Rikihana Etana

The death occurred at his home at Te Kao on 27 December, 1968, of Rikihana Etana in his 72nd year. Educated at the Te Kao Native School and then at St Stephen's School (which at the time was at Parnell, Auckland), Etana returned to his home at an early age and enlisted for overseas service during the first world war. He was only 17 years old when he left for overseas.

Following World War 2, he returned home and took a keen interest in the tribal history of his people. Still a comparatively young man, he was appointed Secretary and scribe of the Aupouri-Rarara-Ngapuhi Genealogical Committee — a committee formed to investigate and record the genealogies of these tribes and their connection with other ancestral ‘canoes’.

In the 1920s, the Maori Land Development Scheme was launched in the far north with Judge F. O. V. Acheson, President of the Taitokerau Maori Land Board, taking a leading part in supporting the Aupouri's claims for land development. Rikihana Etana was one of many who strongly supported this move. By the time the elders of the tribe had died, Etana was the only member of the tribe who was fluent in tribal genealogies, which were a great advantage to the tribe in making claims for various land blocks as well as assuring visiting tribes of their lineage connection with the Aupouri.

Rikihana Etana took an active interest in all affairs relating to his people, being the first Secretary of the Aupouri Trust Board, a position which he held throughout the Board's life until a few months prior to his death, a Secretary of the various Land Incorporations, Chairman of the local Maori Committee and School Committee and a spokesman for the tribe at various gatherings and functions.

His funeral, one of the largest ever assembled at Te Kao, was attended by the Judge of the Maori Land Court, Mr Nicholson, the District Officer of the Department of Maori Affairs, and representatives of the various organisations and tribes with which he was associated throughout the years. He is survived by his widow, Ani, and a family of nine children.

Ka ngaro koe te pononga a te Aupouri. Takoto mai i te Toko-o-te-Arawa me te iwi, me te whanau. Hoki a wairua atu ki to whanau e takoto mai ra i te pae o Tu. ‘He tao huata e taea te karo, he tao na aitua, e kore.’ E moe e Riki — nau i takahi te pae o te riri, takahia atu te ara o te tini o te mano. E moe i roto i te Ariki.

Waata Tepania

Within the space of only three months, the Aupouri Tribe in particular has suffered grave loss in the number of outstanding figures and personalities in the tribe. On Monday 20 January, on his way from Ahipara to Te Kao to assist his people at Te Kao to prepare the marae for a Vice-Regal visit in February, Mr Waata (Walter) Tepania died as a result of an accident, which occurred at Ngataki. Mr Tepania was in a truck driven by his son, Mr James Tepania. When the truck struck a deep hole, the door flew open, throwing Mr Tepania, his daughter-in-law and a young child onto the road. Mr Tepania died instantly but none of the other passengers were injured.

Chairman of the Taitokerau Maori District Council, a member of the New Zealand Maori Council, and a member of both the Taitokerau and Aupouri Maori Trust Boards, Mr Tepania was a leader and elder of both the Aupouri and Rarawa tribes. A resident at Ahipara, he was born at Wai-mahana and as a lad attended the most northerly school in New Zealand — Te

Hapua. He worked as a farmhand, a kauri bushman, a bullock driver, a cartage contractor, a commercial fisherman and then became a building contractor. Always interested in the affairs of his people, Mr Tepania took an active part in promoting the education of his people and the retention of Maori culture. It was he who was primarily responsible for the erection of the Ohaki Meeting-house at Ahipara.

A prominent member of the Roman Catholic Church, his interests were not limited to his own church as far as religious matters were concerned. Again it was he who was primarily responsible for the renovation of the Ahipara Anglican Church. Speakers at his tangi held at Ahipara, at which a very large number gathered, referred to him as the ‘needle which was responsible for sewing the churches together as well as the people.’ A forthright and fearless speaker, Mr Tepania represented his tribes at various national gatherings, being respected for his dedication and sincerity of purpose.

So, Te Aupouri and Te Rarawa have again lost another of their notable sons — an irreparable loss which is mourned by many fortunate to know him.

E Wa, nau i takahi nga marae tini o te motu. Ko koe te manu korero o te Tai-tokerau, kua wahangu nei i tenei ra. Kua pania to iwi. Haere ra; kua okioki koe i o mahi; e moe i roto i te Ariki.

Riwai Tawhiri

Mr Riwai Te Hiwinui Tawhiri died in Gisborne last September at the age of 90. He was the last surviving Te Aute College contemporary of Sir Peter Buck.

Mr Tawhiri studied at Nelson Theological College, and although ordained a deacon of the Anglican Church, became a school-teacher and taught at Maori schools in Northland, Waikato and the East Coast. He was one of the first Maoris to become a headmaster. Music and tennis were two of his major interests.

During his retirement, Mr Tawhiri lived in Auckland, returning to Gisborne only three months before he died. While in Auckland, he told his story of ‘The Lost Finger’ to Harry Dansey, and it was published in our issue 63.

Mr Tawhiri is survived by two sons.

Waipounamu Te Wheki

A very well-known figure in the Morrinsville area, Mrs Waipounamu Te Wheki, died on 28 October. She was a sister of the late Te Hau Tanawhea, a chief of Ngati Haua.

Born in 1881, she was one of the last survivors of her generation.

Hipirini Te Kata

Another elder of Ngati Haua has died, Mr Hipirini Te Kata, aged 82. He was born in Te Awamutu area and attended Te Aute College. Mr Te Kata became highly qualified as an interpreter, working with the Maori Affairs Department, the Maori Land Court, an Auckland firm of solicitors, and finally in his own business at Te Awamutu.

Later in life, Mr Te Kata took up farming at Te Awamutu before returning to his home marae, Parewere. He was an ordained apostle of the Ratana church.

Mr Te Kata, who was married twice, leaves a large number of descendants.

Popo Heta

One of Rotorua's oldest Maoris, Mr Popo Heta, died on 18 December in Rotorua Hospital.

Mr Heta, who was born at Karamuramu, was 104 years old. He was five years old when Fort Galatea was built, and could remember Gilbert Mair, leader of the fighting Arawa column, going through Kaingaroa during the Te Kooti campaign.

He leaves a daughter, Mrs Miria Te Tomo, eight grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

Tumeke Wehipeihana

A large number attended the tangi for Mr Tumeke Wehipeihana, who died on Christmas Day, aged 89. The service was conducted at Kuku Pa, Ohau.

Mr and Mrs Wehipeihana had recently celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary.

Keith Henderson

An unusual tribute was paid to Mr Keith Dawson Henderson, with the holding of a tangi at Judea marae after his death in Tauranga on 7 January.

Both Mr Henderson, who had recently retired after being headmaster at Bethlehem Maori School for 11 years, and his wife, were honorary members of Ngati Ranginui. Mr Henderson, a Pakeha who held the status of an elder at the Judea, Wairoa and Bethlehem maraes, was accorded full chieftain's honours.

Mr Henderson had a strong interest in Maori education and welfare, and with his wife was active in fostering Maori culture. He leaves his wife, Sylvia Ashton-Warner, two sons and a daughter.

Mererina Te Rore

Mrs Te Rore, who was born in Waiwhatawhata, Hokianga, in 1887, died last December. She was a descendant of Moetara, and widow of Raniera Te Rore Taoho.

Many welfare organisations benefited from her support, and she made the rebuilding of the Waikaraka marae and the maintenance of its cemetery her particular responsibility.

Mrs Te Rore is survived by five of her nine children, 27 grandchildren, and 76 great-grandchildren.

I recently attended a Maori wedding where the ceremony was performed in the meeting house and the food eaten in the dining room of the marae. The warmth, the kindness, the laughter and enjoyment and especially the informality of the occasion, mirrored exactly Rowley Habib's description of the Maori people in his poem ‘Maori’.

Obviously the sensitive and articulate Maori can write more truthfully about the feelings of his own people than the Pakeha who is on the outside ‘looking in’. Nonetheless we must be grateful to authors like James E. Ritchie who has made a most sincere attempt to analyse the problems and difficulties of the Maori people so that a better understanding between Maori and Pakeha might be achieved.

Most books about Maoris by Pakeha authors are not. written with the intention of being critical. In a multiracial society Pakehas must be concerned about their Maori brothers. I feel sure that many Maoris do not share Mr Habib's ‘contempt for he who dares to tread the sacred ground of my people’ for that would be breaking down the bridges which in many cases have been built between the two peoples.

Finally may I add that I also enjoyed Mr Habib's poem ‘Pakeha’ in which he is more than generous.

Yours sincerely,

M. Hunt

I am a 13 year old student at London Central Secondary School, and I belong to the ‘Commonwealth Club’. I am interested in writing to Maori students in New Zealand.

Could you please send me some names of students aged 13 to 17 who are interested in being our penpals, as I know others in our school are keen to write to them.

Yours sincerely,

Maureen Hennessy,

I am very interested in the Maoris of New Zealand, and very keen to learn all about them and study their customs and language.

I am a 17 year old English girl, and besides the Maori and New Zealand, my interests include drawing, painting, pop music and rugby, with special interest in the New Zealand All Blacks.

I would be pleased to have several Maori penpals, girls and boys, from 17 years old and up.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Monica Cichy,

For Mr Rowley Habib to view with contempt any Pakeha who tries to come to some understanding of the Maori is not merely an expression of ‘bias’ but bigotry. That he also believes only the Maori is in a position to criticise, for example, the Maori, is no less narrow-minded.

In respect to his opinion that only the ‘true Maori’ can be ‘caught and written about’ by the Maori himself, all that can be really said is that he is obviously unfamiliar with the writing of Baucke and Middleton: Pakeha who not only knew the Maori but thoroughly understood the people—‘as human beings’.

