When visitors first enter a marae, a Māori meeting house, the first thing they hear is a karanga. For Māori people this call, issued only by women, is a sacred expression of welcome that provides the medium by which the living and dead of the visitors may cross the physical space to unite with the living and dead of the people who belong to the marae.
The kai-karanga (the woman making the karanga) sounds as though she is wailing or performing a stylized lament. It is deeply spiritual, and the responsibility she holds for her entire hapu (sub-tribe) is expressed through her call.
