Cry the Wounded Land

Cry the Wounded Land  was written in collaboration with Hinekoia Tomlinson, who contributed the kupu (lyrics) and karanga of this work. Hinekoia’s lyrics are a response to Mark Holloway's book from which the work takes its name, recalling the fraught colonial history of Aotearoa from the perspective of the earth as it mourns the spilt blood of her children. This is the primary perspective from which I composed this piece. However, it was during the composing of this work that a terrorist attack occured in my hometown of Christchurch, taking the lives of 51 Muslims on March 15th, 2019. Suddenly the piece took on another significant meaning - it was no longer just about grieving the harm inflicted upon tangata whenua (the indigenous people of Aotearoa), but the continued violence towards Muslims and other immigrants who now call Aotearoa home. The piece expanded to become a ‘wake-up call’ and reminder of New Zealand’s history. The blood of many victims continues to cry out from the ground, and will forever be a part of our history – they must not be silenced or forgotten.