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TE TOA TAKITINI
Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper.
Number 67
HASTINGS.
1st March, 1927.
NZ MAORI LAWN TENNIS ASSOCIATION
We have received notification of the Tennis Tournament to be held at Whanganui from 16th to 21st April.
Entries should be sent to the Secretary, Box 102, Wanganui, before 31st March. Those wanting further information should apply to the Secretary.
RULES FOR TODAY
Let me not do anything that I would be ashamed of if I met with Christ.
Let me not go to any place I would be ashamed of were I to meet with Christ.
Let me not say anything I would be ashamed of were I to meet with Christ.
THE LORD IS NEAR (Philippians 4.5)
ON THIS DAY
A Hymn
[E Ihu ka inoi ahau]
1. Jesus, this is my prayer 3. May I always listen for
to you. your voice.
Protect me lest I sin Make me y0ur servant
this day this day.
2. May I work hard 4. Let me not speak
and pray, hurtful words,
Be kind, and speak well But guard my lips
this day. this day.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Published by the Rev F A Bennett, and printed at the Herald Office, Tennyson Street, Napier, HB.
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Te Toa Takitini.
Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper.
The Price of the Paper is 10/- a year.
Address letters to ‘Te Toa Takitini,’ Box 300, Hastings.
Te Toa Takitinni,
1st March, 1927.
THE MATTER OF THE MAORI BISHOP.
(A Question.)
Many articles have been published and written abut the issue of the Maori Bishop and perhaps no aspect has been overlooked. Who is contesting it? In the December issue of the paper there were many reasons given by Ngati Maru for supporting having a Pakeha bishop; they had not seen the articles by Apirana Ngata and others. The main support for a Pakeha comes from the North, from the Diocese of Auckland and Te Arawa. However, at the Tikitiki hui no-one opposed the motion that our bishop should be Maori. It is perhaps the case that the words of the Archbishop at the Wellington hui persuaded the members from his area. In the South in the Dioceses of Wellington and Waiapu there was unanimity in the desire for a Maori. Therefore. I said that the matter is disputed and Maori are divided on this issue. If it can be done let us set up two bishoprics, a Pakeha for the North and a Maori for the South to fulfil the wishes of those who want a Pakeha and those who want a Maori.
It seems to me that the New World wants a Maori, that is most of the educated young Maori, and the Old World wants a Pakeha. I thought that perhaps the Old World would hold on to our Maoritanga, and the young people who crowd around the universities would go for a Pakeha. However, it seems to be the case that, throughout the world, the New World including Apirana Ngata and his friends cling to the skin of their ancestors. According to Apirana Ngata, only a Maori knows the Maori heart. According to Reweti Kohere, the bishop should be Maori to stir up the Maori People, to be welcomed, and so that we are not left without an elder. According to Pine Tamahori the bishop is for the Maori People and not for the Pakeha so let the Maori have what they want. According to Kingi Tahiwi what equips a man to be a bishop is not a university education but his character. Doctor Te Rangihiroa said at the Tikitiki hui that the Pakeha are using Maori as a ladder to get to higher positions. Captain Pitt supports the Maori side and I know some educated young Maori who do the same. The majority of elders in the South want a Maori.
For me, what will be seen as the sign that there is a separate Maori Church will be the appointment of a Maori as bishop.
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Our having a separate bishopric with a Pakeha put in place as bishop would be like having a policeman appointed to guard us lest we become insubordinate. As if a Pakeha never does wrong! Many Pakeha do not believe in God and use the name of Jesus Christ as a swearword. Many Pakeha bishops have wandered from the ancient faith.
Now let me set down my questions, partly in answer to those who belittle the Maori People.
(1) What does a bishop do that cannot be done by a Maori?
(2) Is it a problem if we don’t have a bishopric of our own and continue having a Pakeha bishop?
I would like those, from the side that wants a Pakeha, to look into this question and provide an answer to Apirana Ngata and me.
What things will be achieved by a Maori bishop that cannot be done by a Pakeha bishop?
Ngati Maru set down many things in support of their desire for a Pakeha bishop, and because their arguments are very long, my answer will be short.
(1) If a Pakeha is appointed as bishop we will not be able to say that he is a very good and knowledgeable man because the outstanding people among the Pakeha will not agree to be a bishop for the Maori, and the Pakeha who is appointed will perhaps be one who has been passed over by the Pakeha. At present there is a minister in the Maori Church who has come through examinations that have not yet been passed by a Pakeha minister. We will not get someone with the learning of Apirana Ngata; there are very few Pakeha like him. Anyway, Ngati Maru does not agree with what Apirana said.
