Jane McRae - Nga Moteatea

HE KUPU ARATAKI

N Jane McRae
N Hni Jacob te whakamoritanga

AN INTRODUCTION

By Jane McRae
Mori translation by Hni Jacob

He kohinga waiata tawhito a Ng Mteatea, e wh ng pukupuka, ko tna 400 nei ng waiata o roto, me ng whakapkehtanga i te taha. Ko pirana Ngata te ringa whakaemi, , he mea whakaputa na whanga mai i ng tau o ng 1920. Kei ng waiata nei, tae atu ki ng kupu whakataki me ng kupu whakamrama i ng waiata, ttahi momo mat e ora ai te tangata e hiakai ana ki tnei mea, ki te mtauranga. Kei konei ng tohu o tr umanga onamata a te Mori, o te tito mteatea, tae atu ki ng tikanga tito me ng pmanawa o ng kaitito, ng kaitrai i te kupu kia huatau tonu. Kei konei an e putu ana ng krero m te ao Mori na tikanga, na whakaaro, na whakapono, tae atu ki te hua o te noho -iwi a te Mori i mua, ng huatanga nui i p, ng tpuna rongonui, te takoto o te whenua me ng taonga tuku iho. Engari he kohinga waiata an a Ng Mteatea kia waiatatia, kia mirimiria kia hngai ake ki ttahi hua hou, , i ng whi kore e mhiotia ana te rangi, kia titoa he puoro hou hei kawe i ng kupu. Kei ng kpae puoro kua tia hei hoa m ia whanga o te putanga o ng tau 20047 tahi waiata hua maha tonu, hei wetewete m te hinengaro, hei rekareka m te taringa, m te ngkau, hei hiki an m te reo waiata.

He ptaka mtauranga a Ng Mteatea hei toro m te konga e whai ana i te reo Mori, i te reo mteatea, i ng tikanga Mori. Kei reira tahi tino tauira o tnei mea o te waiata koroua, tae atu ki tna an reo uaua, na krero whakarite, na tohutoro rehurehu. Pr an i ng kupu auaha katoa ka traia kia huatau, he uaua pea te nanao i te tikanga o te kupu m te ta rangahau rawa e taea ai. Heoi, he ptaka kore an kia k; ar tonu tahi krero e taea ana m tn waiata, m tn kore e kitea i roto. Ar hoki te krero a Ngata, i k ai ia i ng krero whakataki me ng whakamrama, he maha ng mahi e toe ana hei kawe ake m te konga, pr i te hhau, i te whakamrama i ng whi kore i mrama te tikanga o ng kupu, ng tngata, ng whi, ng mahi rnei i whakahuatia ake. Ar an hoki tahi huatanga o te tito waiata, tae atu ki te h me te hanga o te waiata, kore an i ta mhiotia. Ka mutu, ka uaua an ki te konga te reo o ng whakapkehtanga. Ko te reo Ingarihi onamata tr te rere ana. E tika ana pea kia whakapkehtia an ki ng kupu e mrama ana te hunga pnui o nianei. Waihoki, he iti noa ng rangahautanga o nei waiata kua tia whnuitia. Me k pnei ake, kua takoto a Ng Mteatea, t ng kaiwhakaemi, t ng kaiwhakamori i mahi ai; heoi, kei ng konga, kei ng kaiako, kei ng pkenga, kei ng kaiwaiata a tua atu, e whakawhnuitia atu ai, e kawea whakamuatia ai ng mahi.

He kohinga taahua a Ng Mteatea, engari mau ana pea te wehi i tahi i te titiro atu. N Ngata tonu te whakaaro kia tia he pukapuka iti hei whakataki i te kohinga. Ko te 1933 te tau, e tuhi ana a Ngata m te hurikiko mai an o te iwi Mori ki ng waiata, i hua ake i te tnga o ng whanga tuatahi o Ng Mteatea, i k ai ia, I te aranga ake an o te ngkaunui, e hiahiatia ana ttahi putanga o Nga Mteatea e taea ana te kuhu ki te pkoro. In koa, he tpakonga o tahi o ng waiata mm ake. I tnei pukapuka, kua ea tr wawata na kia tia tahi o ng waiata e hua mrama ake ana te reo. Engari me te whai an kia whakamramatia ng huatanga katoa e p ana ki te hanganga o Ng Mteatea, ki ng kai e mau mai ana i roto, mei kore e kmea mai te kaipnui ki te whwh i te nuinga atu o te kohinga.

