He kākano Ahau

He kākano ahau
I ruia mai i Rangiātea
E kore au e ngaro
He kākano mai i Rangiātea
Mai i ngā tīpuna, ngā rangatira
He kākano ahau


Ki hea rā au e hītekiteki ana
Ka mau tonu i ahau ōku tikanga
Tōku reo, tōku ohooho
Tōku reo, tōku māpihi maurea
Tōku whakakai mārihi
He reo rangatira
He rākai ātaahua
He rākai ātaahua


Ka tū ana ahau
Ka ūhia au e ōku tīpuna
Ka tū kaha tonu ahau
Kia kite koutou i tōku mana
He mana tauā nō onamata
He mōrehu ahau


Ki hea rā au e hītekiteki ana
Ka mau tonu i ahau ōku tikanga
Tōku reo, tōku oho-oho,
Tōku reo, tōku māpihi maurea
Tōku whakakai marihi
He reo rangatira
He rākai ātaahua


He kākano ahau
I ruia mai i Rangiātea
E kore au e ngaro
He kākano, mai i Rangiātea
Mai i ngā tīpuna ngā rangatira
He kākano ahau (Repeat till end)

In 2001 Hōhepa was contacted by Phil Fuemana a music producer to work on a TV production ‘He Manu Tioriori’. Initially he turned down the offer to work with the programme saying he didn’t know anything about Hip Hop music.

Phil not giving up easily came to Masterton and stayed with Hōhepa for 2 weeks and asked everyday until he gave in and soon was on a plane to Auckland.

Originally he was contracted to do vocal training with the 12 taiohi. Two other contracts followed one to teach the group a pākeha song and then to teach a Māori song. Him being a self professed cheapskate secured both contracts at once by writing a song that was half in English and half in Te Reo Māori. He sold it to the producers as giving the ability for the group to move between both languages. The producers loved the song and asked for it to be recorded on the ‘Āria’ CD. The waiata was recorded by all 12 taiohi in the full group not just those who beame ‘Āria’. The waiata was recorded in the matress room at Te Tokanganui a noho Marae in Te Kuiti. At the time of recording it was like a phenomina, Hōhepa says “everyone in the room was crying, sound crew, camera crew and the kids”. Later one of the taiohi asked why he didn’t cry she then said “ I know why, it’s because you are Tuhoe”. Hōhepa’s email address was printed on the CD cover and when it was released he received a huge influx of emails from all over the world from the UK, America, other countries too where Māori lived, all spilling their life story to him in their messages.

His conclusion was that even thought the waiata was about him, establishing his historical connection, importance of identity. He realized that it wasn’t just him who needed to be reassured. One particular email he received was from a wāhine whose brother had committed suicide. She explained that he took his own life because he couldn’t find his place in his whanau and in society. She believed that has he heard ‘He Kākāno’ he would still be alive.

Upon settling back in Wairarapa he wrote a version of the waiata totally in Te Reo Māori and taught it to Whānau Whānui”