Te Koparapara: An Introduction to the Maori World

Ka rite te kopara e ko nei i te ata

It is like a bellbird singing at dawn.

Like the clear morning song of te koparapara, the bellbird, this book aims to allow the Maori world to speak for itself through an accessible introduction to Maori culture, history and society from an indigenous perspective.

In twenty-one illustrated chapters, leading scholars introduce Maori culture (including tikanga on and off the marae and key rituals like powhiri and tangihanga), Maori history (from the beginning of the world and the waka migration through to Maori protest and urbanisation in the twentieth century), and Maori society today (including twenty-first century issues like education, health, political economy and identity). Each chapter provides a descriptive narrative covering the major themes, written in accessible formal English, including appropriate references to te reo Maori and to the wider Pacific. Chapters are illustrated with a mixture of images, maps and diagrams as well as relevant songs and sayings.

Te Koparapara is an authoritative and accessible introduction to the past, present and future of the Maori world for students and general readers.

'Ko te manu kai i te miro nona te ngahere, ko te manu kai i te matauranga nona te ao. The bird that feasts on miro tree berries belongs to the bush, the bird that feasts on knowledge belongs to the world.'

Most of the editors research and teach at Te Tumu, the School of Maori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies at the University of Otago, one of the most significant clusters of research-active Maori Studies scholars in the country. They live in Otepoti (Dunedin), in Te Waipounamu, also known as the South Island, which lies under the mana of the people of this land, Kai Tahu. Maori who live in the southern parts of Te Waipounamu historically called the bellbird te koparapara, and the editors have chosen this local version of the bird's name for the books' title to acknowledge the people of this place.