Ka tmata te Kupu Arataki nei i te titiro ki te ptakenga mai o Ng Mteatea me ng krero m ng tnga o roto i ng tau. Whai i muri i tr, ko ttahi tuhinga whakamrama i ng krero o roto i ng whanga e wh. Ka whakamramatia, ka ttarihia tahi waiata tekau, ka tohua an te huhua o ng kaupapa ka whaihua te whai haere m roto tonu i te wnanga i te kohinga nei. Ka tirohia ng momo waiata, te whi ki te waiata i te ao kore he tuhituhi, te huatau o te reo, me te pai o te waiata hei ara pupuri i ng tikanga, i ng ttai krero o te iwi. Ka whewherangia an tahi o ng tikanga tito a ng kaitito waiata. Ko ng truatanga o ng waiata tekau kua tpakongia hei tauira, n roto i te tnga hou o Ng Mteatea (20047). I tnei tuhinga whakamrama me ng waiata whakatauira, ka puta he krero m tahi atu o ng waiata, o ng krero kei te tinana o Ng Mteatea. N reira ahakoa ka taea tnei o ng tuhinga nei te pnui motuhake, ka whaihua pea ki te konga, ki te kaiako mehemea kei tna taha tonu ng pukapuka e wh o te kohinga, hei whtoro mna. Ka mutu, kei aua pukapuka ng kpae oro e mau mai ana ki runga ng waiata e ono o ng waiata tekau ka truatia i konei.

He mea whakatakoto tnei Kupu Arataki i runga i te aro nui ki ng kaiako, ki ng konga o te reo Mori, o te reo auaha -waha o te Mori, otir, ki r kei ng marae e whakaako ana i te tito waiata, i te hiki o te waiata, i te whakamoritanga o ng waiata o mua. Engari me te tmanako an ka tahuri mai te iwi whnui ki nei krero, tae atu pea ki tahi kore an kia wherawhera i ng whrangi o tnei kohinga tuawhiti, kore an kia riro i te hh, i te wana, i te taahua o ng kupu o roto. Ko tnei tpakonga iti nei, he karapa noa ki te rerenga waiata o roto i Ng Mteatea; heoi an, ahakoa iti, he whakaata tonu tna i tnei tikanga rangatira o tuauri whioio.

Ng Mteatea is a four-volume collection of some 400 traditional Mori songs along with English translations compiled by pirana Ngata and published from the 1920s onwards. The song texts, together with the introductions and annotations to them, provide rich subject matter for study. They are evidence of the ancient and historical Mori tradition of composition, as well as the conventions and skills of the composer poets. In addition, the songs offer considerable information about Mori culture its customs and philosophies, tribal life, historical events, famous ancestors, the landscape and inherited treasures. But Ng Mteatea is also a collection of songs to sing, to adapt for a new situation or, where the tunes are unknown, to put to music. The CDs that accompany each volume of the 20047 edition contain recordings of many of the songs, and allow for study, appreciation and practice of the music and singing.

Ng Mteatea is a storehouse of knowledge for a student of Mori language, poetry and culture. It contains some of the best examples of the traditional songs and many are very complex in their language, imagery and allusions. Like all fine poetry they may be difficult to understand and require study. But Ng Mteatea is not complete in the sense of having exhausted all that could be said about each song. As Ngata often pointed out in the introductions and notes to the songs, many tasks remain for the student, such as searching out and explaining obscurities of meaning or references to people, places and history. There is more to be discovered about the practice of composing and the style and structure of the songs. The English translations also present students of the language with a challenge. A classical work such as this invites new approaches to translation and language that clarifies meaning for contemporary readers. Furthermore, there have been few published studies of these songs. Ng Mteatea, therefore, offers teachers, students, scholars and singers the opportunity to continue and enhance the work of its compilers and translators.

Ng Mteatea makes a very handsome collection, but it can seem rather formidable. The idea of a small book as an introduction to the large collection was something Ngata himself had in mind. Writing in 1933 about the renewed enthusiasm for singing that followed publication of the first editions of