Totara Tree - Te Mokai Roopu Waiata

Origin Of Te Waiata o Totara Tree

The place, Tiniroto! The year, 1983! On the family farm known as the bar-20.
Our group who were known as KI TE TAHA MAORI were camped on the farm at that time. I woke at 3 in the morning and all the whanau were asleep in there tents, I was sleeping in the van and I grabbed the guitar and began writing the lyrics to the song Totara Tree. Lyrics just flowed, so i got out and i sat beside the van. It was a breezy morning, a misty morning and the whenua at the Bar-20 was surrounded by Totara Trees,
I recall a feeling of sadness and thoughts of our tupuna and wondered what they might have been doing at a time like this.
Totara Tree was also inspired by a dear friend and whanau, Moetahi Jones from Tarere Marae who opened his whare up to our group to do things pertaining to Tikanga and Te Reo Maori. The lyrics and most of the tune was done on this same morning and the rest, I opened up to the group Ki Te Taha Maori at Mangahanea Marae. There we were attendeing a hui concerning Te Hikoi Ki Waitangi 1984.
Korero Whakakapi:

Many people have claimed to have written this Waiata . I personally deem this to be an honor. Also people have called from all over the country asking if they could use some of the words as inscriptions on their loved ones head stones.. I believe as Maori we all have a right to access our Waiata, our Korero, our Karakia as this immortalizes the imaginary and the symbolism of our taonga as Maori...

HEI HA!!!!

Wiremu Nia Nia.

TMRW BEBO LINK: http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=4362462614 http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001445561117

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Totara Tree
• Wiremu Nia Nia
• Maori
• kiwi music
• Aotearoa
• New Zealand
• Gisborne
• nowaykiwi
• Te Mokai Roopu Waiata
• Hallet Biddle
• waiata Maori

[CharJake10]

has anybody got derek biddles number?? I lost it :-( just wanna touch base with him, kiaora

[nowaykiwi]

@CharJake10 Can I ask way you need to contact him as I have his no#, juz need to know why you want it... thanks

[nowaykiwi]

To all those that left us messages. To see your beautiful comments saying we have inspired you and others in some way or form is a awesome feeling of accomplishment as Maori writers and performers. We take this time to say that without your support, we are nothing, it is you the people that receive our music into your hearts which in turn inspires and encourages us to do what we do in terms of our waiata... Thank you all so very much for your comments...

[msiroamevwea]

Could u please help me i was told that a young women wrote this song when she was in jail, if so what was her name? if not i apologise it's such a beautiful song who wrote it?

[nowaykiwi]

Hello, who ever told you that is passing you the wrong information... Its was original conceived by Wiremu Nia Nia at the Bar 20 Tiniroto 1983..

[nursiegyrl]

Wow.... loved this song when i was younger. 20years ago during our student exchange it became the anthem for the small group of maori kids.. it had a way of taking our hearts home to our whanau... wonderful.... thanks a heap for posting it xxxx

[emmelby]

Rehab anthem! Still get emotional listening to this song, even 11 years on.

[Arom3a]

Havent heard this for years. Love it!

[tuauri1313]

love this song, miss use nans and koro's

[lissiet22]

LOVE this song, attahua. got me through rehab, and after rehab. was at my friends memorial. beautiful song, brings tears to my eyes everytime

[LadyFlatz]

@clayt247 lol that's okay. I only know cause the older girl who acts as 'babe' is my first kusi! So we were brought up watching it lol

[clayt247]

@LadyFlatz thank you so much. me and a friend of mine have been racking our brains for months trying to think of this!

[LadyFlatz]

@clayt247 Koro's Hat

[LadyFlatz]

Absolutely beautiful, thank you soo much for putting it up! Been looking for this for ages! First heard this on Koro's Hat when I was a kid, its always haunted me in a good way, and I still love it :)

[bub6219]

Mean! 

[MASIKAHfam]

my uncle Roger was a member of this band, never heard their music just seen the poster in our whanau home down Ranfurly in gizzy. awesome waiata. proud of my uncle. mean maori mean, GODBLESS [=