Cultural Inheritances In Polyn

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

is
a demigod who is used to tell of many stories.

There are also reflections of Polynesian cultural
inheritances in Hone Tuwhare’s use of mythology in his
poetry. Tuwhare was born in Kaikohe, and belongs to the
Ngapuhi hapus Ngati Korokoro, Ngati Tautahi, Te
Popoto, and Uri-O-Hau. In his poem ‘Papa-tu-a-nuku’, he
uses Maori mythology. The title, ‘Papa-tu-a-nuku’, means
‘Earth Mother’, which is part of a number of nature’s
elements that are personified in Maori mythology. Hense,
the earth being personified as a mother, and the content of
the poem involving this interaction with the earth:

We are massaging the ricked
back of the land

with our sore but ever-loving feet:
hell, she loves it!

Squirming, the land wriggles
in delight. (p242)

The reflections of Polynesian cultural inheritances are also
evident in Apirana Taylor’s use of Maori mythology.
Taylor is ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

civilisation of their culture. This is evident in the poetry of
Tuwhare; such as in ‘Tangi’. A Tangi is the maori meaning
for a funeral, which is a traditional ritual that Maoris
undertake with the goodbyes and burial of the dead. The
“bowed heads / of old women” (p237) invokes an image
that is synonymous with a Tangi. In the poem ‘Dear
Cousin’, there is reference to food (or ‘kai’) that is
synonymous with Maori’s preference for such. This
includes Puha, Kamokamo, riwai, etc, which is represented
in the following extract: “and on it place a steaming pot of
puha, / kamokamo, riwai.” (p245)

The poetry of Keri ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: