Which types of chants and songs were preserved in Maori musical traditions?

Maori musical traditions have preserved a rich variety of chants and songs, which are deeply connected to performance, gesture, and cultural heritage. These traditions are generally classified by their function and textual content.12

Songs (Waiata)

• Waiata tangi: Laments for the dead or for other forms of loss and misfortune.12
• Waiata aroha: Songs expressing love, including affection for kin, place, or romantic partners.12
• Waiata whaiaaipo: Songs of courtship or praise for a beloved.1
• Oriori: Lullabies or songs composed for children of high lineage to teach them their heritage.12
• Pao: Songs centered on gossip.1
• Poi: Songs that accompany rhythmic dances performed with balls attached to flax strings.1

Chants and Recitations

• Karakia: Incantations used to invoke protective or assisting powers.12
• Haka: Chants accompanied by rhythmic movements, stamping, and fierce gestures, often associated with war dances.12
• Paatere: Chants used by women to rebut slander, assert high lineage, and address detractors.12
• Kaioraora: Chants expressing intense hatred or abuse toward an enemy.1
• Karanga: A form between song and chant, performed by women to welcome or farewell visitors on the marae.1