Whakapapa and narratives dictated by Apiata Te Aohau, Nepia Pohuhu and Paratene Te Okawhare to Te Whatahoro

This volume contains information dictated by three tohunga, Apiata Te Aohau, Nepia Pohuhu and Paratene Te Okawhare, to Te Whatahoro; the narratives cover some common themes, including; Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay whakapapa, accounts of the creation of the universe, and the subsequent activities and conflicts of various deities; accounts and genealogies that set out the origin of various animate and inanimate things in the world; accounts of the migration of the Takitimu canoe, lead by Tamatea, from Hawaiki to New Zealand; information about the provenance of the material dictated by the tohunga

Paratene Te Okawhare also discusses the influence of Christianity on the recital of traditional Maori accounts of cosmology, and provides instructions about who should be allowed access to the material and how whakapapa debates should be managed; he identifies some common errors made by non-experts in reciting genealogies; he also warns Te Whatahoro not to confuse the work of different tohunga, and points out that each school of learning will have their own version of events

Physical Description: ¼ maroon, dark green boards 33 cm

Provenance: This was one of four books loaned by Te Whatahoro to the Church of the Latter Day Saints