The Dragon and the
Taniwha : a comprehensive study of how Maori and Chinese interacted in New
Zealand. Edited by Manying Ip.
This book gives the
reader a fascinating look at the history of these interactions and the role
Maori have in Chinese immigrant’s experiences in settling into the NZ culture
and lifestyle.
“On his arrival in NZ 10 years ago he read an article in the NZ Herald
about Maori and was greatly intrigued by the word “hui”. Although he could not
find the word in an English dictionary, it did not prevent him from
understanding the sentence, because ‘hui’ means ‘meeting’ in Chinese. He was
puzzled why an English article should include a Chinese word. Later he was
stunned to discover that ‘hui’ is a Maori word meaning ‘meeting’, and it’s
pronunciation and meaning are exactly the same as the Chinese word ‘hui’.”
Since his first encounter
with the commonalities between Maori and Chinese, he has studied this topic and
here in this book he shares what he has learned. An extensive bibliography
accompanies his essay.
Read the book to follow
on from and continue to be informed about the Maori-Chinese Interactions, are
respectively, David Pearson; Nigel Murphy; Richard Bedford; Robert Didham;
Manying Ip; James Chang, Sally Liangni Liu, Jennifer Hauraki, Margaret Mutu,
Mark Williams and Cathy Ooi.
Well worth a read by
anyone interested in how New Zealand communities are made up and why it works
for these two cultures in particular.
Available to borrow from
the Maori Collection on the 2nd Floor of Rotorua District Library.
At 305.8z DRA
