Life In The Pa

Te Ao Hou, March 1964, Page 56

Life In The Pa by Ray Chapman-Taylor Paul's Book Arcade, 12/6 This story for children is about a boy called Takarua, who lived before the Pakeha came to New Zealand. He and his father are taken prisoner by a neighbouring tribe, and spend many years in captivity before they can take revenge. The main events of the story are a framework for an account of the everyday life of the village in which Takarua lives. This is attractively presented, though in places it is somewhat didactic. Also, though readers will learn a great deal about such matters as the techniques used in making things, in fighting and in playing games, they will not really learn much about the emotional, intellectual and aesthetic values without which life would have been pointless, and therefore impossible. These values, not so easily apprehended as the methods of felling trees or preserving food, are, after all, what ancient Maori life was about. Sooner or later we will have fiction which will be able to reflect an imaginative understanding of the ancient Maori world; but this has not yet been attempted, and perhaps it will not come for some time yet. Certainly it will not be an easy thing to do. ‘Life In The Pa’ is designed to be read by children aged from 10 to 14 years. It is extensively illustrated by Russell Clarke and E. Mervyn Taylor; and, as usual with Paul's Book Arcade, it is very well produced. M.R.W.