{"id":949,"date":"2022-03-30T23:45:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-30T21:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/?p=949"},"modified":"2022-04-18T23:19:23","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T21:19:23","slug":"kia-mau-ki-to-ukaipo-dont-forget-your-roots-my-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/2022\/03\/30\/kia-mau-ki-to-ukaipo-dont-forget-your-roots-my-friend\/","title":{"rendered":"Kia Mau Ki T\u014d \u016akaip\u014d &#8211; Don\u2019t forget your roots, my friend\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Calling all Kiwis and music lovers! And no, I am not talking about the fruit, but rather about Aoteoroa\/ New Zealand, since this blog entry focuses on the music of this country\u2019s biggest reggae rock fusion band <em>Six60<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The single \u201cDon\u2019t Forget Your Roots\u201c of the five-member band from Dunedin was released in 2011 and reached number 2 on the New Zealand Singles Charts. In the past decade, this song has become somewhat of a \u2018Kiwi anthem\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2011 release, however, is not where the evolution and importance of the song ends. In September 2019, <em>Six60<\/em> released a new M\u0101ori version: \u201cKia Mau Ki T\u014d \u016akaip\u014d \/ Don&#8217;t Forget Your Roots\u201c in the collection&nbsp;<em>Waiata \/ Anthems<\/em> of re-recorded New Zealand pop songs to promote Te Wiki o te Reo M\u0101ori (M\u0101ori Language Week).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"SIX60 - Kia Mau Ki To\u0304 \u016akaipo\u0304 \/ Don&#039;t Forget Your Roots (Live at Western Springs 2020)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ss9LTuJo9_I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the chorus of this song, <em>Six60<\/em> reminds the listener of how important it is to remember our own roots, since they include our family and friends, but also our inner self \u2013 what we truly are: \u201cthe ones who made us \u2013 brought us here\u201d. It deals with the idea of Indigenous heritage and identity and why you should be thankful and proud of it. Neglecting these roots easily leads to them being lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To further highlight the importance of what is said in the chorus, <em>Six60 <\/em>introduces a man (Johnny) and a woman (Jesse), who both are detached from their roots in Aotearoa after leaving their home which \u201carmed them with power\u201d. This results in them being lost in two ways: 1. They lack M\u0101ori values and morals and 2. the connection to their roots and their wh\u0101nau (family), who are the only people that truly matter, becomes tenuous. Overall, both experience a disconnection from their origin. They are displaced and have lost their sense of belonging by leaving their homeland. The concept of loss applies to the man and woman as individuals, but also to their community \u2013 \u201cHe\/She lost the faith of all those who mattered so\u2026\u201d Additionally, <em>Six60<\/em> conveys a combination of nostalgia and homesickness with the simple words: \u201cDon\u2019t forget your roots\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But only if no return is intended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Representing M\u0101ori culture through music and language<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though the band members all have M\u0101ori roots, they did not grow up with the language or culture, yet feel deeply connected to it. Their intention of releasing the song in M\u0101ori was to learn more about their culture and understand their origin \u2013 their roots. They wanted to provide a song of familiar lyrics that communicates their culture using Te Reo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But why is music so important to remember your roots?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, wherever you are, in New Zealand or overseas, the distinctive sounds used in songs such as \u201cKia Mau Ki T\u014d \u016akaip\u014d\u201c can conjure up images of home. Translating popular songs from English to M\u0101ori can deepen empathy and provides a solution for the absence of communication between M\u0101ori and non-M\u0101ori by encouraging discourse. Embracing M\u0101ori culture, the waka, the wh\u0101nau \u2013 community and music can convey heritage and is a start to help non-M\u0101ori engage with the language and culture. At the same time, it is dangerous to base one&#8217;s understanding of a foreign culture solely on one song, since Maori offer a diverse culture with many traditions and also contradictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My personal connection to the song goes back almost to its initial release. I first visited a <em>Six60 <\/em>concert in 2012 in German. When the band sang \u201cDon\u2019t Forget Your Roots\u201d, those who were M\u0101ori in the audience, all far away from home, started a haka. It first got me thinking about the connection between music and culture. Whenever I listen to the song now, it also reminds me of my time spent abroad and the people I met.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And as the Covid-19 pandemic continues, friends and family remain apart from one another as we understand the importance of connecting, which includes doing it through Te Reo M\u0101ori.