"Reo Tuaiwi" by Christopher Fox Graham

Maori kapa haka performers from Rotorua, New Zealand, who performed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's Tuku Iho | Living Legacy exhibition sponsored by the New Zealand Embassy and New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in 2017.

"Reo Tuaiwi" 

by Christopher Fox Graham

hōmai he moko ki a au

hōhonu ake i te kiri

i runga i nga wheua o taku tuaiwi

ki runga i te mata o ia vertebrae

i ia arero tangata

moko i ta rātau kupu mō "whiti"

kia kore ai he reo e rongo kē;

kia taea ai ia reo tangata

ka taea te kōrero mai he kupu i roto i a au

tuku i te Arapi me te Hīperu

noho ki te taha, kaore he pōhatu maka

tuku i ngā pūāhua Cantonese me hindi

hono ringa ki te pupuri i a Swahili me Hutu i roto i te hammock

tuku i a Pakihi rāua ko Zulu kia whakapā atu ki ngā ngutu o Vietnam

i a Navajo e noho ana i tōna māhunga ki runga i te pokohiwi o Mareia

e ono mano nga arero e kōrero ana mātau

engari māku e mau tonu te mamae me te wā

nō reira kāore e taea e te reo tangata te kōrero mai ki a au

me te kore whakaaro

ki raro ki te wheua

tuku i ngā mea e taea ana e Awherika

tiri mokowā ki ngā toi o Ūropi,

Ngā morphemes Āhia,

Me nga kupu a Apere,

whakarārangitia, ka whakairo i a rātou

pēnei i tētahi waehere pae waro i tuhia ki Braille

ka taea e nga kutukutu e tahuri anō ai ahau i tētahi rā

ki te whakapono o te puehu me te rehu

i whakapono ai mātau i te wā kotahi

i mua i tēnei karihi kikokiko me te toto

mauria mai mātau i te uku

whakatangi pūāhua poto i te marangai

Kia whakamātauria e rātau te mura o a tātau kupu

tukuna kia pau i a rātau he whiti

whakahokia ki te oneone

kia rongo ai te whenua i te taumahatanga o a tātau kupu

kaua hoki e wareware ki a mātau

ina ngaro tātau i a tātau

pēnei i te momo i mua i a mātau

whakairotia te kupu whakamutunga

i roto i te waehere mo te morse

i te pūtake o taku tuaiwi

Kia rongo ai ahau i te rangi o te kupu

i roto i aku pīpī ina moe ahau

.--. --- . - .-. -.--

tuku i ngā ira me ngā pīhono kia hora

puta noa i ōku wheua katoa i roto i te huaketo o te mātauranga

na, ki te ngaro i ahau toku reo

Ka taea tonutia e au te kōrero kupu

mā te patopato i ōku maihao,

pauna pahū

huri rānei i te rangi o taku manawa manawa

kōrero ki ōku toto

whakaaro

ono mano arero

whakatangi ana i taku tuarā

i roto i te whakariterite wāhanga-33

hanga i tētahi waea ki a au

me te melody e whakahoki ana

whakarunga i taku taura tuaiwi

paoro ana i te kaha me te kaha ake i roto i te kauhanga kauhanga

whakanui ana i te pūoro pūhui

te huarahi katoa ki te pūtake o tōku roro

ki hea whakapakū ai

ka uru anō ki roto i taku angaanga

ricocheting

e ono mano nga kīanga hou

mo te kupu kotahi

me nga reo o nga kaiwaiata e ono tekau mā rua

ki ōku whakaaro e ono trillion

kia kore rā anō e taea e au te tango i ētahi atu raruraru

a, ka pahū ta rātau waiata i ōku ngutu

whakahere i te ao

he wā o te mātauranga tukutahi

o tētahi waiata

reo kotahi

o te tangata kotahi

mō te inamata kotahi

i mua i ngā kimokimo o te ao

arotahi ngaro

ka whakarongo ki te pāoro

pōturi te memeha

engari kia mahara 

te oro 

o o tātau whiti