Poi E - Patea Maori Club (1982)
The 1980s were a funny time in NZ. After more than a century of actively suppressing it the govt & mainstream society began embracing the indigenous culture. It's come a long way since then & still has a way to go. Most of the land & resource rights have been settled now & Maori language (Te Reo) is being taught in school whereas before the 1980s it was prohibited with capital punishment for any kid who dared speak it in class. Reversing settler-colonialism takes a really long time & is full of hurdles.
In 1984, Poi E reached No 1 in NZ and broke every musical record. It remained in the charts for 34 weeks, outselling 'Thriller' & every other hit of 1984. Poi E was the first and still the only Number 1 song written entirely in Maori. It's a timeless classic in NZ & always goes off at parties. Kia Kara-France walked out to it @ the UFC last weekend.
Pois are those things they're twirling, originally invented for keeping warrior's wrists limber. These days they're used mostly by females as part of Maori song/dance routines.
