Sharon wrote:
Hi Lisa,
This is really a shot in the dark, but I’m wondering if you know of a song, which I believe is Maori. A friend of mine taught it to me, but she doesn’t know the translation or anything else about it. I’m wondering if you’ve heard of it, and if so, if you could tell me anything about it – what it means, who sings it, etc, and perhaps the proper words. My best attempt at writing it out is as follows:
Nane paku ana
Nane paku ana
eh eh eh ua
ua ua
ipea ipea ipea
Kuana Kuana Kuana Kuana Kua…Choo!
Kuana Kuana Kuana Kuana Kua…Choo!It is a rhythmic song with clapping on the off beats.
Does this seem at all familiar?
Thank you so much!
-Sharon
If anyone can help Sharon with the original Maori words to this song and/or an English translation, please let us know in the comments below. If you have the original text, please email me a copy at lisa@mamalisa.com – so I can make sure the accents show up properly.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at 3:16 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, Folk Songs, Languages, Mama Lisa, Maori, New Zealand, New Zealand Children's Songs, Questions, Readers Questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:02 am
Hi!
This is the email of a Teacher that may be able to help you find what you are looking for.
She corrected translations for me on some Maori songs that I had been given incorrect lyrics to.
Very knowledgeable, kind and wonderful person…has a website as well
ruth.tai@arohainsights.net
;0) Nancy
October 15th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Just come across this post while looking for a particular Maori song, and thought this might help others who do the same:
NANEA ANA A TIA
Nä Pania Papa
Nanea ana a tia
I tā te niho wera
Mokori anō kia rere a mihi
I tā te wahawaha
Whiunga o haupā
Namunamuā
Pura ana te kanohi o Tahuaroa
Tēnei a ruranga horokukū ana te hoki
Ki te kāinga
He kaha nō te raupī mai
(HĪ AUĒ HĪ!)
Whakauwhi mai
KEI WAHO A PITO
AUĒ HĪ!
March 5th, 2013 at 10:02 pm
The words for this and the “choo” sound are Samoan or Tongan, they have many clapping games like this to help them warm up for their performance style.
October 18th, 2016 at 1:32 am
I learned this song in 1998 from an Australian woman named Kata. She believed it was a children’s counting rhyme in New Zealand from a “lost” language (not Maori) or in nonsense words. Aimee Tapping, can you tell me the meanings for the words if they are Samoan or Tongan? Thanks! I have been teaching this song to others for years and it would be great to know their meaning.
The way Kata taught it to us went something like this. There are stomps on the downbeats and claps on the upbeats, except for double claps in some spots.
Ina-ne pakuana
Ina-ne pakuana
Hey hey uwa…
Uwa uwa…
Uwa-yay yipi-yay yipi-yay… (double clap)
Kuwana kuwana kuwana kuwana kuwa…Chu! (double clap)
Kuwana kuwana kuwana kuwana kuwa…Chu! (double clap)
July 28th, 2018 at 10:39 am
This sounds exactly the same to an Indigenous Australian Song called Inanay (which is on this website). It is disputed about the meaning of the song and where it came from but it seems like it originated maybe in the Torres Strait and then travelled down south. It might be in the Yorta Yorta language of north-eastern victoria. The lyrics are as follows:
Inanay capuana
Inanay capuana
ay ay ay oola
oola oola
oola ay
yippee yay yippee yay
goo wana goo wana
goo wana goo wana
go wah … Choo!
goo wana goo wana
goo wana goo wana
go wah … Choo!