‘E Pā To Hau’: philosophy and theory on dispossession, elimination, grief, trauma and settler colonialism in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

This article explores the waiata tangi (lament), commonly known as ‘E Pā To Hau.’ Written by Rangiamoa of Ngāti Apakura after the attrocities committed by British soldiers at Rangiaowhia. It seeks to describe settler colonialism in terms of elimination, greif and dispossession. It argues that the waiata understands these concepts in very deep ways. The research utilises Whakaaro Based Philsophy and method to dissect the waiata for its philosophy and theory. This is done by exploring the literature on waiata, haka, and cultural memory as indigenous text and analysing the famous waiata tangi (lament) by Rangiamoa called ‘E Pā To Hau’ that was written in the aftermath of Rangiaowhia. A background on the events at Rangiaowhia is provided. Theoretically, it outlines the case for refering to ‘settler colonialism’ as ‘invader colonialism’ and the relationship of remembering to resistence. It also supports the call for terming the events at Rangiaowhia a ‘war crime’ as recently discussed in the media.