(2) The best was to learn a job is to do it; the best way to learn the work of a bishop is to do the work of a bishop in the case of a good and educated man. One of the greatest bishops in the world was Ambrose who was not even an ordained minister when he was called.
(3) Do not be frightened by those who say that if we do not appoint a Pakeha we will not get our bishopric. Scare away! Scare away! The New World is not scared of people and a basic principle of the New World is self-determination. The people as a whole are the Caesars in these days.
(4) If it is appropriate that a Maori is examined to see if he would a good bishop, then the same should apply to a Pakeha bishop. It will not be possible to have the Pakeha bishop resign after five years to be replaced by a Maori bishop. A Pakeha can remain as bishop for 50 years while the Maori waits.
(5) What does it benefit an educated young person to become a minister and there is nowhere he can use his learning, and the Maori do not want a Maori bishop? Let those who want a Pakeha as bishop become ministers.
I have observed that many Maori would rather see the Pakeha advanced than see a Maori making progress.
There is no school for bishops; after schooling there is only the work of a minister.
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Christ taught his Apostles for only a short time as was the case with Paul and Timothy and Titus. Ngati Maru are saying that over one hundred years after the Maori adopted the faith there is not a single Maori suitable to be a bishop. Perhaps when we get to a thousand years they will be saying the same thing.
There were printed in Number 62 some wise words of Shakespeare:
There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
[Julius Caesar IV. iii, 217]
Now, Apirana Ngata and his many friends are saying that we have come to the time for proceeding with the Maori Bishopric and its Maori Bishop, and if we do not proceed now we will end up wallowing in shallows and beset by great miseries.
Are we perhaps coming to an end of drawing near to having a Maori bishop? The Maori Church has for a long time been sucking milk; it is now mature and it needs to eat solid food.
So much for that.
Te Ao Hou
A MAORI BISHOP
It followed from the explanations of the treasure planted in the raupo churches, and written on the skin of the believing hearts of our old men. It has spread for a century and has now reached maturity. Now is the time to take up the crop.
The legislation is good. It follows the principle of separateness but does not include the name of the Bishop, Maori or Pakeha. It was born from divided minds, which misjudged how greatly prized this treasure is, and observed with apprehension the explanations with which the separate Maori Bishopric legislation was smeared.
Works which it is thought cannot be fulfilled are not much use. So the plan is to hope for the time when the work will be done in faith. Hope will drive forward the work; the work will reveal the gift; and the gift will show a work which will spread what is good.
You have taken up this matter in the midst of fire, battling the sword of the flesh; the blood of our young men weeps in the soil of the land of the words of prophetic sayings. It is not by our strength but by the power of the Spirit which lived in them that the sun shines in the world of the land where they were born.
The faith has been dispersed by the world. These days belong to the sword of the Spirit. God has been cast behind. The Faith is left as bait. The fish on his line are having their scales of understanding stripped. The people are stupefied in the undergrowth of different lands. This is a very demanding work – seeking those who
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are lost and bringing back those who have gone astray. It is very difficult to make personal contact, to know the way from which there is no going back, no turning aside. We must keep on being in touch and struggling and failing.
But the work of the Spirit involves a cautious heart, being observant, freeing up, moving aside to clear the way, opening the door, having a good heart, and being at peace.
Ngata and Bennett, although the mouth is cold, the heart is warm and the ears are attentive. I have in mind the voices that delivered the messages left to us by our forebears who occupied the seats where the faith was discussed – ‘afterwards, hold to the faith as your father.’ The message survives. The speakers and their descendants were mistaken and have gone astray. The strength of the winds made them forget the message.
Our ancestors had this saying:
‘He taonga maro, ahakoa ora, ahakoa mate, ka hoki.’
? ‘A sturdy treasure, whether alive or dead, will return.’
But let your hand wave the treasure about and you will see that it will not come to rest, whatever troubles you take to return the person’s treasure.
I finish her. We have done well to ascend to the peak of this mountain, the resting place of our Lord. We have looked out over the level plains of Jericho, from Mount Nebo, from the peak of Pisgar. [Deuteronomy 34.1]
Ihaia Hutana,
Waipawa.
MY OATH.
