Reviews BOOKS Tōku Reo, Tōku Ohooho
Nā Chris Winitana Nā Huia i tā Reo Māori Te utu: $45.00 Nā Megan Ellison te whakaaro
Inā toro atu koe ki tā Chris Winitana whakautu ki te wero atu o te huka pāpāho ki tāna i tuhi ai ki tāna pukapuka, ka kite mārie he nihoniho, he nahanaha tā Chris mō ia kupu o te reo Māori. Ka mutu ko ia kē te taiki kāpara i whakapeti koi kia whakarākeihia ia rēreka kōrero kia oti ai tēnei pukapuka kaitā. He pōraki nō tēnei ūpoko mārō o Ngāti Tūwharetoa me Ngāi Tūhoe mō te reo ūkaipō, nō reira ehara i te mea he māmā te pānuitia e tēnei takata noa iho! Ekari ia, tē taea e ia te pēhea? Ko te huka ka aro pū nei ki tēnei tuhika ko tērā te huka matatau ki te reo, tērā te huka aroha ki te tiketiketaka o te reo wetewete, o te reo ‘Rurutao’ o te ao Māori. I te pānuitaka o te kupu whakataki ka mōhio te whakamineka he huanui i whāia toutia e Chris me tōna whānau. Nāna anō te manuka i whakatakoto i mua atu i āna tamariki kia tū Māori mai me tōna reo ka tītia ki te ūpoko, ka heia ki te kakī, e kore e karo. Ka whai tēnei pukapuka i te oraka o te reo Māori i te tau 1972 ki te tau 2008. Ka whakamārama te pukapuka i ka taero o Tūtekoropaka i mua i te aroaro o te reo me tōna oraka. Waihoki, ka uiuitia kā kārara-aTūwhakarau, ko rātou tērā e hāpai ana i te reo, e pari ihu ana kia ora ai te reo Māori. Ko Cathy Dewes tērā, ko Kāterina Te Heikōkō
Megan Ellison is a Lecturer in the School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies at the University of Otago. She is passionate about writing. Megan, her partner Tahu and their three children live at Ōtākou. 66 te Karaka raumati 2011
Mataira tērā, Ko Te Wharehuia Milroy tērā, Ko Hana O’Regan tērā, ko Mea, ko Mea. Ko ētahi kaupapa nunui hoki i roto i te pukapuka nei, ko kā tono ki te Taraipiunara o Waitangi mō te reo, ko te whakatū o kā Kohaka Reo me Kā Kura Kaupapa Māori, ko te reo pāpāho pērā ki te Pouaka Whakaata Māori. Mōku ake nei, ko tāku i hīkaka ai i te pānui i te pukapuka nei, ko kā kōrero o kā hākui e whākai tou nei i te reo ki kā tamariki me tā rātou whawhai hoki mō te reo. Nā reira i whakaohooho anō ai tōku manawa koikore, tōku tūkeke ki te kōrero Māori i te pō i te ao. Tēnā koe.
My Language, my inspiration
By Chris Winitana Published by Huia Publishers RRP $45.00 Reviewed by Megan Ellison
If you read Chris Winitana’s response on Facebook to the media reviews of his book, you will clearly see how passionate Winitana is about every Māori word. He epitomises a man of endurance, who has deliberated tirelessly over every line. Winitana hails from Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāi Tūhoe and is on a driven and unwavering campaign for his language. His new book was no easy read for this layperson. However, given the complex and in-depth nature of his material, he couldn’t have written it any other way. This book is definitely for fluent speakers of te reo Māori and those with a love of grammar and, like Winitana, a scholarly, poetic, almost Shakespeare-like command of language in the Māori world. As soon as you read the introduction, you are aware of the
Gerry Te Kapa Coates (Ngāi Tahu) is a Wellington consultant and writer. He is also the Representative for Waihao.
very personal journey Chris and his family continue to pursue. Winitana children are challenged by him to live as Māori and hold fast to the language so it is never lost. This book follows the development of Māori language from 1972 to 2008 and elaborates on the hurdles that the Māori language has faced. There are interviews with Māori language advocates who have strived to promote the language and ensure its survival, including Cathy Dewes, the late Dame Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira, Te Wharehuia Milroy and Hana O’Regan, among many others. Main themes in the book include the Waitangi Tribunal claims for the language, the establishment of Kōhanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori, and the history of Māori language broadcasting. What truly resonated with me when I read this book were the stories of mothers feeding the language to their children, and their struggle for the language. My flagging enthusiasm and weariness of speaking Māori all the time has been replaced with new motivation and invigoration. Chris Winitana, I thank you. Chris Winitana’s Facebook page discussing his views and media responses to his books is: www.facebook.com/My Language, My Inspiration and Tōku Reo, Tōku Ohooho.
Kura Koiwi: Bone Treasures
By Brian Flintoff Published by Craig Potton Publishing RRP $39.99 Reviewed by Huia Reriti Kura Koiwi is both a personal account of Brian Flintoff ’s career as a carver, and an important exploration of Māori art and how it relates to carving. Heavily illustrated with exquisite examples of hiss and
Huia Reriti (Ngāi Tahu) is a partner in Modern Architect Partners in Christchurch.