Reviews
BOOKS
Tōku Reo, Tōku Ohooho
Nā Chris Winitana
Nā Huia i tā
Reo Māori
Te utu: $45.00
Nā Megan Ellison te whakaaro
Inā toro atu koe ki tā Chris Winitana whakautu ki te wero atu o te huka pāpāho ki tāna i tuhi ai ki tāna pukapuka, ka kite mārie he nihoniho, he nahanaha tā Chris mō ia kupu o te reo Māori. Ka mutu ko ia kē te taiki kāpara i whakapeti koi kia whakarākeihia ia rēreka kōrero kia oti ai tēnei pukapuka kaitā. He pōraki nō tēnei ūpoko mārō o Ngāti Tūwharetoa me Ngāi Tūhoe mō te reo ūkaipō, nō reira ehara i te mea he māmā te pānuitia e tēnei takata noa iho! Ekari ia, tē taea e ia te pēhea?
Ko te huka ka aro pū nei ki tēnei tuhika ko tērā te huka matatau ki te reo, tērā te huka aroha ki te tiketiketaka o te reo wetewete, o te reo ‘Rurutao’ o te ao Māori. I te pānuitaka o te kupu whakataki ka mōhio te whakamineka he huanui i whāia toutia e Chris me tōna whānau. Nāna anō te manuka i whakatakoto i mua atu i āna tamariki kia tū Māori mai me tōna reo ka tītia ki te ūpoko, ka heia ki te kakī, e kore e karo.
Ka whai tēnei pukapuka i te oraka o te reo Māori i te tau 1972 ki te tau 2008. Ka whakamārama te pukapuka i ka taero o Tūtekoropaka i mua i te aroaro o te reo me tōna oraka. Waihoki, ka uiuitia kā kārara-a-Tūwhakarau, ko rātou tērā e hāpai ana i te reo, e pari ihu ana kia ora ai te reo Māori. Ko Cathy Dewes tērā, ko Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira tērā, Ko Te Wharehuia Milroy tērā, Ko Hana O’Regan tērā, ko Mea, ko Mea. Ko ētahi kaupapa nunui hoki i roto i te pukapuka nei, ko kā tono ki te Taraipiunara o Waitangi mō te reo, ko te whakatū o kā Kohaka Reo me Kā Kura Kaupapa Māori, ko te reo pāpāho pērā ki te Pouaka Whakaata Māori.
Mōku ake nei, ko tāku i hīkaka ai i te pānui i te pukapuka nei, ko kā kōrero o kā hākui e whākai tou nei i te reo ki kā tamariki me tā rātou whawhai hoki mō te reo. Nā reira i whakaohooho anō ai tōku manawa koikore, tōku tūkeke ki te kōrero Māori i te pō i te ao. Tēnā koe.
My Language, my inspiration
By Chris Winitana
Published by Huia Publishers
RRP $45.00
Reviewed by Megan Ellison
If you read Chris Winitana’s response on Facebook to the media reviews of his book, you will clearly see how passionate Winitana is about every Māori word. He epitomises a man of endurance, who has deliberated tirelessly over every line. Winitana hails from Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāi Tūhoe and is on a driven and unwavering campaign for his language. His new book was no easy read for this layperson. However, given the complex and in-depth nature of his material, he couldn’t have written it any other way. This book is definitely for fluent speakers of te reo Māori and those with a love of grammar and, like Winitana, a scholarly, poetic, almost Shakespeare-like command of language in the Māori world. As soon as you read the introduction, you are aware of the very personal journey Chris and his family continue to pursue. Winitana children are challenged by him to live as Māori and hold fast to the language so it is never lost.
This book follows the development of Māori language from 1972 to 2008 and elaborates on the hurdles that the Māori language has faced. There are interviews with Māori language advocates who have strived to promote the language and ensure its survival, including Cathy Dewes, the late Dame Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira, Te Wharehuia Milroy and Hana O’Regan, among many others. Main themes in the book include the Waitangi Tribunal claims for the language, the establishment of Kōhanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori, and the history of Māori language broadcasting.
What truly resonated with me when I read this book were the stories of mothers feeding the language to their children, and their struggle for the language. My flagging enthusiasm and weariness of speaking Māori all the time has been replaced with new motivation and invigoration. Chris Winitana, I thank you.
Chris Winitana’s Facebook page discussing his views and media responses to his books is: www.facebook.com/My Language, My Inspiration and Tōku Reo, Tōku Ohooho.
Kura Koiwi: Bone Treasures
By Brian Flintoff
Published by Craig Potton Publishing
RRP $39.99
Reviewed by Huia Reriti
Kura Koiwi is both a personal account of Brian Flintoff’s career as a carver, and an important exploration of Māori art and how it relates to carving. Heavily illustrated with exquisite examples of his and other people’s work, this book explains the mythology and symbolism behind one of New Zealand’s foremost bone carvers.
