Raukatauri
GODDESS OF FLUTES
All the flutes of the Māori come down to us from Hine Raukatauri. She was a daughter of Tāne and she and her sister Raukatamea are the Goddesses of the Arts of Pleasure. Hine Raukatauri is best known as the Goddess of Flute Music. It is said that she loved her flute so much that she chose to live inside it. She is now personified as the plain-looking casemoth and the Māori make a unique flute in the shape of this insect’s long case. The caterpillars of this unusual moth spin themselves a bag and camouflage it with tiny leaves, then hang from the branches in relative safety. Eventually the male caterpillars pupate and fly away, but the females remain within their hanging cases. In the quiet of night they cry for a lover and this sweet but barely audible sound is the touchstone for all Māori flute music.
When the demi-god Māui was seeking to gain control of fire for mankind, he had to trick his grandmother, Mahuika, into giving him all her fingernails which held the secret ability to make fire. When she threw the last fingernail into the trees to try to destroy Māui, he had to transform himself into a hawk to escape her wrath. This achieved his plan however as it put the potential for fire into the wood of the trees.
Before Māui could resume his human shape, however, he needed water to remove the sacred state of transformation. Naturally the birds he asked to help him were too afraid to do so, but eventually the normally shy kōkako brought the water. Māui rewarded the kōkako with several wishes and so this vain bird received its elegant looks and decorative wattles like the now extinct huia. But the kōkako had another request, to sing like Raukatauri, and so was told to eat the casemoths (a diet it still relishes to this day). The resulting sound of this songbird’s pure notes and haunting calls has amplified the magical voice of Raukatauri, given us a touchstone for the songs of the flutes at a more audible volume and provided the reason for changing that minute sound into the louder songs of the various flutes.
Kōauau are the most common of the traditional flutes, of which it was once said that ‘it was an amusement in every Pa to hear skilful players’. 9 The uses of kōauau were manifold. One of the oldest stories tells of their use in entertainment as a group sought to unmask Kae by making him laugh. Many stories tell of lovers being won over by their sound, and of secret messages being sent through their song. The most famous story is of Tūtanekai and his friend Tiki playing their kōauau and pūtōrino on the island of Mokoia in the middle of Lake Rotorua. Their playing drew the beautiful Hinemoa in an epic swim across the lake to be with her lover, Tūtanekai. She was assisted by the ātahu, the vital and irresistible force contained in the message of the melody, but which also transcends both message and melody.
Native birds are known to interact with kōauau. I know of more than one occasion when a male bellbird, the korimako, flew down to within a metre of a nguru player, then fluffed his feathers and sang when the playing stopped. A duet ensued with the bird trying to fluff up larger and sing louder each time while several other korimako hopped around close by. On another occasion, in the forest of the Urewera, a kākā was called down and Hirini, Richard and I played several different flutes. After each one the kākā sang its own song, a different one each time. Finally, when one of us (unnamed, as is my prerogative as writer) played a nguru, the bird gave a very disgusted sounding squawk and flew off, leaving us quite enthralled but laughing at the unfortunate and unappreciated player.
All the flutes, however, had important functions beyond entertainment. They were used to welcome people into life and to usher their spirits out, to heal broken bones, to help memorise knowledge and as a medium for many special and very spiritual activities.
A casemoth seen beside the scarlet flowers of New Zealand’s Christmas tree, the pohutukawa.
KŌauau
Kōauau are cross-blown flutes which were traditionally made from albatross wing bone, moa bone or human bone; a variety of soft and hard woods; and occasionally stone. A species of kelp, named kōauau, with its stem hollowed out, can also be played and was noted as a southern instrument. The sweetest sounds are those produced by kōauau made of human bone, but the mellow sound of soft wood, especially that of the neinei, has its own enchantment. However, it is the crisp purity of the ringing song of a stone kóauau that creates the closest replication of the bell-like notes of the kōkako.
Traditional kōauau range in length from a tiny wing bone less than 100 mm long, to a long wooden one of 385 mm. Most kōauau have three finger holes (wenewene) but occasionally up to five are seen. The smallest bone ones have no finger holes but a surprisingly large musical range.
According to legend, the patupaiarehe or fairies were the experts at playing the kōauau. As the sound travels far, an unseen player can still create drama in this way. Hirini was told by a crewman of a waka (canoe) that, when he and his companions were out on the river for early morning practice, they were spooked by the sound of a ‘fairy flute’ wafting through the mist. Hirini did not let on that he had been sitting on the riverbank composing a new song.
