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T​ū​t​ū​maiao

from Bird Like Men by Tararua

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about

‘Tūtūmaiao’ came out of one of their Creative New Zealand-sponsored composition wānanga last year. “I started singing the reo Māori lyrics, some of which came from an excerpt of an ancient waiata partially quoted in the book Tikao Talks, by my pōua Teone Taare Tikao. He talked about Tūtūmaiao being the name of an ancient battle in “one the Hawaikis””, said Tikao. “Another meaning of Tūtūmaiao is the Aurora Australis, the Southern Lights. Other kupu in my lyrics relate to the wondrous nature of this celestial phenomenon, which were seen by our tīpuna as a tohu of the passing of a great rakatira (leader)”. Other lyrics woven into the klezmer-inspired groove, are by Ruby Solly. “My lyrics are a tribute to kōrero from Kāi Tahu Whānui about how our people are like the tītī birds, migrating and travelling around the world, but always coming back to our spiritual homeland of Te Waipounamu” said Solly. There is also a thematic connection to the southern Māori rock art of bird people at the Maerewhenua site in Otago.

lyrics

Worry not ye bird like men,
for we are like the tītī bird
coming back home again.

Worry not ye bird like men,
for we are not the kererū
who choose not to roam.

Tūtūmaiao, haehae one
Ka tau rā
Nā Raki e
Whakamīharo ana te kite
Kā Kurakura o Hinenuitepō

Tūtūmaiao, haehae one
Ka tau rā
Nā Raki e
He tohu ka wehe rā
He rakatira o te Toka e

credits

from Bird Like Men, released July 19, 2021

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Oro Records Wellington, New Zealand

Oro records: a virtual ātea where the voices of taoka pūoro and the oro that feeds them combine, to wānaka, and share the gift of sound woven into the world around us.

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