{"id":186685,"date":"2023-11-07T16:04:48","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T02:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=186685"},"modified":"2023-11-09T10:42:08","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T20:42:08","slug":"maori-musicians-mentor-manoa-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/07\/maori-musicians-mentor-manoa-students\/","title":{"rendered":"M\u0101ori musicians mentor M\u0101noa students in contemporary song compositions"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Hawaiian theatre students weave songs and music together<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ten students in the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa Hawaiian Theatre program<\/a> are tapping deeply into their naʻau<\/span> (gut) to acquire the art of composing mele (songs) rooted in Indigenous traditions. Throughout November, the award-winning program in the theatre and dance department<\/a> is hosting guest artists from Aotearoa (New Zealand) who are mentoring haum\u0101na (students) at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa to write original songs in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s native tongue across contemporary genres such as R&B, soul, pop and reggae.<\/p>\n

\"Kawana\"
M\u0101ori recording artist Tawaroa Kawana (TAWAZ)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n
\"Hanita-Paki\"
M\u0101ori recording artist M\u0101ori recording artist Hena Hanita-Paki<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

M\u0101ori musicians Tawaroa Kawana and Hera Hanita-Paki are known for captivating audiences with their original recordings penned in te reo M\u0101ori (M\u0101ori language). The Indigenous artists are also immersed in Waiata M\u0101ori, a traditional music genre from Aotearoa that is reflective of M\u0101ori traditions and beliefs.<\/p>\n

“This collaboration is about building capacity in our l\u0101hui (nation) to create and tell our stories in our language through the medium of mele,” said Tammy Hailiʻōpua<\/span> Baker, professor and founder of the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Hawaiian Theatre Program. [We want our haum\u0101na to] expand their horizons, support their dream and artistic goals ma ka ʻōlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> (in the Hawaiian language).”<\/p>\n

This artist residency is apart of ʻAhahui<\/span> Noiʻi<\/span> Noʻeau<\/span> ʻŌiwi<\/span><\/a> or ANNO<\/abbr>, a research institute for Indigenous performance which is part of a strategic investment initiative awarded by the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Office of the Provost<\/a> and is comprised of three paths; scholarship and publication, curriculum and archive, and engagement and recruitment. The initiative is geared toward hosting guest artists from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and Oceania to mentor UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa students and generate creative research together.<\/p>\n

Participating Haum\u0101na<\/p>\n