Maoriland Fairy Tales


Read by Marea Brook

(4.6 stars; 22 reviews)

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


(1 stars)

this is a book about Maori Warriors. The narrator makes it sound like a fun story for little children. very patronizing

treasure trove!


(5 stars)

thanks LibriVOX! you are matchless and restore my faith in homo sap!

Great Tales of Aotearoa


(5 stars)

Nicely written and read. Very interesting. thank you.

Excellent stories, read very well. Fascinating.


(5 stars)

Judy


(5 stars)

Fun stories by Native storyteller!!

Raycst


(5 stars)

No mention of Donald Trump bringing covid to the indigenous Maori