Kei a te pō te tīmatataka mai o te Atua, nā te kore, nā te pō, ara ka puta mai te ao Mārama, tīhei mauri ora.
Encapsulating the realms of texture through different modes of taonga, different modes of yearning, a sense of discovering your own sound, your own voice, your own self! Words produced from the flick of the wrist over taonga, the whispers through spoken word and the overwhelming sounds of silence and of the unseen, revealing the world of sounds to us all who attended. Ā Mua is a WORD Christchurch event presented with and commissioned by Chamber Music New Zealand Puoro Taiwhanga Aotearoa.
‘Walking between worlds, life blends in, or at least we hope it does!’ a vision for Riki Pirihi in the makings of this Kaupapa, and what a harmonious blend this was. A couple years prior to this, Riki also held a Kaupapa at Te Puna o Waiwhetū Christchurch City Art Gallery called Rangatuone: Music from the collective imagination that I found myself wandering down with my poi and what an exciting glimpse into being a part of a living piece that pushes musical boundaries to its limits, just like what we had in this space with Ā mua! Riki also pays mihi (gratitude) to Butch Morris as an inspiration of the fruition of this piece and what the future holds.
An eclectic nod to seeing what a future together could look and feel like. Weaving together the spoken and unspoken strands of pākeha and Māori ideals into a living piece that on the night and still to this moment has evoked laughter, curiosity, and power, Ā Mua is both inspiring and challenging.
I was reminded that the simple clicking of stones (tumutumu) can evoke memories of fallen rain stretched across the different generations found within the spoken kupu from Tina Makereti. I was further reminded of the delicate nature of the tumutumu possesses in the hands of the holder and the beauty these kōhatu (stones) have when being played alongside topical tones found hidden inside of the violin, the viola and one's own voice.
I lost track of time being entranced by the entwining of the spoken word and the accompaniment of each taonga present, I’ve made note of so many; ‘At one point of the night, I was trying to understand for myself was I listening to an audiobook, was I watching a film, or was I in a dream this whole time?’.
The night was broken into 4 spaces of wānanga (discussion) for me to relish in and let me tell you, I was there for it!
‘Tahi, ko te kore.’
The first space held was one that introduced 4 friends into the kōrero (conversation) where we explored through the intricacies of what makes up the life and worldview seen through the lens of these 4 friends, at times I made mentions of a particular theme or word that came from each of the 4 friends that resonated with me. In this space, I adopted the likeness of us as individuals still forming inside of the puku (belly) before we adorn the world with all that makes us who we are!
‘Rua, ko te pō.’
We entered the realm of te pō, a space of dark and long perpetuating night that extends our thoughts into potentially uncomfortable spaces of ‘what the world does to men and women is exhausting’ and that ‘giving up your guilt and anguish to whatever God may take you!’ A big emphasis surrounding the absence of roles within our lives as well as the extra inclusions. I sat with this one as I have stumbled along times of uncertainty, times of ‘what am I doing?’, I adopted the thought of what it is like as a tamaiti (a child) growing up in a world that may not be ready for us yet, so the best thing to do is leave it up to something higher to see what’s in store for me! The worry is there, but in my younger starting days, it’s a worry that should float in and out of my space just like leaves blowing in the wind!
‘Toru, ko te whaiao.’
‘Whaia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei, seek the treasures you value most, if you bow you head may it be to a lofty mountain.’
I wanted to start the third space of wānanga off with this whakataukī as for me both this whakataukī and this space challenged me in a way that made me stop and think, sometimes we strive to do all these things, for some we tend to be pushed and voluntold into things that are more than just me, but who said that I had to do this? When did I start listening to what others had put in place for me and not what I have waiting for me? I really enjoyed the connection between the story of Hine nui te pō and Māui in relation to defining oneself, or should I be more specific and boost our wāhine (our women) up for once? Relating this wānanga space to what life’s feeling like for me as a rakatahi (a youth) I was reminded that ‘THE I CAN’T MONSTER’ is real regardless of which age, voice, sound or reflection you look and listen to, so let us go back to the rakatahi days and just say ‘MEH, it is what it is and I am who I am because, full stop!’.
‘Whā, te ao Mārama.’
Internalising everything that lives externally, that’s where this last wānanga left me sitting in. What does life look like for each of the friends found in the spoken words of Tina after discovering the grass is a different type of green on my side? In this space, I was swept quite literally off my feet into a flirtatious dance of oro (sound) and reo (voice) of both the female and male energies found hidden within the cocoon of the Pūtōrino in search of where to next! Sounds of whirlwind and crashing waves entered my ears and the sprays of ‘you’ve always known!’.
To be in a space to witness intergenerational living outside of the kainga (home) and off the whenua (land) where a special father son moment was captured, for me and my whānau this has always been a huge part of what has made us who we are both as a whānau and as individuals so mihi ki a kōrua (acknowledgements to you both).
My biggest take away from this was to dream the dream, what does my world look like now and how can I reshape my pathway with those around me into a space of new and exciting, a space of challenge and heartache, a space of understanding, but the biggest one of all, ‘whakarongo ki tō hā, whakarongo ki tō reo, whakarongo ki tō ao, listen to your breath, listen to your voice, listen to your world!’.
He pīki mihi ki ngā kai tangitangi o te pō nei, nā mātou ko ngā kai whakarongo, ngā kai mātakitaki te hōnore nui ki a koutou i koha mai tō koutou reo, tō koutou oro pārekareka.
More about Ā Mua
Artists:
- Tina Makereti Author & Narrator
- Riki Pirihi Conductor, Composer & Taonga Puoro
- Ruby Solly Cello & Taonga Puoro
- Serenity Thurlow Viola
- Al Fraser Taonga Puoro
- Kiva Pirihi Taonga Puoro
Presented with and commissioned by Chamber Music New Zealand Puoro Taiwhanga Aotearoa
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