Story of Pōpō - 1975

Broadcaster Wiremu Kerekere explains the lullaby or oriori called "Pōpō" composed by Enoka Te Pakaru. Then chant number 145 in Ngā Moteatea, Book Two, collected by Sir Apirana Ngata and translated by Dr Pei Te Hurinui Jones.

An excerpt of a performance of the chant by the Waihirere group is heard. Enoka Te Pakaru was from the Aitanga-a-Māhaki and Rongowhakaata tribes of Turanganui-a-Kiwa [Gisborne].

The main theme is about the origin of the kūmara as a food source and how it was brought from Hawaiki to Gisborne. Wiremu Kerekere translates the lyrics of "Pōpō" into English and ends the programme with a version sung by elders from Tairāwhiti, recorded in the early 1950s.