I am born but once into this world; therefore, I will do the good works within my power, showing kindness to my friends, speaking words which bring honour to my Lord, and I will do this now. I will not put it off until another time because I have but one life in this world.
DIOCESE OF WAIAPU
Standing Committee
Last month Te Toa Takitini published the names of the Committee members for each
Archdeaconry.
1. This is to notify you that Archdeacon Herbert Williams has called a meeting of the Waiapu Archdeaconry for 20th March.
2. The Hawkes Bay Archdeaconry meeting is on the day after the opening of Te Aute College, that is, 11th March. The meeting will be held at the Diocesan Office, Napier.
3. The Tauranga Archdeaconry Committee has been summoned to meet on the evening of the day of the visit of the Duke, 28th February.
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THE DAYS OF LENT
The days of Lent begin on 2nd March. Centuries ago the Church set apart these days for people to fast and to reflect on the teachings of the Church.
What are the appropriate things to do during these days?
1. Discipline the desires of the body, perhaps by abstaining from some food or drink, or by giving up smoking a pipe or cigarettes. Subdue the desires of the flesh. Deny oneself concerts, plays, dances, pictures, or some of the world’s games.
2. Seek spiritual growth. Feed your spirit with God’s food. Attend worship and the Lord’s Supper frequently. Do not forget to read your Bible each day. Feed your soul with the bread of God and so make your body servant to your soul. Don’t allow the desires of the body to smother the soul. The soul is chief of the body. Don’t waste the teachings of the days of Lent.
THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON
Chapter 1
(I have not made a back-translation but provide below the English text from the New Revised Standard Version. – Barry Olsen)
October 27th - Evening
1Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth,
think of the Lord in goodness
and seek him with sincerity of heart;
2 because he is found by those who do not put him to the test,
and manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.
3 For perverse thoughts separate people from God,
and when his power is tested, it exposes the foolish;
4 because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul,
or dwell in a body enslaved to sin.
5 For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit,
and will leave foolish thoughts behind,
and will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness.
6 For wisdom is a kindly spirit,
but will not free blasphemers from the guilt of their words;
because God is witness of their inmost feelings,
and a true observer of their hearts, and a hearer of their tongues.
7 Because the spirit of the Lord has filled the world,
and that which holds all things together knows what is said,
8 therefore those who utter unrighteous things will not escape
notice,
and justice, when it punishes, will not pass them by.
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9
For inquiry will be made into the counsels of the ungodly,
and a report of their words will come to the Lord,
to convict them of their lawless deeds;
10 because a jealous ear hears all things,
and the sound of grumbling does not go unheard.
11 Beware then of useless grumbling,
and keep your tongue from slander;
because no secret word is without result,
and a lying mouth destroys the soul.
12 Do not invite death by the error of your life,
or bring on destruction by the works of your hands;
13 because God did not make death,
and he does not delight in the death of the living.
14 For he created all things so that they might exist;
the generative forces of the world are wholesome,
and there is no destructive poison in them,
and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
15 For righteousness is immortal.
16 But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death;
considering him a friend, they pined away
and made a covenant with him,
because they are fit to belong to his company.
COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY INTO CONFISCATED LANDS.
The Commission of Enquiry into confiscated Maori lands in various places has begun its work. The Royal Commission is at present in Waitara looking into the issues around the Taranaki lands. At the hearing on 14th February, the lawyer for the Crown said that Ngati Awa had no claim on the lands which were the cause of the fighting. Their tribe was defeated by Waikato and they fled from Taranaki. With the consent of Waikato they returned again to Taranaki. Wiremu Kingi was a man who provoked the Crown and it was not right that he troubled those sent to survey the land. The cause of the fighting in 1863 was the determination of Wiremu Kingi and the tribes under him not to agree to the sale of the land to the Pakeha.
In his response the lawyer for the Maori pointed out that the Maori were not seeking this judgement for the benefit of individual members of the tribe (except for some few) but all the benefits would be the basis of a trust fund for the tribe for ever, like the Trust Board for the Te Arawa area. Taranaki Maori had asked that Mount Taranaki be returned to them because this was the sacred symbol of the tribes of the Taihauauru from Taranaki to the Chatham Islands.
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After it completed its work in Taranaki the Commission went to Wellington on 2nd February. On 23rd March the court opened in Opotiki. On 28th it moved on to Whakatane, and on 31st it opened in Tauranga. After Tauranga it goes to the Ngapuhi area. On 20th April the Commission goes to Ngaruawahia to enquire into issues affecting Waikato. On 2nd May the Commissioners’ court sits at Te Wairoa where it will deal with matters relating to the Tai-rawhiti area. The report of the Royal Commission should bes presented to the Governor-General before 30th June.