The Maori, I'm inclined to believe, is no different from any other people—taken individually or as a group; they are neither more not less complex than the Pakeha, or any other race—and no more, nor less, difficult to understand, given interest in them. To create, as Mr Habib attempts to do, some form of psychological ‘mystique’ in respect to the Maori is simply a crude expression of, again, bigotry, the underlying suggestion being that the Maori is different in some basic human essentials—he has, for example, ‘subtle emotions’ outside the understanding of anyone other than the Maori. Which is nonsense; all races share a common humanity, open to all men who wish to share it.

Finally, dare I suggest, in the light of Mr Habib's preoccupation with glass enclosures, that those who live in them should never throw stones—at Pakeha, or anyone else?

Yours sincerely,

Alan Taylor

Te Hoa Pono

nā Mere Ana

E rua ētahi kuia ko Kato he pouaru, ko Mere he penihana. Tā rāua mahi he hauhake parareka, kūmara, he tari hoki i tā rāua kānga, paukena, kūmara ki rō rua, ngā parareka ki rō pākoro.

Te wera hoki o taua rangi, ā, ka whakangā rāua i runga i te parani o te whare o Mere, he titiro i ngā kōrero o te pepa, ko te ‘Times’ te ingoa. Ka mea atu a Mere ki a Kato, “He pānui tēnei. Kai te hiahiatia ētahi kaimahi wāhine i te whare mahi a Wati.”

“Ko wai a Wati, ā, kai whea te mahi nā?”

“Kai Tūranga. E kī ana te pepa nei, kotahi mano ngā kaimahi e mahi ana i reira, i ngā marama o Pepuere, o Maehe ki āperira, ā kai te karanga tonu he kaimahi mā rātau. E Kato, inā taua e taumaha nei i te nama — he hiko, Tīwī, me te raihana mō ngā waerehe me utu i tēnei marama.”

“E Mere, ēngari koe, kāore ō waea; tēnā ko au — ko ngā waea a te tangata, te piki hoki o te utu waea! Te āhua, ka poroa e au taku waea. Kāore e taea e au te utu.”

“Pēwhea ki te pāngia koe e te mate?”

“ā, waiho rā mā te wā tēnā e titiro. Ka nui tonu taku ora. Kua pau kē taku penihana mō tēnei marama e tū mai nei, ā, he pai hoki kia hōmai e Hiri he nama kai māku i tōna toa. Me hoko rānei ētahi o ā tāua parareka. āhua pai te utu ināianei.”

“A ka pēwhea tāua i ngā marama roaroa o te makariri? Ka whakawhata tāua i ngā kōhua, ā, ka mate tāua i te hemokai? E, ko te kore tēnā! Haramai, ka haere tāua ki a Wati i Tūranga, me kore noa tāua e waimarie, ā, ka hōmai he mahi mā tāua.”

A Friend Indeed

There were two old ladies, Kato who was a widow, and Mere, a pensioner. They had just finished harvesting their potatoes and storing the kumara in the kumara pit. The pumpkins were gathered into the ‘pakoro’, and the corn picked.

The heat was terrific, and they were sitting on Mere's verandah reading the ‘Daily Times’. Mere said to Kato, “Here is an advertisement calling for workers at Wattie's factory.”

“Who is Wattie, and where is this factory?”

“It is in Gisborne. This paper says that nearly one thousand seasonal workers will be employed there during the months of February, March and April, and they are still calling for more labourers. Kato, here we are laden with our bills — electricity, TV and radio licences which have to be paid this month.”

“Mere, you are all right, you haven't got a telephone; but for me — with other people's calls, and the increasing cost of the tolls! I think I will disconnect mine. I can't afford to pay it.”

“Well, what if you get sick?”

“Oh well, I'll just have to trust to my good health. I have already used up my next month's pension, and I hope Syd will give me credit for food at his store. Perhaps we could sell some of our potatoes. The price is pretty good at present.”

“But what about the long winter months? Are we going to hang our pots up and starve? Oh no, never that! Let's go to Wattie's in Gisborne and try our luck.”

Kātahi rāua ka rapa he tēneti mō rāua, kia kore noa ai e utu rūma, ka kohi i ā rāua kōhua, parareka, he rātana hei mārama mō rāua, he moenga, he paraikete, nā kātahi ka tatari ki ngā waka taritari hipi ki Tūranga.

Ka tae ki Tūranga, ka haere rāua ki te whakatū i tō rāua tēneti ki te one, pēnei anō i ngā ‘turihi’ nei, ā, ka haere rāua ki tā Wati.

“E Kato, hoatu koe ki mua. āhua pai tō hanga, kāore i nui te hina o tō māhunga, pēnei i tōku.”

Ka tae rāua ki te tari, ka pātai mai te karaka ki ō rāua ingoa, hiahia kākahu mahi anō rāua. Ka kī mai ia, “He mahi mā kōrua ināianei mehemea kōrua e hiahia ana ki te tīmata.”

“E koiarā tō māua hiahia, ā, kia nui ngā ora ki a koe.”

I te ahiahi, ka mutu tā rāua mahi, ka kite rāua i ngā penihana kaumātua ake i a rāua, ngā tamariki tāne, wāhine hoki, ā he nui ngā mea i mōhio ki a rāua.

Ka pau te wiki, ka puta te tiaki a ngā kuia nei, ka katakata rāua, kātahi a Mere ka kī, “E Kato, kai roto i tēnei tangata i a Wati, te aroha pono o Te Karaiti. Kāore ana whiriwhiri i ana kaimahi, ā, e mōhio ana a ia ko ngā pouaru me ngā penihana ngā mea e tino āwhinatia ana i roto i ēnei marama. Nō reira, kia tau te manaakitanga a te Atua ki runga ki a koe, e Wati, te tino hoa pono o ngā pani!”

So they looked for a tent to save accommodation charges, collected pots and pans, potatoes, a lantern, mattresses and blankets, then waited for a free ride on a sheep truck bound for Gisborne.

When they reached Gisborne, they went to set up their tent on the beach just like campers, then they made their way to Wattie's.

“Kato, you go first. You don't look very old, and your hair is not as white as mine.”

When they reached the office, the clerk asked for their names and whether they required uniforms. He said, “You can start work straight away if you want to.”

“Oh yes, that's what we would like to do, thank you very much.”

At the end of the day, while clocking out, they met widows, pensioners older than themselves, young men and girls, many of whom knew them.

At the end of the week, both kuias had broad smiles when they looked at their wages. Mere said, “Kato, this man must have the love of Jesus Christ in him because he does not pick and choose his workers. He must know, too, that most of the seasonal workers would be widows and pensioners who need help in these months. God bless you Mr Wattie, the true friend indeed of the needy!”

In publishing this article, Te Ao Hou does not show its support of the theory here advanced (see note at end of article), but wishes to show appreciation to Mr Bokala-mulla for his expressions of friendship.

Origin and Chronology

It is generally accepted that the Maoris are the descendants of a race that came from Asia to the Pacific Islands and from there to New Zealand about 1,000 B.C. India being the cradle of civilisation in the East, there is strong evidence to prove that the Maoris came from India too. Maybe they took thousands of years to complete their so-called ‘Great Migration’. Indian history is written and recorded in rock edicts, in the Vedas and the Epics, and proved in India's recent archaeological excavations. Unfortunately, this has not been the case with the Maori. However, the legends and traditions, the arts and crafts, the beliefs and customs of the Maoris bear a very strong similarity to those of North India. In Lanka too, we have a recorded history of over 2,000 years and the ruined cities of Ceylon with their wealth of historical remains bear testimony to this assertion. A study of contemporary events that took place both in Maoridom and Lanka (Ceylon) will make our similarities very clear.

Hawaiki refers to a far-off land in the west and the historians agree that the low-lying fields of Bengal with the mountainous terrain hinterland is the Hawaiki of the Maori. From about 1,000 to 500 B.C. the mainland of India was full of tribes and tribal strife. There were the Nagas, Yakkas, Arawas, Sooriyas or Sauris, Maullis, Mohanasa, Meena, Kuri and Mauriyas — the Maoris. Also in India there was a tribe called ‘Sinha’, or the Lions, in what was then known as Latarata. The popular place names like Karanasi, Ujjain, Bali, Rangagiri, Ava, Manupoori, Uri and Mandura, all correspond to some place names in Maoridom — viz., Taranaki, Urewera, Pari, Rangiriri, Hawaiki, Manapouri and Uri.

About 1,000 B.C., a General called Chandragupta of the Mauriya dynasty founded the empire of Mauriya in India and

all of India was brought under his rule; furthermore, the great Mauriyan King invaded Burma, Java, Sumatra and the islands in the far east. There were mainly two great ‘migrations’ that took place about 500 B.C. One was the great migration of the brave Mauriyas who were able warriors as well as navigators of the time. The religion at the time was Hinduism in India and the people were just beginning to organise themselves as a more civilised human race. They were mostly farmers and fishermen who possessed crude implements. With their crude implements and a faith associated with dances, songs and chants, the power of the deities (gods) and the dead, the Mauriyas drifted far east, finally to settle in New Zealand, cut off from the mother land. They probably did not take with them the art of writing or any written alphabet so they preserved and passed on their heritage by word of mouth.

