A selection of modern poi made by Āwhina Twomey. Photo / Āwhina Twomey
A selection of modern poi made by Āwhina Twomey. Photo / Āwhina Twomey
My brother sent me a video in February of his 10-month-old baby, Nate, standing by their cat-stand, swinging the cat stand's ball around. The subtitle on the bottom said, "Aunty, this boy needs a poi!"
Having made all our whānau poi to play with as babies, I found him a spare one.
The next day a new video arrived. Pure joy radiated from Nate's face as he swung his body and poi in good time to the Pātea Māori Club song Poi E! It was an infectious delight to watch.
My mum was the kapa haka tutor at Kiwi Street School from 1969 to 1983 and taught anyone interested how to sing and perform waiata ā-ringa (action songs), tītītōrea (stick game/rākau), haka and poi; single short, double short, single long and double long. Everyone loved it.
I would like to see all tamariki (children) at preschool and primary school given poi.
Years ago now, when my tamariki were at a local mainstream primary school, one came home doing some new exercises the teacher said were crossovers, to help develop their motor skills and encourage brain development and agility.
I got their poi out and showed them that Māori had been doing crossovers for centuries, using poi, tītītōrea and other 'games'.
Poi raupō made by Pip Devonshire (Ngāti Manomano, Ngāti Te Au). Photo / Āwhina Twomey
Stereotypers will think poi are for girls!
But poi waeroa (long poi) were traditionally weighted and used by males to develop a range of skills, to develop strength, to promote suppleness and conditioning in the wrists and arms, qualities required to wield long and short handed weaponry.
Typically made from harakeke (NZ flax) and raupo (bullrush), they were sometimes filled with rocks. This weight provided the whole arm workout required and gave enough incentive to get the movements correct. They could also be thrown at toa (warriors) who would practise evading them.
The shape, length and materials used have changed through the years to accommodate new resources, artistic flair and to make them fit for the purpose required. Hence, short poi were developed for the entertainment industry; which also saw colour co-ordinated handles and round plastic covered heads introduced. The traditional shape of the poi head is oblong.
Poi are included in many taonga puoro (musical instrument) kits, their value as a percussion instrument is easy to see and hear. Poi piu, made with dried harakeke strands, accentuate the percussion sound and they helped to condition the lower arm and hands against a strike in battle.
So, poi have physical and mental 'scientifically-backed crossover' values, poi are not just for females, poi are fabulous as a percussion instrument, poi are affordable and can be styley or personalised, poi increase social interaction and team spirit. Adopted by millions around the world, poi bring so much enjoyment to so many people – so why are they so undervalued here in Aotearoa?
Two poi raupō made by Pip Devonshire (Ngāti Manomano, Ngāti Te Au) and a poi piu made by Āwhina Twomey. Photo / Āwhina Twomey
Our newest Whanganui personality, 11-year-old Īhaka Whanarere, is a self-professed lover of poi. During lockdown, he set himself a challenge – to learn and present a poi a day on Facebook from various groups around Aotearoa; he even does requests! His Day Four video has 122,000 views.
He has been on The Good Morning Show, What Now and has had two national TV news interviews. He has an Instagram and Tik-Tok following, and almost 6000 avid followers at Tama Poi on Facebook, one of which commented, "Everyday bringing joy to the world!"
This is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori and so I'll finish by correcting a wide-spread mistake related to poi. Simply, there is no 's'. I have a poi (correct); I have two poi (correct); I have 50 poi (correct); I have two pois (incorrect).
Poi to the world = Joy to the world. Let's embrace it.
