Ancient Songs

Te Ao Hou, October 1956, Page 50

Ancient Songs After a while the members became a little tired with the modern action songs they knew. They were not really Maori enough; it was not quite the way their ancestors felt. Both Bill Waiwai and Mac Moses come from Waimaku, near Lake Waikaremoana, where the genuine old pao and patere are still often heard and these are powerful expression of the old Maori culture far more stirring than the action songs. They invited John Rangihau, who is now Maori Welfare Officer in Whakatane to visit them one weekend because he knew these patere well. This was the first occasion that they had ever asked, or been given help from people in official positions and even Mr Rangihau's visit was as much that of a relative as of an official. They spent the weekend working hard at the patere and now they know them; their main club song is this ancient song: Uia te manuhiri me ko wai Moi e haere mai Te whiti te ua te haua Moi e haere mai Whakarongo au ki te tangi a te heteri I roto i te pa e Ko ko koia e tu e Ko ko koia e ara e Ko ko koia e nga tangata Ko whakatahuri rawa Ki tua o moi angiangi Anga mai ai te riri Aue e e e e ara e This is performed both as a patere and as an action song. For the action song the words “aue hi aue ha” are put before the last line.