A Kōauau Song About the Albatross
Tōroa tangi ariki
E rere, e rere ki te rangi
Hai kawe atu i ngā roimata
Māturuturu roimata Tōroa
Hai tukutuku mo tōku whare mokemoke.
Hirini Melbourne * @
The tearful cry
The tears shed
of the Royal Albatross
to adorn the chambers
of a broken heart.
Tahu nui a Rangi, ‘Southern Aurora’. A kōauau carved from argillite by Clem Mellish and inlaid with Rakiura paua shell.
Hirini Melbourne plays Tangi Ariki, his kōauau tōroa, a delicate sounding flute made of albatross wing bone.
PŌrutu
Pōrutu are essentially long kōauau with usually three (but up to six) finger holes of the same relative spacing as kōauau but located near the bottom end. They are capable of being over-blown to a second harmonic, and the ratio of bore to length has a critical bearing on this. I have often had to cut small amounts off before drilling the finger holes to create the dynamics of an easy-playing two harmonic flute.
Traditional pōrutu are recorded as being from 300 mm to 400 mm and up to 635 mm in length. The longest one had a bore diameter of 22 mm. Materials used were porokaiwhiria (pigeonwood), mataī and tutu. One, made from porokaiwhiria, was described as being between 300 mm and 400 mm long and 20 mm wide, and its aperture had been hollowed out with fire. The longest one was made from two pieces of mataī joined together. The bore had been finely honed by rubbing it along a stretched out cord that was kept charged with sand. 10
The song of the pōrutu was much esteemed as being able to ‘speak mouth words’. In one story a captured expert named Toheriri played it for several hours, so well that the meal was forgotten. In this recital he proved capable of playing a great range of music, first that stirred the captors to perform a haka, but then eventually a sleep-inducing lullaby. This enabled first his sweetheart and then Toheriri himself to escape. 11
The lore of southern iwi places pōrutu among their principal flutes and the sound, which has a legendary carrying quality, was often ascribed to the máeroero or patupaiarehe, those seldom seen fairy folk.
Te Kaiwhakahaere, featuring Hirini, is a pōrutu carved from kanuka. It was begun several years previously, but was only completed after Hirini passed away.
Tiritiri o te Moana is a pōrutu carved from a chamois leg bone which has a natural beauty of line from any angle, giving this instrument a truly graceful presence.
Rehu
Rehu are long flutes with a closed top and a transverse blowing hole, but with finger holes like a pórutu.Very few of these flutes have been recorded but the name is an old one with connotations that give a clue to it being a prized embellisher of song. Although the waha or mouth fipple is like a European flute, suggesting this could be a transitional instrument, the placement of finger holes (wenewene) as in the pórutu creates a song with true traditional qualities.
Recorded examples vary from 345 mm to 570 mm in length and were made of mataí or tutu. A long description of an elaborately carved tutu rehu owned by a Canterbury settler says it was 570 mm long, had a 20 mm bore and was almost 40 mm at its widest point. The three finger holes, about 4–5 mm in diameter, were at 152 mm, 200 mm and 241 mm from the bottom end. Inside the bottom end and about 40 mm up was a constriction with a 4–5 mm hole in its centre. The top end was blocked with a plug after the pith had been removed. Another rehu was recorded as having no finger holes, the sound being modulated by partial covering the end hole. 12
The contemporary example in the illustration is 460 mm long with a round bore around 18 mm in diameter. The top end is sealed and a slightly under-cut oval blowing hole of about 8–9 mm is fashioned about 40 mm from this end.
Rehua is the name of this mataī rehu made by Clem Mellish and Brian Flintoff. It is bound with the aerial vine of kiekie and has a whale-tooth stopper depicting Rehua as the summer star, Antares.
PŪmotomoto
Pūmotomoto are long flutes with a notched open top which becomes the blown edge and a single finger hole near the end. These are very special instruments whose history and indeed existence were only recently brought to life when Hirini talked with Tuhoe kaumātua from Waikaremoana. From that information I created a replica and Hirini returned some time later to play it to them. They verified that the sound was as they remembered and corrected details of construction.
The pūmotomoto is blown over a notch in the top while being chanted through and has only a single finger hole. It was traditionally played over the fontanelle of an infant in order to implant songs and information of tribal heritage directly into the child’s subconscious.
Since the pūmotomoto needs to be about 575 mm long it is often easier to make it in two pieces and then join and bind them. A long branch of tutu or poroporo with the pith removed would also be suitable. The first tests used a gradual taper from about 25 mm at the waha (the blown mouth) down to 19 mm and this gave the sound remembered by the kaumātua. A single finger hole was located about 100 mm from the bottom. The mouth was shaped by sanding a flat surface at an angle. It is critical that this be very smooth and with a sharp, even cutting edge.
