Specific waiata sung to pēpi while in the whare tangata of their hākui (womb) are known as oriori. These chants were performed by our tīpuna for labouring whānau and can also be recited during a child’s upbringing, or to observe the death of a child, according to scholar Amster Reedy. Oriori would begin at conception, and sometimes to help whānau conceive. They can be used to soothe the labouring person as a form of pain relief, and they can also be sung to lull the pēpi to sleep.

Below you can hear examples of oriori which are separated into those for pēpi and their whānau, as well as those for whānau of pēpi who didn’t make it into this realm or were with their whānau for a short time, eg. by miscarriage or stillbirth.