Award-winning singer/songwriter Maisey Rika has sung a heartfelt rendition of an Italian waiata in honour of her koroua Tommy Rika to mark Anzac Day in Aotearoa.
Maisey says Lili Marleen is a song her koroua brought back with him from Italy where he had served with B Company of the 28 (Māori) Battalion and would often sing to his whānau.
"I roto i tō mātou whānau he momo tāonga tuku iho. Ka whakaakongia ki āna tamariki, i reira mātou ngā mokopuna e whakarongo ana ki a mātou mātou mātua e waiata ana. Ko tēnei tētahi o ngā tino waiata nā te mea i kawea mai i te pakanga."
(This song is very much a treasure within our whānau. Our koroua, Tommy, taught all of his kids this song and us grandkids would listen to our parents singing it. It is one of our favourite songs of his because he brought back with him from the war.)
Rika translated one of the verses into te reo Māori, bringing together the two languages and cultures together again, as they did more than 80 years ago when the Māori Battalion fought against Italian and German soldiers during the war. The song was originally based on a German poem and became popular on both sides of the war in German and English.
"He mea tuia i tō mātou whānau ki tērā takiwā o te ao, ki Itāria. Ka hoki ngā mahara ki te whānau, kua roa mātou e noho wehewehe ana nō reira, i tēnei waiata ka kati ngā karu ka hoki ngā mahara ki te whare o Pāpā, ki tērā tino koroua."
(It connects our whānau to that part of the world, to Italy. This song brings back memories of our whānau, it has been a long time since we were all together, so when I sing this song and close my eyes I remember his whare, and that very special koroua.)
Continuing to sing the songs brought back from war and the composition of new songs and haka as seen as recently as this year's Te Matatini to remember the sacrifices of koroua will keep those stories alive for future generations, Rika says.
"Ka parakihitihi māua ko taku teina ka rongo a māua tamariki. I rongo ahau i taku tama e waiata ana, ahakoa e hē ngā kupu, e rere tonu ana tērā waiata i roto i tō mātou whānau."
(When my brother and I practise this song our children hear it as well. I heard my son singing along the other day, even though the words were slightly wrong, it shows it is alive still within the whānau.)
