High or Classical Maori

At the Hawkes Bay marae, a young chief made a fiery speech to us in which he clearly used High or Classical Maori: "Anei nga metua kei konei a tiraha ana. Mauris mai kia tangihia ratau kua mene ki te po. " (Here lie our elders. Let us bring them [their memory) together so that their departure to darkness may again be lamented.) During this speech as well as the speeches that we, the visitors, made later, we felt that the spirits of our dead were with us. "Anei etabi kei roto i te where nei e tutu haere ana. Anei etahi e tutu haere nei kua mene ki te po." Still addressing the departed ones in accordance with Maori custom. (Here in this meeting house we see some of them [in the form of cerved figures] standing right round. All have gone into darkness [meaning that they are not any longer physically visible] .) "Na reira no te ra nei kua tae mai, kua tu te manuhiri tuarangi. Kua tangihia atu ano, kua mihia atu ano e tatau. No reira, hara mai, ta tatau manuhtri tuarangi haere mai ki mua i te poho o te where nei anei e tu nei, e tu nei. A K., te poho o K,. Hara mail kua putal kua putal kua puta! Ko nga taiapa o te motu kua horo." (And so today, illustrious visitors arrive and stand before us. Together, we lament for the departed ones, we pay homage to them. Welcome our illustrious visitors. Come and stand before the bosom of this house which stands here, which stands here. K. (the marae), the bosom of K.. Welcome, you have appeared, you have have appeared, you have appeared. The fences of our land have been removed (i.e. the wall of separation is no more.)

In this speech the young chief repeated himself quite often but this did not in anyway minimise the effectiveness of the occasion or of his speech. Rather it enhanced it. By repetition strong emphasis was laid on the situation and enabled the speaker to bring out the great importance of the occasion, e.g. "Kua putal Kua putal Kua putal na reira, hara mai koutou, hara mai, hara mail Kua ngarongaro atu ratau." "Kua putal Kua putal Kua putal" can also mean that the illustrious visitors have appeared.

Their appearance is emphasised as if dramatic and unexpected at in the Maori expression "Kotu ku rerenga tahi" — the few and unexpected appearances of the white heron. The words "hara mai" have occurred several times. According to colloquial Maori grammars "haere mail haere mail" it the usual form. This therefore is a phonological change by the elimination of the sound 'e' giving the form 'hara' used by good orators. Then to finish his classical speech he expounded the genealogy from Rangi and Papa, Tanenuiarangi, Hinemenuhiri, Hinerauwharangi and so right down to hit grand father, 46 generations.