Image: Supplied / Tina Tiller

NēOctober 28, 2022

A new generation of tamariki will sing ‘Waerea’ in place of ‘Let It Go’

Contributing writer

Image: Supplied / Tina Tiller

The release of Disney’s Frozen Reo Māori is another triumph in the regeneration of Te Reo, featuring epic Māori talents and making history with the use of the Ngāi Tahu dialect in a movie for the first time ever.

With the hype and success of Lion King Reo Māori still warm in the hearts of Māori and non-Māori audiences, the creative forces behind Matewa Media haven’t stopped to take a break. From Pride Rock to Arendelle, they’ve ploughed ahead with the urgency of reviving an endangered language, giving Disney’s world-famous Frozen the highly anticipated Te Reo treatment.

The most notable difference between the two is in the dialect. While Lion King Reo Māori utilised the Tainui dialect for the lions of Pride Rock, the Māori language version of Frozen appropriately shifts the focus to colder climes and the dialect of Ngāi Tahu, who are tangata whenua in Te Waipounamu.

In what is a remarkable, never-before-seen, odds-defying milestone for the dialect of Ngāi Tahu, their unique language has been represented on screen in film for the first time.

The full cast of Frozen Reo Māori gathered from the premiere in Tāmaki Makaurau on Tuesday night. (Photo: Supplied)

“The most important thing is that we’re broadcasting our mita, we’re broadcasting a key aspect of our identity, a big part of who we are, out on a world stage,” says translator Kiringāua Cassidy.

He worked behind the scenes on the Ngāi Tahu parts of the dialogue alongside an all-star Ngāi Tahu team of reo advocates; Hana O’Regan, Thomas Aerepo-Morgan, Karuna Thurlow and Charisma Rangipuna.

The Ngāi Tahu translators also worked alongside Rob and Cilla Ruha, Hana Mereraiha, Pere Wihongi and others on the songs for the film in a collaborative effort.

The impact of colonisation of Te Waipounamu has been devastating for Ngāi Tahu, but over the years they’ve made exemplary gains in language revitalisation as part of a wider cultural and economic regeneration of the tribe.

Their renowned model of language regeneration, Kotahi Mano Kāika, Kotahi Mano Wawata, has been a reference point for other iwi and indigenous nations around the world.

Established in 2000, the strategy set out the aspiration of having one thousand Ngāi Tahu homes speaking the dialect by 2025.

“My parents didn’t grow up with Te Reo, however, they are graduates of Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo — The School of Māori Language Excellence. My siblings and I are products of that, we’re all first-language speakers of Te Reo within the Kotahi Mano Kāika strategy,” says Cassidy.

Kiringāua Cassidy (front) with Thomas Aerepo-Morgan, Hana Mereraiha, Hana O’Regan, Tweedie Waititi, Chelsea Winstanley and Rob Ruha. (Photo: Supplied)

“The deeper meaning behind the strategy is for us to always have something to pursue, to dream about. When one generation passes away, a new generation comes forth. We carry on to find new things to dream of.”

Hearing his dialect in a movie for the first time reflects the tireless efforts of those within Ngāi Tahu who have committed their lives to language regeneration. “I was talking to Aunty Hana, she was saying she would never have dreamed that this would have happened, that a movie would have the main dialect in Kai Tahu.”

Te Reo from a cold climate

The most notable difference of the Ngāi Tahu dialect is the use of the ‘k’ sound in place of the ‘ng’ used by many tribes in the North Island. The movie incorporates colloquial sayings, with one line in particular stands out which is, “Aoraki matatū ake nei”.

“That saying derives from our mauka, telling us we should stand strong like Aoraki does, no matter what, we keep our heads up and carry on,” says Cassidy.

For him, the successful release of the film represents the turning of the tide which is an ongoing intergenerational responsibility to normalise Te Reo. “Our tamariki and mokopuna to come, they won’t know a world that didn’t have the Māori content that we have now, all of the resources that we have now with three Disney movies, our own TV shows, our Māori social media networks, they won’t know anything different to what the new status quo is. That’s going to have a massive impact on tamariki Māori across the country and of course the future of Kai Tahu.”

At the premier on Tuesday, hundreds of whānau packed out Event Cinemas in Newmarket, Tāmaki Makaurau, in a strong show of support for Matewa Media and its creative powerhouse team, lead by Tweedie Waititi and Oscar-nominated producer Chelsea Winstanley.

Tamariki were dressed in theme and Te Reo could be heard flowing naturally throughout the foyer across multiple generations. The hype and excitement carried through to the cinemas, where Māori kids and their parents exclaimed in awe at the remarkable display of Te Reo on screen in familiar and new sayings – and of course, the singing.

Oscar-nominated producer Chelsea Winstanley with a cluster of Frozen Reo Māori’s target audience. (Photo: Supplied)

Frozen Reo Māori brings together an all-star cast of Māori actors and singers, growing an ecosystem of performers, a Disney Reo Māori whānau.

Known widely for her role as the lead voice actor in Disney’s Moana Reo Māori, Jaedyn Randell (Tainui) returns to take up the lead role of Anna in Frozen Reo Māori.

