Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Books bring hidden history to life
The hidden history of Marlborough is set to be a series of books for kids.
Stories from the centuries-old oral traditions of local iwi about the Wairau (Marlborough) are being translated into illustrated books designed to help children learn about the cultural significance of landmarks, and historical and mythical figures.
The first of five planned books is The Footsteps of Uenuku, which explores the myth behind Marlborough’s landmark Tapuae-o-Uenuku mountain.
It will be one of five books retelling myths and historical narratives about the region that have been part of the Maori oral
‘‘I mean it's [Tapuae-o-Uenuku] there, right under our noses, and many people don't know anything about it.’’
tradition for hundreds of years. The goal of the book is to give kids a head-start in learning about the cultural significance of some of Marlborough’s more famous landmarks and significant historical and mythical figures.
A group of trustees Nga¯ Pakiaka Mo¯ rehu o Te Whenua from Omaka Marae commissioned the book. An official launch is scheduled for October 24 at 6pm at the Ukaipo Cultural Centre, Grovetown.
Keelan Walker who spearheaded the books’ commission said it was part of a longer plan to reinvigorate the oral traditions of local iwi.
‘‘When we started Nga¯ Pakiaka Mo¯rehu o te Whenua earlier in the year, we had a number of things that we were focused on.
‘‘The primary goal of the group is preserving some of the local knowledge, but also educating our own; those that are from the area, you know, local iwi members, regardless of what iwi they’re from, about some of the sites that are significant to the Wairau and the surrounding area.’’
Footsteps is an ancient myth about the mountain Tapuaeo-Uenuku, (sometimes called old Mount Tappy) it is the highest mountain peak in the northeast of New Zealand’s South Island and the tallest peak in New Zealand outside of the Southern Alps.
While the mountain is considered as a memorial to an ancestor Chief Tapuaenuku, the name translates as ‘‘footprint of the rainbow’’ after the story of Uenuku who falls in love with a goddess only to perish in his search for her atop a mountain.
In the afterlife, they are rejoined and form a mountain range. Whenever a rainbow appears over Tapuae-o-Uenuku it is a reminder of Uenuku’s journey.
Walker said place names were so important in Maoridom so the group thought we should teach the stories behind the names.
‘‘I mean it’s [Tapuaeo-Uenuku] there, right under our noses, and many people don’t know anything about it.’’
Walker said the narratives were a way to navigate the history and the place of the region.
‘‘Embedded within the land and these stories are our whakapapa,’’ he said. ‘‘So, we know by looking at some of these significant sites around the area, it’s not just a random name, it’s the name of one of our tipuna, what we know is sometime in our history, somebody named that mountain after somebody.
‘‘The name Te Koko-o-Kupe which is Cloudy Bay, has that name because we know Kupe was here and his name is embedded in many of the significant sites throughout the Wairau. And Wairau is named after one of our tipuna.’’
Walker said many of the stories were observations of actual events. In the retelling over generations the stories naturally evolved. ‘‘ ‘‘Over a period of time around the campfire, it became something that, because we’re an oral tradition, became something fun to tell, and it would continue to be told, and everyone would put their own spin to it, and that’s how we end up with the end product like it is today.’’