#Maori literature

[gennsoup]

you made me feel the sun wheeled in me the moon on my tongue

Hinemoana Baker, Matariki, e

[notimjustagirl]

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.

Māori proverb

[in-sufficientdata]

A bilingual book about the Māori creation story has won the highest accolade in children's literature.

Te Wehenga: The Separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku by Motueka writer Mat Tait (Ngāti Apa ki te rātō) won the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award at New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults held at Wellington's Pipitea Marae.

Te Wehenga simultaneously tells the Māori creation pūrākau, which explains the beginning of the world, in te reo Māori and English.

[ruchirarambles7]

Stunning.

Alice Te Punga Somerville, Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised - Kupu rere kē

[ID: A poem titled: Kupu rere kē. [in italics] My friend was advised to italicise all the foreign words in her poems. This advice came from a well-meaning woman with NZ poetry on her business card and an English accent in her mouth. I have been thinking about this advice. The convention of italicising words from other languages clarifies that some words are imported: it ensures readers can tell the difference between a foreign language and the language of home. I have been thinking about this advice. Marking the foreign words is also a kindness: every potential reader is reassured that although you’re expected to understand the rest of the text, it’s fine to consult a dictionary or native speaker for help with the italics. I have been thinking about this advice. Because I am a contrary person, at first I was outraged — but after a while I could see she had a point: when the foreign words are camouflaged in plain type you can forget how they came to be there, out of place, in the first place. I have been thinking about this advice and I have decided to follow it. Now all of my readers will be able to remember which words truly belong in -[end italics]- Aotearoa -[italics]- and which do not.

Next image is the futurama meme: to shreds you say…]

(Image ID by @bisexualshakespeare)

[annafromuni]

Tangi by Witi Ihimaera - An Emotional Tale of Loss and Life

Tangi by Witi Ihimaera stands as a powerhouse in New Zealand literature. A marker of Māori literature, of Maori life depicted in media written by Māori. It stands as a classic piece of New Zealand literature and showcases the long literary life of national icon Witi Ihimaera. Tangi is the first novel to be published by a Maori author, though it is not his first piece of work, and it won him the…

[the-monkey-ruler]

So immortals can be stronger than some gods and vice versa, but what about demons? Besides Sun Wukong, are there demons that gods or immortals could not defeat or represented a real threat?

There are a good amount of demons that are threats to gods or immortals. But because that is such a wide question I would have to say that it depends on what novel or what mythos you are talking about.

In most cases, demons are never as strong as immortals or gods because of their lack of formal training. It is very hard to cultivate without training and thus most demons just eat humans to gain cultivation, and while still powerful, far sloppier skills than compared to a trained immortal. You would see in a lot more modern literature that demons have communities or clans while in ancient literature that is rarely the case as because demons are all abnormalities and cultivated individually it is hard for them to form clans and create communities.

I asked around and I was nicely told that the Four Perils are considered like progenitors to yaoguai. While they are not quite the same as yaoguai as they are considered either natural disasters or just malicious creatures depending on the context. They are considered the antithesis of the four benevolent creatures that are the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. But in either case they are to be considered the embodiment of chaos and thus directly oppose heaven which is to symbolize the embodiment of order.

There are other creatures that toe the line between god and yaoguai just depending on different regions, similar to that is Shuimu niang niang who is a water deity but in Suzhou, Anhui she may be a yaoguai, while in Taiyuan, Shanxi it is believed that she was a woman who was gifted a magical whip by an old man. I was also informed that even the Four Perils, the taotie in particular, can be connected with ding due to the idea that taotie collected the offerings in ding for the ancestors and shen, and offered protection to the people. 

Wukong in the demon world is very much an outlier when it comes to power scaling, he is like the Sailor Moon to anime of the demon world. There are plenty of strong demons in Xiyouji but there is always a catch, so to speak. Scorpion Demon has a poison strong enough to hurt even the Buddha, but she was taken down by Maori Xingguan who turned into a rooster her natural enemy. That is more like a glass cannon where she can do a lot of damage but not take a lot in return. Demon Bull King was pretty strong, Nezha had to cut his head off like 50 times or something for him to falter and eventually be cornered but he fell as well. Single Horned Rhino King was also super strong in that he was able to take on so many celestial warriors but that was because he had the help of his magic item. Also when they found out his origins he was able to be captured fairly quickly by his owner.

