Author(s): J,Sissons;Al, Wi Hongi W Et

Maori Books

Nga Puriri o Taiamai was first published by the Polynesian Society in 1987 as The Puriri Trees are Laughing. a record of the political history of Nga Puhi tribal groups in the Taiamai and Te Waimate regions of the inland Bay of Islands, this highly regarde work brings together Nga Puhi oral traditions and early European accounts of thev region. The book begins by cionsidering political relationships between hapu (or subtribes) in the period 1815 to 1819, drawing upon the accounts left by Samuel Marsden in his visits to Te Waimate in 1815 and Taiamai in 1819. The focus then moves back to the beginnings of Nga Puhi with the founding ancestor Rahiri, in a central narrative by by Wiremu Wi Hongi tracing his descendants over four generations. The final part relates to the second half of the eighteenth century, incorporating seven narratives of warefare and conquest at Te Waimate and Taiamai. All the narratives are given in Maori with English translations, and are supported by introductions and concluding discussions. - Taken from back cover.