#KAWA KAWA SONG MEANING HOW TO#
The other night in lockdown, seeing as Mum isn’t cooking, I googled how to make a boil up – and copied the Filipino version cos it was more aligned to the recipes I’m used to following. Oh, what’s Aotearoa? Never mind, that’s a bit contentious and yeah, even though it was the first name given in these here islands a few good hundred years before some other random sailor named us New Zillund after the Old Zillund somewhere in Dutchland (stand by for the priority code).īut yes, as I was saying, the stream of consciousness, that one might even attribute to the notion of Te Ao Marama, or perhaps the world of light, or perhaps space of enlightenment, a moment of knowing, is what is flowing through my veins. There’s a thing called history.īut don’t worry – apparently there’s a new curriculum coming in next year apparently addressing Aotearoa history in schools. Hell, most Māori haven’t a clue where they come from and what that even means. I know our language is hard for Pākeha to pronounce correctly, and yes, most Māori are also unable to speak the language. We are amazing, multi-faceted, deep thinking, innovative and spiritually conscious human beings. And the grace to accept that and inhabit the other body I have had to cultivate. That feeling of inner strength I summon to push myself forward in a world that doesn’t remember it colonised me. But more than that, I am inhabiting the physicality of the intangible proof of my Māoridom. Literally we were told growing up that we had a “Scottish grandfather” somewhere but the read out is more diverse. The last 10% a mix of Melanesian, Japanese/Korean, Italian/Finnish, Scandinavian. This morning, in the darkness, as Te Po shrivels away and the light of Te Ao Marama curves through in a dark blue gaze, I think about the fact that yes, I am again inhabiting this physical form of my body.Ī blend of DNA with a 90% high concentration of Polynesian genes. Tea for two - my thoughts on the Lorde album Jack has given The Big Idea permission to publish it here.
He’s taken to social media to express his views on one of the biggest stories in the entertainment industry - from an important perspective.
‘Different marae have different kawa for speaking, including the order of speeches and whether all the hosts go first or they alternate with visitors.Highly respected Māori performer and choreographer and current Artistic Director at Atamira Dance Company, Jack Gray has a reputation for being strong - in ability, in character and in integrity.
‘Despite attempts to follow Maori kawa, a senior Australian politician was accidentally placed in the front row.’.