The Song of the First Wife by MATAHIRA Prytz Johansen (The Maori and his Religion, Copenhagen, 1954) describes the Maori attitude towards love as a mate or weakening and characterizes its expression in waiata as foreful and passionate, as if love itself were an outrage against personal integrity. He views the Maori love-song as an expression of love unrequited or betrayed (pp. 229 and 252) but I don't think this is peculiar to the Maori. Amongst the Maori aristocracy, the loss of status involved in an unsuccessful love-affair could be restored possibly by a waiata such as this (Nga Moteatea, Nos. 9, 22, 35, 62, 62a and others) or by another love-affair, or by suicide (Maning, Old New Zealand, pp. 162, 206, 208). This song has been recorded in its original style and form by Te Hati. The recording is now in the Dominion Museum. The composer, Matahira, was senior wife of Te Kotiri. As a rangatira, Te Kotiri could afford to take another woman. He married the girl, Te Whioroa. This, then, was Matahira's complaint.
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Te Ao Hou, March 1961, Page 36
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176The Song of the First Wife Te Ao Hou, March 1961, Page 36
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