For a shy little bird, the shining cuckoo has an important place in Maori culture. It is the herald of spring. Ka tangi te pipiwharauroa, ko nga karere a mahuru, says a proverb. “When the shining cuckoo sings, it is announcing spring.”
Generations of Maori observed the annual autumn migration of the birds from Aotearoa’s shores, and some came to believe that pipwharauroa was spending its winters in the traditional homeland of Hawaiki. In at least one iwi, pipiwharauroa are associated with the journey of the human spirit to Hawaiki after death.
Several songs celebrate the shining cuckoo. Here is one by the late Hirini Melbourne:
Pīpīwharauroa
Pīpīwharauroa
Nau tō mai te mahana
Kia puāwai ngā rākau
Kia rere te kakara
Tioro tioro tioro te kōanga
Kūī kūī kūī te raumati
Kūī kūī kūī
Whiti whiti ora
Whiti whiti ora
Shining cuckoo
You bring the warmth
That makes the trees blossom
And causes the fragrance to rise
The cry of spring
The cry of summer
Coo-ee, coo-ee, coo-ee
The cry of new life
The cry of new life
To hear a version of the song by Dudley Benson, who recorded several of Hirini Melbourne’s forest waiata, go to http://dudleybenson.bandcamp.com/track/p-p-wharauroa
Another poignant Hirini Melbourne waiata focuses on the chicks of the pipiwharauroa:
Pīpī manu e
Pīpī pīpī manu e
Pīpīwharauroa
E pī pī pī ana e
Mō Pāpā Māmā wharauroa
Kei whea kē koe e Pā e?
Kei whea kē koe e Mā e?
Kimi atu, kimi mai
Kei whea kē kōrua e?
Kūī kūī whio!
Korowhiti korowhiti
Kūī kūī a!
Chicks of the
Shining cuckoo
Calling for their
Parents
Where are you Pa?
Where are you Ma?
We search here and there
Where are you both?
A rendition by Dudley Benson can be heard here: http://dudleybenson.bandcamp.com/track/p-p-manu-e
A traditional chant used to welcome people to a marae also celebrates the shining cuckoo, and has been adapted into a popular children’s song:
Tōia mai te waka nei
Tōia mai te waka nei
Kūmea mai te waka nei
Ki te takotoranga i takoto ai
Tiriti te mana motuhake
Te tangi a te manu nei
Pīpīwharauroa
Kūi kūi kūi
Whiti whiti ora
Hui e, tāiki e
Haul the canoe here
Drag the canoe here
To its resting place
The Treaty is the unique authority
The bird calls
The shining cuckoo
Coo-ee, coo-ee, coo-ee
The cry of new life
Join together, draw together
To listen to the song, and learn the actions, go to YouTube:
http://youtu.be/jJWMDAG03I8
http://youtu.be/BoGXHGdCzjk
http://youtu.be/HhesT74sjUQ
There is a Maori saying that if the shining cuckoo only makes the “kui, kui” part of its call, it will be a cold summer, but if it sings the second part—“whiti whiti ora,” it will be a warm season.