According to the publishers, in doing so, this book provides an inspiring window into the power and beauty of our indigenous culture. Though he is Pākehā, it is his journey into the world of Māori art that has provided him with his greatest inspiration and direction as a carver. Conceived as a sister publication to Taonga Pūoro: Singing Treasures, his acclaimed earlier book on Māori musical instruments, Kura Koiwi is an elegant and insightful contribution to the literature about Māori art that will be cherished by anyone who cares about this culture.
The bookseller’s description above is almost verbatim; it is perfect for this book. Enough said.
Despite the fanfare, the ‘perfect’-ness of this book failed to ignite. It took some time to read. Don’t get me wrong, this a beautiful (albeit smallish) book filled with excellent photos, stories, anecdotes and descriptions all perfectly balanced by sensitive graphic design. The foreword by Tā Tīpene O’Regan is worth a read in itself.
But it just didn’t grab me. I usually start anywhere with a new book but unusually for me; I read the foreword, the introduction and then flicked through all the pages with any photos (of truly beautiful objects), as I just couldn’t wait to see the next page (yes I did return to the script but in pieces). And in reality, that was the book for me, those photos of beautiful bone carvings said it all. How they were arrived at, or culturally discovered, was less inspiring or less interesting than the objects themselves. Maybe less text and larger photos would have been better.
Certainly recommended for lovers of indigenous art. I give this book 7 out of 10.
HUIA SHORT STORIES 9 –
Contemporary Māori Fiction
Huia Publishers
RRP $30.00
Reviewed by Gerry Coates
It is always a pleasure to see the biennial Huia Short Stories collection published. Having been published in several of them, I take a keen interest in who’s included. Of course you can’t tell who won from the book, because they don’t tell you. There are some established writers and some new writers, and novel extracts as well as short stories. Please forgive me if I pass on the authors who wrote in te reo Māori. Of course I read the Ngāi Tahu writers first, and I didn’t cheat to find out the winners until I’d read them all.
A thought that has exercised my mind quite a bit over the years is: “What distinguishes a Māori writer from any other writer?” Do they have to have a Māori character and a marae (or something similar) in the story for it to be “authentic”? I recall Witi Ihimaera saying: “You cannot be an indigenous writer unless ‘the politics of difference’ is showing, otherwise you’re just like any other writer.” I’ve always liked that quote.
Interestingly, many of the best writers seemed to have either wide life experience, or have done a creative writing course. The writers who best showed the politics of difference included short story winner Helen Waaka, with two interesting stories, on Katherine Mansfield and on disaffected Māori youth; long-time contributors Anne French (runner-up for novel extract), Anahera Gildea (runner-up for short story), K-T Harrison (runner-up for novel extract) and Marama Salsano (winner of novel extract). The best of the rest were Mark Sweet, with an excellent novel extract; Raschel-Miette for a perceptive story about relationship difficulties; and Robert Madden, who has used his life experience to good advantage. Sadly, the two Ngāi Tahu writers, Piripi Evans and Terence Risetto, both of whom are competent authors, presented rather odd stories that did not connect for me.
The Raupō phrasebook of Modern Māori
By Scotty Morrison
Published by Penguin NZ
RRP $35
Reviewed by Fern Whitau
This interesting and informative paperback was written as a user-friendly guide to te reo Māori for all New Zealanders and visitors who are interested in learning more about the culture through the language. In a friendly, inclusive and very encouraging manner the author gives his ideas on language learning, and then sets the context with a condensed history of te reo, and chapters on language change, dialect, pronunciation and grammar. We then dive right into phrases for different activities, situations and places, idioms, slang and the all-important proverbs. Ka tau kē – fantastic!
Scotty Morrison is a well-known television presenter who is fluent in and passionate about te reo Māori. Perhaps because he began his Māori language journey at the age of 19, he has an empathy and understanding for the adult learner, which shows in his chatty and reassuring style.
This book is well written, and easy to read and to follow. Morrison has chosen phrases we hear every day and in various situations, which are absolutely relevant to the times we live in. The idea is to find phrases that suit you and use them at every opportunity, have fun, get them under your belt then move on.
You may want to give advice to your team, “Kaua e whana, me whakaoma kē!” (Don’t kick it, run it!); “ Kaua e maka, me whana!” (Don’t pass it, kick it!). Or, find your way around: “Kei hea te tino o ngā whare kanikani?” (Where is the most
popular club in town?). You may wish to whisper sweet nothings to your sweetheart: “E titi koia e te atarau, kei mutu tēnei pō!” (Shine on brightly moonlight, don’t let this night end!).
Or perhaps you are looking for your breakfast muesli: “Kei tēhea hongere ngā pū kākano?” (Which aisle are the cereals in?).
The index will point you in the right direction. There is something for everyone, and Morrison explains how to adapt the phrases for different circumstances and locations. Each chapter also begins with a Māori viewpoint on that particular subject.
