Music Through Time: Parihaka

Hi everyone! Welcome to another post, this week for social studies we have started a new unit. For this unit, we learned about Parihaka and how it impacted the natives who were living in Parihaka. Our objective for this unit was to understand what happened to Parihaka, its impacts and how songs were used during this event. 

Information about Parihaka

Parihaka is a small community between the Tasman Sea and Mt Taranaki. After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the government started to take away lands from the Māori, when their lands were taken away from them they didn't have anywhere to go. Parihaka was a small village that housed many natives that lost their homes during that time. 

Song: Parihaka 

Artist: Tim Finn & Herbs

My friend, My friend, I hate to see you suffer, 

Events conspire to bring us to our knees, 

My friend, my friend, you've taken this the wrong way, 

Rise up, defend yourself, never give in, 

Look to the sky, the spirit of Te Whiti, 

The endless tide is murmuring his name.

I know Te Whiti will never be defeated, 

And even at the darkest hour, 

His presence will remain. 

I'll sing to you the song of Parihaka.

Te Whiti he used the language of the spirit, 

Then stood accused, the madman and his dream, 

He saw the train go roaring through the tunnel, 

He heard the voice travel on the magic wire, 

But he loved the silence of the river, 

He watched the dog piss on the cannon's wheel.

I know Te Whiti will never be defeated, 

And even at the darkest hour, 

His presence will remain. 

I'll sing to you the song of Parihaka.

One day you'll know the truth, 

They can't pull out the roots, 

Come and take me home, 

To weep for my lost brother. 

They gather still, the clouds of Taranaki, 

His children's children wearing the white plume, 

So take me for the sins of these sad islands, 

The wave still breaks on the rock of Rouhotu. 

And when you taste the salt that's on your pudding, 

And when you taste the sugar in your soup, 

Think of Te Whiti, he'll never be defeated, 

Even at the darkest hour, 

His presence will remain, 

I'll sing for you the song of Parihaka, 

Come to Parihaka, 

Weep for my lost brother, 

The spirit of nonviolence, 

Has come to fill the silence, Come to Parihaka.

Discussion; Questions 

The main message of this song was too inform and tell viewers what happened to Parihaka by using a song. They mentioned information about how Parihaka was impacted by the attack and how the natives lived through all the pain they had suffered. 

Lyric Observations: 

"The spirit of nonviolence, Has come to fill the silence, Come to Parihaka." The following line has been written for the purpose of mentioning how Parihaka used peaceful resistance as a strategy to resist soldiers who came to their village.

"They can't pull out the roots, " This is a saying that means the soldiers can't remove them and their culture. The soldiers cannot fully remove the Māori culture and their heritage which can be known as their roots. 

The line "Rise up, defend yourself, never give in," is a very good example of how determined they were to resist the soldiers. 

Significance

Today, Parihaka is still a very sensitive topic for many natives that are living in New Zealand. Parihaka was a brutal event in NZ history and an example of an important method to peacefully resist the government. This song has opened up more awareness about the event and shows justice to many people who have lost someone important to them.