'Kiwi Weka' reminds us of the thousands
of Kiwi girls, the "WEKAs," who kept company with the
hundred thousand American boys that trained on our
islands, then departed to the north to fight, bleed, and
in many cases die, on the beaches and jungle hillsides of
the islands there.
Ringitia mai, waetia mai
tuhituhia mai e
Kei te manawa tonu
te aroha me te whakapono
Rite tonu te mapu,
te mapu1
Merikana
ki ngā manu o te moana e
E topa mai ana
Whakatau iho ana
Haere atu ana e
Let it be expressed, made
clear, and written down
that the heart always gives love and trust.
Compare the flood,
the American flood
to the birds of the ocean;
forever swooping down here,
making visits and departing for
islands to the north
Ka noho Kiwi Weka2
Ki tōna3
nei motu,
Whakarongo kau ana e
Ko tāna3
mahi pai
He noho noa iho,
I roto te puihi e
But
the Kiwi weka bird remains
on her island here
focusing only on
her good work
just living
in the middle of the wilderness.
Ka noho Kiwi Weka
Ki tōna nei motu,
Whakarongo kau ana e
Ka whanau te hēki4
Kotahi tau rawa,
Kātahi5 ka
paopao e
Ringitia mai, waetia mai,
tuhituhihia mai e
Kei te manawa tonu
te aroha me te whakapono x2
The Kiwi weka stays
on her island here
focused only on
incubating her
American egg.
Nothing happens at first,
then it hatches out.
Let it be expressed, made clear, and
written
down
that the heart always gives
love and trust. x2
1Mapu or Māpu?
Mapu is a flowing upwards, here of a flood tide, and Māpu
is derived from the English word mob. Women found the
Americans who flooded their empty towns so attractive
because they were always so neat, polite and
attentive, not mobsters.
2Weka
- Women in the British armed forces were officially
called WACs, WAAFs, and WReNs. The weka is a very
friendly little bird, and the Kiwi Women Engaged
in Keeping company with Americans (or
Women Everywhere Kissing Americans?) seem to have been
nicknamed WEKAs.
3Tōna... Tāna...
Both mean her, but she doesn't have control
over her island, so tōna; however she does
have control over how she does her work, so tāna.
4Heki is a mussel dredge in older dictionaries,
and egg is "hua." But obviously this is derived from
the English word 'egg'.
5Kotahi... Kātahi... echoing Ki Tōna... and Ko
tāna... in the previous verse.
I like this word play.
The Americans
When World War Two started in 1939, 140,000 Kiwi men
went to Egypt to help stop the Germans advancing towards
the Suez Canal. Then 2 years later the Japanese invaded
the South Pacific. By mid 1942 they had captured the
Solomon Islands and were heading straight for the
totally undefended islands of New Zealand.
So for the next two years, there were 45,000 troops
from American farms, factories and cities stationed near
Auckland and Wellington to protect us, and to train for
a series of assaults on the Solomon Islands (Guadalcanal)
3,500 km north of NZ, with the survivors returning after
each battle to rest, recover and be reinforced by
reserves from the US, and then departing for the Gilbert
Islands (Tarawa)
4,200 km to the north. More than 3000 of those who
embarked from New Zealand were killed in those battles,
and thousands more were killed in later battles further
north.
Visits to homes and marae were a big part of the
American boys' stay here, and many lonely Kiwi girls and
frightened young US soldiers found comfort in each
other's arms. Several thousand babies were born from
these unions. More
details
One of the American warriors,
James A. Mitchener, wrote "Tales of the South Pacific"
and "Return to Paradise" about the war years here,
including a short story "Until They Sail" about those
lonely New Zealand girls. It was made into a movie in
1956.
Your American tupuna?
If you are a descendant of one of those American
soldiers, this website may help you find details about
him. US
Fathers of Pacific children
Waiata a Ringa
The hand-actions Nanny Miti created for performing
this song are unique and very expressive, but it may
take a while to open this really good video
on Facebook by Waikato kaumātua. If that link
doesn't work for you, search on Facebook for "Ringitia
Mai & Kiwi Weka."
To give you a quick look of the video on Facebook,
I've made you this verrry blurrry screen clip of part
of it.
