Cultural Inheritances In Polynesian Poetry Essay, Research Paper
The poetical work of Albert Wendt, Apirana Taylor,
Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, Hone Tuwhare, Keri Hulme,
Gloria Rawlinson, J. C. Sturm, and Roma Potiki all have
voices that are informed by and reflect their Polynesian
cultural inheritances in various ways. The main ways in
which these inheritances can be seen to be reflected, is by
showing the poets inclusion of their culture s mythology,
customs, and civilisation. The way in which these poets
voices have been informed by their cultures, can be seen
with describing the way these poets address their culture s
concerns.
Albert Wendt was born in Western Samoa. The reflections
of his Polynesian cultural inheritances is evident in the way
he uses their mythologies in his poetry. In his poem No
Return there is an obvious use of culture s mythology:
her journey to Pulotu has no dawn. (p109) Pulotu is the
spirit world in Polynesian mythology. In The Mountains of
Ta u he draws on the famous legend of Maui: like
spinning tops or Maui s endlessly / inventing mind. (p110)
Maui is an important part of Polynesian mythology; Maui is
a demigod who is used to tell of many stories.
There are also reflections of Polynesian cultural
inheritances in Hone Tuwhare s use of mythology in his
poetry. Tuwhare was born in Kaikohe, and belongs to the
Ngapuhi hapus Ngati Korokoro, Ngati Tautahi, Te
Popoto, and Uri-O-Hau. In his poem Papa-tu-a-nuku , he
uses Maori mythology. The title, Papa-tu-a-nuku , means
Earth Mother , which is part of a number of nature s
elements that are personified in Maori mythology. Hense,
the earth being personified as a mother, and the content of
the poem involving this interaction with the earth:
We are massaging the ricked
back of the land
with our sore but ever-loving feet:
hell, she loves it!
Squirming, the land wriggles
in delight. (p242)
The reflections of Polynesian cultural inheritances are also
evident in Apirana Taylor s use of Maori mythology.
Taylor is of Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Ngati Porou and Ngati
Ruanui descent. In his poem The Womb , when describing
the grievances of the land because of the settlers damaging
it, he desribes the land s retaliation in the form of a Maori
myth: that of the god Ruamoko:
I am the land
the womb of life and death
Ruamoko the unborn god
rumbles within me
and the fires of Ruapehu still live. (p101)
Further, In the poetry of Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, there
are also reflections of Polynesian cultural inheritances of
mythology. Throughout the voice of Sanctuary of Spirits
many Polynesian legends are referred to; such as Te
Rauparaha, Tama, Hakitara, Pehi, Te Hiko, Tamaiharanui,
etc. Throughout the voice of The Dark Lord of Savaiki
legends such as Paroa and Paetou are mentioned. The
name in the title itself is synonymous with his culture s
mythology. In Soul Traps , the legend of Maui is present
again, as in Wendt s The Mountains of Ta u ; Maui is
often referred to in Polynesian poetry.
It is not only the poets use of mythology in their poetry
that reflects their cultural inheritances; it is also in the
content of many of their poems that show the customs and
civilisation of their culture. This is evident in the poetry of
Tuwhare; such as in Tangi . A Tangi is the maori meaning
for a funeral, which is a traditional ritual that Maoris
undertake with the goodbyes and burial of the dead. The
bowed heads / of old women (p237) invokes an image
that is synonymous with a Tangi. In the poem Dear
Cousin , there is reference to food (or kai ) that is
synonymous with Maori s preference for such. This
includes Puha, Kamokamo, riwai, etc, which is represented
in the following extract: and on it place a steaming pot of
puha, / kamokamo, riwai. (p245)
The poetry of Keri Hulme also shows a reflecting of Maori
cultural inheritances through her inclusions of their
customs in her poetry. This is evident in her poetry from
Fishing the Olearia Tree . In this, the food that is
described is synonomous with Maori kai ; such as kumara,
yams, muttonbirds, etc:
pink flesh of smoked eels, the tangy succulence of
oysters,
muttonbirds grilled so their skin crackles and the sweet
fat bastes
the kumara, the baked yams, the wrinkled salmon-pink
yams. (p86)
Throughout the poetry of Gloria Rawlinson; her inclusion
of the civilisation of her culture, reflects the cultural
inheritances from her old home of Tonga. This is evident in
her poem The Islands Where I Was Born . The poem is
about the memories of her home, as suggested by the title.
