Side 1.
Track 01:'To Tanemahuta' - God of the forest
Track 02: 'To Tangaroa' - God of the oceans
Track 03: 'He Whakaaraara' - sentinel alarm
Track 04: Hauling song of Tainui canoe
Track 05: An 'Apakura' or dirge of Tuhoe people
Track 06: 'Toia Mai Te Waka' - canoe hauling chant
Side 2.
None
Typed notes on the original disc sleeve:
01. Karakia to Tanemahuta.
This is a karakia or incantation supplicating the god of the forests, Tanemahuta, to give up one of "children" for the use of man. When it is decided to fell a tree in the forest this karakia is chanted and this especially applies if the tree is to become a canoe or ridge-pole for a building. The chant is recited by the selected tree and when ended, the chopping commences.
02. Karakia to Tangaroa.
This particular incantation belongs to the Te Arawa people. It was uttered by the high-priest Ngatoroerangi when the canoe Te Arawa was on verge of being engulfed by a whirlpool in mid-Pacific Ocean, centuries ago. Ngatoroerangi prayed to Tangaroa, the god of the oceans, to free the canoe. This incident is known as " Te Korokoro-o-Te-Parata."
03. He Whakaaraara - an ancient sentinel alarm.
This alarm was uttered by a guard when in sentinel duty. He sat in a box-like staging built of reeds and bull-rushes atop a tall column standing by the main entrance into the pah or fortified village. He was expected to give the alarm or warning when the enemy was seen approaching. In times of peace this alarm would be used at daybreak as a means of awakening the pah.
04. Hauling song of the Tainui Canoe.
This hauling chanty, known as "Te Tō o Tainui" is also a karakia or incantation beseeching Tanemahuta to forgive a sin that had been committed. In 1350 the Tainui canoe was being hauled over the strip of land that separates the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours. The canoe became fast and could not be moved. Marama, wife of the canoe's commander Hoturoa, had committed a sin and therefore knew she was to blame for the trouble. She uttered this plea and once more the canoe was hauled forwards towards the Manukau Harbour.
05. An apakura or dirge.
This is a lament of the Tuhoe tribe and it is chanted either during the lying-in-state of a body or at the actual funeral ceremony. The value of this particular lament lies in the beautiful words and the thoughts referring to the existence of a god known to the ancient Māori as Io-Matua-Te-Kore.
06. Toia Mai Te Waka.
A very old canoe hauling chant which has evolved into the present chant of welcome. It is performed by the home people immediately visitors arrive at the entrance of a pah. Branches held in the hand are swung in a rhythmic motion while this powhiri or welcome is chanted.