MAORI RADIO PAGEANT

Taranaki Daily News, 6 August 1929, Page 11

MAORI RADIO PAGEANT

UNIQUE EVENT ON THURSDAY BROADCAST FROM NEW PLYMOUTH FIRST BIG RELAY TO B. STATION. The rapid strides being made in the advance of wireless are to be further illustrated on Thursday, when station zYB, New Plymouth, will broadcast on relay from zYA (Wellington) a unique Maori pageant. This, will be the first occasion on which a land relay of such a nature from an A class station to a* B class station has been attempted in New Zealand, and if succc x 'ul, as it is confidently anticipated it will be, the accomplishment will be a convincing illustration of the value of station zYB to Taranaki, and its relative value in comparison with the other stations of New Zealand.

The radio pageant opens at 8 p.m. on Thursday, and will finish about 10.30 p.m. On Friday the- same programme will again be broadcast from 10.30 p.m. until 1.30 a.m. on Saturday, for the benefit of Australian stations and the Byrd expedition, the latter having been advised by wireless to listen-in at Little America. Station 3YA (Christchurch) will re-broadcast and relay to 4YA (Dunedin). The entertainment should be one of outstanding merit. It incorporates the main features of the changing circumstances experienced by the Maori people from the time their Polynesian forbears left Hawaiki in the distant past, and after long voyaging landed in Aotea Roa, and presents special features of living conditions as they evolved during the passing of a thousand years until the present day. . : The history and mode of life of the Maori people are intended to pass in review. One is supposed to picture an old chief seated alone at the door of his whare in a pah on the banks of the Wanganui River. He is dozing in the noonday sun and dreaming of the days that are past. The pageant will be presented by a contingent of Maoris from the Wanganui district. It is now a long time since the first Maori, Kupe, the great navigator, voyaging in his canoe down the west coast of the North Island, came to the mouth of a river where the city of Wanganui now stands. He called it the Wanga-nui, because the river was wide, almost like an estuary. That was in the dim past. The scene set for the Radio pageant of the Maori race is a deserted Maori pah located on the banks of the Wanganui River. An old chief, Parakaia, sits alone at the door of his whare, and as he lingers there the spirits of the past speak with him, and the interesting story of the past opens up page by page before his mental vision. What he sees provides the scope of the pageant as presented in the studio. STORY OF THE PAGEANT. An introductory narrative will precede the six phases of the pageant. The principal speaker of the Maori party will be Ilaiuiora Hakopa. He will paint in words the right setting for the pageant and in this he will be helped by the recital of portion of Sir Apirana Ngata's “Scenes from the Past.”

The pageant deals with six phases in the life of the Maoris. Scene 1 is the arrival of Kupe. There is to be a descriptive address, a thanksgiving incantation and _ a thanksgiving haka. Then follows a phase descriptive of the Maoris at home in the early days. Into this will be introduced various games and there will be playing on the only Maori musical instrument, the koanau flute. Listeners will hear the speeches given at the reception to visitors to the pah. This phase of the pageant will be a particularly interesting one, affording as it does such entertaining sidelights on Maori customs. Poi dances and hakas are given for the entertainment of the visitors.

Scene ,3 deals with the dawn of a new era and the coming of the missionaries. An interesting item in this phase will be a selection played on Jew’s harps. It is worthy of mention that a Jew’s harp was tho first musical’ instrument of pakeha origin adopted by the Maoris. Tho Maoris’ . part in the Great War. is handled in Scene 4. In this will be sung the touching lament, “Piko nei te Matenga” (“When Our Heads are Bowed with Woe”). Mangu Tahana will sing the solo part and there will be an accompanying chorus. Scene 5 is descriptive of the Maoris in song and play to-day. The upriver steamer has brought a large number of visiting young people and a Maori entertainment follows. It is all unadulterated melody and harmony. There are many songs and choruses, while rhythmic poi dances are introduced. Scene 6 of the pageant is laid in the beautiful grounds of a chief’s residence and the programme works up to a dramatic climax, driving home to pakeha and Maori the lesson .of the pageant, which closes with a stirring haka and the singing of “Home, Sweet Home.”

COMMENT BY MR. J. C. ANDERSEN.

Concerning Maori song and music, which will be so prominent next week in connection with the radio pageant, Mr. Johannes C- Andersen has some interesting comments to make. "Th© Maori had few musical instruments, he says. Strange to say, with tho exception of th© great war-gong, h© had no drums, and th© drum is a favourite instrument with uncivilised, or little civilised people, helping, as it does, .in th© appreciation of rhythm; and the Maori had a superb sens© of rhythm, far more exact than our own. He had a war-trumpet, and a shelltrumpet, but these were not used as musical instruments; rather as signalling instruments. He had two kinds of flute, and it is from these that wo hav© gleaned what w© know of their technique and melody. One, the koauau, was an instrument somewhat lik© our flute, except that it was blow from the end, and had only two to five sideholes.

