Whispers of Waitaha: Traditions of a Nation

Within these pages are the words of our Grandmothers, written in this time to spread the message of Peace and Hope. The second book in the Waitaha Histories. Our elder grandmothers instructed the teachers of the families to “hide our nation, hide our information, hide our belief systems in the wananga of silence, to wait the time of Tumatawera…“ The teachers kept everything hidden in the mokopuna. The grandchild became the nation’s library and all the information was concealed inside the minds of the mokopuna. It is now the time of Tumatawera, and the laws of the land have become softer to the voices of the grandmothers of Waitaha allowing the teachings of the ancestors to be written for the benefit of our children and grandchildren. This rare and unique book of Pre Maori Folklore, Traditions and Oral Histories of the Waitaha people casts light on the culture, scientific and natural wisdom of the early peoples of New Zealand. Colour artwork throughout by Derek Lardelli, Tanya maree Ruka, Rua Pick, and Tarquinn Bobby Shane Wihongi.