“The feeling is the same and I’m still very grateful to be part of it. Now, I’ve grown up a bit and have a bit more experience. Whereas Moana was young and grew into her wahine toa persona, Anna is quite a mature character and I’ve matured a lot since Moana so it was a natural transition between the two,” says Randell.

Her delivery, as both voice actor and singer in the animated musical, is flawless. Her confidence and experience comes through naturally as she makes the character her own.

“Working with Rob Ruha is always fun, we’ve worked together a few times so we can communicate well, I know what he’s asking for, which I love. It was cool trying to portray that excitement in her voice, so even if people don’t speak Te Reo they know what emotions she’s expressing,” says Randell.

Awhimai Fraser and Jaedyn Randell star as the movie’s reo-speaking and singing Elsa and Anna. (Photo: Supplied)

Being at the premier to celebrate the achievements of cast and crew with friends and whānau made it that much more meaningful.

“It was really humbling. I love that they cheer in the cinema. It’s not just awkward and quiet, it’s so cool. The audience cheer for the waiata and when their whānau come up on the screen. It’s such a nice atmosphere,” says Randell.

It didn’t take long for the kids to pick up the songs either, proving the impact.

“By the second chorus, the main song by Elsa’s character, all the tamariki were already singing ‘Waerea’, so that was really cute. Seeing them in their outfits and taking over the cinema was special because it’s for them,” says Randell.

Accomplished actor Awhimai Fraser (Waikato, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Pūkenga) stars as Elsa, bringing the actor’s singing skills to the fore with moving renditions of the famous Frozen anthems such as Let It Go, rendered masterfully as ‘Waerea’.

Māori opera singer Kawiti Waetford (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Rangi, Ngāpuhi) convincingly took up the role of the male lead, ice harvester Kristoff, demonstrating his acting range and Te Reo skill as the playful but reliable companion for Anna.

Pere Wihongi (Te Taitokerau, Ngāpuhi), who goes by the artist name PERE, makes their Disney actor debut as the comical snow-person Olaf. A masterful musical composer and performer, Wihongi played a key role in Lion King Reo Māori as a vocal and singing coach and is also a tutor of Angitu Kapa Haka. He brings to life the Māori language speaking Olaf, providing the necessary comedic and giving a uniquely Māori feel to the character, as if Te Reo was always Olaf’s first language.

With actors from tribes outside of Ngāi Tahu, Kiringāua Cassidy acknowledged their skill and ability to do his dialect justice.

“They did really well, they did amazingly with keeping up with our mita. Specific words here and there, not just a ‘k’ for ‘ng’. I’m really proud of what the cast achieved to express what our translation crew have been translating this whole time. It was awesome,” says Cassidy.

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Madeleine Chapman
— Editor

Frozen Reo Māori opened in cinemas yesterday and is sure to be a hit with Māori language speaking toddlers and small children around the country, who get to hear their language represented on screen, yet again, in one of the most popular films of our time.

Despite many people encouraging Māori over the years to “let it go”, te reo Māori is arguably more visible and accessible than ever.

In terms of the normalisation of Te Reo and showcasing its unique dialects, in this case that of Ngāti Tahu, Frozen Reo Māori is a reason to celebrate by all who call this country home.

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Keep going!

The tūpuna and kārapuna laid on te atamira (the stage) at the repatriation ceremony at Te Papa earlier this month. (Photo: Te Papa)

ĀteaOctober 19, 2022

Our stolen ancestors are finally returned from Vienna to Aotearoa to rest in peace

Meriana Johnsen

Guest writer

The tūpuna and kārapuna laid on te atamira (the stage) at the repatriation ceremony at Te Papa earlier this month. (Photo: Te Papa)

This month marked a deeply emotional win in the decades-long battle by Māori to reclaim their stolen ancestors, with the return of 64 ancestral remains of Māori and Moriori from a museum in Austria. Now, with the repatriation ceremony at Te Papa complete, the delicate process of returning the ancestors to iwi begins.

Dislocated for centuries, locked behind glass or packed away in dusty shelves on the other side of the world, they’re finally home.

Almost two centuries after being violently disturbed and stolen from their final resting place, 64 ancestors have been received by their descendants. It’s a sensitive and delicate process that stirs up a lot of mamae for the iwi and hapū whose ancestors were robbed of peace.

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In the early 1800s, Austrian taxidermist and grave-robber Andreas Reischek stole kōiwi and kōimi (Māori and Moriori ancestral remains, respectively) from all over over Aotearoa: from Rēkohu/Wharekauri (Chatham Islands), Whanganui, Ōtautahi, Lyttleton, Tāmaki Makaurau, and Whangaroa and Taiharuru in Te Tai Tokerau. It’s all recorded in his extensive diary records, published in local New Zealand newspapers in the 1950s.

In one entry, writing about burial sites in Kawhia, he notes “the tapu on such graves is indissoluble, and any one who disregards it is killed”. It appears that Reischek knew the severity of the transgressions he was committing, and did it anyway.