This is an excellent and entertaining reference book, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading from cover to cover. Kotahi atu ki tēnei pukapuka pai – make a beeline for this great book!
E te Rāwhiti kei whea rā koe?
Mā wai hoki te kupu e whakairo?
Mā wai hoki te reo e whakanako?
Ko Whāraki ka more
Ko Puka ka kiko kore
Tarika ka rahirahi kurī noa
Aroaroā ki āu kupu, ki tō reo.
Ko riro rā koe, e Te Heikōkō, e tāua e.
He Mihi Nui mō Taringa-Kore
Nā Kyle Mewburn te kōrero
Nā Deborah Hinde kā whakaahua
Nā Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira i whakamāori
Nā Scholastic New Zealand Ltd i tā
Te utu: $19.50
Reviewed by Fern Whitau
He pukapuka pikitia tēnei mō tētahi arewhana āhua rerekē me ana raruraru whakahoahoa. He kōrero pōuri, he kōrero harikoa, he kōrero tēnei mō te pūmanawa torohū i roto i a tātou katoa.
Ko Taringa-Kore te tuatakata o te paki nei, he paku ōna tarika, he paku hoki tana kiritau. Kāore te huka arewhana e aro atu ki a ia me ana tarika iti, ka whakatoi kē. Nā taua kāhui arewhana tana ikoa tāpiri, ko kā manu o te kahere anake ōna hoa. Ka aroha hoki ki a Taringa-Kore. Kātahi ka tae mai te rā hira, ka kitea mai te pai o kā tarika paku o Taringa-Kore. He āhua ōrite ki te kōrero mō Rudolph me tōna ihu whero.
He muramura kā pikitia tau a Deborah Hinde. He kaituhi whaitohu mō kā pukapuka tamariki a Kyle Mewburn; ki te pānuitia ka mōhio tonu te kaipānui he aha i pērā ai. Heoi anō, ki ahau nei ko te kōrero Māori te maneataka o te pukapuka nei. Me mihi atu ki te kai whakairo i te kupu, ki a Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira, ka tika.
Mā kā tamariki mokopuna mai i te wā ka taea te nohopuku tae atu ki te whitu tau tēnei pukapuka. Tino pārekareka tāku pānui atu ki aku moko me te kōrerorero mō te whakahau o te pūrākau, arā he pūmanawa torohū tō tātou katoa.
Manu Haututū
Nā June Peka te kōrero
Nā Jo Thapa kā whakaahua
Nā Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira i whakamāori
Nā Scholastic New Zealand i tā
Te utu: $17.99
Reviewed by Fern Whitau
Ka tūtaki te ūpoko mārō ki te tarika pākura, he uaua te kōwhiri ko wai ka toa i tēnei mātātahi tupua, ka kaikaha te kaipānui ki te mōhio.
He pai te āhua noho o Koro; he pai te whakatipu huawhenua rahi rawa, te kōrorirori i tana wairākau hauka rawa me te noho noa i tana tūru tahito i raro i te pohutukawa. Otirā, ka huripokia tōna ao i te taeka mai o Pie. Ko te tikaka hai kaiāwhina māna i te māra kai. Tana pōhēhē hoki. He takata tino mātāpono a Koro; kāore ia mō te “mauhereheretia te manu rahi pēnei ki a Pie, ahakoa nō Ahitereiria”! Ka aha a Koro Mōtohe? Ka ahatia a Pie Amioka?
He pukapuka pikitia tino pai tēnei hai pānui atu ki kā tamariki nohinohi tae atu ki te tau tuawaru pea. He kōrero kahau he puka whakakatakata hoki. Ka akona ētahi mea mō te mahi māra me taua manu haututū, arā, ko te makipai me ōna ake āhuataka. Nā whai anō i riro ai Te Tohu Taurapa i a Manu Haututū i LIANZA 2011. Tēnā, me mōhio koutou; ehara tēnei i te pakimaero noa; ekari kē kua tuhituhi a June Peka mō tōna ake whānau. Ka rawe!
He inati te mahi whakamāori a te tāua kua whetūrakitia, a Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira. Kāore e ārikarika āku mihi atu, ka taki poroporoaki tonu te kākau ki a ia.
He kaitā pikitia mouka a Jo Thapa; mā āna pikitia rawe ka tino kitea kā āhua o Koro me tōna hoariri. Ko tēnei te pukapuka tuatahi kua tuhia e June; ko te tūmanako ehara i te pukapuka whakamutuka!
Book winners
Congratulations to Miriam J Wallace, Nicky de Lautour, Vivienne Goodwin and Keefe Robinson.
TE KARAKA has a copy of each book reviewed in this issue to give away. To go into the draw, email tekaraka@ngaitahu.iwi.nz or write your name and address on the back of an envelope and post it to: Te Karaka, PO Box 13-046, Christchurch 8141.
Opinions expressed in REVIEWS are those of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed
by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.
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February 20th, 2012 at 5:18 am
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