Hirini Melbourne playing the first pūmotomoto replica made with two finger holes instead of one to test for the correct placement. Using the hole under his index finger he produced the sound remembered by his informants.
Nguru
Nguru are semi-closed cross-blown flutes unique to the Māori. Their enclosed bore gives a rounder sound than the kōauau and with four finger holes they have a slightly extended range.
Although nguru are popularly known as nose flutes they are more commonly played with the mouth, in the same way as kōauau. There has been considerable debate about the correctness of calling them nose flutes but sufficient tribal corroboration encouraged Richard to try playing them this way. We were sceptical about the results as the sound was less controlled and had extraneous wind noises caused by the blowing method. So he played the small nguru to Te Aue Davis, a kuia who is an expert in traditional songs. First he played an old song using his mouth and this drew an appreciative response. Then he played it with his nose and our expert began to cry. She later explained that, sweet though the mouth playing was, the nose playing and its extraneous sounds made her feel that she was with the ancients. She added that the ability of some nguru, in expert hands, to be nose flutes raises their status. The breath of the nose is more sacred, and those stray sounds created are perceived as the accompaniment of the spirit voices of the winds.
Nose playing is achieved by blocking one nostril with the right thumb and blowing through the other over the leading edge of the mouthpiece. Some nguru with larger end top holes can be reversed and played by the nose through that end hole, with the hand held over the instrument’s large mouth.
Materials used for nguru are usually whale ivory, stone (generally soft stone like soapstone, limestone and sandstone), various woods, clay and the stems of gourds.
A Love Song for the Nguru
Ko te ngū
O taku ihu
Mōhou, e te tau
Ko te tuki
O taku manawa
Mōhou, e te tau
Ko te roi
O aku mata
Mōhou, e te tau.
Hirini Melbourne* @
My breath
of life
is for you
My heart
beats
for you
My eyes
ever look
for you.
Te Puna Waiora is a nguru made from a whale tooth. Carved underneath is a male moth with his wings depicted as enlarged hands.
Soapstone artefacts inspired this soapstone nguru carved by Bernard Makaore.
As dusk turned to night, and a dark night it was indeed, a moth flew by. He was searching for the source of a lonely, sobbing song that occasionally wafted on the still night air. The moth flapped his wings and flitted along seeking the spot where the love song appeared to have come from, but the alluring melody was elusive. He landed on the branch of a tarata (lemonwood) tree and looked around carefully, trying to spot the source of the sweetest song he had ever heard.
What caught his eye was a long bag hanging from a branch. It was wriggling and twitching. Then, slowly and gracefully, Hine Raukatauri emerged from her humble home. Her body was beautifully patterned with gracefully curving tattoos in yellow, white and black. Hine Raukatauri reached out for the diligent moth and they embraced, then joined their bodies in love. After their long embrace the moth was exhausted and was then taken into the cocoon by Hine Raukatauri. There he was consumed as nourishment for the eggs that would soon fill her home and become the new family.
PŪtōrino
The pūtōrino is an instrument unique to the Māori and very highly esteemed. It has been called a bugle flute because it has two voices, but the traditional concept is of two complementary voices, the male and the female. Its male voice is played as a trumpet and its female voice as a flute. The shape of the instrument is taken from the casemoth cocoon that houses Raukatauri, Goddess of Flute Music, who loved her flute so much that she went to live in it.
The following legend tells why Raukatauri’s flute has both female and male voices.
The male trumpeting voice of the pūtōrino, its kōkiri, is a sound to summon or make people aware of something about to happen and each named call is given a meaning.
The female voice is usually played either in the same side-blown way as the kōauau flutes or blown over the top. It is sometimes a crying sound, and is used as such on appropriate occasions. From some instruments a third voice emerges, that of the mysterious Wheke, the daughter of Raukatauri, who is sometimes heard but never seen.
Although the pūtōrino has a limited range of sounds these can be varied to create a wide range of natural and enchanting effects that precisely convey the traditional voices. One recorded technique of a musician singing and playing at the same time on the pūtōrino is also used with the pūmotomoto. Some instruments can be played by blowing over the māngai or centre hole, and blocking the mouthpiece. Although there is no corroboration of this technique being used, it could also be perceived as the voice of that mysterious unseen daughter, Wheke.