(This article is from the Napier ‘Herald.’)
(Because the Royal Commission was being sitting at Waitara, Sir Maui Pomare was unable to welcome our Prime Minister when he returned from abroad. Greetings to the remnant of Ngatiawa. Te Toa Takitini hopes that there will be a very successful outcome to your case and that you will get a just settlement to pass on to that group of our descendants, and to fund important projects which will bring lasting benefits to the tribe. There are four Maori doctors, three of them from Ngatiawa – Sir Maui Pomare, Te Rangihiroa and Erihana. Greetings to you and others of our people. – The Editor.)
RATING ACT 1925, PART II
If an individual owns separate land his name is to be added to the list of ratepayers.
Where Maori land is owned in common and is vested in a Maori Land Board, the Native Trustee,, or the East Coast Commissioner, the name of the Trustee is to be added to the list of ratepayers.
If land is part of a Corporation, the name of the Corporation is to be added to the list of ratepayers.
Where Maori land is owned in common and is not vested in any trustee or corporate body, the word ‘Native’ shall be entered in the column of owners.
(Section 106)
If a vote is taken by a County Council or similar body on an issue on which the local people have the right to vote, that vote is to be exercised as follows:
(a) For land entrusted to a Maori Land Board, the President of that Board may cast the vote.
(b) Where land is vested in the East Coast Commissioner, the Commissioner may cast the vote.
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(c) Where land is under the Maori Trustee, the Trustee may vote, or he may authorise another of those Trustees to vote.
(d) In the case of Corporation land the Chairman of the Management Committee or another person authorised by that Committee may cast the vote.
For other Maori land, not under the jurisdiction of the bodies named above and owned by two or more people, a person may cast the vote who has been nominated by the Judge or Commissioner of the Maori Land Court, or in their absence by the Registrar. But the nominee must be one of those with an interest in the land.
Each person authorised to vote on each piece of land shall have his name added to the list of ratepayers and will be sent the claim for rates on that land.
(Section 107)
If a Maori Land Board, the Maori Trustee or the East Coast Commissioner has not paid the rate money within nine months of receiving the claim th amount due will become a debt due from the owners of the land and those rates will be pursued under the wider provisions of the law.
If those with a interest in the land wish to pay the rates on Maori land they are to send an application to the Registrar but that request should reach the Registrar within tw years of the original rate demand.
Such requests will be treated as mortgages on those rates on the land and such requests will be gazetted for a hearing in such place as the Court sees fit.
When the hearing takes place the Court will hear objections from each trustee and each person with an interest who wishes to object.
After that hearing, if it is clear to the Court that the Rates should be paid, it will issue an Order for that money to be paid together with the expenses incurred by the request, and that Order may be registered as a mortgage against the title of the land
On the basis of that enquiry the Court may designate all or part of the land as security for the Mortgage on the rates and the Court has power to remit all or part of the rates if it deems that indigency or hardship would result to the owners of the land.
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As a way of paying off a Mortgage Order the Court has power to appoint a Receiver with power to lease the land. It has power to appoint the Maori Land Board or the Maori Trustee as Receiver, and all documents signed by the Receiver may be registered on the Land Title.
When the Mortgage Order is in force those with an interest may not lease, mortgage or sell that land without first getting permission from the Court or the Rating Body which holds that Mortgage Order.
The Court may divide the total amount owed in rates on each part or all of the land covered by the Mortgage Order between those with an interest.
If a piece of land is divided up the total amount of the rates is to be split between each separate area on the basis of the number of acres in each area, but the Court has power to decide upon the distribution of the rate money by another means clear to it.
If rates are paid by a receiver of leases or mortgage payments from that land, that person may pay part of that rent towards the rates but the amount must not exceed half the year’s rent.
(Section 108)
If mortgage or rate money is still unpaid a year after the Court Order, the Court ay, with the consent of the Minister of Maori Affairs, place that land under the Maori Trustee who may sell it to pay that mortgage or rate money.
At such a time the Maori Trustee has the power to sell or mortgage the land as he chooses.
