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make will concern things already noted by him for alteration and amendment. The book is well produced and the format pleasing, if rather uninspired. The abundant illustrations are line drawings, mainly in diagrammatic form, clear and concise and well-placed to supplement the text. There are more misprints than one would have expected to find, especially in names of people; I have no doubt the author had already noted these for his proposed second edition. Mr Phillipps did not follow the convention of using italic type for Maori words and phrases, probably for well-considered reasons, but this I consider was an unfortunate decision. The use of italic, particularly in the captions for illustrations, would have been an improvement. It can often require a second look to sort out the Maori from the English, as in: ‘One such knot is still used by the elderly people of Te Kuiti where it is termed here taniwha’, Confusion would have been avoided with the phrase ‘here taniwha’ in italic. There is inconsistency also in the writing of Maori words, especially in the use of hyphens. We have, for example, both tara tara o kai and taratara o kai; I would have preferred taratara-o-kai. Some of Mr Phillipps' informants have not served him well, for, in some of the quoted phrases and chants the Maori is obviously incorrect. However, these are minor flaws in an otherwise excellent book, at least one copy of which should be in every school in New Zealand. I should like to close this brief review with my personal tribute to the author to whose influence I owe much. To have watched him at work in the field was an inspiration and a privilege. Those of us who trained at Wellington Teachers' College and were fortunate enough to enjoy ‘sections’ with Mr Phillipps at the Dominion Museum must have left there more than ordinarily well-equipped to bring knowledge, life and enthusiasm to the teaching of what is so often treated as ‘dead’ material. He was an inspiration to all of us. He was a gentle man and a happy man. Haere, e koro, haere ki tō okiokinga.

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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/TAH196806.2.35.4

Bibliographic details

Te Ao Hou, June 1968, Page 63

Word Count
356

Untitled Te Ao Hou, June 1968, Page 63

Untitled Te Ao Hou, June 1968, Page 63