THE FINAL TEST

Were there any serious arguments? Plenty. On two occasions we had recourse to Professor Knight for his opinion, which he gave willingly, much to the appreciation of the committee. Perhaps it is too much to expect seven ordinary men to be otherwise. But there was not a single thing that we did not all agree to in the end, and our fellowship together was something we shall never forget.

The practice of reading aloud was a very important factor in our work. It was the final test we imposed on the work of revision: how did it sound in our Maori ears? After we had had a full discussion as to meaning, emphasis, grammar, punctuation, it was read aloud. That was the final test. Maoris have great ears for understanding the spoken word, great ears for the music and subtleties of unwritten language. This is one of the things ingrained into their very being for centuries, through sitting on the marae, and hearing real oratory spoken by their elders. It must be realised that the Maori language was, and still is a language for speech-making. It is essentially a speaking language. And one of the chief aims of the committee was to try and put back into the Maori Bible something of the sweet musical tone and cadence, rhythm and poetry of the Maori language.