Nga Iwi O Tainui

Nga Iwi o Tainui is a classic work of New Zealand and Maori history, first published in 1995. A bilingual collection, in 67 chapters, of the histories, genealogies, songs and chants of the Tainui people, it represents the culmination of a life’s work by the scholar and historian Dr Pei Te Hurinui Jones. His beautiful Maori text is matched on facing pages by Dr Bruce Biggs’s English translations, a layout which facilitates a close study of the Maori language, valuable for scholars and students alike. Genealogical tables and map references place each separate incident in its social and geographical context. Extensive footnotes provide further information and there is a complete index to all place names and personal names in the text. Nga Iwi o Tainui received an Honour Award at the 1996 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.

Author Biography

Pei Te Hurinui Jones (Ngaati Matakore; 1898-1976) was brought up in the southern King country by his maternal great-uncle Te Hurinui Te Wano and was ideally qualified to pursue his lifelong interest in oral history of his mother’s people. He was a prolific writer in te reo Maori and a leading authority on Tainui traditions. Bruce Biggs (Ngati Maniapoto; 1921-2000), was a renowned linguist and pioneer in the study of te Reo Maori. He wrote several best-selling books on te reo Maori including Let’s Learn Maori and The Complete English-Maori Dictionary. Further information about Bruce Biggs can be found at http://www.rsnz.govt.nz/directory/yearbooks/year00/biggs.php