NEW ZEALAND LITERATURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21040, 31 May 1930, Page 24

NEW ZEALAND LITERATURE

SOME NOTABLE BOOKS. Written for the Otago Daily Times. By the Rev. H. J. Fletcher. Volume XXVIII of the Polynesian So•iety’s Journal, continues the story of the “Land of Tara," by Mr Elsdon Best; * Traditions and LegSnds of Southland,” by H. Beattie; “ History and Traditions of Rangotonga," by Te Ariki-tara-are, with translation by, Mr S. P. Smith; "Traditions and Legends of the Paumotu Islands,” by the Rev. Pere H. Audran, and a large number of shorter notes from various islands of the Pacific as well as New Zealand. Volume XXIX, continues the History 3*4 Traditions of Rarotonga; Traditions and Legends of Southland, and Marquesan Legends. There is a fine poem called "The Lament of Huarau of Wbanganui/' collected by Mr T. W. Downes, of Whanganui, and translated by Mr S. P. Smith. It was composed about the year 1700 a.d., and like all the best specimens of Maori poetry, is simply full of old Maori history. Among the other interesting articles there is one on 10, the supreme god and other gods of the Maori. One on “ Kavadrinfcing Ceremonies Among the Samoans,” by Mr S, P. Smith, from notes written by himself .some years ago. and a strange tale of clairvoyance among the Maoris by Mr Smith with notes by James Cowan. The chief item in Volume XXX of the Polynesian Journal is the “History and Traditions of Rarotonga,” by Te Ariki-tara-are, with translation by Mr S. P. Smith. These traditions are of great interest to New Zealand students, for they are really the traditions of one of the nearest branches of the Pacific people to the New Zealanders. The first portion in thia volume deals with an ancestor common to many branches of the Polynesian ' people. ' His name is spelt as “ Taaki," which is the same as " Tawhaki” in Maori, an ancestor who lived many generations prior to the great migration. "Polynesian Linguistics,” by Sydney H. Ray. M-A., FJt.A.I.. is a study of some of the elements of the Polynesian language. “Marquessian Legends" are printed in the original to preserve them. _ By using the table of letter changes given in the introduction, Maori scholars can get the jsence of most of them. A paper on “ The Polynesians in Indonesia,” by S. P, .Smith, summarises the knowledge to date of the migrations from the time they left India at the beginning of the fourth century b.o. There are a number of other items, making a full volume of material of great interest to Polynesian students. There are several books we overlooked In the general survey that we are now giving in thia our last paper on this occasion. There is a book called "The Rebel Chief," by Hume Nisbet, published by F. V. White and Go., London, in 1806. It is, simply a work of fiction in which neither the characters nor the places are intended to be taken sp fact. It is a stirring story, many of the incidents could be given as true. “Major Ropata Wahawaha," the story of his life and times, by Lieutenantcolonel Porter, reprinted from the Poverty Bay Herald in 1897, is a fine story of one whom! the Empire delighted to honour. The book is a small Bvo of 43 pages in newspaper type in double columns. The salient facts of his life, especially the story of the fighting when in pursuit of Te Kooti, for which he was decorated with the New Zealand Cross, are given with great detail. The story of his last days are given, when he passed away at about 86 years of age. “Erewhon Revisited," by Samuel Butler, may be called a sequel to his famous book “Erewhon" (which reversed spells “Nowhere"). It is supposed to tell the story of his return to the land of Erewhon 20 years after his escape, and to note the wonderful changes which had taken place, most of them through a mistaken notion of some of the things he had said. Printed by Page and Company, London, in 1901, “Ponga Bay," a story of old New Zealand, by Sophie Osmond, is a vivid story of life in New Zealand before and during the Taranaki War. It is a novel of New Zealand life. The characters are not history nor are the localities genuine, although one may trace some references to the Taranaki country and the war there. “ The writer telle her story of romantic adventures with power and sincerity, and her descriptions of the surroundings are glowing with local colour.” Printed by Hutchinson and Co., London, but not dated.

