The Bone People (71 page)

Wherahiko: We don't want to be left out, to sit ignored in the corner, but we might as well be. All the things

we've got to tell, years of love and life and hate. We'd be a good drink for them, a fullbodied mature wine,

and look at them! Overcome by fizzy pop, lollywater brew...

sweeping his eyes round, fierce as a hawk, over the grandchildren pile. Winking to Joe.

Marama: When they want to listen, they'll listen. We can't wake them up just to tell them our stories. They're

busy making their own. And in the meantime, my love, we've got each other,

sliding her plump arm closer, tighter.

Winking to Joe.

A wave of flat and heavy music drowns the homemade plunk and whine and chorus. Stereo blaring, ingots of

sound beating the ears, people stirring fukthisracket, louder louder LOUDER and someone bawls out and

somebody else switches it off. Ahhh, snore, snore, except for Timote, whimpering out of sleep.

Marama picks him up.

"Over there," she croons to Joe, "over there," cuddling the sleepy child quiet.

Here's the other one, his smile riddled by sleep, nearly out on his feet.

Pick him up, kiss him, give him goodnight.

The rangy black man, spruce in midnight velvet, steps to his side. He watches with a possessive love and

pride.

"Want to wish him sweet dreams?"

"Surely, man."

Sharing a look that is communion, black eyes to brown eyes, O we've all had a hand in this venture.

Stepping over more feet and busy bodies.

Sunflowers and seashells and logarithmic spirals (said Kerewin); sweep of galaxies and the singing curve of

the universe (said Kerewin); ,

the oscillating wave thrumming in the nothingness of every atom's heart (said Kerewin); did you think I could

build a square house?

So the round shell house holds them all in its spiralling embrace.

Noise and riot, peace and quiet, all is music in this sphere.

It's sweet to walk through it, looking for a calm place to put him to bed.

Yesterday afternoon, back I came, crowded round with strangers who had taken my invitation for hers, and

were too eager to recognise a mistake. My battleready Kerewin went down under the peaceflags. There's

herself, content in the long wordless embrace given by her mother. Herself pushed and pummelled and

hugged as though she were a child by all her tall brothers (he sniggers, watching as they duck and swerve

away from her return punches, all of them aware of how lethal a woman she is). Herself, propped against her

fat and comfortable moon-eyed sister, arms round each other's necks all good cheers and covered tears and

matey friendship.

Her grin to him is sharp and fanged.

"Gillayley, I'll get you for this."

"O yeah?" he replies. "Like how? I done you this one good turn and," turning, hearing the slipping step, "My God," his heart stopping.

"Ahh Jesus, no!" as the child comes creeping up beside, his face alight.

Stooping, weeping, cupping both hands about the small face, framing it, fingers spread back in a protective

flange for the thin bone cradle of his skull, "Ahh, Jesus yes!"

Now I'm the wordless one, what can I say?

Hupe nose and eyes dripping as though this is a tangi, not a return. So gather him up, gather him in, arms

tight full, and spin round and round and round in a giddy dance of ecstasy, aching with love to give,

smothered by love in return.

No sign of reproach.

The unlevel gaze is bright, brimming, but every time I look, the loveshine's there.

But ahh Ngakau....

In the early night, when it's still orderly, less of an orgy, Kerewin Plays. The child listens on the fringes, but

soon comes to her knee, leaning there, head down. His hair has regrown in fine straggling flakes and shades

his crooked face: silvery moon hair pressed against the dark body of the guitar as he strains to hear the high

notes Sing. Kerewin, used to it already, plays on unmoved. , "What have I done," whispering it, crushing

down his crying,

What have I done? I've taken away his music--"

O, not all of it," says Kerewin the stony.

There's memory in all the eyes round him, furtive glances that fake him, all saying, The quick light is

dimmed, the dancer's grace is gone. Damn you.

He endures all the hate. We can endure anything. We are toughened, different, an annealed steel, triple-

forged. But if I were alone--

Piri says,

"Give him here."

"No."

"Give."

The Tainuis are still wild. Liz punched Joe in the stomach first chance she got, and Piri looked the other way.

When she kept it up though, past the first wild swing, he said, "Lay off, miss. Smack her down, man."

