Tuhoe history: 'Children of the Mist' re-published
Update: 2025-12-02
Description
One hundred years after it was first published, the substantial history of Tuhoe, "Children of the Mist" by ethnologist Elsdon Best, is back in bookshops. Best traces the history of the Urerewa from the first settlers from Polynesia through to the arrival of Europeans. But this is not just a record of what happened when, it also weaves through details of the traditions, myths, religious beliefs and practices of local iwi and hapu. The latest edition has been published under the guidance of scholar and Maori language expert, Rapata Wiri, ( Nga Tuhoe and Ngati Ruapani) who also writes a preface for the book. There is also a second volume that sets out the genealogy, or whakapapa, of iwi descended from Mataatua Waka - one of the great Polynesian voyaging canoes that tradition says migrated to NZ. And it doesn't end there - the set also includes a fold out map of ancient pa sites. Kathryn talks to Rapata Wiri.
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