BOOKS

Kaea, Issue 1, 1 December 1979, Page 24

BOOKS

Two books currently available in the shops will be of great interest to Maori people. One, the latest in a series published by A.H. & A. W. Reed, is a new history of Whakatohea. The other is an older book, but deserves mention for two reasons. Traditional Songs of the Maori was compiled by two authors who will be familiar to readers of Te Ao Hou: Margaret Orbell was for many years the magazine's editor; and Mervyn McLean’s articles on Maori music appeared frequently. The other reason is that this lavishly produced volume is now available at the much reduced price of only $13.50. We asked Sam Karetu, of the University of Waikato, to review them.

WHAKATOHEA OF OPOTIKI A.C. Lyall A.H. & A.W. Reed $10.95

Ko Mataatua te waka Ko Muriwai te tipuna Ko Te Whakatohea te iwi

Adding to the already published tribal histories, such as Tuhoe by Elsdon Best, Te Arawa by D.M. Stafford, Takitimu by J.H. Mitchell, Tuwharetoa by J. Te H. Grace and Tainui by Leslie G. Kelly, is this new book called Whakatohea of Opotiki by A.C. Lyall. Like all the other histories, this is a composite of Maori Land Court records and the references to the tribe in its own waiata, haka, whakapapa and history. With this sort of foundation, it is no wonder that some people are a little sceptical of histories such as these, but what other sources are there? Much of what is contained in this history is conjecture, but that is not to say that it is not reasonably accurate and factual. One of the problems that writers of tribal histories face is the lack of documented evidence, or at least evidence that is conclusive in the eyes of the scientist and sceptic. An even greater problem is the lack of consensus even among the informants a problem faced by Best while doing his history of Tuhoe, and which the contemporary kaumatua now look at askance because they feel so much of it is inaccurate; in particular the whakapapa, which they feel the informants deliberately gave td Best inaccurately so that mauri and mana would not be lost. I would like to feel that the writer of this history had no such problems, but I note that quite frequently throughout the book he queries some of the whaxapapa because of the obvious discrepancies in ages of people mentioned. Humans being what they are, in some cases one who purports to be a tuakana in one whakapapa can quite easily be taina in another, but the latter is, more often than not, quite conveniently overlooked by the informant hence the confusing lines of descent in some whakapapa. This book then is a chronicle of the more outstanding events of the history of Whakatohea: a chronicle of the births, marriages, battles and deaths inflicted and also suffered by Whakatohea. When reading this type of history one soon becomes bogged down in a morass

of people and places which soon become a jumble. This is also true of all the other histories referred to above, but is inevitable because it is just that a chronology of events and people. Some quibbles! There is a great deal of inconsistency with the spelling of names of people, hapu and places. A further quibble is the extract from a waiata by Rangihurihia of Ngati Porou:

Pao ke te manako hei te Whakatohea

Ki te ope ngaki mate i a Matahou Te tangata noki ra Ka taea te ngete-a-wai I Turanga, ra, 1....

Now, any student of Maori language would see at a glance just how badly punctuated this extract is. Surely such perpetrations could be avoided with the aid of good sub-editing? It is a point that fmblishers of Maori material should be ooking at more critically. In his introduction the author states that: “this record will bear witness to the impressive background of a people hitherto largely unsung and may it serve to rectify that injustice”. I feel that any tribe which has not as yet had its own history published or recorded, even if for local tribal consumption only, is at a disadvantage because this is the only method whereby the young can have access to information which for too long has been confined to the meeting house discussion and to the whakapapa books held by many families throughout the country. As the young understand Maori less and less, so the need for such histories as these becomes more vital and urgent, despite the discrepancies and inaccuracies. May other tribes soon publish their own histories!