"No," said Joe, "I understand why." Bending down to the furious little girl, breathing hurt and hard, "Liz, I am very sorry for it, but it's past. It's all over now." And he hopes the Tainuis will see, will learn, will agree.

Passing the boy carefully into Piri's arms, It's past, but we live with it forever. As Kerewin said, he's mainly

calm and good as bread. But, she added, you should've seen the performance at the copshop when I arrived...

wheeee'. Shaking her head at them both, spitting casually on her dandelions, Pah! Gillayleys, I dunno-- So

she had offered them both that unlikely gift, her name. As umbrella, as shelter, not as a binding. No sentiment

about it, says Kerewin, just good legal sense.

The cold-forged lady, aue!

"Ah sheeit..." coming through a wall, over the buzzzz and jingle of music and talk; only she has that

penetrating drawling way with swearwords, "I thought it was a berloody funny coffee bean."

"Lookit its little legs...."

"Nothing else left after going through the grinder... you like your coffee?"

Choke.

Luce glides up to them, elegantly dressed in katipo colours. Cool hand on Piri's shoulder, cool eyes on Simon

Clare, cool smile turned to see itself in Joe's eyes.

"Happy, Hohepa?"

"Yes, Luce." Get lost.

"With everything, cos? Every tiny thing?"

"No, Luce." Bugger off.

He stirs the silvergold hair with one cool finger. Not deep enough to touch the skull, enough to make his cool

cool point.

The gentleness goes from his tired son's eyes, and something iron and quick takes its place. The fingers veer

up into Luce's face, effoff. Right on, tama.

"Manners need mending too," lidded mean gaze turned back to Joe.

"Piss off, Luce," says Piri, handing the child back. Right on, Piri.

(But all the while, the old man while, instinct fought against my

clavicle and told me sin, hop in, the living water's warm. No way. Not that way ever again.)

"As the lady said, a hen is an egg's deeplaid plot to get itself more company."

There she goes out the door, weaving round and singing to herself, guitar slung over her shoulder, not seeing

us in the gloom.

Follow follow, we're the led, e tama?

and he nods to me, without a word being said. Out under the cold dimming stars, drawn on by her

moonshadow.

(Yesterday afternoon, I turned aside this way. "Excuse, I need a mimi please," the pack growing so heavy I was sure I would drop. But I have grown strong. I got out of sight, and the mauri, set down, sunk itself into

the hard ground. Or maybe the earth turned willing water beneath its touch. It vanished completely. But we

all came back to it, after the hoha died down, and each of us can feel where it is resting. A sort of pricket and

tremble in our gut.)

And there she stands, over the place, throwing away sparks of words. All to a sly fast-picked tune, the mead

reel, his dance, bringing out last steps to her.

O the spun shiny surface, mica and stars,

span: stand stunned reeling over night and mind, so far, no sand

or chance strange feeling blunts my eyes blind....

"You took a helluva long time coming--" Reaching out with one hand to join us, "Ka ao, ka ao, ka awatea--"

It is dawn, indeed it is dawn, and bright broad daylight braiding our home."

TE MUTUNGA -RANEITE

TAKE

Translation of Maori Words and Phrases

Aue=exclamation of dismay, or despair

Te Kaihau = lit. windeater. Can mean either wanderer or loafer

Tena koe=hello, greeting to one person

Raupo=a variety of weed Ngaio=a coastal tree

Pounamu = New Zealand jade, also called 'greenstone' Manuka = useful shrub, also called 'tea tree' Kia ora

koe=good health to you (singular)

Mere=a short flat weapon of stone (often greenstone) for hand to hand fighting. Other terms on this page (hei

matau, patu pounamu, kuru, marakihau etc are translated in text)

Hinatore=glow with an unsteady light, phosphorescent things in general

Pake = Simon pake means stubborn Simon E tama = son, kid, boy

E noho ki raro. Hupeke tou waewae=Sit down. Hold your foot

E whakama ana au ki a koe=I'm ashamed of you

Kei whea te rini=Where's the ring?

Kaua e tahae ano=Don't steal again

E korero Maori ana koe? = Do you speak Maori?

He iti iti noa iho taku mohio=O, I understand a bit

Ka pai=good, great, thanks mate etc.

E hoa = friend, mate etc

Nga 'bush = bush people, primitives Makutu, nei = hoodoo, eh?