Well now, by this time the Sinha tribe of Latarata too launched on their great migration, probably from the Bay of Bengal, and drifted down south until they landed on the coast of Lanka. Both Indian and Ceylon history has it that Prince Vijaya, son of Sinhabahu and Sinhaseevalee of Latarata went on looting and harassing the subjects of his own father and the king then summoned his son and his 500 followers and had their heads half shaven and put them in a canoe to drift and perish at sea as a punishment. Vijaya landed in Lanka with his followers; fought with the native Yakkas living there and then founded the Sinhalese race the island of Lanka, now called Ceylon. Legend has it that any new settlement peopled by sons of Hawaiki (sons of India) was placed under the protectorate of the god Vishnu or Hari. Lanka and Maoridom were both placed under the protection of this god according to some legends. Prior to the landing of Vijaya, the Yakkas and Nagas of Ceylon worshipped the sun and moon, trees and stones and their dead. This was so with the primitive Maori too.

About 240 B.C. the Mauriyas under the leadership of the great emperor Asoka, ushered in what is considered to be the ‘Golden Age’ of Indian civilisation. The Mauriyas, great warriors as they were, fought a thousand battles under Asoka, the great, and at the end the emperor was so filled with profound remorse that he no more wished to extend his empire by Dig-Vijaya or territorial conquest or by the might of the sword. He turned to Dhamma-Vijaya, the conquest by righteousness, and the whole of India including lands overseas, saw a period of prosperity and happiness in this period. The arts and culture flourished and peace and goodwill was even extended beyond man to the beast in that there were laws protecting the animals. He became a Buddhist as by this time Buddhism was at its best in India. This great emperor sent missions overseas to spread the teaching of Buddha and it was his own son, Mahinda Thero, who brought Buddhism to Ceylon during the reign of Devanampiyatissa the Sinhala king who was a bosom friend of the emperor Asoka.

With the introduction of Buddhism to Ceylon the people who were given to other forms of worship and steeped in superstition all became Buddhists and with it came the Great Aryan civilisation of India — Hawaiki — to Ceylon. This great religion has ever since been the biggest religious and cultural force in Lanka. The emperor Asoka's daughter, Sangamitta, later came to Ceylon with the sacred Bo-sapling (Bua trees considered a holy tree) to establish the order of Buddhist nuns (meheisasana) whilst Mahina Thero established the order of Buddhist monks. Thus it would seem

that it is again the Mauriya (Maoris of India) who brought civilisation and culture first to Ceylon. The Maoris of New Zealand left their Hawaiki (India) before Buddhism became the popular religion of India. Lord Buddha himself was a Mauriyan and Ceylon history has a line of kings of Mauriya dynasty.

Legend and Belief

The lay Buddhist in Ceylon had all along been influenced by the Hindu cult and he has faith in the deities of the Hindu pantheon of gods like Vishnu or Hari, Varuna, Yama, Ganesa or Kanesha (the elephant god) and the demon goddess Kali and in the belief that the first god who created the earth was Mnu or Manui. It is surprising that the Maoris too, did worship these very same deities and even today the story of these deities is reflected in their wood-carvings and meeting halls. The three-fingered Kali or the deity with the elephant's trunk are yet found and of special significance is the Maori carved ‘pare’ representing Vishnu and the Gadundas.

In both countries I find some rituals common. We in Ceylon perform a ceremony called ‘kapa’ by fixing a pole in times of drought, crop failure and disease. The Maori too did this and it is again called ‘kapa’. This is done to invoke blessings from the deities and is followed by offerings or sacrifices of meals, etc. The Banyan tree and the Bo-tree are held in high esteem in India and Ceylon and references are found that the Maori too has done this. Although there appears to be no caste system in Maoridom, there is a close semblance of it in the sub-tribal feelings of superiority over other sub-tribes. The word ‘Avichi’ means the hell below, and I read in the book called Who are the Maoris by Newman, that the very same concept of ‘Avichi’ with a scorching fire burning eternally leagues deep down below was a popular belief of the Maoris.

The concept that the superiors came from above and the personification of the sky, moon, sun and earth as deities, is still a living thing in Maoridom. The place given to the ‘cloud’ is significant and those who came from the clouds are called the sons of the cloud — Tama Te Kapua. In Ceylon and India too, the ‘cloud’ was associated with deities and superiority and ‘Megha Varna’. Megha Vana and Megha duta (megha meaning cloud) are significant. In the performance of demonological dances in Bali ceremonies in Ceylon, the marks worn by the dancers are almost the same as those figures of Maori carvings with rolling eyes, protruding tongues and fear-striking appearance. The colours used in these rituals are usually red and yellow in both countries.

Place Names and Words

Both Sinhalese and Maori languages appear to be the derivative of Sanskrit and Pali in India. I came across a host of place names common to Ceylon, India and Maoridom. It is most surprising to find that there are words common both in meaning and sounds in Ceylon and this country. The following will be ample proof:

Society and Customs

The ancient social structure in both countries appears to have been more or less the same. Ariya meant ‘noble’ and instead of the caste system in Ceylon, they had the tribal caste system which meant the same distinction in the social ladder. The family was an extended one, meaning a small blood group with close-knit ties and a law of its own and self-contained. Marriage was endogamous Both countries had a ‘group’ or ‘we’ feeling and did not think in terms of the so-called ‘individual’ or ‘I’. Some of the customs are strikingly similar.

Funeral (Tangi): All relatives were summoned from distant places and there was a great lamenting going on. The dead was either buried or cremated. Ashes or bones were preserved in tombstones built later.

Mana (Mana): This term means social prestige or power in both countries and is pronounced the same way. The kings of old conferred ‘mana’ on persons for bravery or service in the armed forces. A person was considered great who had ‘mana’ and those lower in rank had no access to his personal effects, etc. A district in Ceylon called Hathara Korale has five ‘manas’ conferred by the kings, and chieftains still claim a lot of prestige for having received ‘mana’. It has become synonymous with pride today.

Was (Tapu): This is a belief that some evil will befall a person who does a thing that he is not expected to or entitled to by custom. A person of lower rank wearing a crown or a ceremonial dress worn by kings or nobles is considered an act of this nature. This appears to exist in both countries in their folklore.

‘Pali’ (Utu): This means taking revenge for some injustice done. In Ceylon a king called Gajabahu hears the sad story of how 12,000 people were made captives and taken to India by a king who invaded Ceylon during his father's reign. The king, infuriated by hearing this, marched his mighty army across to India and brought 24,000 prisoners of war to Ceylon. In Maoriland ‘utu’ means much the same. I read in The Decorative Arts of New Zealand by Mr T. Barrow that the Rangatira, Te Rangihaeta of the Ngati Toa tribe had 22 European prisoners slain as ‘utu’, as his beloved wife was killed by the Europeans.

Finally, Newman in his book Who are the Maoris, says, ‘There was a caste in India called Tengalais. These Tengerese people are called Hindus by other writers. Their customs are distinctly Maori and they speak a dialect similar to Maori. With them as with the Maori, the head is sacred. They do not like any one to be higher on a hill than themselves.’ Does this paragraph refer to the Lion Race or Tribe (Sinha) of ancient India, the place of origin of the Sinhalese?

In conclusion may I mention that I do not worry about the exact place of origin of the Maori, be it Bengal of India, a place in Egypt, or South America. The fact still remains that we in Lanka (Ceylon) and you in New Zealand did have much in common in the past as shown by the foregoing facts. We had therefore, a common bond, a common culture before we set out 3,000 years ago in two directions. During the 3,000 years, much happened to erase and obliterate our identity or to alter it to a large extent. This was because the adaptation by both races to a new environment was inevitable in the struggle for survival.

Let us not lean on our past heavily, and, as somebody said, let us keep on making history the way we could. The Colombo Plan can and does not only yield mutual benefits to the participant countries in the economic sphere in aid and exchange of personnel, but in doing so it plays a vital role in bringing people of other races together who find that they have had much in common. This kind of feeling will surely help build up a peaceful international atmosphere for thinking in terms of universal peace and security in the world. May this be food for thought to my readers living today in a world torn to pieces by colour, class, race and religious conflicts.

And I bring you, my Maori brethren, greetings from Lanka — Ceylon.

Asoka Bokalamulla, Probation Officer, Ceylon

(The writer has used for his sources of Polynesian history some of the standard works of past authors. Recent archaeological and other research is beginning to fill

in some of the gaps in our knowledge in a most exciting way. There is growing evidence that the Polynesians may have lived in Fiji as long ago as 3,500 years and that they were there before the Melanesians. All over the South Pacific it is becoming apparent that the Polynesians have been in the area for very much longer than was thought.

The most popular theory amongst present-day scholars is that the Asian homeland of the Polynesians was probably on the South China coast and that they had left there before the first Mongolian people entered the region. So far as Hawaiki is concerned, only the east Polynesians, including the Maoris, refer to this as their homeland. Evidence is accumulating that the original Hawaiki was probably Savai'i, the largest of the Samoan islands. The ancestors of the Maori probably left Samoa over 2,000 years ago and settled in the Marquesas. From thence some moved south to Tahiti and neighbouring islands. Later other groups went to Rarotonga and thence eventually to New Zealand.—Editor.)

‘pop’ tunes for Maori items is eliminated. Radio and television programmes of Maori music are among the most sought after by other broadcasting organisations, and the NZBC does not want to meet the demand by supplying material taken from well known European songs.

Entry forms will be available from all radio stations, and the conditions of entry are shown in detail on the form. Local stations will make arrangements for recording the entries, which are limited to two in each class. The judging will be on tape-recorded performance only, and the composer may present his entry either as a soloist, or as one of a group up to eight in number, or may have it performed by a group of no more than eight people. One accompanying musical instrument may be used if needed. Lyrics must be presented in written form (Maori and English) if they are to be considered for judging.

The panel of judges will include Bill Kerekere and Ashley Heenan of the NZBC,

and three others of national repute in the field of Maori music, culture and entertainment. The recorded entries will be submitted to them anonymously.

