The water of eternal life
Compare this with John, Chapter 4, in the
Bible, about how following the example of Christ's love is
the "water" that enables us to live life fully.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw
water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"
(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I
am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and
who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have
asked him and he would have given you living water."
"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to
draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this
living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who
gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also
his sons and his flocks and herds?"
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will
be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give
him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will
become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal
life."
Mount Hikurangi 1981
Anaru Kupenga of Ruatōria placed the message
below onto the internet.
'To A roha
Ano' came to me from an inspiration on one of my many
climbs - 65 to be exact - up my beloved Mountain
Hikurangi.
My young brother Jay Kupenga was with me on this
particular climb. At about 1600 meters he spotted a
spring of water, an artesian well bubbling up from
deep beneath the ground. We were at least 5,000 feet
above sea level, so at such a great height he was both
amazed and curious, and this caused him to question
and remark about this incredible sighting, as he was
so overwhelmed.
After explaining some of the phenomena, magic and
sacredness of our Mountain, I jokingly said to him, "Shall
we immortalize our sacred Mountain in a song to
remember this time and place?"
By the time we reached the summit we had dedicated
this song to all decendants of the Mountain, and sang
it there on its female summit, Te Tone o Houku, after
which Jay said, "Did you know I felt the spiritual
presence of our ancestors as we were singing."
Little did he realize that his mountain was in fact
talking to him as the emotion of his first climb hit
him with a strong conviction, as if asking that
unforgivible question, "Where have you been all
these years, and what took you so long?" The
guilt became a reality, and caught up in the grip of
that time and space, we felt the harmony of the
Mountain flow through both of us. He murmured, "No
wonder you've come up here so many times and dummy
old me couldn't figure out the significance until
today." It was the dawning of a new revelation.
We could still feel the presence of our ancestors
nearby.
Together we decided to gift
this song to Kimihia Kohanga Reo in Kaiti Gisborne. We
changed it from the original so we can retain the
sacred element, and re-composed the one for the
Kohanga Reo, because we had anticipated that other
people would cut it, change it and add to it without
finding out where it had in fact come from first, and
without requesting permission from the composer to do
this.
We knew it had a beautiful sound and rhythm, very
appropriate for little children: it was even catchy
for adults because many of the parents and nannies
that came to learn it found it very stimulating, in
fact quite invigorating and intoxicating. The practice
was held in the right enviroment, at Kimihia Kohanga
Reo, on our weekend practice in preparation for the launching
of the development of Kohanga Reo throughout the
country. (This was in 1982,
JA) The first words written describe
and retain the heartfelt inspiration of that climb,
and only we few at home here know and sing all of it,
because it holds the sacred history of our Mountain.
Both my young brother and I discussed the Tapu
elements written in the composition before it was
finalised, dedicated and released, because some of the
parents thought it was too deep for the children to
comprehend, hence we settled for this version.
KO TE AROHA ANO HE WAI My love is like an eternal
spring E PUPU AKE ANA it bubbles from deep beneath HE
AWA, E MAPUNA MAI ANA an Artesian, a continuous source
KI ROTO I TE WHATUMANAWA the spring well that feeds
the soul KO TE AROHA ANO HE HOHUNU my love is an
eternal supply well A I NA I ATAA RERE ANO softly it
flows ever so gently KO TONA MATAPUNA HE HOHONU its
very source is so deep within A I NA I ATAA RERE ANO
it has a calming soothing effect."
Fairfield College, 1995
The origin of this song has been in dispute.
Many people say Dr. Kereti Rautangata composed it and sang
it at Waikato University, thus making it popular with
Tainui people.
"The inspiration behind the Tainui waiata came from an
awakening Kereti had while carving the wharenui at
Fairfield College in
Hamilton (This was in
1995, JA) — he saw the fullness of
aroha flowing into the wharenui through his work and
being reflected back at him through the beautiful
structure and all it stood for.
"He recorded his feelings in English as a poem and Prof
Wharehuia Milroy used his expertise in Te Reo to create
the kupu for Tai Aroha. Two members of Kereti's group,
Taiapua and Aroha Watene, composed a beautiful tune to
give voice to the words and the waiata was born."
(Ka
Miharo, Issue 4, 2010)
But as with many older waiata, Rautangata's
version was an adaptation, with most of the lines taken
from the earlier Ngati Porou composition. The Fairfield
carvings were done in 1995, 20 years before they were
restored in 2015 (Waikato
Times)
Conclusion
Anaru Kupenga composed a longer version of
this song when climbing Mt Hikurangi in 1981. A shorter
version was sung in the newly-formed Kohanga Reo at
Ruatoria and then in Kohanga Reo around the country where
academic Wharehuia Milroy heard it, and borrowed most of
its words for Kereti Rautangata's 1995 high school and
university song.
Kohanga
Reo version, 1982
|
Hamilton version,
1995 |
Ko te aroha ano he wai
E pupu ake ana i
He awa, e mapuna mai ana
Ki roto i te whatumanawa
Ko te aroha ano he hohunu
A i na i ataa rere ano
Ko tona matapuna he hohonu
A i na i ataa rere ano
|
Ko te aroha anō he wai
E pupū ake ana
He awa e māpuna mai ana
I roto i te whatu-manawa
.....
.....
Ko tōna mātāpuna he hōhonu
Ā inā ia ka rere anō.
He tai timu
He tai pari
He tai ope
He tai roa
He tai nui |
|