SONGS OF THE MAORI by W. W. BIRD The tangi or lament The tangis or laments have distinct characteristics. Pain and sadness linger in the heart and well up in grief and wretchedness, wailing and lamentation. The outward sign of this is laceration of their bodies, calling out to the gods, farewells to the dead followed by curses invoked upon the man or the tribe who caused the death, and urging the relatives of the warrior to take revenge. From whatever occasion they may arise, the tangis form the greater part of the Maori songs. Of the two hundred printed in these two volumes,* Sir Apirana Ngata's Nga Moteatea, Vol. I and II one hundred and two are tangis, and if are included some of the love songs, which may rightly be classed as tangis, this number would be greatly exceeded. The tangis may be grouped according to their subjects:— First, laments for the warrior, the chieftain of the tribe who has fallen in battle or in open combat. Death in battle was the glory of the ancestors of the Maori, the mantle wrapped round them by Tumatauenga, the god of war. The tangi of Te Heuheu Tukino II for his father Te Heuheu Tukino I says:— Haere, e pa, i te hahatanga o Pipiri. E kore au e mihi, me i riro ana koe I te puta tu ata, i whakarakea i te awatea Depart, o father, when the land lies desolate in the depths of winter, No grief should I have felt hadst thou been taken Falling gloriously in open fight, sweeping everything before you in the bright daylight In their minds, such a death was no matter for grief or tears. Thus laments Kahukaka for her son Ngahua whom Ngapuhi murdered:— I haere te makau, e, i te ara kohuru; Kihai i tangohia, e, i te mate rakau. By treacherous means my loved one met his death No tears would I have shed had he fallen before the spear of his enemy. Listen to what Te Rore sings in his lament for his grandson, Te Ohonga:— Kaore he pouri me i hinga ana koe Ki te aroaro ra o te manu toheroa E tohu ana, e tama, he papakanga kei raro. No sadness would be felt hadst thou fallen Before a band of fiercely attacking warriors, A sure sign my son that thou art of noble blood. Thus, in the midst of their sorrow and gloom, they find consolation in the view that death in battle was a noble end. Here are Pahu's words of lament for her son Pango, slain by a war party under Te Heuheu at Tuaropaki, while he was engaged in planting potatoes: E hara au, e tama, he taonga whitiki na o matua Kia homai ana ko tuhua ki ahau. As for me, my son, war was that whereto your ancestors girded themselves. Hence has been given to me the stone wherewith to lacerate myself. Here is a fine verse from the lament of Ikaherengutu: E uia mai koe i nga whenua Ko te tama a wai? Ka toa, ka rangona; Ka tu i te ihu o te waka Ka rangona, ka amohia te iwi Ka tiketike ki runga. And if it should be asked among the peoples Whose son is this? He who is a brave warrior achieves fame. He stands at the prow of the canoe, His name is heard throughout the land He who exalts his tribe, is himself uplifted.