Tama ngakau marie

Tama ngakau marie (‘Son of a peaceful heart’). Traditional Maori hymn. Neither the author nor the composer of this Maori hymn and melody have been traced, though the text is actually a free paraphrase of ‘Jesu, meek and gentle’* by George Rundle Prynne* (1818-1903). Among Maori it is often sung at a funeral or commemorative service, but it was also adopted as a troop song by the Maori Battalion serving with the New Zealand forces in the Second World War. As a song common to both Maori and Pakeha culture it is often sung on ceremonial and ritual occasions. It has been frequently recorded as an example of Maori religious music, performed by school and other choirs and given orchestral and...