For me, pūtōrino are the most special of all the singing treasures. I enjoy their individuality and look forward to completing each one I make to hear their subtle differences in sound. The uniqueness of their origins and construction, and their mystery, add to their appeal. But the range of emotions they can stir is their ultimate attribute. They depend greatly on the skills of the player who can elicit sounds ranging from the ghostly chill of an icy wind to the heart-warming resonance of a peace-giving hue puruhau.
Traditionally pūtōrino, which can vary in length from 227 mm to 655 mm, were made by splitting a length of mataí or other hardwood, shaping the inside and binding the two halves back in their original position. A sealant such as harakeke or tarata sap was applied, and held together by a vine binding of split aerial root of keikei, which, soaked and put on wet, shrinks to hold tightly on drying.
The end hole is usually only 2–3 mm, though a couple of examples, both from the Whanganui region, have a larger end hole that becomes the kōkiri or trumpeting male voice mouthpiece. Smaller pūtōrino have an inner shape that follows the exterior curve. These small instruments do not have the mature male voice of longer instruments, but they produce very clear, crisp flute sounds.
A few examples of double-chambered pūtōrino exist. These interesting rarities have an extended range and are much sought after. It has been observed that the sound flicking between the two sides is similar to part of the kōkako’s song.
A Song About the Goddess of Flute Music
Te Pūtōrino a Raukatauri
Iri piri
Runga peka e
Kei roto ko te Puhi
O te tangi
Korowhitawhita e
He tangi hotuhotu, mokemoke
Mo te tau
Kua wehe nei.
Hirini Melbourne*
The Pūtōrino of Raukatauri
hangs, clinging
to its lofty branch
Inside, a Goddess,
Goddess of the music
gives voice to loving song
A lonely song,
A sighing song
For her lover, flown away.
These four very different pútórino show some of the variety in size and shape this type of instrument can take.
This old pūtōrino is one of the finest examples known and was collected by Captain Cook. It has been described as ‘beautifully smooth and polished like the wood of an old violin’. 8 Collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Ref. No. ME002502).
Mataí, with its noted acoustic properties, was used to fashion this pūtōrino named Tūngoungou, carved with the faces of Raukatauri and her lover Pepe.
Richard Nunns is blowing over one of the central mouths or kókiri of Te ara ki te Kainga, a double pūtōrino carved by John Collins. This method creates a resonant sound effect rather like a hue puruhau.
Pūkāea
Pūkāea are long alphorn-like trumpets, which amplify the male sound of Raukatauri’s flute. Although they are often referred to as war trumpets, pūkāea were also used to welcome people and to announce a variety of occasions, including the important ceremony of kumara planting. They were played to clear the path and ensure the well-being of the work of individuals, families and tribal groups. A stirring fanfare of several pūkāea was used to welcome in the new millennium at the dawn ceremony at Te Papa, which was relayed via satellite around the world.
Some instruments are capable of being blown over five or six harmonics, and will readily slide between these to create a spine-chilling sound. Pūkāea range from just 533 mm long to massive 2500 mm trumpets. One with a double bell is shown in some detail in Alexander Hamilton’s Māori Art. 13 The cupped blown end or kōngutu leads to a bore starting at 5–12 mm, then gradually widening before belling out to the large mouth or whara. Near the whara end carved tonsil-like obstructions intrude into the bore.
A pūkāea substitute could be quickly made with spirally-wound harakeke (flax) leaves. These were named tetere and it was noted in 1864 that these were heard calling across an ‘intervening valley sounding very sweet and clear’. 14
A Path-clearing Song of the Pūkāea
Kōkirihia te Pūkāea
Hai whakaara i ngā karanga
O te whenua nei e,
Hai maioha i ngā reanga
Te ara mai nei e,
Hai waka kawenga
I ngā manako Māori.
Kōkirihia te pūkāea
Hai whakaara i ngā karanga
A ngā whaea e,
Hai whakahau i ngā reanga
Te ara mai nei e,
Hai pūmanawa
Mo ngā wawata Māori.
Hirini Melbourne*
Sound the voice of the Púkáea
To draw forth the voices of this land
That they may speak to the new generations
Who will need to act
To realise the ambitions of Máori people.
Sound the voice of the Púkáea
To draw forth the voices of the mothers
To encourage the future generations
To be the agents of change
To effect the realisation of
the ambitions of the Máori people.
John Collins carved this pūkāea, Pókai Whenua, from a length of manuka tree which he carefully selected for its resonance. Its tone, range and volume show the wisdom of John’s choice.
A detail of this pūkāea, Whakamine Tānata, carved by John Collins, shows the large amount of work put into trimming it to size and then later binding it with the vine, aka keikei. The research undertaken before its story evolved is one of the unseen attributes treasured by Ngai Tūhoe.