Ohinemutu 1943: Taiamai Amohau welcomes guests

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Taiamai Amohau gives a welcome speech to those gathered to celebrate the opening of the reconstructed centennial house Tama te Kapua.  28th Maori Battalion Reinforcements were well represented on the day. 

Amohau's speech is prefaced with an introduction by Sir Apirana Ngata.

Site editor’s note: Ngata's introduction marred by soundfile quality. 
The audio has had some slight editing

Transcript

Apirana Ngata:  Rotorua recording 4A.  This is one of the recordings taken at the official opening of the Tama te Kapua meeting house at Ohinemutu Rotorua in March of 1943. The two chiefs – Arawa chiefs who were detailed to welcome the distinguished visitors were Taiamai Amohau and Hemana Pokiha.

Their recordings are very interesting and valuable now as examples of Arawa speech and dialect on formal occasions and as the record of the speech of two men who have since died.

4A is by Taiamai Amahou, one of the high chiefs of the Arawa tribe – the  son of Te Kiwi Amahou and a descendent of that Amohau to whom the offer of the Maori Kingship was made in the Fifties, nearly a hundred years ago. He turned it down with the remark that there were not sufficient people to support the Kingship should he undertake the mission.

Haka:  Ko te whakaariki
Ko te whakaariki
Tukua mai ki a piri, tukua mai ki a tata
Kia eke mai, ki runga ki te paepae poto a Houmaitawhiti!

Kepa Ehau: Kaati i kona, mutua i kona

Kepa Ehau: ‘tis the distinguished, this the illustrious, tis the renowned, bring him hither, draw him hither, even to the very doorstep of the house of Houmaitawhiti

Taiamai Amohau: E nga iwi, e nga reo e pae nei tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou.
Kepa Ehau: 
Tribes and associated tribes, you do us the honour of assisting us today to attend the welcome to the Governor General

Taiamai Amohau:  Tuatahi, e koro Pereiha tena koe, tena koe, tena koe.
Kepa Ehau: 
Mr Fraser, greetings and salutations

Taiamai Amohau:  Ka nui te koa o te ngakau i te mea kua tatu mai koe ki te marae nei kia mihia ano koe e o iwi Maori          
Kepa Ehau: 
It gladdens the heart to see you here today to assist us to welcome his Excellency

Taiamai Amohau:  No reira tena koe i te ahuatanga o to tatau matua o to hoa ko Hauiti e takoto mai ana
Kepa Ehau: 
We greet you as the successor to our late departed friend Mr Savage

Taiamai Amohau:  Te manuhiri tuarangi, te mangai o te Kingi - haere mai, haere mai, haere mai, haere mai.
Kepa Ehau: 
The Governor General, representative of His Majesty the King, welcome

Taiamai Amohau:  Haere mai te tangata rongonui i tenei ra. Otira, i te wa i timata ai tenei pakanga.
Kepa Ehau: 
Welcome, he who started and brought into being the youngest arm of the British Forces.

Taiamai Amohau:  Te tangata nana i whakaropu – i whakaropu te ahuatanga o nga ropu reremanu i te wa i timata ai tenei pakanga
Kepa Ehau: 
And have reached to the pinnacle of the Air Force.  Marshall of the Royal Force, welcome!

Taiamai Amohau:  I tenei ra kua tae mai koe e Koro - haere mai, haere mai, haere mai, haere mai
Kepa Ehau: 
You’re here today and it is my bound and duty to extend the hand of welcome to you.

Taiamai Amohau:  Haere mai kia kite i to iwi Maori e tau nei
Kepa Ehau: 
Here, you have the Maori race before you.

Taiamai Amohau:  Te iwi Maori e kiia nei he piri pono ki te ahuatanga o to tatau Kuini e noho mai nei, heoi ano i te wa o o tatau koeke tae mai ki tenei ra
Kepa Ehau:  Loyal from the time of our forebears to the throne of Queen Victoria, of revered memory.

Taiamai Amohau:  Hai tautoko i tenei korero e te matua, tenei wa matau tamariki e noho tahi mai ra, e whawhai tahi mai ra i te taha i o ratau hoa pakeha i tenei ra.
Kepa Ehau: 
Aye, we need not flinch your Excellency to the crème of the Maori race who is still carrying on the great fight.

Taiamai Amohau:  Ahakoa takoto mai ratau i te marae o te pakanga, kaore e pouritia ana no te take, ko te putake i whawhaitia ai tenei – i uru ai ratau ki te pakanga i tenei ra ko te hapai i te mana mo to tatau Kuini.
Kepa Ehau:  Many of them have fallen; many of them have paid the supreme sacrifice. We grieve not because they fall in the cause of righteousness and truth

Taiamai Amohau:  I tenei ra, e te matua – i  tenei ra kua kite koe te ahuatanga katoa – nga  whakamaharatanga mo te haurua o te kotahi rau i noho ai te iwi Maori i raro i to maru, i te mana o te Kingi.  Tae noa ki wa matau tamariki e noho mai ra i te pakanga
Kepa Ehau: 
Hence we, those who are left behind, have constructed these centennial memorials as an acknowledgement of their courage and their bravery and in memorial of them today

Taiamai Amohau:  E koa ana o matau ngakau i te mea ka hurihia tenei o to matau tipuna hei whakamaharatanga mo tenei rau tau
Kepa Ehau:  The heart of this land
 –of this our ancestral hall has been included in the midst of those memorials to commemorate the hundreds who served for this country of ours

Taiamai Amohau:  Ka noho ano ai te whawhatanga a o tatau koroua, na ratau nei whakatere i runga te moana ki te kuini – te Kuini o Ingarangi tae noa ki nga Maori katoa kia piripono ki a Ingarangi… [words illegible]
Kepa Ehau: 
We but follow in the footsteps of those of our people who have departed, who on bended knees tendered their allegiance to that great white queen, we are their cousins and we do likewise

Taiamai Amohau:  I tenei ra e tu nei to tatau kuini – te wahine nana i whakatere te hua, kia manaakitia to iwi Maori i raro i nga manaakitanga a te Kingitanga
Kepa Ehau: 
Let her stand, our great white queen in our midst and all that is dear that is light to us we derive from that great stature of that great white woman

Taiamai Amohau:  No reira he aha te tohu – he aha te tohu ma matau i tenei ra, e tangi ana matau ki runga i te ahuatanga o tenei pakanga. Ara i rongo atu i te ahuatanga o tana mokopuna e noho mai ra i te pae o te pakanga
Kepa Ehau: 
What is the position today? Her great grandson occupies that throne and we must do our duty as his loyal subjects to join with you in this great course

Taiamai Amohau: Toia mai
Group:  te waka
Leader: Ki te urunga
Group: te waka
Leader: Ki te moenga
Group: te waka
Ki te takotoranga i takoto ai te waka


Reference:

Sound file from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, ref: 46574. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.

Submitter:
Submitted by mbadmin on

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