Turi

by Lesley Cameron Powell
photographs by Pius Blank
Pauls Book Arcade, 12/6

This story about a little boy called Turi, and his Kuia, is simply told by the author and delightfully portrayed by the photographer. It has neither ‘gimmicks’ nor ‘props’. It has succeeded where others have failed; its success lies in its simplicity and deep understanding.

It must say that when I looked at the title and saw the author's name I said to myself, ‘Pakehas writing about Maoris again; will this person get down to grass roots or will she create stereotypes, as others have done?’ I must confess that the cover photo aroused my curiosity and by the time I had finished the first sentence I started to revise my opinions and by the end of the first paragraph I was converted.

The story is for children and could be read by grown-ups. My wife took the opportunity of reading the story to my little girls and to their Pakeha friends. Their reaction to it was simply this—‘Gee, it's a beauty story’. Our Grannie who speaks and reads very little English has read it and has enjoyed looking at the pictures. Her comment was ‘Kapai’.

It is indeed refreshing in these days of urbanisation and industrialisation to be reminded of people like Turi, Grannie and the many other heart-warming characters in this story. In these complex times this book has a message: the simple things in life are free, and are important.

I commend this book to Maori and Pakeha children, particularly to those who are town dwellers. To the author I say, ‘Let's have some more’. The book costs 12/6 and is cheap at the price. It is a sound investment and will give hours of happiness to the family, and to some, nostalgia.

Brownie Puriri

Coasts of Treachery

by Eugene Grayland
A. H. & A. W. Reed, 22/6

These true stories tell of the early days in the last century when ignorance and greed frequently led to violence between the crews of early Pakeha ships and the tribes on the shore, and New Zealand's bays and beaches were places of piracy and murder. Much research has gone into the book, which makes most interesting reading.

Birds of New Zealand

by Gordon R. Williams
A. H. & A. W. Reed, 17/6

This excellent book has 50 colour photographs of native birds, all of them shown in live, ‘action’ shots—on the wing, deep in the bush, on the nest, or on beach or river. The descriptive text by Gordon Williams is full of interest.

The Life and Work

of the Maori Carver
by T. Barrow
Government Printer, 2/-

This booklet was originally published as a School Bulletin for secondary schools, but it is also available in bookshops. Its price of 2/- makes it very good value.

Dr Barrow, who is the ethnologist at the Dominion Museum in Wellington, distinguishes between four periods or phases of Maori culture: Archaic Maori or Moa-Hunter (9th Century—1350), Classic Maori or Fleet Maori (1350-1769). the period of first contact with Europeans (1769-1860), and the modern period. He describes the social conditions under which carvers worked during each of these phases, and relates these to the nature and quality of the carving characteristic of each phase.

This is of much interest; for example, it brings out clearly how favourable for art were the first two phases, when carvings were essential for social and religious reasons, and when the status of the artist was high. It shows, too, how much harder it was to do good work after the Pakeha came, when carving no longer had the same religious significance and when there was so much less public interest and knowledge of art.

Dr Barrow also deals with such topics as moko, the symbolism employed in carvings, the manaia, and the materials and techniques which carvers used. His illustrations include some photographs of late nineteenth century work, and also some pieces of sculpture from elsewhere in the Pacific; it is interesting to compare these with the old Maori work with which the booklet is mostly concerned.

The photographs of old carvings include some very fine pieces, a number of which are in museums outside New Zealand. In several cases photographs of these have not previously been published.

Ancient Voyagers in Polynesia

By Andrew Sharp
Paul's Book Arcade, 21/-

Polynesian Navigation:
A symposium on Andrew Sharp's
Theory of Accidental Voyages

edited by Jack Golson
The Polynesian Society, 15/-

An earlier book by Andrew Sharp, ‘Ancient Voyagers in the Pacific’, was published by the Polynesian Society in 1956, and the following year was republished by Penguin Books of London. It argues that the discovery and settlement of the Pacific Islands was primarily due not to deliberate voyages of exploration, but to accidental, involuntary ones; Sharp dismisses, for example, the Maori traditions of planned mass migrations, and he claims that no two-way voyages between ‘Hawaiki’ and New Zealand would have been possible.

‘Ancient Voyagers in the Pacific’ quickly became one of the most widely known works of Pacific anthropology, and one of the most controversial. Now two new books have appeared which take the question further. One of them, ‘Ancient Voyagers in Polynesia’, is a restatement by Sharp of his views, incorporating a considerable amount of new material. The other book, ‘Polynesian Navigation’, is a symposium, published by The Polynesian Society, in which five experts in different fields analyse at length Sharp's discussions of the contemporary European evidence concerning traditional Oceanic voyaging, the performance of Oceanic canoes, and the nature of the early navigational techniques. Two of these contributors are historians, two of them are sea captains in the Western Pacific, and the fifth is a specialist in the capacities of Oceanic canoes. Unfortunately this symposium must have appeared after ‘Ancient Voyagers in Polynesia’ had gone to press, for the latter book does not mention it.