In other works like FSYY we have Daji who is more known for her cunning and manipulation than power itself but she is still considered one of the most dangerous demons to have ever lived just by how much damage she caused an entire dynasty. It is noted that in Xiyouji the more powerful demons are from heaven as they were able to get some kind of information or training while up there, but they also have the great weakness that they are still submissive to their owners when they are found out. This is the usual chip in the stronger demons armor as while more earth-demons like Red Boy or Demon Bull King must be overtaken with force.

There have been PLENTY of powerful demons that have given the gods trouble, but in most if not all mythos, they were able to be defeated by the end through some kind of chip in their armor or loophole in their magic. While there are legendary demons of great feats and fight other legendary heroes like Nezha, Jiang Ziya, Erlang Shen, there aren't any demons that like... defeated them. At least not enough that cannot come back with stronger forces and eventually overrun the demon in question. Demons can be very powerful but they always have some kind of weakness whether in their cultivation, or in their origins as depending on the demon's original species helps in determining how to stop them a lot.

Wukong doesn't have that.

Wukong is the strongest, smartest, most powerful, most skilled, most clever, most cunning demon to have ever lived and is the only one I can think of that has gone to the heavens, defeated everyone, almost defeated the Jade Emporer and just before about to kill him needed Buddha ALL THE WAY from Eastern Heaven, a completely DIFFERENT heaven, needed to step in to stop him. He is to be considered an outlier of demon kind really. And I think that is because of his creation as the Monkey Mind. He isn't a being of havoc and destruction and that is what makes him separate from more demons at the start, rather he is intelligent, can learn, can adapt, and thus we see that he can bring order to the world. The whole point of the journey is how Wukong is able to overcome his own base desires and learn how to discipline himself to be more in control of his actions. Wukong is able to be seen as a person that provides and protects, very different from most yaoguai that reek chaos, and it could be that because of this Wukong was able to match to the gods just because it is so similar to them from the start.

[birdofdawning]

Here's some more about it, from one of my favourite writers on asexuality!

The Bone People, published in February 1984, winning The Booker Prize the following year, depicts an asexual, aromantic main character, and has sold over 1.2 million copies. Written by Keri Hulme, it is in part based on her experiences as someone who self-identified as asexual and aromantic. The Bone People explores multiple layers of identity like queerness, mixed Maori heritage, autism, trauma, and a wide range of disability. The novel is remembered as a classic of New Zealand literature and deserves more recognition as a queer classic. 

[theotherpacman]

Silly Game Time: What are 3 places you'd like to visit?

I'd very much like to visit aotearoa again, I haven't been since I was a kid, I've got family there + I want a maori tattoo and I'd only be ok w getting one from a maori tattoo artist

greece... I'm big into greek mythology and also classical philosophy so I'd like to visit some historic places like the parthenon yk. also it just looks beautiful in general

ireland !!! I'm,,, also big into irish mythology + I know they have bookstores as fuck there + it looks beautiful there as well

I am. an academic in the field of literature

[musingsofmonica]

February 2024 Diverse Read

February 2024 Diverse Reads:

•”My Beloved Life” by Amitava Kumar, February 27, Knopf Publishing Group, Historical/Literary/World Literature/India

•”Whiskey Tender: A Memoir” by Deborah Taffa, February 27, Harper, Personal Memoirs/Women/Cultural, Ethnic & Regional/Native American & Aboriginal

•”I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both” by Mariah Stovall, February 13, Soft Skull, Contemporary/Coming of Age/Friendship/African American/Women

•”Private Equity: A Memoir” by Carrie Sun, February 13, Penguin Press, Personal Memoirs/Women in Business/Business/Finance/Wealth Management/Investments & Securities

•”Village in the Dark” by Iris Yamashita, February 13, Berkley Books, Mystery & Detective/Police Procedural/Thriller/Suspense/Women

•”Redwood Court” by Délana R. a. Dameron, February 06, Dial Press, Literary/Coming of Age/Women/African American/Southern

•”Wandering Stars” by Tommy Orange, February 27, Knopf Publishing Group, Literary/Cultural Heritage/Native American & Aboriginal

•Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop

Hwang Bo-Reum & Shanna Tan (Translator), February 20, Bloomsbury Publishing, Contemporary/City Life/World Literature/Korea

•”Dreaming of Ramadi in Detroit: Essays

Aisha Sabatini Sloan, February 20, Graywolf, Essays/Cultural, Ethnic & Regional/African American & Black/LGBT/Anthropology/Cultural & Social

•”The Things We Didn't Know” by Elba Iris Pérez, February 06, Gallery Books, Literary/Coming of Age/World Literature/Puerto Rico/20th Century

