Ariana Tikao

Ko Kāi Tahu te iwi
Ko Kāti Irakehu te hapū
Ko Te Pātaka a Rākaihautū te rohe
Ko Ariana Tikao ahau

Hākui is such a heart-warming kaupapa to be working on with my beautiful whanauka Kelly and dear friend Bob, alongside other whanauka, and the Kāi Tahu midwifery community.

In 1998 I was hapū with my daughter Matahana in Tāmaki-makaurau, and was lucky to have Derna Trifilo as my midwife, who brought  a strong knowledge of te ao Māori into her practice, including the gifts of mirimiri and rokoā. I transferred halfway through my hapūtaka to the Homebirth Midwives in Ōtautahi and was lucky again to have Julie Richards as my midwife, who was supportive of anything Māori that we wanted to include. My husband Ross and I were exploring ways to bring tikanga Māori into our birthing, and an important component of this was oriori. Ross recited an excerpt of an oriori for the births of Matahana and her brother Tama-te-ra.

Not long after, I started writing waiata associated with pēpi and motherhood. This became the Whaea album, which was both a creative expression and a resource for others. My tamariki are now young adults, and I feel so grateful to contribute to this resource for Kāi Tahu whānau, and others who might wish to sing their pēpi into the world or to utilise some of the other birthing practices our tīpuna have left for us. Nei rā te mihi maiohā!