Money from sale or mortgage by the Maori Trustee under this power may be allocated to cover his expenses and to pay the mortgage and rent money. The remainder is to be paid by him to the Maori Land Board to be paid by the Board to those with shares in the land. If there is uncertainty as to who those people are, he may ask the Court to issue an Order to ascertain wh0 they are.
With the agreement of the Minister of Maori Affairs, the Maori Trustee has power to sell or mortgage trust land in accordance with Section 105 of this Act.
(Section 109)
The Occupier of a piece of land is the person who lives on it, or works it, even though he has no shares in it,
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whether he leases it or just lives on it unlawfully.
There is no reason why this person should be on the list of ratepayers, but although this is the case, the Maori Land Board or the body claiming the rates may summons this person to pay the rates from the time the person has lived on the land or has worked it whether they have been notified to do so or not.
The person so summonsed, whether living on or working part of the land, will be deemed to be occupying all the land and the occupier is responsible for freeing themselves from this accusatrion.
The Court has the power to enquire into and to make judgement on the person living on or working the land and whether that person has shares in the land or not. The Court may determine the amount of rates to be paid by that person.
When a Court Order is made naming that person the Maori Land Board or the Rating Body may summon that person to pay the rate money determined by the Court.
(Section 10)
Should one of the local people pay the rate money before the Court has ruled that the amount be a mortgage on the property, the Court may rule that the Mortgage Order is in favour of the person who paid that rate money. The Receiver of that land may give the lease of that land to the person who paid the rates. This arrangement applies to rates paid or ordered to be paid before the passing of this Act.
(Section 111)
The Rating Body is able to remit or diminish the rates to be paid on a parcel of land or to extend the time for payment of those rates. The Court has power to allocate part of the land to the Rating Body to pay for the rates, or to give the land to the Crown and the Crown will pay the rate money.
(Section 113)
When a piece of land is designated those with shares in part of that land may pay the rates appropriate to that part and when they are paid that land can be removed from the Mortgage Order.
(Section 115)
Although the provisions of this law may differ, the provisions of the Ratings Amendment Act 1910 regarding a summons to pay rates still apply.
(Section 117)
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SOME WORDS OF THE WISE.
R[eweti] T K[ohere
These are wise things said by wise Pakeha, which we
could well carry about with us in a basket and learn by heart.
Then gently scan your brother man,
Still gentler sister woman;
Tho’ they may gang a kennin wrang,
To step aside is human.
- Burns – Address to the Unco Guid
I have written some wise words by Burns, the leading Scottish poet. Burns worked as a ploughman and his university was the world. He knew human nature and that it went astray as he went astray. Burns advises us not to be quick to condemn the wrongdoings of others and to be kind to the failings of women. Don’t publish abroad the failings of women but shelter her with pity, because ‘It is human nature to go astray.’ The Scripture says, ‘There is not one righteous person; no, not one.’ [Romans 3.12]
….. young men’s love, then lies
Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.
- Shakespeare
When a boy suddenly falls in love with a girl or a girl with a boy the Pakeha call it ‘Love at first sight.’ But, to my mind, this is not love but only desire masquerading as love. Love is something that grows, that is nurtured. It springs from the heart and not the eyes or the ears. This saying is right and particularly right for girls who long for men of other races and despise those they know very well.
For what is wedlock forced, but a hell,
An age of discord and continual strife?
Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss,
And is a pattern of celestial peace.
- Shakespeare
Although we are in the middle of the ‘new world’ in which young people choose a husband or wife for themselves
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there are still those who hold to the ancient custom whereby the parents arrange a husband for their daughter, and if the young people disagree, they argue and defy them. Shakespeare speaks of this kind of marriage. There is fulfilment in a right marriage founded on love. If this is not the case, then the end is ‘a hell, an age of discord and continual strife,’ and abandonment.
….. I am a man
More sinn’d against than sinning.
- Shakespeare – King Lear III.ii.59
These words have become proverbial for the Pakeha and an expression of sympathy. King Lear had three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. Because he was getting old Lear decided to give his kingdom to his daughters. He asked them if they loved him. The elder ones professed extraordinary love for their father. Their words were flattery and false, in the hope that he would give them the largest part of the kingdom. Bur Cordelia who loved him remained silent. When her father asked her if she loved him enough to deserve a third of his kingdom she said nothing. Urged by the king to speak, she replied, ‘I cannot heave my heart into my mouth.’ The king was angry and would not give Cordelia any of this kingdom. Cordelia went with her husband to live in France. The kingdom went to Goneril and Regan. Their deception and wickedness was exposed and the outcome was that they threw their father out of their homes. While Lear, now mad, was wandering in the wilderness there was a storm; the rain poured down, the lightning flashed, and the thunder roared. Now Lear cursed the daughters who had so maltreated him in their lovelessness. He scolded the rain, the lightning and the thunder for siding with his daughters in attacking him.
