LETTERS

The Editor, TE AO HOU Dear Madam, MAUI'S FAREWELL The last thing in the world I'd want for anyone listening to Maui's Farewell would be an annotated copy of the text at his elbow. This could only come between the listener and Inia's telling of the tale. Your reviewer (TE AO HOU 73) and any other who is interested to read the text after hearing the record should be able to find the Nag's Head edition of it in a library; it is regretably out of print. Anyone wanting to read an agreeable and excellent extended account of Maui's exploits is referred to A. W. Reed's Treasury of Maori Folklore (A. H. & A. W. Reed 1963) which was my source-book for the piece. As far as annotations are concerned—and I remember no previous reviewer raising the question of their need—the translation of Maori words and phrases and saying lies somewhere nearby in the English of the next. Dora Somerville

The Editor, TE AO HOU Dear Madam, Through the pages of Te Ao Hou I wish to let the Maori people observe with me a phase of our way of life slowly disappearing—a way of life taught me by my father, and he by his, and what I hoped to teach my sons when their turn came—and that was the right to take the shellfish, etc., from these coasts without any law or regulation as to the amount taken. Gradually these laws crept upon us and we found ourselves limited—this amout of paua, and this amount of kuku, and this amount of pipi because, we were told, preservation of the species is paramount. We always believed in preservation; we were taught to, otherwise we would not be at issue now—there would not be any shellfish left to argue over. It was not us who depleted the paua so that now we can gather only ten; it was not us who depleted the pipi beds so that we can now get only 150; it was and still is those who wish to make money and exploit the situation. Just to show how ludicrous the new regulations are in regards to preservation and rejuvenation, I am told that if I wish, I can buy a commercial fishing licence for ten dollars, which would then entitle me to 500 lb. of paua a day. That does not sound like preservation of species to me. I sincerely hope this way of life does not pass. I hope many generations hence will be able to enjoy this kai as we do now and not just remember a paua as the glaring eyes of a tekoteko in some old meeting house from a dim childhood memory … Auee … Aue … Kua mutu te kai Kua kore te tangata Yours faithfully Pehi Parata

The Editor, TE AO HOU Dear Madam, I would like to use your pages to invite your readers to send to the address below any of the following for possible inclusion in a collection of writings by peoples of the South Pacific. The sorts of things the editors would be interested to see are: * original poems * original short plays * legends, folk tales or other stories handed down over the years * words of traditional or modern waiata. It would be appreciated if a translation were included with material written in Maori. The editors will be Albert Wendt and Bernard Gadd. Yours sincerely, Bernard Gadd, 43 Landscape Road, Papatoetoe.