TRADITIONAL SONGS OF THE MAORI

Mervyn McLean and Margaret Orbell Oxford University Press $13.50

In this collection of waiata, haka, ngeri, puha and other forms of traditional song, Mervyn McLean has made a valid attempt to reproduce on paper the waiata of our kaumatua. In his introduction to the book, McLean comments on the many difficulties he encountered in trying to reproduce these songs in musical notation form. It is no mean feat that he has managed to reproduce quite well the tunes and to indicate where the voice might rise or fall. But he also makes the point that, “Although the book is intended for use by singers who want to learn the songs, it must be stressed that the texts and transcriptions can be no more than a performance aid, however assiduously they may be studied. They are not intended as a substitute for instruction from persons who know the songs, but rather as a supplement.” The above statement is reassuring because the thought of many of these waiata being learnt from a written page is a little unnerving. The wana and the na can in no way be conveyed by the musical notes written on a page. Many of my own students deplore the fact that this will be the only way in which some people will ever learn waiata because of the lack of knowledgeable people in their own tribal areas, or because their own waiata have long since ceased to be sung. What it does

mean, in fact, is that the tune given here will become the tune and this the version. That I find a little sad and yet, I suppose, inevitable in the light of the situation in which some tribes now find themselves. I note that the chief source for the

versions published are Turau and Marata Te Tomo of Ngati Tuwharetoa, two singers well-renowned in their time for their ability to waiata. But I wonder whether their versions of waiata from tribes other than Tuwharetoa could be accepted as the version since each tribe often sang the waiata of others and altered the rangi and timing quite considerably. Would it not be preferable to have found singers from the tribe in which the waiata originated? Perhaps McLean tried to do this and was unsuccessful, hence his great use of the versions by the two kaumatua mentioned above. A case in point is the version that my tribe has of “E Pa To Hau”. The tune sung by Tuhoe is no way approximates that of the tribe credited with its composition, and to have published that version for the generations to come to learn from, would have been an injustice to the tribe to whom it originally belongs. Perhaps I quibble unnecessarily, but it is something about which I feel quite strongly and something I tiw to instil into my students in our study of waiata: where possible (and that might be the clue to McLean’s constant use of Turau and Marata) return to the tune and version of the tribe from which the song comes. The Tuhoe waiata are the only ones where I can comment with any degree of knowledge, but I wonder how the other tribes whose waiata are published here feel about the versions and translations given. Margaret Orbell has done quite a good job but I feel that she often misses the point, hence her very often literal translations which appear meaningless at times. However, hers was the unenviable task.

I wish to take the author up on a point he makes in his opening remarks. He says on page 7, “Very few waiata, ‘songs’, are now composed, capable singers are becoming fewer, and the chant repertoire seems to be shrinking.” In fact, more waiata in the traditional style are being composed now than the author seems to be aware of. As clubs flourish (particularly in the urban context) groups, because of their mixed tribal qjembership, are forced to compose their own waiata rather than sing those of a particular tribe. I detect a very healthy revival of waiata in the country, especially as the young return more and more to their own tribes to find what is still extant. In fact, not only waiata are being composed, but also naka, and this augurs well for the future. My only feeling of unease stems from the fact that quite often some of these haka and waiata are meaningless, but that’s another ftroblem! t appears that some tribes were not too happy about the publication of their material, as the author states on page 9. “Another difficulty of selection was that some songs notably karakia and most of the songs recorded in the Tuhoe and Taranaki tribal areas were restricted by the performers, and hence could not be published.” Many would consider this move on the part of those tribes concerned to be one lacking in foresight but I applaud it for the attitude it exemplifies on the part of those particular tribes toward their own taonga. It also shows that the author was prepared to

consider the feelings of his informants, no matter how frustrating it might have been for him. I salute him for his sense of fair play. I am convinced that one can learn the basic rangi from this book but not the necessary ihi and wana that are such an integral part of the art of waiata. Without them the waiata are dull and uninspiring. Waiata need the full involvement of the singer and that includes the use of eye, hand and body, as well as voice. Those will never be acquired from books, but only by watching the masters in action and taking a leaf from their book. Nevertheless, McLean deserves our applause and gratitude for the task he undertook ana in which he has so well acquitted himself.