But yet I call you servile ministers
That with two pernicious daughters join
Your high-engender’d battles ‘gainst a head
So old and white as this. O, ho! ‘tis foul!
- Shakespeare – King Lear III.ii.21
Because he is ill, he enters a lean-to to lie down, ignoring the terrible state of the place in his serious illness. Here Lear utters some wise words:
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The art of our necessities is strange
That can make vile things precious.
- Shakespeare – King Lear III.ii.70
The terrible news brought Cordelia from the country in which she lived to return to her father. Lear, battered by the storm, uttered the above words:
….. I am a man
More sinn’d against than sinning.
Lear had perhaps done wrong but the wrong done to him by his daughters was immeasurable – he should not have been so treated. Similarly, a person may do wrong while the causeless vindictiveness of others towards them can be out of all proportion. Sometimes I think that the wrong done to me is far greater than my wrongdoing.
But it is common proof
That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder,
Whereto the climber-upward turns his face;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend.
- Shakespeare – Julius Caesar II.1.22
These are wise words. Shakespeare has been called ‘the interpreter of the heart.’
His words are like a mirror which shows a person what his heart is like. This is what a greedy man, a wicked man, a contemptuous man is like. He is like the daughters of King Lear who coveted their father’s throne but, when they got it, they forgot their father, the way, the ladder, by which they had attained it. They are like some children who despise their parents in order to be recognised as adults.
Shakespeare has other words about the conceit of such people.
Small things make base men proud.
- Shakespeare
If a foolish man is elevated he becomes conceited; if he attains a lofty position for which he is unfitted he thinks he’s a king. A true-blooded chief has no reason to be conceited. When Te Kani-a-takirau was asked to be a King for the Maori People he did not consent because he was already a king through his ancestors. Hori Mahue of Te Araroa spoke wise words:
Kaua e whaia nga turanga tiketike kei taka koe
Haruru ana to taunga ki raro, ka rangona te ao katoa;
Kia hakahaka noa, kia taka rawa ake ai koe ko ko anake e mohio.
Don’t seek lofty positions lest you fall with a loud thud
Heard by the whole world.
Rather be humble so that, if you fall, only you will know.
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THE MERCHANT OF VENICE.
(This article was translated int Maori by P Te Hurinui.)
Introduction.
[This appeared first in Te Toa Takitini, Number 63]
The person who wrote this fictitious story was William Shakespeare. He was a leading English playwright who knew how to write wonderful stories and to exploit the richness of the English language. We Maori have come across some of those stories because some of his great words have been put into Maori by our friend RTK, and at last one of his stories has been translated into Maori from beginning to end. These kinds of stories are called by the English, ‘plays.’ The translator is P Te Hurinui, also known as Jones. He won the Maori Tennis Championship at the Tournament held at Rotorua in April this year. There are many Acts to this play and several Scenes in each Act. This is a strange thing to a traditional Maori but familiar to children who reach the Sixth Form in the schools. Don’t be wearied by the effort to understand it. This man, Shakespeare, was one of the world’s geniuses. The Editor has asked Mr W A G Penlington MA, Headmaster of Hastings High School, to introduce each Act so that what is happening will be clear to the Maori mind.
These are his explanations. Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died in 1616. He spent more than three years writing this play called ‘The Merchant of Venice.’
Act I, Scene I.
Some friends meet in the streets of a town called Venice. There they talk as they walk about. Amongst them are Bassanio and Antonio, leading characters in this play. Bassanio tells Antonio of his troubles. His problem is that he is in debt and cannot repay the debt. He desperately needs money so that he can successfully approach a woman he loves called Portia. She is a beautiful noblewoman and he longs to take her for his wife. Antonio tells Bassanio that he will lend him money but has none available at that time. His wealth is tied up in ships and their cargoes and they are all at sea. However, he agrees to lend Bassanio money if he can find someone who will lend money to him.
[I have not attempted to translate what follows - Pei Te Hurinui’s Maori version of The Merchant of Venice Act I, Scene II - into English, fascinating as back-translations can be. But it would be presumptuous to re-write Shakespeare!]
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