•“The Fox Maidens” by Robin Ha, February 13, Harperalley, Comics & Graphic Novels/Historical/Fairy Tales/Folklore/Legends & Mythology Fantasy/Romance/LGBT/World Literature/Korea

•”Hope Ablaze” by Sarah Mughal Rana, February 27, Wednesday Books, Magical Realism, Poetry/Religious/Muslim/Social Themes - Activism & Social Justice

•“ASAP” by Axie Oh, February 06, Harperteen, YA/Romance/Contemporary/Coming of Age/Asian American

•”Smoke and Ashes: Opium's Hidden Histories” by Amitav Ghosh, February 13, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Nonfiction/Historical/Travelogue/Memoir/Family History/Essay in History/Globalism/Capitalism

•”Fathomfolk” by Eliza Chan, February 27, Orbit, Fantasy/Action & Adventure/Dragons & Mythical Creatures/East Asian Mythology 

•”Ours” by Phillip B. Williams, February 20, Viking, Literary/Historical/African American/Magical Realism

•”Neighbors and Other Stories” by Diane Oliver, February 13, Grove Press, Short Stories/Literary/Historical/African American & Black

•”Greta & Valdin” by Rebecca K. Reilly, February 06, Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, Literary/Romcom/Family Life/LGBT/Cultural Heritage/World Literature/New Zealand/Cultural, Ethnic & Regional/Russian-Maori-Catalonian/Indigenous/Polynesian 

•”The American Daughters” by Maurice Carlos Ruffin, February 27, One World, Historical/Civil War Era/Saga/African American/Women

•”My Side of the River: A Memoir” by Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez, January 13, St. Martin's Press, Personal Memoirs/Cultural, Ethnic & Regional/Hispanic & Latino/Public Policy - Immigration

[gulfportofficial]

Moby Dick again.

Guys, one of my students is reading an abridged, age-appropriate, ESL learner-appropriate copy of Moby Dick and it is so interesting. A lot of things they simply spell out because that makes sense for the English level as a reader (some of which are weird choices, like for example explicitly stating Queequeg is from New Zealand, like specifically New Zealand the British colonial nation, not Aotearoa the indigenous name, but he isn't from there anyway, maori is just another word for indigenous, in Te Reo it's Māori and from description IMO Queequeg's Tahitian Mā'ohi. Other changes are more straightforward.) Like for example, this version starts, "Call me Ishmael. That is not my real name." Obviously OG you pick that up even though it's never said but it's interesting because it means we can talk about it together. Especially because I had such a great time explaining the concept of an unreliable narrator, and how some are lying to you on purpose, some are not in their right minds, some don't even have an inkling they're not seeing clearly, some have a view that is simply limited by being one human, and most are combinations.

Anyway, it was such a lovely chat to have and I am absolutely beyond touched that she literally started reading this because I like it so much. Also she has OPINIONS about Ahab and it's dope and also it's very fun to be in a super homophobic situation like my school and just casually say about a work of great literature, "Oh yes, they'll be sharing a bed for the rest of the book."

[gennsoup]

"Don't be afraid. We are all islands but the sea connects us, everyone. Swim."

Keri Hulme, Unnamed Islands in the Unknown Sea

[dropout-if]

Aaa! It's so rare to see Pacific Islander ROs I'm so happy you created Kai✨

What inspired you to make their heritage that way? And will it be explored?

AAA Thank!

Last year I did my thesis on Postcolonial Ecofeminist Literature in the South Pacific and I feel like that has really moved and changed me^^

There are so little references to Oceania in media I knew I wanted to use some of my knowledge to create a character from the Pacific😭 Kai was originally going to be either Maori, Samoan or Hawaiian (the three areas I investigated).

I feel like Samoan societal ideals (such as Faʻa Sāmoa, the Samoan way) are really interesting when analysing Kai^^

For anyone interested I plan on doing my Master's thesis on the Representation of Female Neurosis in Media🏃‍♀️

[maledictionwolf-commsopen]

And of course there's Project Gutenberg for classic literature and pretty much anything with an expired copyright. Most everything is available to read as not only ebooks (in multiple formats, including older/disconinued ones), but also as web pages and downloadable HTML files (basically a web page you can open without an internet connection).

