Eruera: The Teachings of a Maori Elder by Eruera Stirling as told to Anne Salmond.
Eruera: The Teachings of a Maori Elder by Eruera Stirling as told to Anne Salmond.
Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1980. FIRST SOFTBACK EDITION.
Very good softback, binding firm, no inscriptions, some fading, shelf-wear and creasing to covers, pages very good, minor marks. 288 pages with photos and illustrations.
Eruera Stirling was an elder of the Whanau-a-Apanui tribe, who lived in Auckland. This outstanding autobiography arises from his determination to pass on the traditional knowledge entrusted to him in his childhood by tribal elders, and from his wish to explain to a younger generation the deeper meanings of an ancestral way of life. In an outline of tribal history and of recent events in New Zealand race relations, he discusses such traditional concepts as mana (spiritual power), matauranga (knowledge), and whakapapa (genealogy), and he explains the customs of the rahui (reserve), taua (raiding party), and haka (war dance). There is a vivid description of life in the Bay of Plenty in the era of whaling, maize-cropping, and kumara growing, and an account of his work with Sir Apirana Ngata. In speaking of his life in Auckland where he has been a prominent elder since the 1950s, Eruera provides an inside view of the Maori Land March, the disputes over the Raglan golf course, and Bastion Point, and the clash between Engineering students and 'He Taua' at the University of Auckland.
All books are sent free by courier postage within New Zealand.
Pick up from Phoenixbooksnz.com Waimate, South Canterbury.
Please see our other listings for more great books: New Zealand History; Maori; First Editions; Signed; War & Military; Vintage & Antique, Hunting, Climbing, and many more. W/G