Overseas journalists wrote damning articles on the ‘pop’ Maori music presented for the Queen in 1953, and the result was that the items for the Royal visit of 1963 were all original. This contest could provide original items for the Maori group selected to perform for the Royal visit in 1970.

‘City Life’ Discussion

Mr Terry Mataio of Rarotonga, a qualified lawyer who works as legal officer for a large insurance firm, chaired a panel discussion for boys and girls in this year's pre-employment course at Wellington. Other panel members were Margaret Holroyd, a Maori Welfare Officer in Wellington who has been associated with the pre-employment courses since 1967, and two Hato Paora old boys, John Ropata of the N.Z.B.C's Maori Programme section, and Stanley White, one of last year's pre-employment students, who is working for the Customs Department.

The topic was ‘possible social problems encountered by a newcomer to city life’, and the discussion covered a wide range, involving both panel members and students.

Home From Australia

Miss Fae Owen, Atiawa, paid a brief visit to her home in Taranaki over the holiday period. The main reason for her return was to marry Tom Sidney, a Ngati Kahungunu from Nuhaka. They returned to Australia in mid-January, where both are working at the ‘Snowy River Scheme’. Tom as a carpenter and Fae as a secretary.

Fae, one of the girls to go through the first ‘typist trainee’ scheme in 1962, worked

for the Maori Affairs Department for two years, Europa Oil for one year, then went to Australia in 1966.

Baptismal Font in Australia

Senior Bishop Coadjutor of Sydney, the Rt Rev. F. O. Hulme-Moir, is here explaining the significance of the carving on the font to Miss Pam McLeod, a former ‘Miss New Zealand’, now an Air New Zealand receptionist in Sydney.

The baptismal font was a gift from the Maori people to St John's Church, Parramatta, Sydney, the parish from which the Rev. Samuel Marsden first brought the Christian gospel to New Zealand 150 years ago.

‘Mrs Taumarunui’

To win first a queen carnival as the Maori candidate, and then the ‘Mrs Taumarunui’ title in the New Zealand Plunket Society contest, made the year 1968 a busy one for Mrs Martha Taiaroa of Taumarunui. Martha is a member of a leading Ngati Tuwharetoa family, with strong Tainui affiliations through her father. Her husband, Mr Archie Taiaroa, is Maori welfare officer at Taumarunui and is an elder of Ngati Haua. They have one son, Rakeipoho.

When the Red Cross Society held a queen

carnival at Taumarunui, with a target of $5,000, Martha was selected as the Maori candidate. Her committee raised in excess of $4,000 and the carnival raised $11,000.

Some of the fund-raising efforts were a sportsmen's dinner, with numerous leading sportsmen attending, a performance of ‘He Mana Toa’ by members of the New Zea-and Maori Theatre Trust from Wellington, a cabaret and a poetry reading by Rowley Habib.

When the national contest was staged by the Plunket Society to find a ‘Mrs New Zealand’, Martha was a logical contender and won the Taumarunui title from a strong field of 15. She was the only Maori entry. She went on to the ‘Mrs Waikato’ section of the contest where she was placed third.

She modelled gowns designed by a Taumarunui Maori designer, Mrs Ann Rupe. A waistcoat she wore with one ensemble was in a taniko pattern and was designed by her husband.

Visit to School

Members of the touring Parliamentary Committee on Maori Affairs were entertained to lunch at Rotokawa School, Rotorua.

Action songs and stick games were demonstrated by the children, and in the few minutes remaining before lunch, the local Member of Parliament, Mr H. R.

National Publicity Studios photographs

Carving for Expo ‘70

Another visit made by the Parliamentary Committee was to the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute at Whakarewarewa, where they saw the poutokomanawa being carved for the Expo ‘70 Exhibition. Here one of the carving apprentices and Mr P. Rewiti, M.P. for Eastern Maori, point out features of the carving. At the far right is Mr John Taiapa, master carver, instructor at the institute.

The poutokomanawa, which would usually be in the centre of a meeting house, will be in a prominent position near the entrance of the main pavilion at Expo ‘70 in Osaka, Japan, and will be seen by millions of visitors.

A Ceremony

The 125th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi is a special occasion for those who are Maori and European.

Sailors in their white uniforms and officers in black, congregate around the treaty house. The glittering swords of officers in uniform have their effect on the younger generation. Small boys march behind their ‘phantoms’ and stop as they stop.

Suddenly, the hustle and bustle is over-taken by quietness. The open air is the mansion of those seated in it and the eyes of all turn to study that which has caused the silence.

The New Zealand flag is hoisted to the top of the giant flagstaff, and the brittle stillness is broken by the sound of yelling trumpets and groaning French horns. The naval orchestra sends music to those who attend the ceremony for the first time, and rewelcomes those who have attended the ceremony several times.

The music stops and a Maori warrior sends shrieks of anger to an intruding character. He leaps from the ground to the rhythm of singing women. Silence returns in contrast with the shrieking voice of the warrior, and, as if hypnotized, a tall figure steps slowly from the crowd, the plumes in his hat drifting in the direction of the wind, like that of an 18th Century Frenchman. His sword swings freely on his white uniform covered waist, swishing gently against his thigh. The monocle hiding in his left eye, glitters in the failing light of the passing day. His moustache bristles in the evening breeze, and his feet shuffle on the wooden planks as he rises onto the pulpit. With the help of a handsome officer, he is seated into a wooden chair, beside which are members of parliament and important speakers. Everyone stares in awe at the tall figure, and one can almost hear what they are saying.

The speaker, Sir Turi Caroll, welcomes those who are worthy of being welcomed. His shaky voice bleats the words of wisdom into the minds of those listening.

Then Sir Bernard Fergusson in white uniform speaks to those who can understand Maori, then to those who speak the English language. The subject of equality appears invisibly but audibly in his speech, and the history of the Treaty of Waitangi is told for the 125th time in 125 years.

A shadow suddenly appears before those who are superstitious as, like ghosts, the lighted ships in the harbour drift as though in fresh air. The guns are lit to the very tip and the flags on the ships' bows are luminous in the dark night.

The band begins to play, and the ceremony slowly loses its excitement as time takes control. The slow movement of tired guests is heard as the ceremony concludes.

Now a poem dedicated to one of New Zealand's great men.

To Apirana Turupa Ngata

O great leader of the past,
whose memory will forever last,
You left behind your Maori race
To seek your homeland in God's place.

Can you see us from above?
Can you see us, share our love?
O Ngata wise, Ngata great,
Look upon your Maori race,
for in this land you left behind
are now, two races of one kind.

Richard Te Haara

St Stephen's School, Auckland

We are pleased to have more contributions from Panguru High School.

The Scrub Fire

During the May holidays my friend Joseph and I were caught in the Rangimatea Ranges between the swift flowing Tauma River and a raging scrub fire.

We were out tramping and were unlucky to have chosen a day when a ‘firebug’ was on the move. The fire was a raging inferno; tongues of yellow and red flame leapt from tree to tree like the swift cougar in pursuit of its prey. Smoke swirled in blankets of dark, sooty cloud. The sky darkened as the fire spread its grasping, hungry fingers over the horizon. My friend and I were on the verge of panic: fear had taken hold of us.

My heart was racing and I seemed to feel it pounding in the air about me. Animals were charging past us in hordes. Others were unlucky and were engulfed in the deathtrap. Wherever we looked there was danger. Old massive Kauri and Puriri trees were being flattened. First a flame would catch a branch, then next moment the whole tree would be alight. Cinders of dying wood were flying everywhere. My eyes were watery and very sore from the dense smoke. Charred logs were burning crazily and were adding to the heat.

I told my friend that there was only one means of escape: the dreaded Tauma River, which was just as dangerous.

‘Isn't there any alternative?’ he gasped.

‘Oh yes!’ I replied. ‘Absolute cremation in the fire … And of course there is the river with its pitless bottom!’

He shuddered with fear, Consoling him, I told him to jump into the river and make for the other side as he was being swept along. The situation was getting out of hand. The fire was too close for comfort and I, too, jumped into the river. I found myself caught up in a swirling dream and my head was reeling feverishly. I felt hard ground but I was too weak to move.

About a week after the incident my friend

and I returned to the scene of horror. There was no work of Mother Nature to be seen. All that was left was a plain of twisted, charred logs and stumps.

Patrick Newson, Form V

I Remember

I remember the burning glow of
the evening fire
around which we would sit to laugh and sing
after a long day of toil and play

The nights were chilly then
and we'd gather round
to watch the glowing embers
while creepy shadows leapt and danced
across the darkened walls.
And heavy with sleep,
we'd dream before the fire,
in the bright light it provided
soothed by the smell of the candle —
by the friendly flame flickering high upon the mantlepiece.
Then the morning sun would welcome us
and weary ones would plod to school
with sunken hearts and sad faces.

When at last the evening fell
We were happy again
returning to the smoky comforts
of the hearth.

But that was long ago
when childhood days seemed forever,
when we played all day long
under the ever-glowing sun.
O, if Time could now return to a childhood
Lost forever!

A Place in the Sun

I wander along the quiet and dusty roads
Of Kaihu
And I see old railway lines
Long rusted and grown over with long grass and blackberry,
And old, deserted railway shacks and shops long closed and empty.
This is no ghost town
Deserted and forgotten
But where are its people?
They are there in their little houses
Some are in the pub across the road
From where voices of merry men ring out into the drowsy air.

Others rest in deep sleep
Beneath the many headstoned graves,
Beside the grand and well-known church
Lying there unforgotten in the open green
Facing eastwards towards the rising sun
Many graves I see, kept free of creeping weeds and cruel thistles
By one of a compassionate heart …

A gentle breeze, soft and soothing, feels its way
Through my half-entangled hair,
And the ageless sun smiles kindly on this peaceful town.

