Earth Turns

Words for settling by Lisa Maule (2024)

Wind moves the leaves of the trees

Birds call to each other

Earth turns, tumbles and slides

Storms sweep mountains

We share our breath

We share our histories

We share the breath of

great grandparents and

their parents parents

We share our heartbeats

We are ancestors too

Water flows through valleys

through heavens

through creatures on the seabed

Water flows through us

We breathe in we dance it rains

We breathe out vapour and music

Earth turns, tumbles and slides

Stars glimmer in the dark sky

We breathe in we smile

We breathe out warmth and rhythm

‘Earth Turns’ is a version of a karakia, an incantation from Te Ao Māori. It was written by Lisa Maule wrote it so as a Pākehā, non-Māori person, she had something in the English language that fulfilled the same function she experienced with karakia in the Māori language. She says: “The intention is to draw people together in a moment of transition, so we can breathe together and be together. ‘Earth Turns’ is words for settling.”

License: CC BY 4.0

Lisa has donated these words to to the Creative Commons for anyone to use in any way.

Like a karakia they can be shared to mark the beginning or the end of an event.