Season 3, Episode 2: He Reo Tawhito, a conversation about Mōteatea with Pere Wihongi

Please note: This podcast is spoken in te reo Māori (Māori language) & English

In He Reo Tawhito, a conversation about Mōteatea with Pere Wihongi, Pere describes his personal journey with mōteatea through returning to his marae in Te Tai Tokerau and also being brought up in the urban environment of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. This highlighted the influence that kapa haka has had on his knowledge about the art form. For Pere, a word that immediately comes to mind when he thinks of mōteatea is ‘library’:

“When I think of the word ‘mōteatea’ I think of our whare pukapuka — I think it is our literal archival space of information that we, as Māori, have unlimited membership to.”

-- He Reo Tawhito: Conversations about Mōteatea

Mōteatea is a centuries-old tradition of chanted song-poetry; a great literary and musical art form that expresses the powerful portrayal of storytelling and is reflective of the emotional depths of a Māori world view. Its vast richness is yet to be fully understood.

In this seven-part series hosted by Crystal Edwards, we hold conversations with some of the world's leading experts on mōteatea and ask them: What exactly is mōteatea? How has it changed since colonisation? What issues does it face today?

© Centre for New Zealand Music Trust

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