Isabelle Te Wake, Form V

Another contribution, this time from Sharon Moengaroa White of Maropiu District High School.

Young Ones

‘One, two, three and away we go …’ comes the shout from the top of the tree then splash! Papa hits the water.

Like a cauldron the water bubbles and boils, then up comes Papa's face, bright with excitement.

Then there's a ‘whirlpool’ as Julie jumps in, quite sure that if a boy can do it, so can she. Well, it takes all kinds.

Dawn screams as Jamie pushes her into the creek. But it's all in fun, just like everything else we do here.

I may be wrong, but I think the aim of any Maori is to be happy. And why not? Being happy makes the harder tasks in life so much easier.

Teresa is the showgirl of us all. She is

quite content to stand on the bank and pretend she is on stage either acting, or dancing and singing. Like the rest of her family, she has natural talent for such things.

Eugene rides up on his horse and all at once everyone is around him.

‘Can I have a ride please Eugene?’

‘Go on, eh, Eugene, let me and Julie have the first ride’.

‘No!’ says Eugene firmly, ‘Just shut up you girls. Papa and I are having the first ride’.

Never mind. We'll wait here for Tony and Mark to bring us some apples from the tree yonder.

About fifteen minutes have passed and we're still waiting for those boys. Well they can have the horse then. We're going in for another swim.

Afterwards we'll go for a walk and may-be steal some fruit.

Indeed it's a good life. Isn't it always when you're a Maori?

Now four poems written last year by pupils of Turaki School, Taumarunui.

The Waves

The moonbeams shone on the soft calm sea,
And the waves all around, seemed to whisper to me,
I looked out the windows
And peeped all around
I listened carefully
But there wasn't a sound
Then I could feel an ocean spray
And then I could see the peeps of day.

Janice Bell, S.4

The Wind

Run everybody, run!
The wind is coming.
Hide from it
Do not let it get you,
For the wind is strong.
Run,
Run, run, hide from it.

Linda Henry, S.3

Autumn

The leaves are falling
And the wind is blowing,
And I am cold.
I put my hands around me
I start to run faster and faster
Suddenly I stop
I look up at the trees.
They are blowing from side to side,
The winds starts to roar,
I am frightened.
At last I am home by the fire.

George Manapiri, S.3

The River

The water deep, mysterious,
Dark
Unforgettable
It urges me closer
Eels slimy and black
Slipping, sliding and beckoning

Himiona Henry, S.4

MAORI FOLK TALES

by Margaret Orbell
Blackwood and Janet Paul, $2.25
reviewed by K. Dewes

Pakeha readers or students of Maori language will find some enjoyment and educational value in reading this anthology of 18 stories, which Margaret Orbell has labelled generally as folktales. Details of source references and footnotes should be appreciated, a necessity which was lacking with the recorders and translators such as Taylor, Shortland, Grey, Davis, White and Locke. Both Pakeha and Maori should admire Margaret Orbell's ability in reading Maori language and her competency in translating it into English, and her academic knowledge of Maori culture, all of which provide some necessary background in research with written oral traditions (oral fluency in language and practical knowledge of culture are necessary prerequisites for the study of oral literature).

The 18 stories in this publication were collected by six Pakeha collectors and they are from about six Maori tribal areas (or five canoe areas) from different parts of New Zealand; nine were previously unpublished, four which were previously published in Maori have been re-edited from manuscripts, and the rest are re-edited from previous publications. Except for two titles in Maori, the editor has been responsible for all titles in both Maori and English, and accompanying each title is the name of the informant, the title or district, and the date of collection or recording. Some notes are provided on the sources of Maori texts, i.e., on the recorders, previous publications or manuscripts and informants. Competent translations in English are printed opposite each page of the original Maori text, in which most long vowel sounds are indicated by the macron. Footnotes, in English only, provide explanatory material; there is an alphabetical listing of works cited by the editor and a very short glossary is added.

For one who has not learnt Maori very long, Margaret Orbell has done a good job. Her efforts should provide encouragement to students interested in this field, more so too because we have most sympathetic publishers in Paul's and others in New Zealand. Language classes in Maori will find the collection of stories most helpful because the translations in English on opposite pages facilitate immediate cross-checking — learners will find it useful in extending their vocabulary and comprehension without the aid of a tutor or a dictionary. Though the general reader will find the translations are as close as possible to the original texts, the English is natural and readable; one could not say the same thing overall for the translations of early collectors. Academicians who may not classify this publication as a scholarly work should admit to fair techniques of editing already referred to above, and that the stories not only belong to New Zealand but also provide an insight on some of the stories that were told in pre-1900 Maori society; the creative writer in English, who is ignorant of Maori, also has a reasonable base to work from.

But this collection perpetuates some of the things indulged in by all collectors. Each story, which can stand on its own, has been selected from various sources without an integrating theme(s) and outside of tribal contexts. Because of the latter point, Ngati Porou readers, for example, will not be inspired or emotionally moved by the Mohi Ruatapu collection. It would appear that the stories have been selected to agree with Margart Orbell's concept of folktales as she discusses it in her introduction to ‘Maori Folktales’. One wonders why the Mohi Ruatapu stories were included. Was it primarily because he was a tohunga of a Ngati Porou school of higher learning? Mohi Ruatapu's reputation as depicted through these stories is tarnished; for example, the story of Ihurahirahi (p. 54), the woman who discovered the famous Kapuarangi fishing ground is inadequately told. Was this his fault, or the method and circumstances of written recording, or the inhibiting influence of writing on an expert in oral tradition who needed inspiration and so on from an appreciative audience and critical peers?

So the publication also suffers from a methodological weakness in that the theory of folktales is a Pakeha (western) one; it

is not based on the Maori view or Maori categorisation of oral tradition. A further restriction is the confinement of the introductory remarks, selection and annotations to written sources only. (Research students and teachers are slaves to written documentation, and so oral traditions, which have surprisingly persisted today are overlooked and ignored.)

Though one does realise some of the difficulties involved in research work of this kind, it would have been most helpful to have added such aids as a map locating each story, the tribes, the district of the informant, and place names; parallel traditions relevant to each story such as whakapapa (genealogy) and so on, and footnotes in Maori for language students.

Let's have more of this, but with a Maori biased theory, terminology and headings, single or connected themes that are tribally based and not restricted to written records.

Kia ora,

Koro Dewes

THE LEGACY OF GUILT: A life of Thomas Kendall

Judith Binney
O.U.P. for the University of Auckland, $5.80
reviewed by B. Kernot

This is a penetrating study of one of the lesser known personages in New Zealand history. Thomas Kendall was a man of modest talents and achievements who, despite his relative obscurity and ultimate failure, has for some time caught the attention of writers and historians. Why this should be so is really the point of this biography.

Kendall arrived in New Zealand in 1814 as the schoolteacher at the mission established by Samuel Marsden. The foundation and tribulations of this first missionary venture in this country form the background to this account, but the background never dominates the subject and it is the man himself who stands out and captures our interest.

His evangelical upbringing had taught him to regard ‘heathen’ life and culture as the work of the Devil. As a missionary he felt he had to destroy that life in order to bring about the Kingdom of God in New Zealand. However, unlike Marsden or his colleagues he was sensitive to the Maori life around him, became fascinated with it, and tried to understand it. He was unable to reconcile this inner conflict and was tormented with an overwhelming sense of guilt, for, he believed, Satan had ensnared him. He never repudiated his religious beliefs but neither did he lose his fascination for Maori life to which he responded with a deep emotional attachment. Mrs Binney suggests that his trading in muskets and his seduction of a young Maori girl, for both of which he was dismissed from the Church Missionary Society, indicated a deeper conflict than desire for gain or lust. In their different ways they represented his attraction ‘to a whole way of life to which his passions and his curiosity drew him, but which seemed the very substance of all that the evangelical beliefs had taught him to think repulsive’.

This is a scholarly piece of work which may make difficult, but never dull, reading. Chapter 7 is particularly difficult since it concerns Kendall's muddled attempts to explain Maori religion and is of more interest to scholars than the general reader, but it can be skipped without disturbing the flow of the story.

At five dollars eighty it is a fairly expensive book but should appeal to the serious reader as a sensitive portrayal of a man whose faith and experience were in conflict.

THE TAIL OF THE FISH

Matire Kereama
Oswald-Sealy (N.Z.) Ltd, $1.25
reviewed by N. P. K. Puriri

Well Matire, I knew you could talk but I didn't know you could write. Don't get pukuriri at what I have to say. Remember the proverb, ‘Ngapuhi kohao rau’ and if I appear to be over-critical treat it as a compliment.

‘The Tail of the Fish’, and indeed it is the tale of the people of the Far North, their homes, their victories in battles, their defeats and their lives.

The stories in the main are centred

around the Aupouri tribe, but for the life of me I couldn't understand how my tupuna Kawiti became involved at the very end by the inclusion of one of his waiatas. Surely the Aupouri have their own, and for the information of the writer he was never known as Kawiti te Riri but his grandson was known as Te Riri.

I was very disappointed to find that the arara or trevally story was omitted. I would have thought that Te Kohuru would have been mentioned. Also, Te Kohuru's escape from the cooking ovens of the Aupouris would have made exciting reading — but I may have objected if you had shown who his descendants are.

Talking about whakapapa, it is a pity that quite a number were incorrect, and that they were not extended to show the connections to the other tribes.

The thought that crossed my mind — the book would have doubled its mana if some of the spicy yarns of the good old days had been included. What about those remittance men from the old country, the Tararas and many other people who went to the gumfields? People like Bill Evans, the Yates family, old Anaru Ngawaka and a host of others who were characters in their own right and who in the main made the Far North.

