"Raupatu" (English: "Confiscated") is a

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

song by New Zealand thrash metal band

Alien Weaponry Alien Weaponry is a New Zealand metal band from Waipu, formed in Auckland in 2010. The band consists of drummer Henry de Jong, guitarist Lewis de Jong, and since August 2020, bass player Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds. All three members have Māori a ...

. Released as a single in early 2017, it won the Maioha Award at the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Awards.

Background and composition

The song, along with many of the band's early releases, are based on discussions the de Jong brothers had with their father, as he discussed their

whakapapa Genealogy is a fundamental principle in Māori culture, termed specifically in this context as ''whakapapa'' (, , lit. 'layering'). Reciting one's '' whakapapa'' proclaims one's identity among the Māori, places oneself in a wider context, and ...

during car journeys. The song discusses the

New Zealand land confiscations The New Zealand land confiscations took place during the 1860s to punish the Māori King Movement, Kīngitanga movement for attempting to set up an alternative Māori people, Māori form of government that forbade the selling of land to European ...

of the 1800s in the

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...

and

Taranaki Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the ...

regions, the chiefs who resisted these confiscations, and

tino rangatiratanga ' is a Māori language term that translates literally to 'highest chieftainship' or 'unqualified chieftainship', but is also translated as "absolute sovereignty" or "self-determination". It is central to Māori political aspirations. Many Mā ...

kāwanatanga ''Kāwanatanga'' is a word in the Māori language of New Zealand, derived from the English word "governor". ''Kāwanatanga'' was first used in the Declaration of Independence of New Zealand, 1835. ''Kāwanatanga'' reappeared in 1840 in Article ...

and sovereignty. The song features an excerpt from ''Te Tiriti o Waitangi'', the Māori language version of the 1840

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

, which discusses sovereignty in different terms to how it is expressed in the English language document. The song was produced by Tom Larkin of the New Zealand band

Shihad Shihad were a Rock music, rock band formed in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1988. The band consisted of founders Tom Larkin (musician), Tom Larkin (drums, backing vocals, samplers), Phil Knight (lead guitar, synthesiser, backing vocals) and Jon To ...

, and was recorded at Roundhead Studios in Auckland, New Zealand

Release

The song was first released on the band's

BandCamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

store on 31 January 2017, with the song's music video being released a day later. The song had a wider release across most digital platforms on 6 February, to coincide with

Waitangi Day Waitangi Day (, the national day of New Zealand, marks the anniversary of the initial signing—on 6 February 1840—of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Treaty of Waitangi was an agreement towards British sovereignty by representatives of the The Cr ...

Reception

"Raupatu" had a strong response online, and was one of the reasons the band was noticed internationally. The song won the Maioha Award at the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Awards, celebrating music released in Te Reo Māori. During the ceremony, the song was covered by

taonga pūoro Taonga pūoro are the traditional musical instruments of the Māori people of New Zealand. The instruments previously fulfilled many functions within Māori society including a call to arms, dawning of the new day, communications with the gods ...

musicians

Ariana Tikao Ariana Rahera Tikao (born 1971) is a New Zealand singer, musician and author. Her works explore her identity as a Kāi Tahu woman and her music often utilises taonga pūoro (traditional Māori musical instruments). Notably, she co-composed the ...

, James Webster, Alistair Fraser, and

Horomona Horo Horomona Horo (born 1978) is a New Zealand Māori musician and composer. He is a practitioner of taonga pūoro, the collective term for the traditional musical instruments of the Māori, which include an array of flutes, trumpets and percussive ...

Tracklist

*Digital download #"Raupatu" – 3:37 #"PC Bro" – 3:46

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the '' Tū'' album booklet. Alien Weaponry *Henry De Jong – drums, backing vocals *Lewis De Jong – guitars, lead vocals *Ethan Trembath – bass, backing vocals Production * Tom Larkin – production *Alien Weaponry – songwriting *Paddy Hill – recording *Scott Seabright – recording

References

{{Authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs APRA Award winners Thrash metal songs Songs in Māori New Zealand songs