MANA LETTERS

Mana (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 8, 13 October 1977, Page 2

MANA LETTERS

Friends, I am taking the liberty of enclosing with this letter a copy of an address which I gave recently (18.9.77) at a combined Maori, Cook Island, Samoan, Niuean and European service held in the Mataatua Meeting House in the Otago Museum, Dunedin. It has been suggested to me that the address may well be of interest to a wider group. Maori Language Week was celebrated in Dunedin on a very full scale commencing with the service and culminating in a two day gathering on the land allocated for Arai te Uru Marae. Fund raising has already begun to seek to erect a Meeting House etc. for the people of the Four Winds including other Polynesian groups and Europeans who may wish to share in mutual understanding of each other’s cultures.

Our Saturday and Sunday gathering 24-25 September was held under canvas and with extremely adverse conditions, yet attendances were good with a number of Europeans visiting and participating in the various activities. We feel that the whole period has made a real contribution to the purposes of Maori Language Week and of our aims.

J. Irwin, Dean of Maori & Polynesian Studies, Theological Hall, Knox College, Dunedin.

Friends Congratulations on launching this new and exciting periodical. I. P. Tongatule Alofi, Niue Tena koe, Katahi ano ahau ka korero i te pukapuka nei i a "Mana”, i te putanga nei ko Nama ono, i te tekau ma rima o Hepetema, i te tau nei kotahi mano e iwa rau e whitu tekau ma whitu. Ki taku whakaaro nei, ka rawe tenei pukapuka, a, ka rawe nga reo o nga iwi o te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa, ara, nga iwi o Hamoa, o Tonga, o Niue, o Rarotonga, he aha, he aha. Engari, aue! Kei hea te reo reka o te iwi Maori? Na Ranginui Walker i tuhi, na etahi atu hoki i tuhi, mo te kaupapa kore e ngaro te reo Maori, engari he pakeha te reo tuhi a enei Kaituhi. Ki taku mohio, he nui nga tangata Maori he iti te mohio kite reo Maori, a, ka nui te hiahia o te nuinga kite mohio kite reo reka nei. Ko taku, me tuhi nga Kaituhi i te reo pakeha, i te reo Maori ranei, engari me whakamaori, me whakapakeha enei korero, kia pai ai te mohio o nga tangata katoa ki nga korero nei. Ka pai ta koutou mahi, a "Mana”. Ma te Atua koutou e manaaki e atawhai. Na Jill Heenan KAMO

Friends, Greetings! This is the first time I have read "Mana”, the 6th issue, 15th September, 1977. In my opinion this is an excellent newspaper, it is good to see the different Pacific Island languages, Samoan, Tongan, Niuen, Rarotongan, and others. But alas! Where is that beautiful language of the Maori? Ranginui Walker and others have written articles promoting the Maori language, yet they write in English. To my knowledge, there are few people who can speak Maori, many would like to learn this wonderful language. I would like to see articles translated into Maori or English, so that everyone would understand and appreciate it. You are all doing a tremendous job with "Mana”. May God bless and keep you all. From Jill Heenan KAMO Friends, Congratulations on the publication of Mana. Hope it doesn’t come to an untimely end like other publications did which were of a similar nature. Max Karena, Oaonui School, Opunake