AENJ 1.2: Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu: E Tala Mei Tonga Ki Tokelau

AEN Journal Vol.1, Iss.2 | Index for this issue |

Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu: E Tala Mei Tonga Ki Tokelau

`Okusitino Māhina

A poem composed in remembrance of the Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu, with translations into Māori and English. The poem belongs in the Tongan genre ta`anga tangilaulau, ta`anga tengihia or ta`anga tutulu, “poetry of weeping”. The late Queen Salote of Tonga, considered the most famous contemporary poet that Tonga has ever produced, was responsible for refining this literary genre, formally naming it “ta`anga tutulu” (‘tutulu’ being the honorific word for crying or weeping). Specifically, all these poetic forms are concerned with the mourning of death or of the dead. In fact, she wrote several ‘tutulu’ poems, such as the “Tutulu `a `Ene `Afio he Pekia `a Fusipala” (“Weeping of Her Majesty on the Death of Fusipala”), Fusipala being her younger half-sister.

The poem, translated “Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu: Telling the North from the South”, was composed in deep mourning of the death of the much-beloved, well-respected Māori Queen (lines 8-11). Symbolically, the poem makes reference to the extremely sad public pronouncement of her death (lines 4 & 7), which emanated from Aotearoa and reaching Tonga (line 6; see sub-title).

With symbolism, the poem proceeds to celebrate her unique royal trappings and great social achievements as an exceptional Māori heroine (lines 12-24), representing her very own people's common struggle for freedom (lines 25 & 32). A permanent way of life, this ongoing spirit of freedom was originated amongst such great Māori heroes as Te Wherowhero, enumerated through the enduring landscape movement of the Māori as truly a great people (The grand Ranginui-Papatuanuku origin myth attests to this state of greatness, which my most favourite of the Māori myths and I have written a long poem about it) (lines 25-32).

It also talks about the persistent cultural and historical inter-linkages between Aotearoa and Tonga, the so-called Friendly Isles, which can be traced back in time and space to antiquity (lines 6 & 35). It also alludes to the inevitability of death, vested in the hands of women (lines 36 & 37), transforming the ‘mortal’ body by leaving the immortal vanua, fonua or whenua as the indestructible, eternal soul (lines 38-40).

Fatu `e `Okusitino Māhina ko e tengihia mo e fakamanatu `o e hala `a e Kuini `ofeina mo faka`apa`apa`ia `o e kāinga Māori, Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu, Aotearoa Nu`usila, `Ākosi, 2006 `o e ta`u.

	1	Ne u nofo `ou mūnoa pē au
		`Ikai `apē ha`ate fakakaukau
		Takamilo e tā mo hono ta`au
		Ka e fakafokifā kuo pā e peau
	5	Pea mahe`a he `ea `o e ngalu
		Ke tala mei Tonga ki Tokelau
		Kuo fasi tanunu pea loka tau
		He tu`unga ia `ete tangi laulau
		Ngaruawahia he `api kuo lala
	10	Turangawaewae e kuo lauta
		Ke tangi lau`aitu mo sī fatafata
		He kuo `auhia `a e taha`imaka
		`A e Pounamu ko e tama`imata
		Fetapaki hono huelo tupu`a
	15	`O maamaloa `i loto Aotearoa
		Pea hulungia `i he `ulu fonua
		Pohutukawa ne fisi pea moto
		`O to`ulu mo matala he Waikato
		Hono uini hauhau mokomoko
	20	Ne afuhi hono hulufe laumomo
		`E Tainui mo e `api ko Turongo
		Ho`o fanautama ko e tāongapō
		Ko e fai`anga ia `o e tautoko
		Muka `a `ofa `i he`etau nonofo
	25	`A e Kingitanga ia kuo he`aki
		Ko e tala kuo fai hono lekesi
		Kavei he feilaulau faimateaki
		Te Wherowhero ne ne matua`i
		Ko e Maui Kisikisi `o e `aho ni
	30	`A e fakapōpula ia na`a ne tau`i
		Mo e fakapo`uli ne fakafepaki`i
		Ko e tau`atāina `ene tu`uholoaki
		Ko e ngātanga ia si`ete tālave
		Pe`i tōfā koe ka kuo malave
	35	Ka u kalo ange au ki Felenite
		Ko mate tofu ia mo `ene pule
		Kātoi `i he `aofinima `o fafine
		He nofo ni ko e nunu mo vete
		Tu`uloa `a whenua ko e laumālie
	40	Hu`i teunga pē tui teunga pē

Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu: Telling the North from the South

Literal translation into English, by `Okusitino Māhina, in deep mourning and sincere remembrance of the death of the dearly beloved Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu, Aotearoa New Zealand, August, 2006.

	1	Carefree and unaware I stay
		And never was there thought
		Of the complex cycle of time
		Suddenly a big wave has crashed
	5	The airwaves sounded the alarm
		Telling the North from the South
		Swells crashing through rough seas
		The cause of my crying in words
	10	Dearest Ngaruawahia is deserted
		Yet, Turangawaewae is crowded
		To weep loudly beating one’s breast
		The one and only stone washed away
		The Pounamu, the most precious
	15	Its age-old rays that glitter
		Shining in the midst of Aotearoa
		Flashing through to distant lands
		The Pohutukawa is blossoming
		It branches out and is flowering
	20	Nourished by the cool morning dews
		Spraying the fine-leaf fern shrubs
		Dearly beloved Tainui and Turongo
		The child of your birth, a tāongapō
		Interweaving, uniting us as tautoko
	25	Thro’ love the motto of our living
		Of the Kingitanga that’s mentioned
		A tradition of such refinement
		Knotted through great sacrifice
		Led by Te Wherowhero the agitator
	30	The Maui Kisikisi of our own time
		Who stood up against oppression
		Anti ignorance he fought it out
		Making way for freedom to endure
		Now that I have korero-ed my tangi
	35	Let me retreat to the Friendly Isles
		Death’s freely acting and inevitable
		Rightfully invested in women’s hands
		Life condenses here and rarefies there
		Yet, whenua is the ever-lasting soul
	40	With trappings worn on and off

Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu: Telling the North from the South

Metamorphic translation from Tongan to English by Manase Lua

	1	I ponder from the deep solace of space
		lost in the beating of time, point and place
		lo and behold comes the wind and the waves
		crashing with force to astound and amaze
	5	carried aloft by a foam gusted breath
		from South to North swells a black tide of death
		Te Arikinui in casket of Toa
		in grief they cry out to the atua
		Ngaruawahia the house of the fallen
	10	Turangawaewae answers the calling
		the beating of breasts and tears from sore eyes
		last parting gifts and the children’s soft cries
		given with love and sincere aroha
		to one who gave light both near and afar
	15	her mana shines even now as before
		pounamu eyes of a wahine toa
		like the blood bloom of pohutukawa
		Tainui waka her strength and mana
		yet like a cool breeze she summoned them all
	20	“stand with me!” she called “stand straight and stand tall!”
		summon the hosts with gnarled tokotoko
		the chosen of Hine-nui-te-po
		call for all waka of Aotearoa
		Waikato wants peace not settling old scores
	25	to strengthen tomorrows Kingitanga
		the word spreads forth from whanga to whanga
		whomever shall wear this garland of kings
		the hope of Te Wherowhero it brings
		a burden worthy of Maui to bear
	30	won with valorous endeavour and care
		the darkness dispelled with unity nigh
		“freedom is staying together!” the cry
		and on this bold note I gift you these birds
		to ease the long road with fluttering words
	35	caught on the mounds of the Friendly islands
		captured for chiefs from far as the highlands
		kingly royal lines cross the ocean in grief
		but her earthly form will find sweet relief
		on chiefly soil will her head rest in lieu
	40	her spirit alight for me and for you.

Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu Whakaatu ana mai te Raki ki te Tonga.

Metamorphic translation to Māori by Te Aouru Biddle, Ngati Pikiao and Vicki Rangi, Tuhoe

	1	Kei roto au i te māhorahora me te ware
		Kore rawa he whakaaro
		Mo te uauatanga o te huringa ao.
		Mea rawa ake kua tuki he ngaru nunui
	5	I whakaaraarahia e te karehau
		Mai i te Raki ki te Tonga, ka whaakiihia.
		E tuki nei te āmai i te moana hīngarungaru
		Te take o waku kupu hotuhotu.
		Kua whakarērea a Ngaruawaahia
	10	Engari te minenga, kei Turangawaewae
		Ki te tangi tīwerawera e kaha mamae nei te uma.
		Te kōhatu i horoia atu, ko tana kotahi
		Te kōhatu tino marihi, te Pounamu
	15	E kōritorito nei ana hihi tawhito
		E piataata nei i te ngākau o Aotearoa
		Kōpura ana ki ngā whenua tawhiti.
		E puāwai nei te Pōhutukawa
		Ka toro atu, ka whaipua
	20	Ka whaangaia e ngā tomairangi hauangi
		Rere ana te rehu runga rau aruhe.
		Ngā tau o taku ate,Tainui, Turongo
		Ka whanau tō tamaiti, he taongapō
		Hei whakakapiti ka paihere hei tautoko ia tatou.
	25	Ko te aroha hei pepeha i te oranga
		O ngā whakaaturanga ā-Kingitanga
		He tīkanga-a-iwi tino tōriretanga
		Kua pūtikia i roto i te raupanga hirahira.
		I arahina e Te Wherowhero te kaiwhakaueue
	30	Te Maui Tikitiki o tenei wā
		I tū maia ki ngā whakawhiunga
		Ngā kūwaretanga i whawhaitia e ia
		Kia tuwhera ai te rangatiratanga ka matatū.
		Kua korerotia nei taku tangi
	35	Tukuna au kia hoki ki ngā Moutere Hoahoa.
		Ko te Mate he mahinga tuku, he heipu
		Ka tika te tapae ki ngā ringa o ngā wāhine
		Ka whakapotoa te oranga i konei i kora
		He oi ko te whenua te wairua pumau tonu
	40	Ko ngā kahu whakahira hei mau hei wete.

Na Okusitino Māhina i tito.

Okusitino Mahina holds a PhD degree in Pacific history from the Australian National University in Canberra Australia. Dr Mahina has taught at ‘Atenisi University in Tonga and Massey University - Albany campus in Auckland for many years. He now lectures in Pacific political economy and Pacific arts in Anthropology at the University of Auckland. Dr Mahina has published a couple of books and co-edited several others amongst a number of journal articles and book chapters on a range of interdisciplinary topics, including poetry in the Tongan language. His research interests, inter alia, include time and space, development and globalisation, transcultural psychology and transcultural aesthetics.

Translations

Te Aouru Biddle has tribal affiliations to Te Arawa and Ngāti Pikiao. A speaker of Te Reo, she has had acted as a translator for the Māori Television Service and had a successful career as an educator and Principal for over 40 years.

Vicky Te Puhi-o-Te Arawa Rangi is affiliated to Tuhoe and Te Aitanga-a Hauiti. Vicky is a native speaker of Te Reo and has been an advisor and translator for the Māori Television Service since its launch in 2003.

Manase Lua was born on Tongatapu and migrated to New Zealand in 1974. He has lived in South Auckland for for most of his life. He has worked for almost ten years in the public service with the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs and in his current capacity as a Project Manager in the Disability Services Directorate of the Ministry of Health.

AEN Journal Vol.1, Iss.2 | Index for this issue |