1. Te Manu
The title track of this album explores some of the many whakatauki or proverbs relating to birds. Our ancestors would compare things in their natural world to people, recognising qualities they saw in themselves and others, in this case comparing the birds to themselves. The song is about a fledgeling, a young person, ready to set out and explore the world, and likens dos and don’ts of the journey relating to the various characteristics of different birds.
2. Te Kaitoronui
Kupe is credited with discovering Aotearoa by following a giant octopus and killing it after an epic battle in Raukawa Moana / Cook Strait. There are other oral histories that mention other ancestors who may have arrived before Kupe, but his is the most widely known story. The song talks briefly about some of the details abut his exploration here, and mentions the name of his vessel, Matawhaorua, that returned with his grandson Nukutawhiti renamed Ngātokimatawhaorua. The end of the song mentions a history from the island of Maupiti in French Polynesia where the people there say the bones of Kupe are entombed. The song is built around a structure and melody characteristic of traditional songs from Polynesia where Kupe is thought to have come from.
3. Noho ake au
Written by Pererika Timutimu, this song is from the view of someone who is sitting on the summit of Matairangi (Mount Victoria) looking down upon Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington Harbour) recalling ancestors, tribes and histories that took place there including the creation of the harbour entrance by the two taniwha Ngake and Whātaitai who lifted Te Haowhenua ( Land swallower or destroyer ), a huge earthquake that is thought to have taken place around 1460 A.D., before dying and becoming the spirit bird ‘Te Keo’. The song then mentions the places named in remembrance of Kupe and his children, before taking flight to explore other historical areas of the region.
4. Ko Wai Koe?
‘Who are you? Where are you from? Where are you going?’ This song presents different scenarios and personalities to reinforce those questions introspectively. What would you make if you could make anything? Do you create your own reality or accept a prepackaged one? Do you create your own thinking or mimic others? That will all depend on who you are, where you have come from, and where you are going.
This is a fun song and was composed to help people learn Māori language pronunciation since 1955 when it was composed by Canon Wi Te Tau Huata who lived in Hastings. It is a fun song that has actions indicated by the words ‘piko', to clench the hands into a fist and ‘toro’, to extend all fingers outward. Many people in New Zealand have already learned this song at school and will recognise it instantly.
This song, written by Hohepa Tamehana recounts the proverb ‘E kore au e ngaro, he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea’ I am never lost, for I am a seed that was scattered from Rangiātea, the far away heaven. Hohepa wrote this song about himself and how he felt, to give reassurance that he had a purpose, a place of belonging. After the song was first recorded and released in 2001 by ‘Aria’ crediting Hohepa along with his email address, He was contacted by Māori from all over the world and realised this feeling had resonated in so many people, that he wasn’t the only one who felt this way, who needed the reassurance that they were descended from a line of great chiefs, that they could never be lost, being the seed scattered from a far away heaven, giving them strength to face anything that happens in life. This gave Hohepa a feeling of awe of the whole experience of putting emotion into words, of singing strength into people’s lives, their hearts, into their very souls.
7. Pīpī Tui
Written in english by Mahia Blackmore and translated by Pat Hohepa the song is about a baby tui being free in the forest. The song includes Tui calls as a rhythms percussive background to the vocals and a melodic sequence of Kokako song in the middle. There is a saying 'Kāore te kumara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka'. The kumara does not speak of it's own sweetness, so in this case, the kōkako sings of the baby tui’s beauty. The baby Tui represents ngā rangatahi, the youth, to encourage them to dream, to stay safe, to always be free and never lose sight of who they are.
8. Ka Mea
This song is about people doing and saying things without realising why. It describes situations where people run on ‘autopilot’ without thinking about their actions in terms of prejudice, addiction and abuse.
9. E kore e hokia
This song is about people who have left this world, and recalls the saying ‘He kura kainga e hokia, he kura tangata e kore e hokia’ A treasured home can be returned to, but a treasured person can never return. Likened to a bird that has flown away, that will never return.
10. E Kō
Many young men have committed suicide when their relationship ends. E kō is the story of a young broken hearted man who is struggling, finding it increasingly harder to carry on. He remembers the proverb ‘E kore e piri te uku ki te Pounamu’ - clay does not stick to greenstone. He wonders if he will ever be happy again and reaches out for a tohu, a sign, to give him guidance and direction. He feels the warmth of the sun warming him not only physically, but also spiritually, looking forward to the future and maybe finding someone who is deserving of his love, realising that he is deserving of pounamu, treasure, and happiness.
Te Manu
click a title to view the lyrics