The Maori text suffered considerably due to the lack of Maori knowledge of the proof reader. The following are but a few examples: page 16, mate not matu; page 30, Ka pa instead of Kapa; page 74, Hinga instead of Einga; page 79, te waahi not tewaahi; ka hurihia not kahuri hia; a taku not ataku; ki te not kite.

Enough pin pricking at this stage. Let me acknowledge one thing — the good in the book far outweighs the bad. As a matter of fact, I like it. I am particularly grateful for her story in chapter 25, which shows that in this modern day and age, some of the old customs are very much alive.

The people of Matire's generation are becoming as scarce as hen's teeth, and the pity of it all is that they will take with them the stories and traditions of our people and leave little behind. On the other hand, if they have Matire's courage and put their thoughts on paper all will not be lost.

Well, Matire, even if your stories are a bit one-eyed, how about some more?

ADMINISTRATION IN NEW ZEALAND'S MULTI-RACIAL SOCIETY

Edited by R. H. Brookes and I. H. Kawhuru
Oxford University Press
available from Government Printer, $2.00
reviewed by J. R. McCreary

One of the problems presented in reviewing a book of this kind is that it is a collection of papers by a variety of authors drawn from differing backgrounds and, to some extent, each paper is complete in itself and worthy of comment. The authors divide into two general groups — the academics and the administrators. The academics are made up of Dr Kawharu, Department of Anthropology, Auckland University; Dr Metge, Department of Anthropology, Victoria University of Wellington; and Dr Ritchie, Professor of Psychology, Waikato University. The administrators include, R. J. Mardle, Department of Labour; R. L. Bradly, onetime Superintendent of Education, Auckland; J. M. McEwen, Secretary for Maori and Island Affairs; L. G. Anderson, Superintendent of Child Welfare. They are a panel drawn together for the New Zealand Institute of Public Administration's annual convention held at Auckland in 1966.

The first three papers set the stage against which the administrators must present their policies and practices. Kawharu, in the introduction, raises the question of how much we know of our multi-racial society and puts in a special plea for research which may show what can, in fact, be done. Mardle, drawing on census returns, departmental reports and private research papers, shows what we do know of the ethnic constitution of our population, emphasising not only the Maori and Polynesian elements but the Chinese, Indians and non-British Europeans who help to form New Zealand's population. Finding such a polyglot collection included under the general heading of ‘multi-racial’ made me doubt again the wisdom of the use of the term ‘race’, as I had done on first seeing the title of the series. Metge, however, deals with this question in her opening section and points out that if one attempts to substitute something such as ‘ethnic group relations’ for ‘race rela-

tions’ the usage is clumsy and unfamiliar. Metge goes on to examine what she terms alternative policy patterns, including such topics as segregation, assimilation, pluralism, integration and fusion.

It is in her development of these policy patterns and Ritchie's subsequent manipulation of similar concepts that, it seems to me, lies one of the major issues in the papers which although not explicitly stated seems to divide the policy-makers from their commentators. In presenting these as alternatives, Metge appears to be indicating that an adminstrator can choose a policy of integration or assimilation and his choice will have a fundamental effect on the path of social change. Ritchie, also, seems to argue that rational decision is a primary motive for conduct in social comment. In one comment, for instance, he lists attributes which he feels are necessary to guarantee integrated adjustment. He includes such things as ‘commitment to the development of the full education potential of one's children’, ‘a willingness to enter into and accept responsibility in neighbourhood and other voluntary associations’, and ‘some change in the status of women and the care of children’. It is not altogether clear whether he believes that administrative decisions can achieve these states but seems to imply they can.

On the other hand, we find Anderson saying bluntly, ‘The whole history of the development of our welfare services in New Zealand has been one of practical measures undertaken to relieve immediate need in the manner that appeared appropriate at the time’. And McEwen stating, ‘What is going on in the Maori world today is a revolution — a revolution as tremendous and as far-reaching to the Maori as the industrial revolution was to society in England a couple of centuries ago’. Both these administrators, although they do not say it directly, appear to be indicating that they are the servants of historical development, not its masters.

Do policies determine history? This may be a foolish question and the answer perhaps that the interaction between the two is the real determinant of social events. It can be argued that in free society the only sensible choice for the administrator is to co-operate with change. The wisdom of his policies therefore depends upon his awareness of the necessities of the situation, rather than his skill in inventing irrelevant paths for his citizens to follow. In societies which are not free, societies with totalitarian overtones in their administrative procedures, it is possible to devise policies such as apartheid which have a profound effect upon the lives of people. It is also clear that where such policies exist the liberal thinkers of the world believe that the administrators are flying in the face of history and are moving towards an inevitable cataclysm. To put this point in another way, it can be argued that it is possible to introduce a policy which, with the consent of the governed or some of the governed, will produce segregation but it is much more difficult to legislate for integration rather than assimilation.

The theme which runs through the papers and which is commented upon by Ritchie is what he calls ‘an expression of a national sense of assurance that we can handle minority groups capably within our present administration’, or what he also refers to as ‘self-congratulation’. Certainly, when one reads the statements in this book of what has been achieved in the various government departments and examines the appendices outlining some of our social services, then there is clearly room for a sense of achievement. The key question, however, does not seem to have been asked — are the consumers of social welfare or other programmes in our minority groups satisfied with what they have received? Are their needs truly being met? Have our services been adequately adapted to meet their needs? In assessing welfare services, and much of this book is concerned with such services, it is more important to find out about how the services are actually delivered by administrators, officials and professional workers than it is to examine the structure and relationship of services. None of the speakers raise as a major topic the problem of communication between the administrators and those for whom they administer. It could be argued that in examining any multi-racial society the lines of communication, the process of communication, and the efficacy of this communication form the major set of criteria upon which one will judge the success of the society itself. The emphasis is rather upon the accommodation of the minority group to the services of the majority rather than the relationship between them. We are offered a description of administrative structures

without the dynamics of relationship within these structures.

Although it could have been expected as a major theme of the conference, one could certainly have hoped that the chapter on education would have contained some comment upon communication. It seems, perhaps, a little unfair to select R. L. Bradly's otherwise excellent and at times amusing chapter for special comment but he mentions a hundred and twenty-five years of teaching which, apparently, has failed to master the techniques of teaching Maori children fluent English. One could perhaps not unreasonably ask for some comment on how teachers communicated with pupils in subjects other than English if they had no firm linguistic basis for such communication. Naturally in these comments on communication I am not concerned only with verbal communication between individuals but also with the problem presented by communities and individuals communicating with administrators, whether the process of communication be verbal or nonverbal.

Another omission which I found intriguing was any detailed examination of the functioning of Maori associations, district councils and the New Zealand Maori Council. Here at least is an administrative structure, particularly designed for a multi-racial society, and presumably part of the process by which the Maori people communicate their needs and reactions to Pakeha administrators. As he is part of the administrative chain and therefore may find it difficult to examine the Council and its works objectively, this should not perhaps have been the task of the Secretary for Maori Affairs but it seems particularly unfortunate that a student of public administration was not asked to comment upon this administrative process which has emerged solely from the multi-racial characteristics of our society. In so far as the Council is referred to, it appears in an appendix and as part of L. G. Anderson's chapter in which he uses the function of the New Zealand Maori Council to describe the nature of Maori welfare officers' work.

I found L. G. Anderson's chapter, Welfare Requirements in a Multi-racial Society, a particularly satisfying one. He expresses himself both as a man, as an administrator and as a professional social worker in a way which, for me, helps to clarify the nature of welfare administration in a multiracial society. He is able to cut through some of the faulty thinking in race relations when he expresses regret that Maori adoptions were removed from the Maori Land Court; he is also able to state clearly the way in which a comprehensive department of social welfare could serve a multiracial society more effectively than an exclusively departmental organisation. He also is apparently responsible for encouraging other welfare departments, notably Social Security, Justice, Child Welfare and Maori Affairs to supply an outline of their services and some comments on problems of cross-cultural social work as appendices.

There are many minor points which could bear examination, such as, are administrators selected for being free of race prejudice? How can one train prejudice out of an administrator? Is it inevitable that even speakers of this calibre should reflect commonly held stereotypes about minority groups? But these would be carping comments on what is otherwise an informative and enjoyable presentation which to some degree contains a dialogue between administrators and academics and which is ably introduced and edited by I. H. Kawharu.

POLYNESIA IN COLOUR

by James Siers
A. H. & A. W. Reed, $3.95
reviewed by E. E. Bush

The production of a popular book on Polynesia by a New Zealand publishing firm, is a reminder that in our modern world, the islands of Polynesia are just around the corner, and we have as near neighbours races and nations enjoying a way of life quite different from our own, and owing loyalties to other nations. It is as well to be reminded, too, that peoples of a common stock with our own Maoris inhabit the vastness of the South Pacific region, and that from these islands the Maoris brought their culture, their language, and their way of life.

Yet, though these islands of the South Seas share a common heritage, there are differences, too, that divide this ethnological

group into Tahitians, and Tongans, and Samoans, and Rarotongans. Through 2,000 years or more, racial characteristics have developed, and the visitor to any group can identify its inhabitants. Language, culture, religion, vary to a degree. The community life of each racial group has developed along separate lines, so that differing forms of government are evidence of separate evolution. Houses, canoes and crops, while showing a basic similarity, are individual in style.

But perhaps more noticeable than social changes are the racial characteristics of physical features. It was these racial characteristics that James Siers set out to capture. He aimed his camera at those features that were typical of the island group he was visiting. Nor was he slow to realize that each ethnic group is by no means pure.

