Kai Kai

from MOAI Project by Enrique Plazaola

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about

A popular game of the Rapa Nui was Kai Kai – a thread game. The thread – or taking game – was played by two players of which one took the thread of the other to spread it between his hands in different ways. This way, new shapes such as houses, humans, birds etc. were developed. Kai Kai was used to tell stories in Rapa Nui and pass them on to the next generation.

The thread game is spread across the globe. When and how it arrived at Easter Island is unknown.

lyrics

Verse I
Do you remember Kia Kia, Amo Moenga, Oho Hero?
Do you remember all of those figures and of all those stories too?
Let us play kai kai, let us play kai kai.
Foot and hand, then hand and foot, let me hear the Native Rhythm
spread your fingers, come on girl Hakahiti (show) just for me,
let us play kai kai, let us play kai kai.

Let us start the game Oho, to keep it in mind.

Verse II
Use your lips, and teeth, and toes, show us the next picture
do you remember all of those melodies and Pata’u ta’u?
let us play kai kai, let us play kai kai.

Let us start the game

Chorus
I want to understand the deeper meaning of this poetry,
I want to learn more about this old forgotten vocabulary.
Just one finger on the top and another underneath
a connection to this invisible world,
Just one finger on the top and another underneath
That´s the way to tell the story and fix the words.

Come on little girl let us keep the legend alive
and bring the past to the present now

Pata’u ta u
Kia-Kia Kia-Kia
tari ra u ku-mara
i te ehu-ehu
i te ka pua pua
ya ya te ahi
turo kia kia
ha vea vea
ire kate manu
ha ha ha ha
vere taku kava
ina a va i o te e

credits

from MOAI Project, released April 1, 2017
Enrique Plazaola (voc, keys), Benny Mokross (dr), Klaus Samusch (b), Günther Holtmann (ukulele), Laura Gruhn Ferreira (voc), Sophia Steding (voc)

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about

Enrique Plazaola Jerez, Spain

I was born on the 6th of December 1966 in Göttingen, Germany. My father was a German, my mother is Chilean. With the age of 7, I began to take me first instrumental lessons – at first the accordeon, later the piano. Later I studied at the university of Dortmund, took lessons for the jazz piano with Julius Styczinski and in arrangement with Betin Günes. ... more