Maoriland Fairy Tales
Edith Howes
Read by Marea Brook
Most of the tales have some basis in history. It is an oral language so all histories have to be remembered and retold. To help with this memory retelling the carvings all have relative information and prompts, stories of Atua (sort of gods) and other people (pakeha) that have been encountered are all blended into the stories.
One of the amazing things to listen to is a person's whakapapa (family line). My son's father can tell his whakapapa right back to first landing in the canoe Aotea. It takes hours with the stories of battles, moving and resettling and then the invasion of British soldiers and settlers. Those pale fairies in one of the recent stories would most probably have been Malaysian or Portugese fishermen/explorers.
The Tikanga (way to behave/live) is quite strict and the stories support keeping people in line. This strictness is a kind of policing I think because it doesn't matter what time in history or what country, human nature doesn't change. There are greedy, silly, great and strong leaders and followers throughout time.
A Taniwha is often found in a tapu (sacred or restricted place) That might be a dangerous bend in a river, a place where currents catch people and drag the out to sea or a place in the forest that is sacred so the elders don't want people wandering around in there. There taniwha could be from a spirit of someone or put there by the Atua as a guardian. A taniwha can also be friendly it depends on the place and it's history.
It is interesting to think about the origins and reasons behind these stories. Some like Hatupatu are based on fact but also retold to tell people about abuse of power and underestimating people. Maori are great strategists. If you can find the DVDs 'The Maori Wars' you will see the difficulty the British had when trying to beat these mighty warriors. Tha'ts why they finally had to sign the Waitangi Treaty (as ambiguous as it is) because they just couldn't beat them.
(Summary by mareab) (4 hr 22 min)
Chapters
01 - The Wanderers | 8:55 | Read by Marea Brook |
02 - The Six Brothers | 10:21 | Read by Marea Brook |
03 - Tiki | 3:17 | Read by Marea Brook |
04 - Tawhaki's Climb | 15:55 | Read by Marea Brook |
05 - How the Moon was Made | 13:40 | Read by Marea Brook |
06 - Brother and Sister | 6:24 | Read by Marea Brook |
07 - The Sea King's Victory | 9:27 | Read by Marea Brook |
08 - The Magician's Magic | 8:02 | Read by Marea Brook |
09 - Maui | 11:32 | Read by Marea Brook |
10 - More about Maui | 13:44 | Read by Marea Brook |
11 - The King and the Fairies | 10:26 | Read by Marea Brook |
12 - Hatupatu | 14:30 | Read by Marea Brook |
13 - The Star Hunt | 9:08 | Read by Marea Brook |
14 - The Pet Whale | 8:39 | Read by Marea Brook |
15 - On the Moon | 9:54 | Read by Marea Brook |
16 - The Wooden Head | 5:33 | Read by Marea Brook |
17 - The Fountain of Fish | 5:16 | Read by Marea Brook |
18 - Rata | 14:25 | Read by Marea Brook |
19 - The Island and the Taniwha | 9:41 | Read by Marea Brook |
20 - The Most Beautiful Maiden in the World | 9:04 | Read by Marea Brook |
21 - The Giant in the Cave | 7:33 | Read by Marea Brook |
22 - Tama and His Brother | 6:37 | Read by Marea Brook |
23 - Tama and His Wife | 9:31 | Read by Marea Brook |
24 - Sea Goblins | 10:00 | Read by Marea Brook |
25 - The Great Bird of the Hills | 8:33 | Read by Marea Brook |
26 - The Floating Island | 7:57 | Read by Marea Brook |
27 - The Princess and the Giant | 7:07 | Read by Marea Brook |
28 - Hinemoa's Swim | 7:45 | Read by Marea Brook |
Reviews
Mark Browning
this is a book about Maori Warriors. The narrator makes it sound like a fun story for little children. very patronizing
treasure trove!
Vivia
thanks LibriVOX! you are matchless and restore my faith in homo sap!
Great Tales of Aotearoa
Chad
Nicely written and read. Very interesting. thank you.
Excellent stories, read very well. Fascinating.
Nathan Bulk
Judy
A LibriVox Listener
Fun stories by Native storyteller!!
Raycst
Bill Cosby
No mention of Donald Trump bringing covid to the indigenous Maori