James Grindell: Te Waka Maori o Niu Tirani [2 issues, Vol. ..., Christchurch in Christchurch, Canterbury for sale
Rare. Two issues of the 19th century Maori language newspaper"Te Waka Maori o Niu Tirani". Volume I, Number 2 and Volume 1, Number 13. Pagination: Issue 2 is (17)-32 pages. Issue 17 is (187)-198 pages. Page dimensions: 340 x 215mm. Published in Gisborne, New Zealand. This paper, which was in publication from 1878 until 1879, was a revival of the earlier government-published paper of the same title, that had been published between 1871 and 1877 with the same editor. The title translates as"The Maori Canoe of New Zealand". Issue 2 has a section outlining the aims of the paper:"The'Waka Maori'having been wrecked by political storms and opposing currents, the late editor of that paper has great pleasure in informing the Maori chiefs and tribes of New ealand that he is making arrangements for gettgin another Waka afloat to take the place of the foundered craft; with this difference, however, that the late Waka was under the influence and subject to the supervision of the Government, while the new craft will be essentially a Maori vessel, navigated, and owned to some extent, by the Maories themselves, and altogether independent of Government influence. The natives in this country are the owners of a large and valuable landed estate, they are equal in intelligence to the generality of their Pakeha compatriots, and they evince a keen interest in the political economy of the Government."- page 21. The metaphor of the paper being a Waka is continued in a letter from Wi Parata of Waikanae -"To Mr. Grindell; I greet you, the man who has repaired the damages of the'Waka Maori', which we were told was broken up into small pieces on the beach. But I find it is afloat again, for it has arrived at my home in sound condition."Issue 13 has notes on a speech by Mr. Tairaoa, the member for Waikouaiti, in the House of Parliament:"Under the Treaty of Waitangi the Maories were supposed to become one with the Europeans, and the Europeans were not to have greater authority than the Maories; but now, under the laws which he saw passed in the House, the Maories were reckoned less, and had less authority than they should have."- page 193. Issue 13 has the spine reinforced with paper. Some small chips to leaves in Issue 13, with a loss of a few letters of text. Larger chips to blank margin of final text leaf. Articles are bi-lingual in English and Maori, in double columns. Advertisements are in either Maori or English. [NB: the full text of these two issues can be browsed online at the Niupepa: Maori Newspapers website.] [Bibliographical References: BIM S21 -"Grindell's licence as an official interpreter was revoked by Native Minister Sheehan when the first issue appeared and throughout its life the paper was highly critical of the government and of Sheehan in particular."; Williams 554 -"With the fifth number, the words'o Niu Tirani'were omitted from the title, and a rough cut of a Maori war-canoe were introduced, having under it the words,'Hoea te waka, ha!'"; Curnow, Hopa&McRae (eds.)"Rere Atu, Taku Manu! Discovering History, Language and Politics in the Maori-Language Newspapers"(2002), pages 23-24, 51, 157-158]. Provenance: These are from the outstanding collection of the collector Arthur Thomas Pycroft (1875-1971), which was recently sold at auction in Auckland, New Zealand (2011). ; Folio
James Grindell: Te Waka Maori o Niu Tirani [2 issues, Vol. 1, Nos. 2 and 13]
Author
James Grindell
Title
Te Waka Maori o Niu Tirani [2 issues, Vol. 1, Nos. 2 and 13]
Publisher name
Gisborne Maori Newspaper Company, Turanga [Gisborne]
Shipping time
2 - 5 days
Publication year
1878
Edition
First edition
Binding type
Soft cover
Listing condition
Used
Item condition
Good
Vendor name
Renaissance Books
Vendor rating
Abebof326d