Matamua ko te Kupu : Te Korero o te Waiata Maori : First is the Word : The Story of Maori Song

Part of the Kotahi Rau Pukapuka/100 Books in te reo Māori.

Sir Timoti Karetu is one of the country's leading exponents of te reo Māori - from leading the Māori Language Commission to producing a new generation of language experts through his teaching at Te Panekiretanga. He is also an unrivalled creator of waiata and haka, composing songs and judging at Te Matatini and other events.

In this book, Sir Timoti shares his extensive experience in the artforms of haka and waiata - from Māori songs of the two world wars to the rise of kapa haka competitions, from love songs to action songs, from Sir Apirana Ngata to Te Puea Herangi, and from Te Matatini to contemporary hui on marae. Throughout the book, he draws on exemplars of Maori song and haka, explaining form and meanings, maintaining his stance that Lyric is Paramount!

Written in exemplary te reo Māori, Matamua ko te Kupu! will become a taonga of Māori knowledge and language.