Here's all the languages available, sorted by how much stuff there is:

Languages with more than 50 books: Chinese  Danish  Dutch  English  Esperanto  Finnish  French  German  Greek  Hungarian  Italian  Latin  Portuguese  Spanish  Swedish  Tagalog 

Languages with up to 50 books: Afrikaans  Aleut  Arabic  Arapaho  Bodo  Breton  Bulgarian  Caló  Catalan  Cebuano  Czech  Estonian  Farsi  Frisian  Friulian  Gaelic, Scottish  Galician  Gamilaraay  Greek, Ancient  Haida  Hebrew  Icelandic  Iloko  Interlingua  Inuktitut  Irish  Japanese  Kashubian  Khasi  Korean  Lithuanian  Maori  Mayan Languages  Middle English  Nahuatl  Napoletano-Calabrese  Navajo  North American Indian  Norwegian  Occitan  Ojibwa  Old English  Polish  Romanian  Russian  Sanskrit  Scots  Serbian  Slovenian  Tagabawa  Telugu  Tibetan  Welsh  Yiddish 

FWIW, "more than 50" can range from less than 100 (Tagalog) to tens of thousands (English).

"Absolutely no one comes to save us but us."

Ismatu Gwendolyn, "you've been traumatized into hating reading (and it makes you easier to oppress)", from Threadings, on Substack [ID'd]

[cwg-highsensitive]

📚 Leseempfehlung für neuseeländische Weltliteratur! 🇳🇿✨

Die neuseeländische Literatur ist vielfältig und tief mit der kulturellen Geschichte, den traditionellen Erzählungen und den gesellschaftlichen Herausforderungen des Landes verbunden. Sie spiegelt die komplexe Mischung aus indigenen Maori-Kulturen und westlichen Einflüssen wider und bietet sowohl historische als auch moderne Perspektiven auf das Leben in Neuseeland.

1. Witi Ihimaera – „Die Wölfe von Maoriland“

📖 „Die Wölfe von Maoriland“ ist ein epischer Roman, der sich mit der Geschichte der Maori-Kultur und der Maori-Kolonisierung auseinandersetzt. Der Roman beleuchtet die Veränderungen und Herausforderungen, mit denen die Maori-Gemeinschaft im modernen Neuseeland konfrontiert ist.

📖 „The Whale Rider“ – Ein weiteres Werk, das sich mit Maori-Mythologie und den Kämpfen einer jungen Frau um ihre Identität und Verbindung zur Natur befasst.

Warum du ihn lesen solltest:

Witi Ihimaera ist bekannt für seine beeinflussten und poetischen Werke, die die Maori-Kultur und Tradition mit den modernistischen Herausforderungen der westlichen Welt verbinden.

2. Janet Frame – „Die Farben der Schatten“ (The Lagoon)

📖 „Die Farben der Schatten“ ist ein Werk von Janet Frame, das sich mit der psychologischen Tiefe und den persönlichen Konflikten einer Frau beschäftigt. Frame untersucht Themen wie Identität, Wahnsinn und die menschliche Psyche.

📖 „Owls Do Cry“ – Ein weiteres Werk, das den Wahnsinn und die geistigen Kämpfe einer Familie im ländlichen Neuseeland thematisiert.

Warum du sie lesen solltest:

Janet Frame gilt als eine der wichtigsten neuseeländischen Schriftstellerinnen. Ihre Werke sind introspektiv, dunkel und bieten tiefgehende Einblicke in die psychologischen Spannungen des menschlichen Lebens.

3. Keri Hulme – „Der Wurm in der Wüste“ (The Bone People)

📖 „The Bone People“ ist ein außergewöhnliches Werk, das die Verbindung zwischen Maori- und europäischen Traditionen in Neuseeland thematisiert. Es geht um die Beziehung eines Maori-Frau mit einem gequälten Künstler und einem missbrauchten Kind.

📖 „The Sea in Me“ – Ein weiteres Werk, das sich mit den spirituellen und emotionalen Kämpfen eines einzelnen Menschen in einer neuseeländischen Gemeinschaft beschäftigt.

Warum du es lesen solltest:

Keri Hulme ist bekannt für ihre dichte, mythologische Erzählweise, die stark auf Maori-Kultur und westliche Traditionen zurückgreift und die menschliche Existenz sowie die Grenzen der menschlichen Erfahrung thematisiert.

4. Maurice Shadbolt – „Once Upon a Time: A Story of Modern New Zealand“

📖 „Once Upon a Time: A Story of Modern New Zealand“ ist ein faszinierendes Werk, das die koloniale Vergangenheit Neuseelands und den Prozess der modernen nationalen Identität beschreibt. Shadbolt beleuchtet die Kämpfe der Maoris und das Zusammenspiel zwischen den Kulturen im neuseeländischen Kontext.

📖 „The House of Strife“ – Ein weiteres Werk, das die Gesellschaftsstruktur und die Veränderungen in Neuseeland nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg untersucht.

