Karakia for Tangihanga: Prayers and Chants at a Māori Funeral

When someone dies in te ao Māori, karakia are not optional extras — they are the spiritual infrastructure that holds the entire tangihanga together. Every transition, from the moment of death through to the final cleansing of the home, is marked by specific prayers and chants that protect the living, honour the deceased, and guide the wairua (spirit) safely on its journey.

If you are helping plan a tangihanga and wondering which karakia happen when, here is the practical sequence.

Tuku Wairua: Releasing the Spirit

The first karakia is performed in the moments after death. The tuku wairua is performed by a kaumātua, kuia, or kaikarakia (minister) to ease the spirit's departure from the physical body. Whānau believe the wairua lingers near the tūpāpaku in these early moments, sensitive to its surroundings and vulnerable to distress.

In a hospital setting, staff are expected to pause clinical routines so the whānau can lead this prayer. At home, the family contacts elders promptly while also following the required medical and administrative steps. The tuku wairua addresses the spiritual safety of both the departed and those present.

Karakia During the Tangihanga

Once the tūpāpaku arrives at the marae, karakia weave through every stage of the multi-day process:

• Pōwhiri (welcome): The karanga — a ceremonial call performed exclusively by women — opens the space for visiting groups to enter. Its origins trace to the mythological journey of Tawhaki, where the piercing call of his mother Urutonga guided him safely through darkness. At a tangihanga, the karanga serves the same function: creating a spiritual pathway between the living and the dead.

• Whaikōrero (formal speeches): Orators address the tūpāpaku directly in the second person, as though the deceased is sitting upright, fully capable of hearing. These speeches are interspersed with waiata tautoko (songs of support) and may include the well-known proverb Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui-a-Tāne — a mighty tōtara tree in the great forest of Tāne has fallen.

• Overnight vigil: Karakia mark the opening and closing of each night the whānau pani keeps watch beside the tūpāpaku. The body is never left alone from death to burial, and prayers maintain the protective boundary of tapu around it.

• Nehu (burial): Final karakia and laments accompany the tūpāpaku to the urupā. Prayers are recited as the body is lowered into the ground, and again as mourners wash their hands at the cemetery exit to remove the tapu of death.

Whakanoa: The Cleansing Karakia

After the burial, the transition from tapu back to noa (the ordinary, safe state) requires its own set of prayers. The most significant is the takahi whare — a house-cleansing ceremony where a minister or tohunga walks through every room of the deceased's home, sprinkling water and chanting specific karakia to desanctify the space.

Without this cleansing, the whānau cannot safely cook, eat, or sleep in the dwelling. The same principle applies at the urupā gate, where all attendees sprinkle water over their hands and heads before stepping back into everyday life.

Who Leads the Karakia?

This depends on the whānau and their iwi connections. In many contemporary tangihanga, a Christian minister leads prayers alongside traditional karakia — reflecting the blended spiritual landscape of modern Māori communities. The key figures are:

• Kaumātua and kuia for traditional Māori karakia
• Church ministers (kaikarakia) for Christian prayers and hymns (hīmene)
• Tohunga for cleansing rituals, particularly takahi whare

If your whānau does not have a direct relationship with these leaders, your local marae committee can connect you. For those in urban areas without a marae connection, non-ancestral marae (ngā hau e whā) welcome all iwi and can arrange spiritual support.

What If You Don't Know Te Reo?

Many whānau organising a tangihanga today are not fluent in te reo Māori, and that is completely normal. Karakia can be led by someone the whānau trusts — the spiritual intent matters more than linguistic perfection. Some iwi have created digital resource kits containing recorded karanga, karakia, and hīmene specifically for whānau who need them.

The Māori Tangihanga Guide includes a structured framework for working with kaumātua and marae committees, including the specific questions to ask about which karakia your local marae expects at each stage of the process.