The Polynesian was ever a wanderer — how else did he reach these island homes? But random canoes blown off course, organized migrations, or war parties all resulted in residence in one group by the peoples of another. Perhaps the greatest wanderers were the Tongans, for most of the other groups have legends and stories of Tongan war-parties landing in their midst, or a canoe-load arriving to seek a husband for a ‘fair princess’.

Nor was this practice confined to Polynesia — there was inter-communication between Polynesia and Melanesia. The inhabitants of the southern islands of the Fiji group are more specifically Tongan in appearance, with their straight hair contrasting with the fuzzy Fijian. The northern islands, Rotuma, Gilbert and Ellice, and others, likewise show a Polynesian influence.

James Siers sets out, then, to show us this Polynesia. His book is a combination of text and photographs in colour. He gives us an introductory chapter, briefly outlining the history of discovery in the South Seas — first, the explorers, Mendana and Quinos, accounting for Spanish names in the Melanesian groups. The Dutch, with Tasman as their most important, were next. Tasman's journey was to date the most southerly, and to him were credited the discoveries of Tasmania, New Zealand, the Lau Group, and Tonga. The map of these uncharted seas was filling up. After one hundred years of inactivity, suddenly the French and English appeared almost simultaneously. Wallis, Bougainville, Cook are the outstanding names in South Seas exploration.

In their wake came the course of history. Traders, disease, missionaries, guns, unsettled settlement, ‘protective custody’. And so the islands of Polynesia and of Melanesia became British and French, and Spanish, and Dutch, and German, and American — and not necessarily under the aegis of their present ‘protectors’.

After this ‘in-flight’ introduction, we arrive at our first island group — only this isn't a group in Polynesia (although the author defends this by claiming that ‘Polynesia’ simply means ‘many islands’. And, on examining the index, we find that we must accept this ruling, for we are to go to another group also that is ethnically and geographically not in the Polynesian triangle). Rather sensibly, James Siers takes us first to Fiji. Why not! It is our nearest island group (we cannot list Norfolk Island as a ‘group’), is almost as close to Auckland as is Invercargill, and more easily reached. Most New Zealanders at some time or another, will no doubt succumb to the blandishments of their Travel Centre, and take advantage of the quick, inexpensive holiday tours to Fiji. And the more distant traveller makes first touch-down there. Significantly, therefore, the cover picture is of the ceremonial presentation of Kava, set outside a model bure, while the first plate is that of a girl of Fiji — not a Fijian girl, but one in whom is seen the blend of Melanesia and Polynesia. So the author sets the scene, and we are introduced to the ‘crossroads of the Pacific’ in pictures and story. The text sketches in the known history of the Fijian people over the 3,000 years of their occupation of the island group; it describes some of the ceremonies and functions the tourist should not miss, discusses the social and political present, and wisely avoids an expression of opinion of Fiji's most pressing problem, the relations between Fijians and Indians. The pictures of Fiji and Fijian life represent largely the tourist point of view — yet in the selection there are only four small shots of the Indian. The pages of pictures are grouped; the Kava ceremony, scenes showing the contrast in the appearance of the ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ sides, a fish drive, typical market scenes and one or two ‘general shots’.

Introducing the section on Samoa is a study of a Samoan girl, contemplative, beautiful in a Polynesian way, and with blossoms in her hair. The caption says, ‘Western Samoa stands out as something special; the women seem more beautiful, the hills greener, the villages more picturesque, and the lagoons bluer’. So James Siers' heart is captured, and he sets the scene for our visit to this gem of the Pacific. A brief history is given in the text, the social and economic atmosphere is touched on, and the remainder is material for the tourist. I felt the selection of photographs on this section was not truly representative, particularly in showing the Samoan himself, but sufficient were included to show something of the beauty and the wealth of colour of the Samoan islands, although none is included of Savai'i, more typical of the real Samoa, as it is more isolated. American Samoa is given another couple of pages of additional text, but the group of photographs portrays Samoa as an ethnic group.

We now backtrack to the island kingdom of Tonga, shown generally in atlases as ‘The Friendly Islands’. Interest was created in this little-known kingdom off the main tourist and travel routes, by the person of its best-known sovereign, Queen Salote, who captured the hearts of the people of the world at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Several of the photographs are centred around her life, or her passing. With attention drawn to its existence, tourist promoters set about putting Tonga on the tourist map. So, apart from a little history, and a little economics, James Siers is concerned with telling us what we may see there.

Due east now to the scattered Cook group; attention is concentrated mainly on the two islands of Rarotonga, port of call, and Aitutaki which was formerly the chief airstrip. With improved services, this paradise of the Pacific will tend to lose its isolation. For long the concern of the New Zealand Government, Cook Island industry, both primary and secondary, has been fostered, and the visitor to these islands is struck by the contrast between the primitive and the modern, more so here than in any other South Seas group.

Next, to New Caledonia, not Polynesian, not even Melanesian, but included no doubt because of its inclusion in the Travel Centre's list of easily-accessible places to go to ‘get away from it all’. What struck the author was its individuality, and its difference from any other island group. French in atmosphere, cosmopolitan in its peoples, sophisticated in its standards for the European — James Siers sees New Caledonia as a place of contrasts. He illustrates this in the pictures he has chosen.

The final port of call is Tahiti, largest of the Society Group. Here one will see what one expects of the South Seas — beautiful maidens in grass skirts performing hula dances, white sands and coral atolls, the colourful flowers, the tropical scene. All this is here — perhaps commercialized, perhaps over-presented. There is variety, too — one sees again the fish-drive, the native markets, the native villages, the blue lagoons. Some of the outer islands are accessible — Raiatea, spiritual centre of Polynesia; Bora Bora, made famous in film and story. The pictures show the beauty of the land. As Siers says, you must go to Tahiti to realize how good Gauguin really was.

So our tour is complete. The book has presented what it said it would — Polynesia in Colour. Of the text, it is simple, in outline only. It does not pretend to give a studied treatise on each place visited.

The pictures are all photographs — a little different from the clear, defined photographs of the travel brochure. I puzzled over them for a while. I did not think the colour printing process of the Kyodo Company of Tokyo could be to blame. Some of the prints, notably of flowers, but in some cases, of scenes, were true to life, but some had a colour-cast, while some were a little faded. I came to the conclusion that the photographer had chosen these on purpose; they gave an impression rather than a delineating picture, an impression of colour, the blues, the soft greens, the suffused orange. I could accept the pictures on these grounds. The scenes of N.W. Viti Levu were clear, much as a photograph would produce. This is the ‘dry’ area of Fiji. The lack of clarity of the other pictures could then portray the mistiness of the rain-soaked tropics. Some of the shots of people were perhaps too obviously posed.

The volume will give the would-be traveller some idea of the countries so near at hand, and so worth visiting, while, for those who have already made the journey, it will provide a satisfying reminder of what must undoubtedly have been the experience of a life-time.

POI AND PIUPIU

Kiwi Mono-Stereo SLC-63 12 in. 33 ⅓ L.P.

‘Poi and Piupiu’ features the Queen Victoria School for Girls Maoritanga Choirwith Hannah Tatana as guest soloist. In recent years there has been something of a surfeit of recordings of groups of Maori female singers, mostly school groups, but this record is indeed a welcome addition which must rank as amongst the best, if not the best, of recordings by all-female groups.

Side one consists in the main of poi and action songs. One hesitates to use the word ‘traditional’ to describe such a recent development as the action song but there are some action songs which are rightly regarded as classics because of the fact that they have cut across tribal boundaries and survived and been performed long after the occasion of their composition has passed. ‘Te Ope Tuatahi’, ‘E Pari Ra’ and others of the songs on side one come into this category. In the poi items the sound of the poi comes through beautifully and throughout all the items the singing is controlled yet flowing. One has the feeling that in this choir there are no passengers. I am glad that two chants have been included. Although ‘Takere Poua Ra’ and ‘Taku Patu’ are not samples of the true Maori chant of pre-European times they are reminiscent in form of the ancient style whilst containing sufficient melody to make them acceptable to twentieth century ears. As such they give listeners an easily-digested introduction to the more traditional Maori music.

I particularly enjoyed the girls singing the seldom heard Tamati Hamapere composition ‘Karo’. This is one of the songs of Alfred Hill, Karaitiana, Kaihau era which produced many lovely Maori songs which are all too rarely performed nowadays. ‘E Pari Ra’ disappoints a little. It is belted out rather mechanically and with none of the poignant harmonies which can highlight its theme of lamentation and farewell. ‘E Tihei Mauriora’ is described as ‘another song composed at Queen Victoria School’ whereas I would think it more accurate to describe it as ‘another song, the words of which were composed … etc.’

Side two is full of contrast, both with side one and between the various songs featured. The choir's rendition of ‘Waiata Poi’ with Hannah Tatana as soloist must be rated as one of the best on record of this old favourite. This is followed by Miss Tatana and the choir singing ‘Hine Mokemoke’ (The Singing Shell), a song composed by Susi Robinson Collins on an East Coast legend. The melody is restful and the choir sings it as a lullaby in English. Mari Hamilton's ‘Patu Poi’ is heard next. This lilting little song with its tripping rhythm is sung mostly in English with occasional Maori phrases. In complete contrast ‘Patu Poi’ is followed by a grace sung in Maori. This grace was specially written for the school by Phyllis Raudon, a visiting singing teacher of many years' association who is responsible for the original settings and musical arrangements of many of the items heard on the record. ‘Waiata Whaiaipo’ is another little known item which is of interest because of its difference from the usual Maori love song. It is short and very fast and one conjures up visions of the breathless suitor gasping out his feelings in a few seconds snatched alone with his love.

