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Download AudioMāori scholar Tā Pou Temara has won the 2024 Te Mūrau o te Tuhi Māori Language Award at this year’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.
His book Te Rautakitahi O Tūhoe ki Ōrākau details the involvement of his Tūhoe people in the defence of the Waikato pa in 1864.
He says he was able to draw on his work in the Waitangi Tribunal researching the wars in the Waikato, as well as the stories handed down to him by his old people.
It meant he could give context to Māori readers that non-Māori authors miss.
“I talk about how the women felt; how a sister felt when her younger sister died at the battle. When did they cry? Did they cry, or were they too busy trying to save themselves? Of course they did. But the ultimate focus was on staying alive and getting back home and telling the story about what happened. These things are very important to Māori, it’s a different perspective,” Ta Pou says.
Te Rautakitahi O Tūhoe ki Ōrākau is published by Auckland University Press
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