traditional knowledge conference 2008 te tatau pounamu

And they took our tribal land rights because they said we wasn’t hereand the land grab was a killing thing with us against the flowtill they beat us and confined us and filled us full of fearwith a story of terra nullius we were crippled with nowhere else to go.It’s a lie we know for sure in its Christian sort of thingand they educate themselves in the lies the priest has toldbut they believe it as a glory from the spirit of their kingfor his power is protected by the lies that came from old.Now it’s easy enough to see, well it is to you and me,that the Old Men’s system has bled them dry.As we look they embrace it ’cause it’s strong for them to beand it gives them power over land they make to die.For the lie they still ignore is our terror with a pricea terra nullius sort of thing that can’t see black,for their embrace holds them tight, as if it were a vice,and they believe it’s the only way to hold us back.For the thing that holds their thinking is a system made by themlike a bottle full of history and a story full of mudfor it hides their crimes against us to be sure we can’t condemntheir values of indulgence and the money smeared with blood.And it holds them to a cost beyond their minds of what they dowith their endless rape of our Great Mother and the plunder of our lands.So you see, bro, they still educate they’re right in what they dowhile they defend themselves against our cries and our demands.And they’re taking a lot of our mob with them as they climb their ivory towertill together they’re like waves scrambling madly on the shoalswhile we watch them jump and tumble for white money and its powerfor this power gives them status while the whiteys’ own their souls.So there it is, Old Co, and we know their greed won’t do them goodfor our Great Mother will take control in a sorry end.So we do what we do until our spirits are understoodfor there’s no way we’re joining this mob round the bend.We got a job that ain’t got space for the way these fellows head.It’s a picture, don’t you reckon, with a sad and bitter showan’ the devil these fellows pray to will come to claim the deadbut our Great Mother is the power that’ll take them when they go.Yeah, bro, it’s easy enough to see, well it is to you and me,why white fellows do their thing wrong way round.But when their devil goes a running they’ll really come to seethe final price will be their end and no tears from us will flow.So take heed, Old Co, that we do our things in a strong and pure wayAnd we always live with the way she has made for us to growAnd hold no sorrow and shed no tears for the way they end their daycause we told them for two hundred years, but they didn’t wanna know.94