Social Studies: Parihaka: Tim Finn & The Herbs

Hi there!

This blog post is about Parihaka, and the song sung by Tim Finn & The Herbs called Parihaka.

Here is a video of 'Parihaka': 

Here are the lyrics to 'Parihaka':

My friend, My friend, I hate to see you suffer,

Events conspire to bring us to our knees,

My friend, my friend, you've taken this the wrong way, 

Rise up, defend yourself, never give in,

Look to the sky, the spirit of Te Whiti,

The endless tide is murmuring his name. 

I know Te Whiti will never be defeated,

And even at the darkest hour,

His presence will remain.

I'll sing to you the song of Parihaka.

Te Whiti he used the language of the spirit,

Then stood accused, the madman and his dream,

He saw the train go roaring through the tunnel,

He heard the voice travel on the magic wire,

But he loved the silence of the river,

He watched the dog piss on the cannon's wheel.

I know Te Whiti will never be defeated,

And even at the darkest hour,

His presence will remain.

I'll sing to you the song of Parihaka.

One day you'll know the truth,

They can't pull out the roots,

Come and take me home,

To weep for my lost brother.

They gather still, the clouds of Taranaki,

His children's children wearing the white plume,

So take me for the sins of these sad islands,

The wave still breaks on the rock of Rouhotu.

And when you taste the salt that's on your pudding,

And when you taste the sugar in your soup,

Think of Te Whiti, he'll never be defeated,

Even at the darkest hour,

His presence will remain,

I'll sing for you the song of Parihaka,

Come to Parihaka,

Weep for my lost brother,

The spirit of nonviolence,

Has come to fill the silence, Come to Parihaka.

What is the main message of this song?

The main message of the song is that the people of Parihaka won't be forgotten, specifically Te Whiti. It says that Te Whiti's presence will stay forever, murmured by the endless tide. 

What line explains their passive resistance method?

The line which explains that Te Whiti and his followers used passive resistance is 'The spirit of nonviolence'.

What does 'you can't pull out the roots' refer to?

It means that the events that occurred in Parihaka can't and should not be forgotten or covered up to be made insignificant. 

Give evidence of their determination

The people of Parihaka showed determination by being peaceful towards the 1600 troops who surrounded their village. They also showed determination by ploughing land to plant crops and taking marking pegs out of the ground where British surveyors came to map land for British settlement on and around the land of Parihaka. 

How does this song show the significance of Parihaka?

This song shows that Parihaka was a significant event because it talks about how the people of Parihaka and Te Whiti decided to be peaceful while others destroyed their land. It basically says Te Whiti was a great leader whose actions and decisions were ones to be remembered and that even though Te Whiti may be dead his spirit will live on forever and that he will never be defeated.  

What makes an event significant?

An event becomes significant if it results in change over time for lots of people. 

How many people are affected?

The thousands of people who were lived in Parihaka were affected, so were some of their descendants. 

 

How long were people affected?

People were affected by what happened for many many years. In fact, people are still affected today. 

To what extent were people affected?

People lost their homes, their freedom, their land, their village and their family, so people were very deeply affected.

Here is a map about Parihaka & other two other events regarding passive resistance:

Thanks for reading!