Speaking te reo was a prerequisite for early settlers here for reasons of survival and security. And as well to establish rapport with tangata whenua laying the foundations for trade and commerce as Maori quickly adapted into the spirit of building the new colony. Speaking English came quickly to tangata whenua and in the 1820s and 1830s Church mission schools flourished with translations of The Bible. But by the 1930s, instruction in schools was solely in English with te reo banished (almost) to extinction as a colonial relic.
Here again in the start of another Te Wiki o Te Reo, we celebrate through Maori Language Week a taonga (national treasure) and what better way to kick start it with the movie ‘White Lies’. This movie does that. If nothing else - te reo is given the power it deserves in snapshots of Ringatu karakia, waiata tawhito (ancient songs), conversational English and Maori which flow regally together owing as much to the skill of Whirimako Black who brings the richness of her lines and character into a natural blend of languages together with a balance of wit and humour. This congruency, I am sure sat well with a responsive audience. A celebration too through Ringatu, the church founded by Te Kooti and the easy-to-read subtitles.
I went along with a colleague and friend Karena from The Voyager Museum and tread the red-carpet for the premier of ‘White Lies’. I noted her occasional sniff and sob and the raising of her hand (Ringatu) for moments in praise of God. It was, for us a rare chance to meet the players and Author Witi Ihimaera (DCNZ, QSM) with his Gisborne family along with Tuhoe supporters.
This is a story that resonated with me around the Tuhoe struggle for survival. It opened with a prelude in karakia, mihi, and a brief comment by Ihimaera.
Powerhouse acting by three women; Whirimako Black in her debut role as Paraiti will arguably put her up as one of our premier screen actors; gentle, warm, compelling and humane. Maraea is played by Rachel House also brilliant who, with Rebecca, played by Antonia Prebble is a wealthy young wife with a secret; three very different portrayals that bring a sharp contrast to the screen. Paraiiti is a natural winner.
The other winner is Alun Bolinger (NZOM) cinematographer who brings this movie together in breathtaking scenes that take us into quintessential Urewera in its spiritual overlay of people ancestors, and land set against a misty landscape merging seamlessly with Ihi, (challenging and spine tingling), wehi (awesomeness, inspiring), wana (artistry, beauty, rhythm to behold, inner glow), and mana (authority from the ancestors).
“I suffered from a respiratory sickness and the medicine of Te Urewera cured me of that the inspiration came from her,” Ihimaera told us before the start of the movie.
This is a portrayal of a head-on clash of beliefs, deception, and ultimate salvation.
A modest kuia living in Te Teko who, in real life played out episodes as a nurse, mid-wife, life-giver, sometimes on horseback with a dog; Putiputi O’Brien is a living legend. As well, I recall vividly stories from my grandmother Wairemana (granddaughter of Tutakangahau of Te Urewera) telling in graphic detail of the devastation of her Tuhoe people who like other iwi were caught up in a time of dislocation and upheavels in a changing world. As a child, I heard of torched buildings, the destruction of crops and fruit trees, guns smashed, and left only with old horses. Police Commissioner, John Cullen with ninety-nine fully armed and mounted police on Sunday 2 April 1916, crushed a peaceful village with violence with the deaths of two men; Toko Kenana and, Te Maipi. Wairemana told me, she and her whanau moved out of their cherished kainga forced out by poverty through the pandemic and tortuous blitzes inflicted upon them by Crown authority. I commend this movie to you all. Says Karena,
“You must see this movie! It has everything; beautiful cinematography; stunning acting; a potent, powerful story. The subtitles are more than just helping you to understand what is being said. They make a statement about a comprehensive effort to destroy a culture and people through outlawing their language.” (Karen Walters)
Against this backdrop, you may recall that *The Tohunga Suppression Act of 1907 outlawed any practice of Maori medicine. This story also explores deep seated dilemmas in New Zealand; questions of identity, societal attitudes, the roles of women, and as well the tensions between western and traditional practices that still exist. The third winner is te reo.
Ihimaera opened the movie with a mihi to an expectant audience and ended to a spontaneous applause, many dabbing away tears and sitting through to the end of the credits roll.
Director Dana Rothberg, Writer John Barnett, Camera Alun Bollinger.
Haare Williams 26 June 2013
* An Act of Parliament intended to stop people using traditional healing practices which had a spiritual or supernatural element. It was repealed in 1985. Rua Kenana, of Tuhoe was the target of this Act.