Maoritanga = Maori culture, Maoriness

Ka whakapai au ki a koe mo tau atawhai = Thanks very

much for your kindness

Ka pai, e hoa = That's okay, mate

Na tou hoa = from your friend

qi

Kia ora korua = Good luck you two

Etnoe koe = Goodnight

Hongi = greeting or salutation by two people pressing noses

with each other

Pakeha = stranger, now used for a New Zealander of

European descent. Used here as an adjective, hence the lower

case.

Kaika = Ngai Tahu dialect for home, or village

Te Ao Hou = the new world, the shining world

Whakapapa = genealogies, family trees Rangatira= chiefly or noble person/people

Kina = sea-egg or sea urchin, delicious!

Puha/Puwha = edible weed

Pikopiko = fern, young fronds of which are edible

Kai moana = seafood Karengo = edible seaweed

Tena koutou katoa = greeting to more than two people Haere mail Nau mai! Haere mai! = a formal chant of

welcome Kei te pehea koe? = How're you?

Ae=yes

He puku mate, nei? = Crook stomach, eh?

E pai ana = also means, Thank you Muri iho = Later

E noho ra = Goodbye, said to the person(s) staying Haere ra = Goodbye, said to the person(s) going Pipi =

edible shellfish

Kete = basket, generally made of plaited or woven flax »

hine = woman or girl

Tika = right, appropriate, correct

Kahikatea = white pine, a beautiful native tree fond of swamps

Koromiko = useful tree if you've got a crook stomach or diarrhoea

Tine mauriora = lit. sneeze of life fig. I salute the breath of life in you, said at the beginning of formal

speeches; with hongi; or at times like this.

Taniwha = a mythical (?) water terror/monster

Tamaiti=child

Taku aroha ki a koe=I love you

Aroha=love

Utu = revenge

Ka nui taku mate=I'm really sick

Anana=exclamation of surprise

Mimi = piss

Kawau pateketeke, K. paka, K. tuawhenua, K. tui=all kinds

of shag Haere mai = as well as a greeting, this phrase means Come

here

Pupu = edible green snail, also called a catseye Taipo = demon, night goblin (a word of dubious origin)

Arohanui = much love Paua = succulent marine univalve Terakihi, hapuku = delicious fishes

Tangihanga = funeral, and the ceremonies connected with it Marae = a place for gathering, to learn, to

mourn, teach, welcome and rejoice

E tama, ka aha ra koe? = O child, what will become of you? Ae, ko te pono tena = Yes, that's the exact truth

Iwi kaupeka, nei = would you believe, "Funny skinny legs"? Lit. legs - like sticks

Hui = gathering

Hori = lit. George. Used by Maori among themselves in a jocular fashion but is an insult when used by an

unfriendly Pakeha

Ponaturi = rather nasty mythical beings who sleep on land but live undersea

Pi Ta = in this case it translates as shitty nestling

Ka Tata Te Po = Night is Near

Hokioi = unknown (and maybe legendary) kind of bird

The song the ghost sings is an old lullaby and translates roughly as "O child, winterborn, ascend/rise up and

join your forbears in the heavens"

Hapu = next tribal division down from 'iwi'

E nga iwi! Mo wai tenei? = O people! Who is this for?

Tukutuku/poupou=forms of wall decoration Rimu, rimu, tere tere e=lines from a popular song, "Seaweed,

seaweed, drifting, drifting...

Korero=talk, argument

Haere mai ki te kai! = Come and get it! lit. come here for the

food!

He aha koa iti, he pounamu = although it's little, it's jade

Koha=gift

Tenei mo Haimona=This is for Simon

Mere-mere=Venus the evening star

Tapu=can mean forbidden in a secular sense Taipa=Keep quiet

Ngakaukawa, kei te ora taku ngakau. E noho mai = Bitter heart, you heal my heart. Stay here

Kaumatua = an elder/elders

Huhu=NZ's largest beetle, in some areas symbolic of Death

He aha tou mate? = What's wrong with you?/Where is your sickness?

Ka maharatia tenei I ahau e ora ana=I shall remember it as long as I live

He tika tonu ano tena = That is natural, that's the right thing (to do)

Tutu = a useful shrub, to be used with extreme care E taku hine=o my girl, o my woman

Papa=the name of Earth herself; Rangi=the Sky-father Ki a koe, Rehua! = To you, Rehua!