FIRST MAORI GRAMMAR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 255, 9 August 1933, Page 5

FIRST MAORI GRAMMAR

RARE BOOKLET UNEARTHED. PRINTED 115 YEARS AGO. (Special to the “ Guardian.”) WANGANUI, August 7. When looking through the late Rev. Richard Taylor’s books and papers recently, his great grand-daughter, Miss L. Harper, discovered a Maori grammar 115 years old. It was printed in Sydney on thin Chinese paper, nnd comprises 48 pages. The title page reads, “Kendall’s Maori Grammar' Sydney, written 1818.” Inside is written “Rev. Mr Hill, with Rev. Thomas Kendall’s compliments.” This grammar is considered to he the first ever compiled, and is so rare that even the Turnbull Library has no copy. Among the collection Miss Harper also found two copies of the rare “Peace” booklets, one with Tamehana’s name written in it. These books wei’e written by the Rev. John Whitely, and printed by John Williamson in -1847. Other Maori booklets by John Williamson in the collection included “He Whakaaturnga i te Tikanga o te a ihu Karaiti” (Explanation of • Christ’s Church), 1847; two copies of “Ko Nga Painga me nga ture o Te Teke Tiaki Moni” (1847) (English banking); one copy each of “He Whakapapa Ara,” and “Pukapuka a Marakai” (Book of Malachi), and “Ke te Karaitlana” (Almost a Christian), by Hone Weteri.

The 1818 grammar is of great interest, showing, as it does, letters discarded later as not representing correctly the true sounds of the " Maori language. There is only one other copy of this hook known in Wanganui.