Legends of the Maori Volume 1 nā Tā Māui Pōmare; ko James Cowan te etitā; nā Stuart Peterson kā whakaahua. Wellington, N.Z.: Fine Arts, 1930-1934.
This volume of Legends of the Māori is one of the earliest examples from our collection of pūrākau written by a Māori author, and represents our second pou. Māui Wiremu Piti Naera Pōmare (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Toa, 1876-1930) was a hugely influential doctor, health-reformer and politician who received a knighthood in 1922.
With whānau connections from Taranaki to the Chatham Islands, Rēkohu/Wharekauri, Sir Māui Pōmare’s early family life and education was far-ranging and included the formative childhood experience of being at Parihaka when it was invaded by armed constabulary in 1881.
His final school years were spent at Te Aute College where his cohort included many who would become highly respected leaders in both Māori and Pākeha society, including Sir Peter Buck (Te Rangi Hīroa) and Sir Apirana Ngata. It was at Te Aute that he became interested in the Māori health issues that would determine his future path.
After Te Aute, he worked and studied in America for some years, becoming the first Māori to qualify with a medical degree. Upon his return to Aotearoa, he launched straight into a career in Māori public health which in turn led him to politics, including a term as Minister of Health.
Legends of the Māori came about as part of an agreement between Sir Apirana Ngata, Sir Peter Buck/Te Rangi Hīroa and Sir Māui Pōmare that they would, between them, record and preserve different aspects of mātauraka Māori. These volumes are Sir Māui Pōmare’s contribution, containing Tainui lore that was passed down to him through the oral traditions of his iwi. They were published posthumously, 1930-1934.
Legends of the Maori Volume 1 nā Tā Māui Pōmare; ko James Cowan te etitā; nā Stuart Peterson kā whakaahua. Wellington, N.Z.: Fine Arts, 1930-1934.
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