MAORI ARTS AND CRAFTS.

Auckland Star, Volume 304, Issue 304, 23 December 1926, Page 18

MAORI ARTS AND CRAFTS.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Your correspondent, "Xereus," writes adversely criticising the spontaneous effort of our Maori people to preserve and encourage the dissemination of knowledge of Maori arts aud crafts. With that laudable end in view, a board has, as "Nereus" says, been set ap. This aspiration of the Maori people deserves' all encouragement, and not the spirit of antagonism which "Nereus'" letter would seem to indicate. Such associations for the encouragement of those ideals which go to make up the sum total of a higher plane of living are fortunately the feature of European civilised iife. We have societies and boards devoted to the cultivation of a taste for music, elocu-! tion, literature, and the arts and crafts of European'civilisation, and this effort; of the Maori is only supplemental thereto. Such aspirations of a people can- I not be measured by "Nereus'" measure j, —mere JE.s.d. Fortunately, finance must not be our barometer in such matters.] However, it may interest "Nereus" to] know, and probably also relieve _is. anxiety as to the dreadful financial eon- ! sequences of this new movement among the Maori people, that this board is financed wholly with Maori money, funds set aside from various native funds, the accumulation of which has been built up under Government control. Neither "Nereus" nor any other European taxpayer will be contributing a single sixpence to the finances of this board of Maori arts and crafts. The board itself consists of various gentlemen representative of the Maori people, and assisted by a competent European co-membership "Keren*" strikes a wrong chord when he • _*V* "Trade is more important in Ncvri Zealand than artistry"—therein he will j get scant support, for many obvious rea-, sons. A people which is devoid of, or; neglects, the culture of the arts, i._ seriously lacking in the elementary factors j of human progress. Even the Australian black, and ancient caveman, developed. ths arts crafts in his particular ,way.. In proportion as their culture progressed,' so did these people rise from a lower 1 scale, and this is a fact that holds good ! to-day, and applies as a law of human | progress.—l am, etc., - ' j " GEO. GRAHAM. !