"Mau Moko" lyrics
[Maori:]
Ono tekau ngā tau e kōkiri ana (auē) mō o mātou tikanga
He tata wareware te tuhi toi, I tata ngaro ō mātou ritenga
Koropehu ō mātou tōhunga, ka pēhia e te kuīnitanga
I parea mātou e te mana moko I āu mahi kino
Ko te hunga mau moko mātou
E kore koe e mātau (e)
Te tikanga tāmoko
Kōrero tuku iho
Tāngata Mau Moko
Kua horahia e koe te kiri Māori hei whakaaturanga
Hoki mai te mana, nā te ao taihara I whakaora (e)
Ka whiua mai rā ō kanohi whakawā kei patu mai
Otirā, ka whakamarua mātou e te moko I tō mauāhara
Ko te hunga mau moko mātou
E kore koe e mātau (e)
Te tikanga tāmoko
Kōrero tuku iho
Tāngata Mau Moko
Mau Moko
Ko te hunga Mau Moko
Hoki mai te mana
Kō wai mātou ē!
Ko nga tangata mau moko mātou
Kīhai koe e māmara
Ō mātou kōrero tuhi kiri
Ō mātou kōrero tuku iho!
Ko te hunga mau moko mātou
E kore koe e mātau (e)
Te tikanga tāmoko
Kōrero tuku iho
Tāngata Mau Moko
Mohoao, makimaki, ao kōhatu, kōmuri Kao!
Kō wai mātou ē!
Ko nga tangata mau moko mātou e!
Ko te hunga Mau Moko
[English translation:]
For 60 years we fought for our tradition
An art nearly forgotten, our practice almost lost
The suppression of our tōhunga, suppressed by the crown
Our moko protected us from your hate
We are the people who wear moko
You don't understand
The story in our markings
The story of our ancestors
We are the people who wear moko
You displayed our skin as spectacle
We have taken back our tradition, revived by a criminal world
Your judging eyes try to hurt us
But our moko protects us from your hate
We are the people who wear moko
You don't understand
The story in our markings
The story of our ancestors
We are the people who wear moko
Wear moko
We are the people who wear moko
Restore our mana
Who are we!
We are the people who wear moko
You don't understand
The story in our markings
The story of our ancestors!
We are the people who wear moko
You don't understand
The story in our markings
The story of our ancestors
We are the people who wear moko
Savage, monkey, stone age, backwards No!
Who are we!
We are the people who wear moko
We are the people who wear moko
Ono tekau ngā tau e kōkiri ana (auē) mō o mātou tikanga
He tata wareware te tuhi toi, I tata ngaro ō mātou ritenga
Koropehu ō mātou tōhunga, ka pēhia e te kuīnitanga
I parea mātou e te mana moko I āu mahi kino
Ko te hunga mau moko mātou
E kore koe e mātau (e)
Te tikanga tāmoko
Kōrero tuku iho
Tāngata Mau Moko
Kua horahia e koe te kiri Māori hei whakaaturanga
Hoki mai te mana, nā te ao taihara I whakaora (e)
Ka whiua mai rā ō kanohi whakawā kei patu mai
Otirā, ka whakamarua mātou e te moko I tō mauāhara
Ko te hunga mau moko mātou
E kore koe e mātau (e)
Te tikanga tāmoko
Kōrero tuku iho
Tāngata Mau Moko
Mau Moko
Ko te hunga Mau Moko
Hoki mai te mana
Kō wai mātou ē!
Ko nga tangata mau moko mātou
Kīhai koe e māmara
Ō mātou kōrero tuhi kiri
Ō mātou kōrero tuku iho!
Ko te hunga mau moko mātou
E kore koe e mātau (e)
Te tikanga tāmoko
Kōrero tuku iho
Tāngata Mau Moko
Mohoao, makimaki, ao kōhatu, kōmuri Kao!
Kō wai mātou ē!
Ko nga tangata mau moko mātou e!
Ko te hunga Mau Moko
[English translation:]
For 60 years we fought for our tradition
An art nearly forgotten, our practice almost lost
The suppression of our tōhunga, suppressed by the crown
Our moko protected us from your hate
We are the people who wear moko
You don't understand
The story in our markings
The story of our ancestors
We are the people who wear moko
You displayed our skin as spectacle
We have taken back our tradition, revived by a criminal world
Your judging eyes try to hurt us
But our moko protects us from your hate
We are the people who wear moko
You don't understand
The story in our markings
The story of our ancestors
We are the people who wear moko
Wear moko
We are the people who wear moko
Restore our mana
Who are we!
We are the people who wear moko
You don't understand
The story in our markings
The story of our ancestors!
We are the people who wear moko
You don't understand
The story in our markings
The story of our ancestors
We are the people who wear moko
Savage, monkey, stone age, backwards No!
Who are we!
We are the people who wear moko
We are the people who wear moko