The tones produced differ in interval in all flutes examined, no two agreeing, os that on© is forced to conclude that th© Maori recognised no definite arbitrary intervals, as we do not in our speech tunes. Every flute was mad© to paly a particular song; if it were wish ; ed to play another song on that flut© the holes had to be altered, and many flutes are found with the holes so altered. Moreover, when th© flute was played the words of the song were played on it; that is, the flute spoke, and on th© Maori flute even the European ear

iw,is able to catch at least some of the words. This explains why the Jew’s harp was a favourite instrument with the Maori; he was able to speak on it, and two . lovers would sit side by side, each with..-; a Jaw’s harp, softly' exchanging confi- , ,J dences on their instruments—saying it with music. There are which tell how lovers conveyed mes- ) sages by means of flutes, arid when ' Hinemoa swam to Tutanekai, it was because of what he was saying to her on the flute. So of the song-birds, the.- ? Maoris particularly liked the one that seemed to be saying something, that is, the ones whose voices approached . human speech. ' ■ ■< ■ A DETAILS OF THE PROGRAMME/’ • . ' ' •" '■ Bl The detailed programme is as . follows:—Hymn, the party, “Oh God Our Help in Ages Past”; chimes; overt ture, the orchestra, “Ist Movement frordij Maori Quartette,” (Alfred Hill); ad-...-/ dress, Hamiora Hakopa, “Greetings and Introductory Remarks”; oration, “Pro- t logue” from “Scenes from (he Past” (Sir Apirana Ngata); selection, the’or- . chestra, “Tangi,” from “B Flat Maori S Quartette” (Alfred Hill). Scene 1. —The coining of the Maori. Kupe, the Polynesian navigator, enters Vi the Wanganui River and lands on the future site of the pa. The crew are heard as they move along the and proceed with their ceremonial for such an occasion; address, Hamiora g Hakopa, (a) arrival of canoes; (b) thanksgiving incantation (Ope Whanarere); (c) haka of thanksgiving. ', V

Scene 2. —The Maoris at home in tho ' V early days. Scenic setting: The Marae, or courtyard, where the villagers are gathered for work, entertainment and conversation. Tho scene is described: Boys at play (mate mate), the koauau (flute) is heard, more boys at play , (tititoria), courier announces arrival of visitors; exit of people from the marae, and preparations are made to meet the visitors in time-honoured fashion; haka party take their stand; greetings are .< exchanged; bearer delivers manuka and retires; matua powhiri rise to powhiri, “Toia mai te waka”; dispersal of pow-. hiri; tangi; -welcome speeches; ceremony of rubbing noses; the feastj Jchant, “Whanganui e kia kha”; the re-; ~ ception; oration: “The Marae and Hui,” from “Scenes of the Past” (Sir Apirana Ngata); visitors are entertained iu th® marae as follows: (1) ancient poi; (2) grand Maori haka, “Tau ka Tau”; (3) demonstration of koauau (flute) —Ope Whanarere; (note: The koauau is the original and only Maori musical instrument, it was played by Tutanekai for Hinemoa); (4) ancient song, Ope Whanarere and party, “E Pa te hau”; . selection, th© orchestra; “Maori Lament (Alfred Hill); (5) Haka Whakapapa. Scene 3—The dawn of a new day and > the coming of the missionary; scene,. th® marae, or courtyard; address, Hamiora Hakopa; selection, the orchestra: . “Waiata Maori” (Alfred Hill); selectioag of Jew’s harp, Hamiora Hakopa, Op® Whanarere, Te Ua Tamehana and Tona Potae; (note: The Jew's harp was the.Lv first musical instrument of pakeha origin adopted by the Maoris); speech. . Scene 4.—Th© Maoris’ part in th® o’. Great War; selection, the orchestra: “Kamate, Kainate” (To Rangihikiroa); speech; chorus, "Ope ', Tautahi”; , memorial hymn, Mangu Tahana and..,., party,, “Piko nei te matenga” (“When Our Heads are Bowed with Woe”). Scene 5.-—The Maoris in song', and. -.j play, to-day; scene: The meeting house . in the marae invaded by a large number, of visiting young people who arrive by-.... steamer to the accompaniment of incidental effects. They prepare to enter-,.-tain Parakia; opening selection, th®party, “Come Down the Wanganui River”; solo, Raina Kahukura and • party, “Hoki Hoki tonu mai”; chorus,; the party, “He Puti Puti Pai”; Te Ua Tamehana, “Home, Little Maori, W Home”; choruses, the party (a) “Poata Rau”; (b) “Haere, haere, ra e hihe”|?mj solo, Raina Kahukura, “Raniera te' Ta-. ma”; chorus, the party, “E Pari Ra”; solo and chorus, Hamiora Hakopa and -\ party: “Hoea rate Waka”; solo, Mrs?/; H. Toka, “Waiata Poi”; vocal duet ami./; monologue, Raina Kahukura and Mere y Whanarere, “I’m Waiting for Ships thatyyNever Come Home”; oration, “Th-j Warriors’ Welcome,” from “Scenes from th®... Past” (Sir Apirana Ngata); choru ’~ th© party, “Tahine Taru Kino”; short poi, the party; male voice number, the ; ‘ party, “Karoo’; solo, Ka WiniHti, karekare”; chorus, the party; “Piiere-. hua”; solo, Ka Winiata, "Hm» e Hi;.e’ : ’chorus, Raina Kahukura and party, (a), “The Taniwha”; (b) “Mah kai ano”; (c) .. “Kore au e pai”; (d) “Tangi mai o teg; Scene 6. —Tho Lesson ’f The beautiful grounds of a chiefs yc§i- >■ dene© amid the surroundings of civihsation, whither Parakaia is transporter.-/ on the wings of thought. The twentieth century Maori, garbed ’ in acCordhnca.g with the demands of the times js represented in various aspects of life. Ad--, dress, Hamiora Hakopa; solo, Ka Winii. ata, “Dream Boat”; Parakaia speaks; ; oration, final scene from “Scenes of they; Past” (Sir Apirana Ngata) ; haka, the party, “Kamate, Kamate 1 '; solo - chorus, Mangu Tahana and P art y> “Home, Sweet Home”; National An-./ them,