Marama Paewai, who writes here about her experiences as an American Field Scholar, is one of a number of Maori secondary school pupils who, along with pakeha pupils, have spent a year studying in American schools. Two others who have visited America under the scheme recently are Ngapera Kaa of Te Kaha, and Timothy Te Heu Heu, whose photograph is on the next page.

Relaxed Atmosphere at School

Socially, the American teenager has loads of fun—the ball games, the cheering squads, the drive-in movies, the many parties, the bowling alleys, and the school proms.

School life at Theodore Roosevelt High, a co-educational school with two thousand students, is a phase of life which I miss very much. The students there enjoy a very relaxed relationship with their teachers, and the absence of uniform creates a casual atmosphere in the school. However, I never did decide whether or not I favoured this attitude. My studies there included English, American Literature, American Government and Economics, Latin and Biology. Languages and all fields of science seemed to be the subjects most stressed.

The big city life, which we hear so much about, really exists. Chicago and Los Angeles are big, industrial, and therefore dirty cities, but New York and San Francisco impressed me as being

tremendously big, beautiful, clean and exciting cities.

Family life, which is stressed a great deal, taught me many things. The home of Mr Roger Johnson, in which I lived as a daughter, was run on love and consideration. I will not say that the children were not more demanding than we seem to be, but very enveloping love and respect were always foremost.

Visit to President Kennedy

On the 24th of June, thirty-three A.F.S. students, including myself, left Iowa for a month's tour of the Eastern States, staying with families in the various communities. The highlights for all, I think, were New York city, the United Nations, and a visit to the White House where we met President Kennedy. I will always fondly remember the company during this time of European, Latin American, and South East Asian students.

After a month in San Francisco, during which I lived with an outstanding Negro family, I turned towards Aotearoa, and that was the most wonderful part of it all.

I can only thank sincerely, all those who helped me in any way for this wonderful year, and wish that in future years the number of young Maori people who receive this scholarship will increase.

Field Scholar
in America

Maori Soldiers Sing
Malayan Songs

A Maori record with a difference has just appeared under the Kiwi label. Called ‘Maori Soldiers Sing Melodies of Malaya’, it is the third release from the Concert Party of the Second Battalion the New Zealand Regiment. (The other two are ‘The Coming of the Maori’ and ‘Maori Soldiers Abroad’.) All royalties from the record have been donated to the Maori Education Foundation.

One of the party's visits to the Malayan capital, Kuala Lumpur, coincided with ‘Bulan Bahasa Kebangsa'an’—a special month-long promotion by the Malayans to encourage all members of their multi-racial country to speak Malay, which is the national language. ‘Bulan Bahasa’ is an annual event which is very important in Malaya. At the request of the New Zealand High Commissioner, Mr C. M. Bennett, D.S.O., the officer in charge of the party took several popular songs and gave them Maori words (and in one case, actions) and also wrote verses in Malay telling of the party and its work.

The soldiers' performance of these Malay songs was an immediate hit; in a special farewell article to the Battalion, the newspaper the ‘Malay Mail’ expressed this when it said that ‘by singing popular Malay songs and by their friendly ways they have won the confidence of Malayans and helped foster closer understanding between the two countries’.

When the party came back to New Zealand their Malayan songs pleased audiences here too, and this prompted ‘Maori Soldiers Sing Melodies of Malaya’.

This group performing a powhiri for Lord and Lady Freyberg are in the Guildhall in London, a famous historic building which is certainly a novel background for Maori action songs. The people in the group are, left to right: front row, Luie Tawhai (from Rotorua), Margaret Moore (nee Paiki, Christchurch), Norma Morehu (Otaki), Winnie Waapu (Hastings); second row: Sam Karetu (Hastings), Cini Boynton (Waimana), Mary Peni (Pipiwai), Margaret Smith (Kohukohu), Tom Russell (Hastings). One member of the group, Ben Wanoa from Tokomaru Bay, wasn't able to be present on this occasion.

The photo was sent to us by Mr Sam Karetu, the Information Officer at New Zealand House in London, who promises to keep us in touch with Maori activities in London. He says that he knows of at least 32 Maori residents in London at the moment, all of them enjoying it very much. They have formed an amateur group called the Aotearoa Maori Entertainers and have found that action songs, poi and haka are very popular with English audiences. Not everyone who would like to belong can get to practices, though, because many are nurses on night duty.