Kiwa Hammond (Tā Imi Moriori, Ngāti Kahungunu o te Wairoa, Ngāti Ruapani, Rongowhaakata) was one of those from Tā Imi Morioi for the repatriation ceremony at Te Papa at the beginning of this month.

Iwi delegation arrive on to Rongomaraeroa, carrying the tūpuna and karāpuna through the Waha Roa and Ranginui doors at Te Papa’s repatriation pōwhiri. (Photo: Te Papa)

“The treachery is what really resounds, the treachery of one man and how he systematically went around the country for 12 years and befriended rangatira, befriended Māori and he was stealing from under their noses and they were unwitting parties to his thievery and his ego-mania.”

Another layer of mamae is that the whakapapa of some of these ancestors was never properly recorded. Hammond says at least two of the tūpuna returned from Austria were in a box simply labeled “Māori: Wharekauri’”. Whether these ancestors were Moriori Ngāti Tama and Ngāti Mutunga will never been known.

It’s a painful and confronting reality, but Hammond says his priority is ensuring the people are guided home safely under tikane, “to ensure that the wairu of those karāpuna are able to rest”.

After the repatriation which was held on October 2nd begins the delicate process of returning the tūpuna and karāpuna to iwi. (Photo: Te Papa)

The hope now for Hammond is that they can lay their ancestors to rest on Rēkohu but that is still an on-going, delicate discussion.

Te Papa acting head of repatriation Te Arikirangi Mamaku-Ironside (Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Makino, Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa) says these decisions are left up to iwi and hapū. “He waka mātou mo ngā tūpuna ki a hoki atu ki te wā kāinga — our waka goes as far as the marae… so it’s entirely up to them.”

These local level negotiations can be particularly difficult where other iwi took part in the trading. “It’s a very, very confronting conversation but the whole kaupapa is reconciliation of the past,” says Mamaku-Ironside.

Backed with a government mandate to negotiate the return of kōiwi, Karanga Aotearoa is a team of just three set up in 2003 to repatriate the extensive number of kōiwi and toi moko (preserved heads) held in collections overseas.

Amber Aranui (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), the lead curator taonga Māori at Te Papa, worked for 11 years as lead researcher for Karanga Aotearoa.

“It’s not easy, it can take years sometimes to be able to find out the information you need to ensure those tūpuna go home to their people,” she says.

Repatriation a hard-won battle

It was only in the last seven to eight years that the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria became open to discussions about repatriating kōiwi stolen by Reischek.

Māori first called on the government to request repatriation in 1945. However, it was the late Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, who led the first delegation to Austria in 1985 to retrieve the toi moko of the Tainui rangatira Tūpahau. A condition of the repatriation was that the other toi moko must stay.

The next repatriation wasn’t until 2015 from Weltmuseum in Vienna. Then in 2017, Mamaku-Ironside says two Tainui kaumātua went and spoke to the Natural History Museum’s new head of collections, who called for Reischek’s diaries to be re-examined and retranslated. Finally, in 2020, it was agreed the 64 ancestors would be repatriated.

Tūpuna and karāpuna are covered with kākahu. (Photo: Te Papa)

Colonial nations are under increasing pressure to rectify the wrongs they committed against indigenous nations, and institutions, like museums, as holders of stolen indigenous people and artifacts, are also having to confront their colonial past.

Just this week, the Nigerian culture minister urged the British Museum to return the Benin bronzes they hold in their collection, which were looted in 1897.

Aranui says, there are still those institutions, like the British Museum, that want to hold on to kōiwi for scientific and global education purposes. “Museums like that are of the view that it is their duty to retain taonga and in some cases, tūpuna, whether it be Egyptian mummies, or our own tūpuna, because it’s their obligation to help teach the world the history of man.

“For the most part things are changing, attitudes are changing, but there’s still the view that museums are going to be empty spaces, it’s going to open the floodgates and everyone is going to be lining up to get all their taonga and tūpuna back – which in a perfect world would be great – but in reality, it’s just not how it is,” Aranui says.

Karanga Aotearoa are mandated only to negotiate the return of kōiwi and kōimi; and they are very careful not to even broach the conversation about the return of taonga.

Hona Edwards (Te Uri Roroi, Te Mahurehure Ki Whatitiri, Te Parawhau) pays his respects. (Photo: Te Papa)

“If we approach them to say we’re here for taonga as well, then they get a little bit nervous… it’s dangerous territory for them, red flags start ringing,” Mamaku-Ironside says. “They see it as an existential risk to their institutions and their collections, which is kind of understandable but isn’t an excuse that sticks these days.”

While the repatriation from Austria, the biggest from the country to date, is a milestone for Karanga Aotearoa, there is still much work to do.

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Joel MacManus
— Wellington editor

There are another 400-500 kōiwi out there they’re trying to bring home – and those are just the ones they know of. Many more are believed to be in private collections they don’t even know about.

For now Māori will continue to stand alongside other indigenous nations – First Nations in the US and Canada; Aborigines in Australia; Sami of Canada; Inu in Japan and the nations of Africa – in calling for their people to come home.

Follow our te ao Māori podcast Nē? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider.

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