Warum du ihn lesen solltest:

Shadbolt ist ein renommierter neuseeländischer Romancier und Historiker, der sowohl die koloniale Vergangenheit als auch die modernen Herausforderungen des Landes behandelt.

5. Eleanor Catton – „Die Luminaries“

📖 „Die Luminaries“ ist ein preisgekrönter historischer Roman, der in der goldenen Rush-Ära Neuseelands spielt. Es geht um Geheimnisse, Verbrechen und Schicksalsbegegnungen in einer Zeit des wirtschaftlichen Wachstums und der Auseinandersetzungen mit dem wachsenden Kapitalismus.

📖 „The Rehearsal“ – Ein weiteres Werk, das sich mit den Komplexitäten von Identität und menschlichen Beziehungen befasst, während es die Leben von jungen Schauspielern in Neuseeland untersucht.

Warum du sie lesen solltest:

Eleanor Catton gewann den Man Booker Prize für dieses einzigartige Werk, das mit historischen und mysteriösen Elementen spielt und tief in die gesellschaftlichen Strukturen von Neuseeland eintaucht.

Warum du diese Werke lesen solltest:

Die neuseeländische Literatur bietet einen faszinierenden Einblick in die Kultur, die Geschichte und die gesellschaftlichen Herausforderungen dieses Landes. Diese Werke bieten emotionale und intellektuelle Perspektiven, die das Leben in Neuseeland prägen, insbesondere die verborgenen Aspekte der Maori-Kultur und die Veränderungen der westlichen Gesellschaft.

📖 Lass dich von der faszinierenden Welt der neuseeländischen Literatur verzaubern und entdecke die Werke dieser außergewöhnlichen Schriftsteller!

©️®️CWG, 26.02.2025

#NeuseeländischeLiteratur #Weltliteratur #LesenIstLeben #Bücherliebe #WitiIhimaera #JanetFrame #KeriHulme #MauriceShadbolt #EleanorCatton #Literaturempfehlung #Bücherwelt #cwg64d #cwghighsensitive #oculiauris

[sada6637]

Here are some popular tattoo design ideas across various styles to inspire you:

click here...

Minimalist Tattoos

Small geometric shapes like triangles, circles, or arrows.

Simple heart, star, or infinity symbols.

Tiny meaningful words or dates in elegant fonts.

Nature-Inspired Tattoos

A detailed feather or leaf.

Delicate floral designs like roses, lotuses, or cherry blossoms.

Animal silhouettes or realistic animals like wolves, tigers, or birds.

Symbolic Tattoos

Mandala designs representing balance and harmony.

Zodiac symbols tailored to your sign.

Yin-Yang for duality and balance.

Spiritual & Mystical Tattoos

A dreamcatcher with intricate details.

A third eye symbol for enlightenment.

Sacred geometry patterns.

Travel-Themed Tattoos

A world map or globe.

A compass for direction and adventure.

Airplanes or coordinates of a meaningful place.

Watercolor Tattoos

Abstract splashes of vibrant colors.

Animals or flowers with a watercolor effect.

Inspirational quotes combined with watercolor strokes.

Tribal & Cultural Tattoos

Polynesian or Maori-inspired patterns.

Henna-style floral designs.

Ancient symbols or script.

Creative & Unique Tattoos

Optical illusions or abstract art.

Book pages or music notes for literature and music lovers.

Galaxy themes like planets and stars.

Would you like a specific tattoo idea tailored to your personality or story? 😊

[makingqueerhistory]

The Bone People

Keri Hulme

The powerful, visionary, Booker Award-winning novel about the complicated relationships between three outcasts of mixed European and Maori heritage"This book is just amazingly, wondrously great." --Alice Walker In a tower on the New Zealand sea lives Kerewin Holmes: part Maori, part European, asexual and aromantic, an artist estranged from her art, a woman in exile from her family. One night her solitude is disrupted by a visitor--a speechless, mercurial boy named Simon, who tries to steal from her and then repays her with his most precious possession. As Kerewin succumbs to Simon's feral charm, she also falls under the spell of his Maori foster father Joe, who rescued the boy from a shipwreck and now treats him with an unsettling mixture of tenderness and brutality. Out of this unorthodox trinity Keri Hulme has created what is at once a mystery, a love story, and an ambitious exploration of the zone where indigenous and European New Zealand meet, clash, and sometimes merge.

Winner of both a Booker Prize and Pegasus Prize for Literature, The Bone People is a work of unfettered wordplay and mesmerizing emotional complexity.

(Affiliate link above)