Tihore Mai is a Maori children’s song, adapted from an old karakia to bring us back into harmony with the world of nature, and of the spirit. The karakia E rere, e rere, e te kotare, is a karakia which was taught to children. It is a karakia telling the rain to go away.
Here is the original Karakia Tamariki upon which Hirini’s song is based.
As with all karakia, there is a three-part structure.
- First is a statement of the situation where our world is out of order.
- Then there is a loosening command.
- Finally there is the statement that we are in harmony with the world again.
| E rere, e rere, e te kotare, ki runga, ki te puwharawhara; Ruru ai, o parirau. Ka mate koe, i te ua. Tihore mai, i uta, Tihore mai, i tai; He rangi, ka maomao Mao mao, mao te ua. | Fly, fly, O kingfisher, up into the astelia bush. Shake your wings. The rain is killing you. Clear off from the land. Clear off from the sea. The heavens are clear, Far, far, far away has the rain gone. . . . (Moteatea p 29, Sir George Grey) |
This is a very simple karakia, yet in using it we are speaking the words of the ancestors and being introduced into a world in which the word is very important as our way, as human beings, of being one with the ancestors and taking part in the evolving of the universe.
Over the last twenty years, Hirini Melbourne has written a collection of waiata, including Tihore Mai te Rangi, about the forest world. He has now put these waiata into a beautiful CD and book set. In the book, the waiata are complemented by Te Maari Gardiner’s illustrations, and English translations are included also. On the CD, Hirini sings the songs folk style with wonderfully expressive solo vocals accompanied by folk guitar and the occasional Maori flute. This is a real treasure.
Hirini Melbourne devoted his life to promoting Maori language, culture and music. Of Tuhoe descent, he was a native speaker of Maori. As a student at Auckland University in the 1970s, he was a member of Maori activist organisation Nga Tamatoa, which petitioned Government to have Maori taught in schools as part of its focus on Maori identity. He began writing songs and stories to fit with the urban experience of Maori of his generation and turned his frustration with the quality of educational resources for Maori into action by becoming editor of Maori School Publications. He led the resurgence of traditional Maori music, and over the years he has composed many Maori songs, and he has produced more than 20 recordings.
