New Zealand Karakia * Whakataka te Hou

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'Whakataka' is a modification of the final stanza of 'Tua, Tua,' a longer karakia telling how the waka Takitimu survived a storm when exploring the coast of South Westland because it was well-built and well-managed. It reminds us that the great natural forces can harm us, but if we work hard preparing for them, and then respond in harmony with them and in harmony with our ancestors' response, we are rewarded with warmth and calm, both literally and spiritually.

Whakataka tō hau ki te uru,
Whakataka tō hau ki te tonga.

Kia makinakina ki uta,
Kia mataratara ki tai.

E hi ake ana te ata kura
he tio, he huka, he hauhunga.

Haumi e! Hui e! Taiki e!

The wind swings to the west, settles
then turns to the south, settles down.

Making it prickly cold inland
Making it piercingly cold at sea.

The glowing morning will rise
on ice, on snow, on frost.

Join! Gather! Intertwine!

In 2005, Takirau Hohua (Tainui) turned this into a waiata that is now often sung in schools at the beginning of the day's work.

Three sections of a karakia

The first section of a karakia usually acknowledges the great forces that are at work connecting us to the atua, the ancestral spiritual powers.
e.g. the frequent troublesome Westerlies, and the killer Southerly storm.

The second section expresses a loosening of these forces' harmful bonds, and a strengthening of their helpful ones.
After the howling Southerly storm blows through, a frigid, but windless night will follow.

The third section is the naming of what is required for oneness with the atua.
An awe-inspiring dawn transforming the icy snowscape.
Touch the picture =>

Whakataka can mean both 'prepare for' and 'make a change in direction.'

The longer Kai Tahu karakia that these lines were taken from had "Whakataka t hau ki te tonga" = The wind turns and settles to the south.

Kina, a sea egg. Ma - kina - kina = like lots of sea-egg spines.
The spines of a kina release a toxin when stood on.

Tara, a sharp point. Ma - tara - tara = like sharp pointed blades.

Hauhunga (frost) has been shortened to Hau hu (quiet wind) in some recent performances.

Taiki (noun) is a wicker basket woven from vines. Taiki e (verb) we become strongly intertwined like a wicker basket. The final line is equivalent to the Amen at the end of a Christian prayer.

This karakia was offered to Governor Grey just before he returned to England in 1855. See below

Lost in translation

Some people appear not to have understood the karakia's triple structure when they tried to put this karakia into English.

They noticed that it was a "prayer" of sailors threatened by a storm, and they then distorted the Maori words to make all three sections requests for what is wanted.

"May the winds from the west and south cease (?).
Let light breezes (?) blow over the land and sea.
Let the red-tipped dawn come with a sharpened air (?),
a touch (?) of frost, a promise of a glorious day.(?)

There are cut-and-paste copies of this very loose translation on dozens of websites, including those of NZ universities.

Ancient karakia seem to have been rational mental exercises to reassure those about to undertake a potentially hazardous event.

"There was a really big swell out on Manakau Harbour,
but Koro had a big launch and was wearing a lifejacket, (just like us)
and he got back safely with lots of fish." (so we should all be OK too).

Then unfounded belief set in.
"If I recite that story of Koro's Manakau Harbour fishing trip in perfect detail, we will be safe and bring back lots of fish." (even in this old runabout)

In recent times, Pakeha influences have distorted some 'karakia' into irrational requests. "Dear Lord, it is really rough out on Manakau Harbour, and we only have a flat-bottomed dingy and no lifejackets. Please help us get back safely with lots of fish, just like Koro did."

Tua Tua Koi Rangi nui

The original South Island story

Ko Nga Moteatea (1858)

This recalls how the Takitimu, after sailing from Rangiatea to the North Island, was next used to explore South Westland. When it ran into a cold front (strong nor-westerlies, a cold southerly and then calm sunny weather) near Franz Josef glacier and Mt Cook, the Takitimu's four "taniwha," enabled the vessel to cut through the waves and survive the storm. The high bow-posts and stern-posts had been carved out by a huge adze and attached to the hull in a complex, very strong, manner, as shown in this 1905 photo of an old Fijian-style Drua.

