The issues of peace and violence that have dominated our history are
vivdly presented and the poems will stir most listeners to profound
thoughts on the themes. The powerful image in the title, Footprints
in tears, thumbprints in blood , prepares the listener for the
themes of the poems on the CD. Apirana Taylor, well-known now for his arresting presentations of his work, once again
moves us to sorrow, to frustration, to anger, to a thirst to know more
about the history behind the suffering in the past, and a desire for
action that will forestall more tragedies in the present. Past needless
violence and pain are portrayed through such themes as Te Rauparaha,
Parihaka, Onuku marae, Titoko, and present day struggles and tragedies
in poems about the tragedy of premature death of young men, young women
striving to cope with the patterns of violence, and a suicide bomber.
The mood of the poems is intensified by the background music played by
Apirana and his friend on the guitar, the putarino (Maori flute), the
traditional nose-flutes, and the koauau (Maori bone flutes). The sound
is often plaintive and haunting, or suggestive of the calls of native
birds. Apirana changes the vocal tone and the rhythm of his speaking and
blends them into a tonal and rhythmical harmony with consummate skill.
The poems are to be published later this year by the Canterbury
University Press. Apirana gave me copies of some poems to read as I was
preparing this article, and as I read, the words were enriched by my
memory of the vocal enrichment given them on the CD. I do recommend you
to buy both the book and the CD to complement each other.
The CD opens with a karakia - a traditional Maori incantation, tracing
the descent of life from the creator on down to darkness and light.
Rite Tonu(Always) - a short lament in Maori - is
accompanied by haunting music.
Kapiti deals with the warlike leader Te Rauparaha,
highlighting his appetite for conquest and feasting on the bones of his
enemies,
to the thunder of haka
under the sun
the lightning crack
of the musket
the Pakeha gun
and above it all the call of Te Rauparaha
aaaa ha haaaaa
Uttering the full-throated cry with his deeply resonant voice Apirana
evokes the sense of terror that the great chief must have awakened in
his enemies and his minions.
With changing times and the influence of Grey, Te Rauparaha gave up
making war and then died himself, but what a trail of destruction and
death he left behind him! In a tone of deep sadness Apirana closes the
poem with
why did you not tend
the kumara gardens in peace
you who took wars bloody path
you gained more
than even you saw
in your schemes and dreams
and lost it all
in a rain of blood
Onuku Marae contrasts the unfulfilled promises of the
past and the vows of utu (revenge) and 'divine retribution measured in
blood' with the present scene of the children laughing and running,
oblivious of past suffering as time has brought healing.
Parihaka again deals with issues of peace and war and
the attempt by officialdom to hush up the story of soldiers attacking
defenceless people whose leaders preached peace. There was silence about
Parihaka in the education system
We never knew
about Parihaka
it was never
taught anywhere
except may be
around the fires
of Parihaka
itself at night ...
but the only
peace the soldiers knew
spoke through
the barrels
of their guns
threatening
our women children ....
The music again heightens the atmosphere of mourning.
Zig Zag Roads again deals with past injustice. The
Pakeha were paid compensation if roads went through their land. The
roads 'crazily snake and zig-zag through the province.' using Maori land
for which no compensation was paid. The music suggests the meandering of
the roads. The poem ends with "The liar's road is never straight."
Fishbone, spoken against a background of slow guitar
beat, recalls the Taranaki wars - the Pakeha victory measured against
the price of the lost lives of leaders, and the Maori resistance led by
Titokowaru.
how it must've stuck in their gullets like a fishbone
to have their plans foiled by a black little one-eyed
monkey called Titokowaru
After several successes Titokowaru planned an ambush which would have
wiped out the Pakeha force, but they took another way and the Maori
force of old men, women, warriors and children melted away, seemingly
because Titokowaru had offended against tribal culture in his
relationship with a woman considered tapu (forbidden) for him.
He Dog is the name of a Lakota Indian involved in the
Battle of the Little Big Horn where General George Custer led his
cavalry only to be defeated by the American Indians. When Apirana was
in Italy with Lance Henson, a North American Indian poet, he was shown a
photo of He Dog sitting in prison with the Stars and Stripes
superimposed over his image - a photo stressing the irony of fighting
for freedom and American rule imposed on the Indians.
From this point on the poet moves to writing about modern suffering,
beginning with scenes close at hand and widening the scope to include
world wide impacts of evil.
In Lady Anorexia he laments the changes in a young woman
suffering from anorexia.
thy body and thy soul
is a gift to be praised and loved
thou art special
there is no other like thee
His use of 'thou' and 'thy' produces echoes of Bible passages as he
comments on her real natural beauty and pleads with her:
eat and be well
as thy maker loves thee
and intended thee to be.
it's a rap was written after the poet took his daughters
to a rap concert. He stresses the irony present in gatherings that talk
of peace and arohanui amid violence and an accumulation of negative
impacts on the young.
In Survivor Apirana has learnt to rejoice over his grey
silvering hair as a sign of the age he has reached while most of his
friends have met premature and violent deaths.
none of them got to thirty
life hangs on a slender thread
both weak and strong die young
only the lucky survive
To Rerenga Wairua
Here Apirana deplores the casual attitude of tourists visiting Cape
Reinga - the dust. the noise and the loud voices of the American
tourists' argot - the language of thieves - as they are stealing the
peace of the sacred place where the spirits are farewelled with tears of
grief and tears of sadness for the lost peace of the place. Music ends
the poem with a long mournful sound.
We are, a brief poem, likens us to birds, laughing,
singing, squabbling, hunting and being hunted - a simple telling image
with background music suggesting bird calls.
Hinemoa's daughter
Apirana based this moving poem on the experience of a woman who told him
of the difficulties of her earlier life. Like her ancestor Hinemoa in
the well-known story who had to swim across the waters of the lake to
reach her lover, she has to struggle for survival - amid of sea of
violence. She tried many times to slash her wrists and escape, but just
as Hinemoa in the legend reached the shore and her lover Tutanekai, the
modern Hinemoa finally reached a peaceful shore beyond the violence with
a man who loved her and
in the city of the lost
they raise many fine young children
with aroha
Sisters shows women living beyond the turbulence and
violence of youth.
We've been there before
Ain't on that road no more
A sense of the impermanence of life pervades Startled
Birds where another bird image depicts the changing nature of
our lives, and Hurihuri which pictures the volatility of
life comparing it with the wind never ceasing from making the leaves
tremble and then turn and fall.
Suicide Bomber portrays the state of mind of the young
woman - eighteen years old - protesting against the oppression and
slaughter of her tribe.
she's happy to pay the price
of a ticket to death
with madness and hate
equal to that
of her oppressors
Peace Lanterns
Children set peace lanterns afloat on the river in memory of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, but the poet thinks too of the suffering of millions of
others, especially the victims of Hitler's gas chambers.
Footprints in tears, thumbprints in blood
The poet begins with a powerful picture of the horrors of violence and
then in agonised irony repeats his cry
oh it's a great big party
and we're having such a bloody good time
Man Walks
The first section is a series of images of a beautiful world and a life
of peace. Then the theme changes. This poem relives the experience of
the atom bomb dropped on a beautiful day from a clear sky.
bombs blow
people go
killin killin
more and more
whats the score
such a beautiful beautiful day
hey hey hey hey
The poem and the programme end with peace and hope again.
mother of pearl
night sky
sunrise
new day
such a beautiful beautiful day
hey hey hey hey
To purchase the CD contact Apirana or Prue.
Email: haka@paradise.net.nz
Cost: NZ$25.00
