A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree
Kingi Ihaka was born at Te Kao, Northland, in 1921. His great-grandfather, Paraone Ngaruhe, signed the Treaty of Waitangi. Kingi’s father was a prominent Anglican, a qualified interpreter, and a friend of Sir Apirana Ngata.
Many many years ago, I was a bridesmaid for my aunt. She got married in the Anglican Church at Tikitiki. In my teenage years I simply remember the exquisitely carved maori motifed altar. I got to contemplate it’s beauty and intricacy for quite a while that day because the service was so long. High church long where I got to see it up close and personal for what felt like an eternity.
My company that day, had I been more disposed to being impressed by it were all the ‘top brass’ from the Anglican Church including former New Zealand Governor General, Sir Paul Reeves. As it happened I already knew him from my Confirmation days when he was the Archbishop of Waiapu.
Yes, I was an ‘angel face’, sobriquet for an Anglican! Back then, you were either that or a Press Button (Presbyterian) or a Catholic. As a kid Sir Paul always struck me as being particularly measured in the way he spoke. Always intentional so as not to friviously place words in a conversation that had no reason for being there in the first place. That fascinated me about him.
As cosmic intervention would have it, I got to sit next to Kingi all day. It was a bit like sitting next to a box of unexploded dynamite actually. As a teenager, it was kind of unnerving. All these years later, all I can recall about my meeting him was the rather incredulous look of disbelief that played across his face.
He couldn’t seem to believe that I didn’t know who he was. It was a strange assumption really! I was a kid afterall. I was never really given to hanging out with high church ‘angel faces’. It’s strange to be thinking about that time now but in 1981, Kingi wrote ‘Pukeko in a Ponga Tree’.
It was like a New Zealand version of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’. The ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ carol had its roots in 18th-century England, as a memory-and-forfeit game sung by British children. In the game, players had to remember all of the previous verses and add a new verse at the end. Those unable to remember a verse paid a forfeit, in the form of a kiss or a piece of candy to the others. One theory, however, connects the carol to the era when Catholicism was outlawed in England, from 1558 and 1829.
The carol, it was said, was a catechism song for Catholics to learn “the tenets of their faith,” as they could not openly practice it in an Anglican society. While many still hold the idea of a coded hymn to be true, there’s no substantive evidence that this was the case, nor was there any evidence that the verses contained anything uniquely Catholic.
Kingi’s ‘Pukeko in a Ponga tree’ went like this:
Days 1 to 3
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a pukeko in a ponga tree. On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two kumara and a pukeko in a ponga tree. On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me three flax kites, two kumara and a pukeko in a ponga tree.
Days 4 to 6
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me four huhu grubs, three flax kites, two kumara and a pukeko in a ponga tree. On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me five big fat pigs, four huhu grubs, three flax kites, two kumara and a pukeko in a ponga tree. On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me six pois a twirling, five big fat pigs, four huhu grubs, three flax kites, two kumara and a pukeko in a ponga tree.
Days 7 to 9
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me seven eels a swimming, six pois a twirling, five big fat pigs, four huhu grubs, three flax kites, two kumara and a pukeko in a ponga tree. On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me eight plants of puha, seven eels a swimming, six pois a twirling, five big fat pigs, four huhu grubs, three flax kites, two kumara and a pukeko in a ponga tree. On the nineth day of Christmas my true love gave to me nine sacks of pipis, eight plants of puha, seven eels a swimming, six pois a twirling, five big fat pigs, four huhu grubs, three flax kites, two kumara and a pukeko in a ponga tree
Days 10 to 12
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me ten juicy fish heads, nine sacks of pipis, eight plants of puha, seven eels a swimming, six pois a twirling, five big fat pigs, four huhu grubs, three flax kites, two kumara and a pukeko in a ponga tree. On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me eleven haka lessons, ten juicy fish heads, nine sacks of pipis, eight plants of puha, seven eels a swimming, six pois a twirling, five big fat pigs, four huhu grubs, three flax kites, two kumara and a pukeko in a ponga tree. On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me twelve piu pius swinging, eleven haka lessons, ten juicy fish heads, nine sacks of pipis, eight plants of puha, seven eels a swimming, six pois a twirling, five big fat pigs, four huhu grubs, three flax kites, two kumara and a pukeko in a ponga tree.
I’m reminded in the lead up to Christmas that like this song and the Dick Frizzell illustration on the front cover, Kingi’s is and was a colourful expression of his personality and his Maori heritage. I met Dick over at a Gallery Opening in Haumoana recently, he’s a pretty colourful character too. I spied the book on Mede’s bookshelf the last time I’d visited her in Auckland. She inherited it from her older brother, he got it when he was barely two, he’s twenty-two now. Time flies. Two more sleeps.
