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Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou
Upper Hutt Posse , Music Video – 2011
from the album Declaration of Resistance (2011)In 2011 writer Simon Sweetman described Upper Hutt Posse as "less a band, more a musical journey, a concept". 'Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou' (we continue to fight) is from 2011 album Declaration of Resistance. Mixing te reo Māori and English, the song addresses the negative effects of colonisation on tangata whenua, especially in regard to police racism. The timebending storyline features Taungaroa Emile (Boogie in Once Were Warriors) and his girlfriend encountering a ghostly warrior from the 1864 battle of Ōrākau, who gifts Emile a taiaha to fight back against the state.
Ka whawhai tonu mātou, mō ake ake ake, mō te whenua te iwi me te ora!– Opening lyrics inspired by a phrase attributed to chief Rewi Maniapoto, who led the resistance to the invasion of the Waikato by government troops in 1864
Key Cast & Crew
Produced by
Dean Hapeta
Source
Dean Hapeta
Categories
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