1st. Acknowledging the great forces that connect us to the spiritual powers and to the deeds of our ancestors.
Tuuaa, tuuaa¹ koi rangi nui,² Koi rangi roa, Koi rangi pouri, Koi rangi potango, Koukou³ te whetu i runga nei, Moana⁴ ropu kei tai, Kei tai e riri ana, Tu mai ana horoi Kei tai e patu ana i te hau, Tu mai ana horoi	I am chanting for protection, protection... ...against the vast spaces against the long travel times against the gloomy places and against the intensely dark regions. The stars are sprinkled above us here. Up-and-down go the crew on the seas on the always-angry seas that constantly rise up and wash us; on the seas, constantly hit by the wind, constantly rising up and washing us.
Punganangana,⁵ Punganangana, Puaka⁶ haua te tawhito o te rangi, He Uru ra ko te hau, He Tonga ra ko te hau, Ka hara mai⁷ ka tinei, Ka tinei kia mate.	It is very blustery persistently relentless. Struck down (hidden) is the star Rigel that ancient guide in the sky. From the west is the wind from the south is the wind pushing rudely in; extinguishing our body warmth extinguishing it near to death.

HERB K?NE 2nd. Loosening the harmful bonds and strengthening the helpful ones.
Toki nui te toki, Toki roa te toki, Toki tawahi e te toki!⁸ Ka whanatu au ka hahau i te takapu⁹ O te rangi e riri mai ana, E nguha mai ana, Ka hinga Ka mate Hau mate!	But huge is the adze Very long is the adze from high-tech Hawaiki is the adze that crafted this well-founded, weather-tight waka! I keep going ahead chopping at the calf muscle (or bulging waves)⁹ of the always-angry weather, and I keep fighting fiercely. Finally it is defeated. It is dead. The wind has died away!
3rd. Naming what is required for oneness with the forces and ancestors.
Whakataka¹⁰ to hau ki te uru, Whakataka to hau ki te tonga, Kia tu mahinahina¹¹ i uta, Kia tu marokeroke¹² i tai, Kia ao ake te ra, He tio,¹³ He keo He hauhunga.¹⁵	The wind circles to the west Then turns to the south Until, in a haze, the land rises up and it stays somewhat drier at sea So that the sun rise on a world of ice snowy peaks¹⁴ and frost.¹⁶
1. Tua is a location word, on the far side. Tuuaa, with long vowels, is a ritual chant for protection. 2. With capitals, these describe Rangi, the Sky-Father "Ka ?huru ki te tua i to rangi, Tuatua Ranginui, Rangiroa, Rangi-potongotango, Rangiwhetu ma." 3. Koukou is an owl's hoot in North Island NZ Maori, but in older dialects it means to sprinkle water. I think the meaning here is "Only a sprinkling of starlight is above us." The approaching storm clouds were starting to hide the stars. 4. Moana can be used as the verb "uneven." 5. Pu-ngana-ngana Pu = bunched up, twice as much. Ngana = persistent 6. Puaka is not a pig (poaka), but the South Island variant of Puanga, the useful navigational star Rigel. 7. Hara mai = violating. It is not Haramai or Haere mai. Nor is it mara mai; that is a typo in Pe Te Hurinui's copy of this karakia. 8a. Toki - A legendary giant adze with a long-lasting blade is a metaphor for the boat's advanced construction. The adze referred to here is Awhiorangi. This speckled red, 45 cm long adze, was brought from Rangiatea to Aotearoa in the Takitimu by its captain Tamatea, who is said to have "used the adze to cut a path" through a storm encountered on the voyage from the Eastern Pacific. That story, retold in this karakia, is a vivid way of telling us that the massive bow-posts and stern-posts of the Takitimu were adzed so skillfully that they could cut through storm waves. The posts had long zigzag joints so the sewn bindings did not break with the stress. Bowpost technology Awhiorangi was later taken to South Taranaki after Tamatea's brother married Turi's daughter. It was stored in a tree at Waitotara for seven generations, and found again in 1887. The Takitimu was later used by Tahu to explore South Westland, and this is the basis of a Ngai Tahu claim that he "discovered greenstone." However this Ngati Wairangi waiata explains how Ngai Tahu actually learnt of it. 8b. Taawaahi. taa, belonging to; waahi, a place apart. Taawaahi is the far side of a stretch of water, usually a river, but in this case it is a metaphorical reference to Hawaiki. 9. Takapu. This can be taken metaphorically, or as describing the waves. Cutting the tendon below an enemy's calf muscle left him unable to walk on that leg, and thus harmless. To make the storm harmless, the captain would have reduced the sail area, kept bow-on to the waves, and maneuvered towards where he had calculated calmer waters were. 10. Whakataka - to change direction. When Pei Jones translated this line in the 1940s, he seems to have read it as Whakakati, to cease, and many others have copied his translation. 11. Ma-hina-hina is from hina = grey, and mahina = dim light. Land that is seen hazily on the horizon is where they can find shelter and start a big warming fire. 12. Maroke-roke = becoming dryer, from maro = hard, and maroke = dry (clay). 13. Ice was white, and sharp when you walked on it, just like walking on rock oysters, so Polynesians named ice after them. 14 Ice, snowy peaks is a description of the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, and Mt Cook, Mt Apsiring etc. 15. Hauhunga Frost only forms when there is dead calm and no rain. 16. This translation is according to Williams' "Dictionary of the Maori Language."