There are many tunes called ‘Poi Waka’ but Queen Victoria's version has a rhythm which captures the dip and swing of the paddles better than most. This item is followed by a beautifully sung ‘Titiro Mai Nga Whetu’. In the hands of the choir this song becomes a powerful prayer of exaltation and triumph with occasional shafts of sadness as it expresses the feelings of those who made their landfall after their ‘long and arduous journey’. The finale is provided by a skilful and fresh interpretation of ‘E Rere Ra te Matangi’. The modulation in the second verse adds a further note of sadness to this lovely song of fare-well. The finishing touch to this song would have been provided by a soloist but alas, Miss Tatana is nowhere to be heard!

The cover is attractive and the notes and explanations of the items of the high standard one has come to expect from Kiwi. One small carp, however, is that although

the record is called ‘Poi and Piupiu’ and features a number of poi items, nowhere on the cover are these two words explained. A brief reference to the excellent cover photo which shows members of the choir clad in piupiu and twirling their poi would have been sufficient. In presenting records, and indeed Maori culture in general, we often assume a knowledge of (to us) commonplace things which the average tourist and casual buyer of souvenirs does not possess.

Verdict: A first rate recording.

MOODS OF THE MAORI

HMV CSDM 6258 12 in. 33 ⅓ L.P.

This is a sample of the type of Maori record which all companies put out from time to time — a pot-pourri of items, most of which have usually appeared on records devoted in whole to the particular group featured in the excerpt. It is an inexpensive way of putting together a new record and has the advantage for the casual buyer of variety of item and presentation. The album cover of ‘Moods of the Maori’ claims this to be a ‘unique collection’. I personally would substitute the word ‘undistinguished’ for unique. The notes go on to say, ‘… one may still hear the ancient love chants, poi dances, action songs and warlike hakas performed at any Maori pa’. This implies to me a country dotted with traditional Maori villages wherein one can wander at will and expect to hear a simple folk tilling their soil and performing haka and what-have-you with gay abandon. HMV would be well advised on future records to leave out such inaccurate nonsense and concentrate instead on notes which give some genuine information about the performing groups and their items instead of just their names.

Side one begins with Hukarere Girls' College singing ‘Karu’. This is followed by the Waioeka Maori Cultural Group performing ‘E te Tau’. This is an item totally lacking any merit whatsoever. Personally I believe that this type of item degrades Maori culture. It starts as an action song. An obtrusive guitar belts out the rhythm in a style reminiscent of a steam hammer. In the middle of the item the group switches to English and for the rest of the time asks ‘Do yer lerve me, do yer, darlin’. Te Aute Maori Boys' College follow with ‘Hine e

Hine’. The harmonies and singing are generally good in this item but it is marred by poor timing in some lines and a consistent inability to sustain the notes at the end of lines. The boys then perform a haka.

Hukarere Girls come on again with an action song in which half the performers try to drown the other half by endlessly shouting ‘karanga’ on each beat. Waioeka return to redeem themselves slightly with ‘Te Marama i te Po’ and ‘Pakete Whero’. However, the items are jazzed up and sadly lacking in grace and finesse. Ngati Poneke ends side one with an innocuous little vocal group singing ‘Haere Ra’. This is hardly representative of a group with such a high reputation in the choral field but it is a fitting conclusion to a very disappointing side.

Te Aute Boys lead off side two with ‘Ruaumoko’, a classic haka which is all too seldom heard on record. This could not be called a definitive rendition but it is quite competent. Waioeka presents an insipid and rather confused performance of ‘Wiata (sic) Poi’. Ngati Poneke's second contribution is labelled as ‘Takiri’ but is in fact ‘Tahi Miti Toru e’. Hukarere follows with a pleasant but overly strident collection of hand game calls sung to various tunes, including ‘Banana Boat Song’. The disc improves with the last three items. ‘Takahi Ra’ by the Hukarere Girls is catchv with some good singing. Te Aute finish off with a pleasant solo and chorus, ‘Tangi Mai’, and a spirited action song, ‘Tihei’.

There is quite a striking photograph on the front of the cover but somehow I found it symbolic that the predominant colour on the reverse side is black.

AOTEA TUA-TORU

Viking Stereo VP 260 12 in. 33 ⅓ L.P.

This is indeed a Maori record with a difference. I do not imagine it will have a great

equally renowned college goes on record with this offering from Te Wai Pounamu Maori Girls' College at Christchurch.

Te Wai Pounamu is the only boarding school for Maori girls in the South Island but its attendance is by no means confined to South Islanders. Girls from all over New Zealand attend Te Wai Pounamu because of its standard of teaching of Maori language and culture. The majority of the girls attending the college participate in concert party and other Maori cultural activities.

The result of their labours is heard on this recording. It is a good one. There is of considerable interest. One must avoid some fine singing and the items featured are carping criticism I know, but after listening to the record I could not but help grieve a little for the fact that it could so easily have been even better and I am inclined to put more than half the blame on Kiwi. To begin with the soloists seem too far away from the microphone while the guitar is often obtrusive. This is something which is easily corrected by microphone placement. The choral items have not been conducted and there are a number of distressingly ragged starts, particularly to ‘Koutou Katoa Ra’ and to ‘Po Atarau’. The group is at fault here. One cannot afford to leave matters to chance. In making a record, every mistake is enshrined forever. When watching a group on stage there are so many distractions that imperfections usually go unnoticed. There is no ‘instant replay’ to confirm a barely heard error. With a record the ear can concentrate, undistracted by messages from the eye. Every time the record is played, a mistake comes back to haunt. I often feel that Maori groups before they go on record need a good producer to whip them finally into shape, to listen critically to a record as it is made, and to insist on a 100 percent performance before the item is passed fit to go on disc. Hence my strictures on Kiwi above. I am sure that every pop group that records has a producer. Amateur groups recording need the same service even more. Furthermore, what else but the lack of a producer could explain the short track on Side Two which according to the label should be ‘Au E Ihu’ but which is, in fact, half the verse of ‘Koutou Katoa Ra’ which is recorded in full three tracks further on. This is inexcusable.

The record features quite a wide selection of items and a good mixture of the old and new. My favourite on Side One is an interesting powhiri performed with care and precision. I also enjoyed one of the good ‘old’ action songs which is seldom recorded—‘Ko Wai Enei’.

The cover is well designed and, as always with Kiwi, the notes are good.

NEW ZEALAND MAORI THEATRE TRUST

Kiwi Mono SA-72 7 in. 45 r.p.m.

It was unfortunate that only a few centres were able to see the round of farewell concerts before the Maori Theatre Trust left for its world tour in 1970 which included Expo in Japan and appearances in Russia. Any reader who did attend one of those concerts will, I am sure, remember with pleasure two of the highlights from the Trust's repertoire—the inspired miming of ‘Karu’ and the saucy insouciance of ‘Raindrops keep falling on my head’. Now this little record will enable everyone to savour these two items.

Paul Katene is not widely known outside of Maori musical circles. He is a musical arranger of talent and his many arrangements of Maori songs are original and polished. His arrangement of ‘Karu’ with its transitions from major to minor key, its changes of tempo and haunting harmonies is undoubtedly one of his best. The Theatre Trust's performance on this record is without peer amongst the many recorded versions of this so-called ‘fishing chant’.

In complete contrast, on the flip side is ‘Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head’ from the film ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’. Stan White's solo is ‘number one’ and the backing from the chorus smooth and competent.

SONGS AND DANCES OF THE MAORI
Combined Concert Parties of St Joseph's and Hato Paora Colleges

Kiwi Stereo/Mono SLC 65, 12 in. LP 33 ⅓ r.p.m.

Ever since their memorable ‘Songs of Maori Youth’ (reviewed Te Ao Hou Issue No. 55) this critic has been eagerly awaiting a return of the combined concert parties of St Joseph's and Hato Paora. If I say that this second record is not quite as good as the first, it is not to deny, however, that it is still a very good record indeed.

Side One opens with four action songs by the combined parties. Here is full blooded Maori singing, crisp and tuneful, although after hearing all four items, one after the other, one is left with the impression that perhaps the singing is a little too disciplined. Some of the items are too long. In ‘Manu Rere’ and ‘Pa Mai’, where two verses are repeated a considerable number of times, the effect is monotonous because each verse is exactly the same as the last. Somewhat less discipline, more light and shade and variation in the interpretation of the verses would have helped. ‘Taku Patu’ is the best of the action songs because the groups seem more relaxed and spontaneous and there is the occasional interpolation by an individual performer to help things along a bit. Following the action songs, the girls take over with three poi items. The best of these is the final one, which is a medley of songs and provides more interest than the previous two which repeat one song a number of times.

Side Two begins with ‘Pokarekare’. This is a very pleasant version with male and female solos and good backing from the combined choirs. The boys of Hato Paora then take over with four haka—‘Ulaina’, ‘Poutini’, ‘Ka Mate’, ‘Ringa Pakia’. Accustomed to the breakneck pace at which many groups perform their haka, the listener may feel at first that Hato Paora's haka are pedestrian. However, they are performed with fire and passion. Above all, the words are beautifully clear. There is all too often the tendency nowadays in haka for the words to be slurred and mumbled and regarded as secondary in importance to the actions. This is a great mistake which Hato Paora are at pains to avoid. All haka are the expression of a message. The words convey this message and the actions are almost a vehicle—a means of emphasis which say little in themselves. If the message does not reach the audience, and this is particularly important on record where actions cannot be seen, then the whole thing is meaningless.

Side Two continues with two stick games which gain in interest from the fact that the listener can also hear the click of the sticks. ‘Po Atarau’ brings the record to a close. Cover notes include excellent thumb-nail sketches describing what each type of item looks like. This is of inestimable value to the non-informed buyer.