Types of Pounamu

Inanga. - pearly white or grey-green colour
Kahurangi. - light green
Kawakawa - dark to rich green
Tangiwai - olive-green to bluish-green
Auhunga - pale green
Kahatea - dark rich green with black flecks and streaks
Kokopu - dark brown, olive green and yellowish colourings
Pipiwharauroa - green and white
Raukaraka - olive and yellowish shades
Totoweka - green with small reddish spots and streaks

Source: Raumati/Summer 1997 Te Karaka p19

Whaea

Whaea is Christchurch-based Ariana Tikao's new three-song CD-single, all in te reo Māori, and in the Kāi Tahu dialect. It showcases Ariana's song-craft, with innovative backing by some of Christchurch's top musicians.

Ariana has been writing songs in te reo since 1991 when she was a student majoring in Māori Studies at Otago University. She felt inspired by what she was learning and still feels an affinity with singing in te reo. Ariana says "I think that singing in Māori comes more naturally, perhaps because of the rounded vowel sounds, but also because of the spirit of the language."

The title song Whaea celebrates and affirms the role of motherhood. While recording the single at Manaaki Studios in Christchurch, Ariana was seven months pregnant with Tama-te-ra, her second child, who was born at the end of April.

Whaea has a fusion of musical influences, blending pacific rhythms with seventies retro-funk, with other pop/chant flourishes keeping the listener interested right to the end of the track. The CD-single also includes a more laid-back jazz-influenced version.

The CD-single is the first instalment in the Whaea project, with an album to follow later in the year. Ariana has received funding for the Whaea project from Te Māngai Pāho and Creative NZ.

If you would like a copy of the CD-single or for further information you can contact Ariana at horomaka@actrix.co.nz.