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| 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
