Hoea is the act of paddling a waka (canoe). The song speaks of courage and determination in the face of danger, uncertainty and fear. The journey must be taken. How will we take it? The first part of the song echoes back to “Grammah Easter’s Lullaby” sung by Ulali, written by Pura Fé (Album: Tribal Voices).
When our ancestors left Hawaiki on their ocean-going canoes some of them would have perhaps felt apprehensive. Yet, they struck out into Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa (the great ocean of Kiwa, the Pacific Ocean).
The bridge beginning “Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua...” can be replaced by the singer’s own waka and tangata (navigator). Please respect the intellectual, cultural and indigenous property rights by acknowledging the sources and keeping this information and context of this song with the lyrics.
This version on the HOEA EP also includes spoken word artist Leonie Matoe reciting an adapted version of Cilla Ruha’s poem “In Rise and Fall” published in Te Herenga Reo, Indigenous Storytellers, Matariki 2015, Aotearoa, Te Herenga Reo Press.