Verses in English
My friend had an aunt who nursed a wounded Marine at
Silerstream Hospital, and later married him. They spent
their lives together in Sullivan, Missouri. So I wrote
these lines for him, and for those who did not come
back.
It was a time of love, in a time of war
When our men were far away
And the Yankee boys came
Sailing to our islands.
Here comes the band advancing,
Here come the young men marching,
US Marines have just arrived.
Three months of jungle training,
Weekend of entertaining,
Three weeks of fighting for their lives.
Tom loved his sweet Helena,
Tom died on Iwo Jima
'Lena plans to call her baby Tom.
Back home in Motueka,
Brave little Kiwi weka
Weeps for her love forever gone.
Andy is brought back wounded,
Torn body gently tended
Healed by Teresa's loving hands.
With baby and weka bride,
Andy heads back stateside
New life on wide prairie lands.
It was a time of love, in a time of war
When our men were far away
And the Yankee boys came
Sailing to our islands.
Earlier versions
A religious hīmene.
Ringitia mai, waetia mai
tuhituhihia mai e
Kei te manawa tonu
te aroha me te whakapono
Tūpono koutou ki te Matua
Te pai noa iho e
Ka piri rā tonu
Ko te tari o te ora e.
Let it be
expressed, made clear,
written down
that the heart is always
for love and trust.
You become acquainted the Father;
peace comes down freely
and stays there permanently
for the plaiting together of your life
A parody by a rogue tohunga on Te Tanuku hill
near Rakaunui Marae, Kawhia.
Ringitia mai, waeatia mai,
Tuhituhia mai e
Kei runga o Te
Tanuku
ko te Tari o Te Ora e.
Haere mai,
haere mai
e ngā iwi e
Haria mai te
aroha e
Ki te pono koutou
ki te matua e pai noa iho e E horihori noa iho
te mamae o to tinana e.
Let it be
expressed, made clear,
written down
that up on Te Tanuku
is the Clinic of Good Health.
Come,
come
everybody
may love be taken
for the truth you want
(???),
to the expert who is so good
at faking just enough
pain in your body for
you to throw a sickie, eh!
'Kiwi Weka' from Taranaki
Rite tonu te mapu,
te mapu Merikana
ki ngā manu o te moana e;
E topa mai ana
Whakatau iho ana
Haere atu ana
Ka noho Kiwi Weka
Ki tōna nei motu,
Whakarongo kau ana e
Ko tāna mahi pai
He noho noa iho,
i roto te puihi e
E tupu mai ana te mamaku
o te puihi
kei raro Kiwi Weka
Ka whanau te heki
Kotahi tau rawa,
kātahi ka paopao e.
Compare the
flood,
the American flood,
to the birds of the ocean;
forever swooping down here,
making visits and
departing again But
the Kiwi weka bird remains
on her island here
concentrating only on
her good work
just living
in the middle of the wilderness.
The black tree fern sprouts new fronds
in the wilderness
while underneath Kiwi Weka
incubates her American
egg.
Nothing happens at first,
then it hatches out.
Ringitia Mai & Kiwi Weka as
sung by Waikato Taniwha-rau Kaumātua in 2015
Kei roto o Waikato ko te tari o te ora e!
Ringitia mai, wāeatia mai, tuhituhia mai e
Kei roto o Waikato ko te tari o te ora e
Ki te pono koutou ki te Matua, he pai noa iho e
He horihori noa iho te mamae o tō tinana e
Haere mai, haere mai ē ngā iwi e
Mauria mai te aroha e
Rite tonu te māpu,
te māpu Amerikana
ki ngā manu o te moana e
E topa mai ana,
whakatau iho ana
Haere atu ana e
Ka noho Kīwī Weka
ki tōna nei motu
whakarongo kau ana e
Ko tāna mahi pai,
he nohonoho iho
i roto i te puīhi e
Ka noho Kīwī Weka i roto i te mamaku
whakarongo kau ana e
Ka whānau hēki,
kotahi tau rawa,
katahi ka paopao e
Ki te pono koutou ki te Matua, he pai noa iho e
He horihori noa iho te mamae o tō tinana e
- Women in the British armed forces were officially
called WACs, WAAFs, and WReNs. The weka is a very
friendly little bird, and the Kiwi Women Engaged
in Keeping company with Americans (or
Women Everywhere Kissing Americans?) seem to have been
nicknamed WEKAs.