Hutia (whakatangitangi)

VIDEO DESCRIPTION:

Play, download and edit the free video Hutia (whakatangitangi).

TEACHING SUGGESTIONS

This traditional waiata, which originates from the northern tribes, is still often used today. It can be sung to support the first official speaker at a gathering after the person has spoken. Like “Haere Mai”, it is a waiata kīnaki a waiata of support that complements what has been said.

“Hutia” is closer to a moteatea (a lament), but it is not a traditional moteatea. The slow, reflective speed used in our recording has been carefully chosen as being appropriate for this waiata. Make sure singers keep to this speed to maintain the original lament base of the waiata. A kōauau and pūmotumotu (both types of flute) are used to support the singer in our version, but the waiata lends itself to a solo performance without instrumental accompaniment - a single, pure voice can be very poignant.

The meaning of this very poetic waiata (If you pluck the centre out of the flax, where will the bellbird sing?) relates to nurturing the young. The pūharakeke metaphor refers to the wider community of families and social groups.

Listen to the kōauau and pūmotumotu. The pūmotumotu towards the end of the waiata is important for filling the pauses in the vocals, giving the waiata one long melody line of continuous sound. In many waiata, it is important to aim for a continuous flow with no distracting breaks while singers take a breath. For this reason, group singing of waiata is far more common than solo singing.
Students might like to make a pūmotumotu out of PVC pipe and try to play it, or they could use the instructional articles “Make a Pūrerehua”, School Journal, Part 1 Number 1, 2001, pages 11-13, and “Make Your Own Kōauau”, School Journal, Part 4 Number 2, 1997, pages 11-14, to make other Maori musical instruments to play.

“The Winds of Tāwhirimatea”, Connected 1 2004, pages 26-32, and the accompanying teachers’ notes, provide extensive information on traditional Māori musical instruments, and rnz.co.nz/concert/programmes/composeroftheweek/audio/2519443/taonga-puoro-traditional-maori-instruments provides good examples of traditional Maori instruments for students to listen to.

TRANSLATION

Pull out the shoot
Hutia te rito

Pull out the shoot of the flaxbush
Hutia te rito o te harakeke

Where will the bellbird sing?
Kei hea te kōmako e kō?

Say to me
Kī mai ki ahau

What is the greatest thing?
He aha te mea nui?

What is the greatest thing in this world?
He aha te mea nui o te ao?

I will say
Māku e kī atu

The people! The people! The people, hī!
He tangata! He tangata! He tangata, hī!

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