Poi E
Encyclopedia
"Poi E" is a New Zealand
1984
number-one hit song by the group Patea Māori Club off the album of the same name
. Its popularity is unique in New Zealand as Māori music rarely reaches popular status. Released in 1984, the song was sung entirely in the Māori language
and featured a blend of Māori cultural practices in the song and accompanying music video, including Māori chanting, poi
dancing, and the wearing of traditional Māori garments. Not only did the song top the New Zealand pop charts for four weeks, but the single also became the biggest seller in New Zealand for 1984, "outselling all international recording artists." Today the song maintains its status as a cult classic in white New Zealand, as the group behind it, Patea Māori Club, was a one-hit wonder
. However, for the Māori people, the song is much more important, as it became "the anthem of a new generation", the generation known as the "hip-hop generation".
The song was written by Māori linguist Ngoi Pēwhairangi
; the music was scored by Dalvanius Prime
. Pewhairangi's intent in writing the song in such a way was to promote Māori ethnic pride among young Māori people in a popular format. The two faced indifference from record labels, so Prime produced the song and album under his self-made label, Maui Records. Without radio play and barely any commercial TV airing, a TV news story is credited with shooting the song up to #1 on New Zealand charts in March 1984. Its popularity that same year grew further when it was well-received by British
listeners as the Patea Māori Club toured the United Kingdom
, playing at the London Palladium
and the Edinburgh Festival
, as well as giving a Royal Command Performance
. It also made a comeback in 2010 by reaching the New Zealand Top 20 after being featured in the successful New Zealand comedy film Boy
. On May 24 that year it reached #3.
and breakdancing, and the song itself "combined traditional Māori vocals and show-band and concert-party idioms with gospel
and funk
", two of hip-hop's own influences as major African-American musical genres
. Hip-hop was mixed with the traditional Māori chanting and cultural music because the Patea Māori Club wanted to give the younger hip-hop generation "their language and culture through the medium they were comfortable with", that medium being hip-hop. At the same time as it was helping to teach the children about Māori culture, hip-hop also "provided Māori youth in particular with a viable substitute for their own culture." Hiphop already had had a hold on the people of New Zealand and the Māori in particular, and Poi-E reinforced it and Māori hip-hop crews continued springing up throughout all of New Zealand.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
1984
1984 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.-Janury-March:*January 21 – "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite being banned by the BBC; it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40.*January 27 – Michael Jackson's...
number-one hit song by the group Patea Māori Club off the album of the same name
Poi E (album)
Poi E is an album released by New Zealand Māori culture group the Patea Maori Club. In 1984 the totally Maori language title track Poi-E topped the New Zealand Pop charts for four consecutive weeks, and was that year's biggest selling single - outselling all international recording...
. Its popularity is unique in New Zealand as Māori music rarely reaches popular status. Released in 1984, the song was sung entirely in the Māori language
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
and featured a blend of Māori cultural practices in the song and accompanying music video, including Māori chanting, poi
Poi
Poi may refer to:* Poi , a 2006 Tamil film* Poi , the Polynesian staple food* Poi , a Māori dance from New Zealand* Poi, Pakistan, a town in the Balochistan province of Pakistan* Poi, the Tibetan name for Tibet...
dancing, and the wearing of traditional Māori garments. Not only did the song top the New Zealand pop charts for four weeks, but the single also became the biggest seller in New Zealand for 1984, "outselling all international recording artists." Today the song maintains its status as a cult classic in white New Zealand, as the group behind it, Patea Māori Club, was a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
. However, for the Māori people, the song is much more important, as it became "the anthem of a new generation", the generation known as the "hip-hop generation".
The song was written by Māori linguist Ngoi Pēwhairangi
Ngoi Pewhairangi
Ngoi Pēwhairangi—in full, Te Kumeroa Ngoingoi Pēwhairangi, was a prominent teacher of, and advocate for, Māori language and culture, and the composer of many songs...
; the music was scored by Dalvanius Prime
Dalvanius Prime
Maui Dalvanius Prime was a New Zealand entertainer and songwriter. His career spanned 30 years. He mentored many of New Zealand's Māori performers, and was a vocal and forthright supporter of Māori culture.-Early life:...
. Pewhairangi's intent in writing the song in such a way was to promote Māori ethnic pride among young Māori people in a popular format. The two faced indifference from record labels, so Prime produced the song and album under his self-made label, Maui Records. Without radio play and barely any commercial TV airing, a TV news story is credited with shooting the song up to #1 on New Zealand charts in March 1984. Its popularity that same year grew further when it was well-received by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
listeners as the Patea Māori Club toured the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, playing at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
and the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
, as well as giving a Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
. It also made a comeback in 2010 by reaching the New Zealand Top 20 after being featured in the successful New Zealand comedy film Boy
Boy (2010 film)
Boy is a 2010 New Zealand coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi and financed by the New Zealand Film Commission. In New Zealand, the film has eclipsed previous records for a first week's box office takings for a local production...
. On May 24 that year it reached #3.
"Poi E" and hip-hop
In addition to the Māori cultural influences in the music video for the song, there are interesting influences from hip-hop culture present in the video. Among the most obvious are rappingRapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
and breakdancing, and the song itself "combined traditional Māori vocals and show-band and concert-party idioms with gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
", two of hip-hop's own influences as major African-American musical genres
African American music
African-American music is an umbrella term given to a range of musics and musical genres emerging from or influenced by the culture of African Americans, who have long constituted a large and significant ethnic minority of the population of the United States...
. Hip-hop was mixed with the traditional Māori chanting and cultural music because the Patea Māori Club wanted to give the younger hip-hop generation "their language and culture through the medium they were comfortable with", that medium being hip-hop. At the same time as it was helping to teach the children about Māori culture, hip-hop also "provided Māori youth in particular with a viable substitute for their own culture." Hiphop already had had a hold on the people of New Zealand and the Māori in particular, and Poi-E reinforced it and Māori hip-hop crews continued springing up throughout all of New Zealand.