I missed out. I didn’t learn New Zealand history at school.

This is partly because, while I enjoyed learning about history and other similar topics, I hated writing essays.

But it’s also because it wasn’t in the curriculum.

And so I don’t know the stories of my own country.

I’m a beginner in history. Here’s my current reading list, based largely on what caught my eye at the library, and also this list of books.

The Parihaka Woman - Witi Ihamaera (Not exactly a history book, but it provided an easy entry for me into the genre!)
Hīkoi: Forty Years of Māori Protest - Aroha Harris (Most of the recommended history books are massive, so I started with a shorter book with lots of pictures and interesting stories)
Te Whiti o Rongomai and the Resistance of Parihaka - Danny Keenan
Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou: Struggle Without End - by Ranginui Walker

As a bonus, I discovered the website nzonscreen.com and watched this short documentary on Ngā Tamatoa. There is so much stuff on the website, but I suspect the Collection on Waitangi might a good place to start.

The Reo Project | Day 248

This year, I’m limiting my fictional reading to local authors. To kick off, I’ve just started The Parihaka Woman: An Epic Story of Love and War, by Witi Ihamaera.

Mixed into the promised epic story is the author’s own more modern thoughts and opinions, frequently expressed with deep emotion.

In Chapter 8, Ihamaera touches on the topic of historical accuracy, pointing out the biased and restrictive position where written accounts are prioritised over oral evidence in determining historical fact. Cultures and peoples without written histories are completely disregarded, missing the fact that these communities must have their own way of passing on knowledge, that is, of retaining history.

He puts it like this.

Why should an oral account be suspect? Māori have had hundreds of years to hone the memory. Yes, it’s oral: tough. Get over it … Let Māori write the history that we want to, from our own sources and our own perspective, that’s all I’m saying.
Witi Ihamaera, The Parihaka Woman, p.85

The Reo Project | Day 176

Welcome to my little corner of the internet.

I believe that place matters.

Our connection to whatever little corner of the planet we find ourselves in, or choose to place ourselves on, matters.

I'm relentlessly curious and continually learning.

My interests are scattered across topics including property, strategy, acoustics, psychology, theology, systems theory, quantum physics and leadership. I read, listen, watch, and learn about whatever grabs my attention in the moment.

This is a learning experiment.

I come here to try to make sense of something I’ve come across, by writing about it.

I’m immersing myself in a new language.

I’m learning to speak Te Reo Māori, the language of the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand and one of our official languages. After spending 2020 studying, I’m figuring out how to keep the journey going outside the classroom.

You’re welcome to follow along.

Catching up on NZ History

Oral tradition as a reliable source of history

Welcome to my little corner of the internet.