A
song to introduce Maori words to pre-schoolers. It is sung to
the tune of 'You are My Sunshine.' The complete
Maori version can be taught later.
One
day a taniwha
Went swimming in the moana
He whispered in my taringa
"Won't you come along with me
There such a lot to see
Underneath the deep blue sea."
Tetahi
taniwha
Kauhoe i te moana
Kohimu i taku taringa
"Kia haere taua
Tipi haere tirotiro
I raro i te moana."
I
said "Oh, no, no, no!
You'd better go, go, go,
Although I know we could be friends.
My Mama's waiting for me
Underneath the kowhai tree
Taniwha, haere ra!"
Ka
mea au "Kao, kao, kao!
Me haere, haere koe
Ahakoa he hoa taua.
Tatari ana taku Mama
Kei raro i te rakau kowhai
Taniwha, haere ra."
Taniwha
Taniwha
are water spirits of Maori legend. They may live in rivers,
lakes or the sea, and can take many forms; logs, eels,
reptiles or whales. They are often regarded by local people
as guardians of that stretch of water, but some are evil
monsters.
Stranger
Danger
Small
children are being targeted by perverts today more than ever
before. As well as teaching some Maori words, and being fun
to sing, this song teaches small children the valuable
lessons of keeping within sight of a trusted adult when
playing, and of saying no if a stranger invites them to come
away when they meet for the first time.
Beatrice
Yates
When
Mrs Yates first started teaching in Rotorua in the 1970s,
she was tasked with helping schools introduce Te Reo.
"I
loved music and there was a resurgence of Te Reo Maori and
a local school asked me to come and help the kids,"
she explained.
"They put me in a hall with 200 kids and left me to it,
and the kids just loved the songs because they had a
simple beat and positive words.I had to do songs
bilingually because we had a lot of Pakeha children who
hadn't been exposed to Te Reo."
She
has written many songs that have helped young children learn
to speak Maori, such as Ma is White, Hoe a Te Waka and Oma
Rapiti.
"One Day A
Taniwha" in print
In
August 2009, Bea's friend Gay Kingi saw the
hand-drawn books she had made for the songs and told
her they should be printed.
Gay
started up Aunty Bea Publications to do the job, and
they were fortunate in obtaining the services of top
children's book illustrator Katherine
Quin of Te Awamutu.
Katherine
has done a wonderful job of illustrating Bea's first
book.
This
book can be obtained by contacting Aunty
Bea Publications, or in bookshops. There is a CD
in the back of book, with it sung to the tune of "You
are my sunshine," making this is a great book to get
out and sing along with your young grandchildren when
they come visiting. You could teach them the original
words of "You are my sunshine" too.
Katherine
explains on Youtube how One Day a Taniwha was
made, and has been further developed as an interactive
iPad or iTunes app for children. You can buy the app HERE.
Related
Songs
Oma
Rapiti - Run Rabbit Run - another favourite
Aunty Bea song.
When
Mrs Yates first started teaching in Rotorua in the 1970s,
she was tasked with helping schools introduce Te Reo. 