Punganangana

A condensed version from the Waikato

This was one of the waiata written down by Waikato warriors in 1864 while they were prisoners of war, after surrendering to General Cameron at Rangariri. John McGregor was a guard for the prisoners. In 1893 he published these waiata in a book called "Popular Maori Songs".

1st. Acknowledging the great forces connecting us to the spiritual powers and to the deeds of our ancestors.
Punganangana ki tawhito o te rangi tu nei. He ngana riri, He ngana taua. Ue-ue Papatuanuku; Ue-ue Ranginui; Te tungia te kawaru ra; Ko te hau tonga ka hara mai ra;	This storm is twice as relentless as the ancient storms in the sky that used to rise up here, It has an angry relentlessness a warlike relentlessness. The Earth shakes. The Heavens shake. The tempest is withstood (?) as the southerly pushes rudely in.
2nd. Loosening the harmful bonds and strengthening the helpful ones.
Toki nui te toki, Toki roa te toki, Toki tawahi e Ka whanatu au ka hahau i te takapu O te rangi e riri mai ana, E nguha mai ana, Ka hinga Ka mate.	But huge is the legendary adze long-lasting is the adze from Hawaiki is the adze! I go away to chop at the calf muscle of the always-angry sky, and keep fighting fiercely. It is defeated. It dies.
3rd. Naming what is required for oneness with the forces and ancestors.
Whakataka to hau ki te muri, Whakataka to¹ hau ki te tonga, Kia makinakina i uta, Kia makinakina i tai, Kia ao ake te ra, He tio, he keo, He hauhunga	The wind circles, settles to the north, then turns to the south and settles down until it is prickly cold inland and prickly cold at sea. So that the sun rises on a world of ice, snowy peaks and frost.
1. t (verb) to be tranquil, peaceful, settling down. This is in Pei Jones version. Corrections I have corrected a couple of typos that were in the 1864 text, ka haramai nei (to come here) toki ta wahie (adze chops firewood) and also in the text used by Pei Jones in his 1950 manuscript. ka mara mai nei (to ferment here) toki ta Wahie (adze chops Wahie) I have substituted phrases from the better-edited 1858 version. ka hara mai nei (to violate) toki tawahi e (adze from overseas, ie Hawaiki)

Karakia

Karakia are the chants of Maori ritual, using traditional language, symbols and structures. They are a means of achieving oneness - one with the atua, one with the ancestors and one with events of the past.

They have their own traditional structure, symbols and rituals, and their concern is the whole of the universe, earth, sea and sky and into the night.

Karakia are not magic spells depending on the exact recitation of the words. The words can be, and are, changed. The power of the karakia came from the atua, and the effectiveness of the karakia depended on the faith of the people using the chants.

Musical style

In their use of ready-made phrases or formulas, the karakia are similar to the other forms of Maori recited chants and Maori songs. But a traditional karakia was different in its musical style - a very rapid monotone chant.
Today it is chanted more slowly, so the listeners can understand it better.

