celebrated Japanese academic choir Chor-Farmer.

Since 1981, Chor-Farmer have toured NZ 10 times. They always include several Maori songs in their repetoire and are currently working on Tarakihi.