“The Waikato Wat/’ by John Featon, and “Te Kooti Expeditions,” by G. Mair and G. A. Preece. The Waikato War was written by John Featon and published in 1911, but tljis edition hag boon revised by Captain Gilbert Mair, IWJ.C. The new matter is the stonr of the “ Te Kooti Expeditions” written By Captain Gilbert Mair, N.Z.C., and Captain Q. A. Preece. N.Z.C., both of these gallant members of the armed constabulary took part in the stirring events narrated. A passage in the first chapter may be questioned. "He was charged with being a bad character and dangerous to the peace of the district, and on these counts he wag found guilty by a not over friendly European tribunal, and transported with the rest.” This refers to Te Kooti. On the other hand, it is asserted that Te Kooti was never brought before a tribunal and charged with any crime, but he was seized and transported with the rest to please a chief of high rank whose domestic concerns he had been troubling. It was this that embittered him and started the troubles told bo well in the story. The book is well illustrated, and was published by the Brett Publishing Company, Auckland, 1923.

“The Story of Aotea,” by the Eev. T. 6. Hammond, is a book that stands by itself, for it is limited to the story or the coming of one canoe Te Aotea, and the history or the descendants of the crew. Mr Hammond spent many years among the Maori people of the Taranaki coast, and he loved them as a father does hie children, but he was not blind to their faults. The story contains much that is marvellous, but, like many other students of Maori lore, Mr Hammond always sought for the kernel of truth in spite of the roughness of the shell. There is truth hidden in Maori lore, and the writer thought it his duty to place on record that which he knew, so that the next generation might not blame the old pioneers. , The Museum Bulletins have not been published in the order of their numbers. The last one mentioned in a previous paper was No. 5, which was published in 1916. The next one to be published was No. 10, section 1, which was printed at the Government Printing Office in 1924. The author is Mr Elsdon Best. The subject is “ Maori Religion and Mythology,’ being an account of the cosmogony, anthropogeny, religious beliefs, and rites, magic, and folk lore of the Maori folk of New Zealand. The writer has quoted largely from many other authorities, in order to make his subject as complete as possible. An extract from Tiwai Paraone, quoted by Colonel Gudgeon in the Polynesian Journal, gives one an idea of the high type of knowledge known to the old Maori priesthood. “lo dwell in universal space* the universe was in darkness; all was water. Day was not, nor moon, no light; darkness alone was; all was uniter," Bulletin No. 7 has for its subject “ The Maori Canoe.” Mr Beat traces the history of the canoe from the tree standing in the forest, through t all its preparation, until it “ walks the water like a thing of life.” The book is beautifully illustrated with many pictures, old and new. Many of them will be a revelation to Europeans. An illustration of a tree-felling device used in _ pre-pakeha days by the Ngati-Porou tribe, explains the use Of some of the very large axes known to have been used, but the modus operand! was a puzzle. A large stone axe was fastened to a stout pole so that it was like an enormous chisel. This was suspended from one of the branches of the tree to be felled in such a way that it lay horizontally and was swung by two or three strong men in such a way that it would strike heavy blows on the trunk of the tree itself. Another form was like a huge how. The wood of the bow being behind the tree and the axe (as above) being the arrow, sliding on a frame work, the arrow would be drawn back by two or three men with a rope, and let go all together, A scar would be bashed out aU round the trunk, and then charred with fire. The operations would be repeated as often as necessary. Canoes of the Pacific area are also described, navigation, and the early peopling of New Zealand. “ Games and Pastimee of the Maori,” by Eladon Beat, is another Bulletin published under the direction of the Board of Maori Ethnological Research for the Dominion Museum, 1925. It is a large auarto volume of nearly 200 pages, beantittllz illustrated. It covers all that we

understand by games, pleasures, and amusements. No. 9 is “Maori Agriculture.” In this volume Mr Best has gathered together all that is known about the cultivated food plants of the Natives of New Zealand Without grain of any kind, and only kumara and taro, worthy to be called roots or tubers, the old Maori had brought other foods from the sunny islands of the Pacific, but found to his dismay that they would not grow in these colder lands, so he had to bestir himself to find others. So in the course of the passing years sea, forest, and plain were ransacked to provide foor. How it was accomplished this book shows. It is well illustrated and leaves very little more to be said. We close this paper and the series by noting the bulletin No. 6, published by the Ethnological Board in 1027. It is called “The Pa Maori,” by Elsdon Best. It is "An Account of the fortified villages of the Maori in pre-European and modern times, illustrating methods of defence by means of ramparts, fosses, scarps, and stockades.” It is illustrated with 120 pictures, ancient and modern, and we may say that like all the work of this kind undertaken by Mr Best, it leaves very little for anyone else to say.