NZ Folksong * Big Aroha

NEW ZEALAND *FO LK SONG**	Big Aroha Mark Armstrong, 2016

Learning Te Reo
When Europeans first arrived in Aotearoa in the early 1800s, many of them learnt to speak the language, and consequently absorb the customs and values of the 100,000 Maori here.

By the early 1900s, there were nearly a million colonists, in cities or on stolen Maori farmland, while many of the 40,000 remnant Te Reo-speaking Maori were on second-rate land in isolated rural areas, like Northland, the upper Whanganui River valley and the Uruwera ranges. The Maori vocab of colonists was little more than the mispronounced names of trees - kowri, toe-tra - some farm words - pikau, konaki, "puckerooed" - and pretty phrases from Maori love songs - haere mai, ka pai.

In the 1930s, rural Maori began drifting to the cities for higher paid work, and by the 1950s they were migrating in their thousands, to Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland and even Sydney, Brisbane, London. But they needed good English language skills to move away from labouring jobs like butchering sheep or roadworking, and so the 1960s "Ten Guitar" generation of young Maori were taught to speak English but not Te Reo. And in losing their language, they also lost touch with their history, cultural pride and spiritual values.

In 1982 the first of hundreds of Kohanga Reo infant schools were opened with grandparents teaching the infants, followed in the next decade by total immersion Kura with all school subjects taught in Te Reo. Meanwhile Kapa Haka contests spread Te Reo to hundreds more young people. Later there were Maori classes teaching the basics to adults, both Maori, and also Pakeha like myself.

There are now thousands of young Maori who speak Te Reo, and understand the value of the spiritual concepts it conveys, while many simple Maori words have entered the general New Zealand English vocabulary - hangi, hikoi, hui, iwi, karakia, kia ora, koha, mana, marae, mokopuna, moko, powhiri, tangi, taonga, tena koe, urupa, whanau.

With a decline in Christian church attendance in New Zealand by young people, spiritual values are now being conveyed by Maoritanga, and in this song "Big Aroha" we find those deeper concepts are now entering mainstream Kiwi English usage.

The Slacks

Some people live to make money, and they have no slack time for others, or to discuss what is really important in life.

But hanging out with locals in small-town Taranaki, Scott and Mark Armstrong, Blake Gibson and Zane Greig have found some slack time to do those important things. The Slacks.

Outside the Inglewood dairy 15 or so years ago, schoolboy Mark Armstrong got talking to an old Maori koro, and asked him what guided him through life.

"Big aroha, that is my tikanga."

Kiwi songs - Maori songs - Home

This webpage put on the NZ Folksong website on Dec 11, 2016

"Big Aroha that is my tikanga", I learned Te Reo from a Maori at the dairy, (bro). "Big Aroha that is my tikanga", I learned Te Reo from a Maori at the dairy, (bro).	Big Aroha My tikanga Te Reo A Māori The dairy	big-heartedness. my usual way of doing things. literally "the voice," short for Te Reo Māori, the Maori language. A native New Zealander. the local convenience food shop where all the community mingle.
Well, my friend Jeff said It would be awesome as If everybody spoke in one tongue, Ow fulla?" (bay) I said "You're right Jeff It would be awesome as if everybody spoke in one tongue Ow fulla" (Bay, bay-bay, bay, bay) (Bay-ee-yay) (Bay, bay-bay, bay, bay)	Bro Awesome as "Ow fulla" Bay	slang, my brother slang, As wonderful as it could possibly be. slang, Eh, mate? Wouldn't it, my friend? slang for wonderful, just as a pretty young woman or "babe" is wonderful.
When my tinana and your wairua Come together in the manaakitanga. Then all your iwi, and all that we be Is what the Maori call the kotahitanga. And Jeff's friend Louie, from Urenui Knew he knew the secret to the kotahitanga. "It's you and me bro, and our korero. Our tamariki are the hope for the future."	My tinana Your wairua Manaakitanga Your iwi Kotahitanga Our korero Our tamariki	my personality your spirit mana-aki-tanga or "prestige-inducing-process" of showing respect, generosity and care for others. Pronounce it man'-aki-tanga your tribe ko-tahi-tanga, "being-one-process", unity. Our discussions (about what is important in life.) tama-riki, "boys-little" - our young children.
Tihei mauri ora, tihei-hei mauri ora Why would you sing in days like these, a waiata of love? And then nek minnit, You won't believe it Everybody spoke in one tongue Ow fulla (bay)	Tihei mauri ora! A waiata Nek minnit	Sneeze out - the vital essence - of life! a song slang, next minute.
All that we see, all that we be Come together in the tahi tiriti o-o-o-o-o a wo-wo oh-wo Waitangi Big Aroha that is my tikanga, I learned Te Reo from a Maori at the dairy (Repeat 7 times) Bro------	Tahi Tiriti o Waitangi	The one Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1842 between British colonists and Maori leaders. It has only one principle, “He iwi tahi tatou" – We are now one people.