Potiki by patricia grace5/30/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() They were proud and didn't hide their culture, and no one could bullshit them either. They wanted knowledge of their own things, their own things first. ![]() Here is Hemi, adoptive father of Toko, reflecting on cultural transitions that occurred in his lifetime (roughly since 1945, as the book appeared in 1986). She reveals different voices and perspectives through several of the narrators we encounter. It is hard to select just a few passages to share as examples of Grace's writing. The importance of oral tradition and story-telling is emphasized in the entire book, with major clan meetings including storytelling, current affairs given meaning by reference to stories of the past, and children educated by collecting news articles to create a "book" that narrates important events in the family's life. In this tale, a child nicknamed Toko plays play central role as the potiki in both senses, as a special person who hears the stories of the past and foresees the changes in stories to come.Ĭarvings in the wharenui are visual memories of the past stories, going back centuries, and so are perhaps similar to religious icons in Western European tradition. The first is a demi-god named Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga and the second is the youngest child. The editor's note says the name Potiki has dual meanings. ![]()
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