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a concert in 2020, <em>Six60<\/em> further combined the song\u2019s new version with a performance of the haka, making the concert uniquely New Zealand by giving the crowd a taste of the country\u2019s distinct Indigenous culture. Now they do it at every single concert worldwide on tour to reconnect with their homeland. Additionally, singing the song is a reminder for them that even if they are on the other side of the world, when they return to Aoteoroa the following quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<em>i haere M\u0101ori atu, i hoki M\u0101ori mai<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>I left as a M\u0101ori, and I have returned as a M\u0101ori<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">applies to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To me this performance combined with the haka is filled with a celebration of the M\u0101ori culture since the M\u0101ori performers get the opportunity to proudly present their traditions and language on a big stage \u2013 it cuts through that fear of not being able to express and give M\u0101ori&nbsp;back their sovereignty by pushing the unspoken tension between M\u0101ori and non-M\u0101ori&nbsp;to the side and saying: here is a place for all to gather, unite and sing. Including Te Reo M\u0101ori and the haka, therefore, can enrich New Zealand\u2019s music scene and empower national athletes, but some songs also engage worldwide audiences. Embracing the language should be as simple as not forgetting one\u2019s roots \u2026 or family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview, the front singer of <em>Six60<\/em> Matiu Walters stated that he noticed more understanding of the culture and an acceptance of songs in M\u0101ori especially in New Zealand, which has been a good thing to see. He further suggests that it is something the band helped push by redoing their song in M\u0101ori. The translation followed the dream to make M\u0101ori music in future not only usable for a political purpose or for social currency but also for the daily and ordinary life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is exactly what the band is doing\u00a0with their new song<em> \u201c<\/em>Pepeha<em>\u201c,<\/em> which deals with their personal experience of learning about their actual pepeha &#8211; the way of introducing yourself in M\u0101ori. It tells people who you are by sharing your connections with the people and places that are important to\u00a0you. By writing the song, the band was able to acknowledge and further explore their heritage. It helped them connect to their whakapapa and whenua. A pepeha shows their connection to the physical and spiritual place they call home. This anthemic waiata links significant things \u2013 prestige, love, and family \u2013 with their environment and to their ancestors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"SIX60 - Pepeha (Lyric Video)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y_CJFEKNvX8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matiu Walters said they wanted to try to write a pepeha for all New Zealanders, whether you were born there, or you moved there and decided to make Aotearoa your home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He further stated that the goal of their music is to always transcend any categories and have it all &#8220;feeling-based\u201d since it\u2019s what they like about music: It makes you feel a certain way and you can succumb to that feeling and forget about everything else, all the small things in life and just go along with the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, there are a couple of critical voices on the band\u2019s use of music and Te Reo as a way of public reconnection arguing that songs such as \u201cPepeha\u201c disregard the sanctity of cultural practices and do not consider the right translation nor provide the listener with the deep meaning M\u0101ori terms can carry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Would you agree with the critics? Let me know in the comments!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Calling all Kiwis and music lovers! And no, I am not talking about the fruit, but rather about Aoteoroa\/ New Zealand, since this blog entry focuses on the music of this country\u2019s biggest reggae rock fusion band Six60.&nbsp; The single &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/2022\/03\/30\/kia-mau-ki-to-ukaipo-dont-forget-your-roots-my-friend\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":276,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58844],"tags":[59002,59012,58908,59030,59006,59029,58990,59031],"class_list":["post-949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-indigenous-literature-from-new-zealand","tag-belonging","tag-global","tag-identity","tag-language","tag-maori-2","tag-music","tag-roots-and-routes","tag-te-reo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/276"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=949"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1052,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949\/revisions\/1052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.phil.hhu.de\/anglophoneliteratures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}