In this clip from the 1974 documentary Tahere Tikitiki – the making of a Māori canoe, Piri Poutapu, tohunga and master carver of the Waikato people, recites a karakia upon selecting a tree to build a waka at the behest of the Māori queen Te Ātairangikaahu. Karakia are forms of incantations which are closely related to other traditional compositions. Māori composers could be experts in karakia and waiata, and would draw from them when creating their own compositions. The documentary was narrated by journalist Harry Dansey, of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Te Arawa.
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