Te Rangitahi 1

by Hoani Waititi
Government Printer, 25/-

It has been realised for a long time that a new approach was necessary in the teaching of Maori. In the past, textbooks have usually attempted to follow the methods used in teaching Latin, in defiance of the fact that the nature and structure of Maori make it as different from Latin as any language could be. Furthermore, Latin is a dead language, but Maori is a living one.

Now, after a great deal of hard work and initial testing, a modern textbook designed for the teaching of Maori to pupils in Form III has been produced. It is the result of close co-operation between Mr Hoani Waititi, of the Education Department, and the Maori Language Advisory Committee.

In this new textbook the grammar is not given in the form of abstract rules which have to be memorised. Instead, the vocabulary and constructions used in the lessons are so carefully presented that to some extent the rules can be absorbed without the student's realising that he is doing so, and there is a special emphasis on exercises giving plenty of practice in the use of each new construction. The text is closely linked to illustration, which are of great assistance in helping one's memory; these

drawings, and the lively modern nature of the text, make the book most attractive to use.

The vocabulary is drawn from Maori as it is now spoken; that is, it freely incorporates words of recent formation. This was inevitable if the language was to be presented as a living one.

‘Te Rangitahi 1’ is a real milestone, and will make a tremendous difference to the teaching of Maori in schools. Furthermore, although it is not designed for those adults (an ever-growing band) who are learning the language on their own, many of these will find the book a great help; especially perhaps if they have some small knowledge of Maori to start with.

Two other volumes in the series, intended for fourth forms and upwards, are now being prepared. It is a pity that the cost of production has made this volume so expensive, but perhaps future editions of it will be cheaper.

M.O.

Nine New Zealanders

by Barry Mitcalfe
Whitcombe & Tombs Limited, 6/-

‘Nine New Zealanders’ contains compact biographies of some notable figures in New Zealand history. It is an unpretentious little book—but a very interesting one indeed.

What makes it so valuable is that the author has chosen to write about some of the men who in earlier times played especially significant parts in the tragic conflict and the mutual education which occurred between the two races of New Zealanders. This relationship is the central fact in the history of our country; and it is really astonishing that several of the people who appear in this book have not yet had full-length biographies devoted to them.

The Maoris discussed are Potatau te Where-whero, the first Maori king, Te Kooti, Te Whiti and Maui Pomare. The Pakehas are John Rutherford (a sailor who wrote an interesting account of 10 years spent in the 1820s with the people of Tokomaru Bay), Judge Maning (another early Pakeha-Maori, whose reminiscences, ‘Old New Zealand’, is a New Zealand classic), the missionary Henry Williams, Sir George Grey, and Elsdon Best.

‘Nine New Zealanders’ is balanced and sympathetic in its approach, and the facts of these men's lives are so lively that one's interest is held throughout. It is simply written, and is excellent for children; but adults will also find it absorbing. One wishes that a short bibliography could have been included, for many people would surely like to be able to follow it up by reading such books as Pei te Hurunui Jones' ‘King Potatau’, Professor James Rutherford's ‘Sir George Grey’, and J. F. Cody's ‘Man of Two Worlds: Sir Maui Pomare’.

But in several cases no adequate references to published books could be made. In particular Te Kooti and Te Whiti have been sadly neglected by writers. When will books worthy of their subjects appear on these great men?

Life In The Pa

by Ray Chapman-Taylor
Paul's Book Arcade, 12/6

This story for children is about a boy called Takarua, who lived before the Pakeha came to New Zealand. He and his father are taken prisoner by a neighbouring tribe, and spend many years in captivity before they can take revenge.

The main events of the story are a framework for an account of the everyday life of the village in which Takarua lives. This is attractively presented, though in places it is somewhat didactic. Also, though readers will learn a great deal about such matters as the techniques used in making things, in fighting and in playing games, they will not really learn much about the emotional, intellectual and aesthetic values without which life would have been pointless, and therefore impossible. These values, not so easily apprehended as the methods of felling trees or preserving food, are, after all, what ancient Maori life was about.

Sooner or later we will have fiction which will be able to reflect an imaginative understanding of the ancient Maori world; but this has not yet been attempted, and perhaps it will not come for some time yet. Certainly it will not be an easy thing to do.

‘Life In The Pa’ is designed to be read by children aged from 10 to 14 years. It is extensively illustrated by Russell Clarke and E. Mervyn Taylor; and, as usual with Paul's Book Arcade, it is very well produced.

M.R.W.

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This Easter a national Maori concert party championship will be held at Tauranga. The winners of the contest will receive a prize of £150 and a challenge cup. The second and third prizes are £75 and £25. The conditions provide for a maximum of 30 and a minimum of 24 members in each party. A wide range of items are included in the competition.