NEW  ZEALAND
F
OLK * HYMN
Ka Waiata ki a Maria

Richard Puanaki and whanau 1988

Maori Songs
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A popular Maori Catholic hymn venerating Mary, the mother of Jesus, for accepting her role as mother of future generations. It is also sung at non-Catholic gatherings to praise the role of all mothers as "Whare tangata."


           
Himene in the Catholic Maori tradition

Choral performance in Pennsylvania


E
Ka wai-ata k'a A M?ria
E Hi-i-nei wha-A-k?e
Whaka-E-meatia mai,
Te A whare B tangata.
Hine
E p?rotu, Hine A ng?kau,
Hine
E rangi-C#m-m?ri-G-e
Ko Te
E Whae-a, ko te B whae-a
O te A ao
E

Easy guitar: capo +4, play C chords

 
D
Ka wai-ata k'a G M?ria
D Hine i wha-G-k?e
Whaka-D-meatia mai,
Te G whare A tangata.
Hine D p?rotu, Hine G ng?kau,
Hine D rangi-Bm-m?ri-G-e
Ko Te D Whae-a, ko te A whae-a
O te G ao D

Easy guitar: capo +2, play C chords



English version, by Room 4



I sing to Mary, our mother,
The one who heard God’s call
The call to be the mother
Of our Lord (of us all)

Gentle woman, loving mother,
Our Lady Queen of Peace

I sing to Mary, the mother
of our Lord (of our God)


"Whakameatia mai te whare tangata."

In five concise words, Mary's reply to
the angel Gabriel is connected to the
sacred role of women in Maori society.




Whak
ameatia mai . . . may it be done to me according to your word.

This is an East Coast dialect phrase; meatia = meinga

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the angel came in to her, and said, "Hail, you that are highly favored, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women.

Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God. Behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give to him the throne of his father David."

Then Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?"

And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Ghost shall come on you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God."

And Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word."

The Gospel according to Luke 1:26-38

Te Whare Tangata . . . the sacredness of women

"Ko te wahine te kaitiaki o te whare tangata."
Women are the guardians of the house of humanity.

The central role of women in Maori society rests on their connection to Papatuanuku, the earth mother, the element from which all life emerges and is nourished.

The status of women (mana wahine) is pivotal to the spiritual, emotional and cultural wellbeing of Maori society, and is inherent in a woman's role as te whare tangata, the carrier of future generations.

The sacred powers of te whare tangata are immortalised in the ritual of the pito, whereby the whenua (afterbirth) is returned to Papatuanuku to retain the link with the land that provides sustenance for the coming generations.

In Maori tradition, the status of women is considered equal to the status of men. Te ure t?rewa (honouring the line of male ancestors) is balanced by te whare tangata (nuturing future generations)

Tariana Turia   2004   2005



Choral Performance

Richard Puanaki (1949-2021) taught at Catholic schools at Wairoa. In the mid 1980s he composed several himene, including Ka Waiata, with the help of his whanau singing group Te Whetu o te Rawhiti.

Richard recalled how there was some resistance from conservative members of his church when he wrote this hymn. "They all wanted me to change the 'whare tangata' and replace it with 'whare atua'. This is the womb being referred to, and the more traditional or conservative among us are happier with the divinity of Jesus, hence the womb as a 'house of God'."

Ka Waiata is now a frequently-sung himene at powhiri. We sing it on our own marae. (JA)

In the 1990s a choral score was written for He Waiata, and it was performed by the New Zealand National Youth Choir on their tour of North America.

In 2007 the Schuylkill Choral Society, a renowned choir in Pennsylvania USA, obtained permission from Mr Puanaki to sing it. Their performance can be seen on YouTube.



He Waiata ki a Maria on record

1988 - Whetu : the First Decade, Te Whetu o Te Rawhiti, (The Star of the East), South Pacific Recordings, cassette.

1994 - On Tour in Nth America, NZ National Youth Choir, Manu CD MORE

1994 - Winds That Whisper, NZ National Youth Choir, Manu CD MORE


2002 - Maori, Various artists, Manu, CD MORE

         He Waiata ki a Maria, Music Score, can be purchased HERE

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This webpage was put on the internet in March 2008
Webpage modified for small screens April 2021

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