Karakia were usually recited solo by males, though some of the work karakia have sections for a chorus and there are examples of Ngapuhi karakia recited by women.

Types of karakia

There were karakia for kumara growing, childbirth, warfare, sickness and death. Karakia for daily work, canoe building, good weather and protection against curses. Karakia to unite factions, to give power to weapons, to cure injuries, to ward off ill luck.

The earth, sea and sky, war and peace, life and death were all included, and the emphasis was on the human person. Every aspect of life was covered.

Michael Shirres

The above paragraphs are a summary of Karakia in Maori theology by Dominican priest Fr Michael Shirres PhD.

To chant the words of the karakia
          is to become one with the ancestors.
We cut ourselves loose from what is destructive,
         and bind ourselves to what is life-giving.
In the 'eternal present' of ritual, we become
         one with the whole movement of creation.

MAORI MEMENTOS: a Series of Addresses, Presented to His Excellency Sir George Grey

collected and translated by Charles O. Davis, 1855

HE POROPOROAKI KI A KAWANA KEREI
NA NGA RANGATIRA O NGATI TIPA NA NGA KURA HOKI O TE MANIHERA.

......ta te Pakeha i tae tuatahi mai ki tenei motu he homai i nga tinaku pai ki a matou; kihai ano hoki ta nga Pakeha i muri iho i iti iho i tana.

E tae koe ki to tatou Kuini, ki a Wikitoria, mau e ki atu, e whakapai ana matou nga tangata Maori, ki te whakahaere tika o ana Kawana e ngarea mai ana e ia ki tenei Motu. Kia whakaaro mai ano hoki koe ki enei tinaku kua oti nei te whakato e koe, ki enei wahi. Ekore ano matou nga tangata Maori o tenei awa e wareware wawe ki tau mahi.

Rokohanga iho e koe e minamina kau ana o matou ngakau ki nga mahi a te Pakeha. Haere rawa ake koe, kua kake matou, kua mohio ki te parau, kua maha o matou huri kua tini o matou taonga, a, e whakaakona ana a matou tamariki ki nga Kura i whakatupuria nei e koe.

Haere e Kawana Kerei! Hoki atu ki te whenua o au matua. Ma te Atua Nui koe e tiaki i a koe e rere ana i te moana nui. Ko to matou ano tena, he waiata na o matou tupuna:--

Whakataka to hau ki te Uru,
Whakataka to hau ki te Tonga
Kia makinakina i uta,
Kia mataratara i tai,
Kia ao rawa ake te ra.
He tio. He keho. He hauhunga.

Haere ki Ingarangi,

PATOROMU,
Me ara atu ewaru te kau ma wha.

A FAREWELL TO GOVERNOR GREY FROM THE CHIEFS OF NGATI TIPA AND FROM THE SCHOLARS OF THE REV. MAUNSELL.

....the first Europeans who visited these islands gave us good seed; nor were the Europeans who came after them less good to us.

When you go into the presence of Queen Victoria, say to her, that we Natives think highly of the adminis-trations of the Governors whom she has sent to these islands. And be you mindful also, in regard to the good you have planted in this land. We, the Natives of this River, will not soon forget your labours.

When you first came, our hearts were desiring to learn the usages of the Europeans; and you leave us advanced as a people. We have learned how to plough; we have many mills, and much property; and our children are receiving instruction in the schools which you have established.

Go, O Governor Grey! Return to the land of your fathers! And may the Almighty One preserve you while voyaging on the great sea. These are our sentiments, and this is a song of our forefathers:--

Come airs from the West,
Where the purple-tint crest
Of the cloud rises high o'er the strand;
Or let the mild breeze
From the cold Southern seas,
Bring the frost and the ice on the land.

Go to England.

(Signed) PATOROMU,
And eighty-four others.

Note: The frost and the ice are seen only when the weather is extremely fine, and are experienced generally in New Zealand when the wind is from the South; hence the allusion. The West wind also ushers in fine weather; should breezes prevail therefore from either of these quarters, Sir George Grey's passage across the deep would be both safe and pleasurable.

Placed on web May 13th, 2008
Adapted for small screens June 2021

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