Consequently, many aspects of her cultural inheritances
from Tonga s civilisation are reflected. The imagery is
synonymous with Tonga s culture, in which there is much
imagery of coral, palm trees, and the ocean: When I saw
the Pacific skyward beyond our coral; / Farewells fluttered
… palm-trees turned away (p394) There are also islands,
whales, etc: Once on an island voyage / A mating of
whales. (p395)
More particular, in describing the poets use of their
culture s customs and civilisation, there is their use of
language. Wendt s cultural inheritances from Polynesia is
reflected in the way he incorporates Samoan language into
his poetry. This is evident in his poem The Mountains of
Ta u . A lot of the words used are of the Samoan dialect,
such as aitu and atua . Many of the nouns that are used
are also of Samoan origin; such as the the sweet black
berries of mosooi and the laumaile leaves. (p110)
Tuwhare also reflects his cultural inheritances by
incorporating his culture s language into his poetry. This is
evident in his poem Sun o , where the speaker uses an
informal style of speaking, synonymous with some Maoris
way of speaking the English language. The informal
pronunciations and morphology of words can be seen as
distinctively inherent with some people of his culture:
Gissa smile Sun, giss yr best
good mawnin one, fresh n cool like
yore still comin – still
half in an half outa the lan scape? (p242)
Despite the reflections of the poets Polynesian
inheritances, the way that they have been informed by their
Polynesian culture must be discussed. The way in which
these poets voices have been informed by their cultures,
can be seen by describing the way these poets address their
culture s concerns. It is evident that the voice of Wendt s
poetry is informed by his Polynesian culture, with his
concern of the way that the Settlers have forced
Colonialism upon them. This is a view held by many people
because of the injustices that occured with it. He indicates
this in his poem Colonialism: Independence . In this poem,
Colonialism has attempted to mould the natives into the
same shape as the Settlers, while rejecting their beliefs:
The palagi Governor, he teach
me the white face of his God
and Government.
I learnt that.
The palagi governor slyly tries to acheive this by giving
him gifts, such as the materials to build him a strong house
and the following: Then the palagi Governor, he reward /
me with a musket. The over-persistence in which the
Governor is trying to mould the natives into the shape of
the settlers culture is indicated: when he refused / for to
leave my house. The natives defiance to the Government
trying to shape him into somebody else is indicated: I shot
to him / and he is dead. (p108)
It is evident in the poetry of J. C. Sturm, that she is also
informed by Polynesian culture, with her concerns for
them. In her poem Maori to Pakeha it is evident that she
is concerned with the settlers forceful colonialism. It is
asserted that the settlers have been colonising too much
and that they do not belong; while the Maori assert their
place in having every right to live their way on their land:
Where do you think you re going?
You must be colour blind.
Can t you see you ve strayed
Into another colour zone?
This is brown country, man
Brown on the inside
As well as the outside
Brown through and through
The unjust way in which the europeans have colonialised is
described. The Maoris are being held captive by the
invading settlers:
Meanwhile holding me gently
Firmly captive
Here, in the tight curve
Of your alien arm. (p75)
Throughout the poetry of Taylor, it is evident that he is
informed of Maori concerns, in that he also addresses the
injustice of the settler s colonialism. This is evident in the
poem The Womb . In The Womb the speaker is the
native land, and is describing the way in which the settlers
wrecking it; this is addressed in the following:
Your fires burnt my forests
leaving only the charred bones
of toara rimu and kahikatea
Your ploughs like the fingernails
of a woman scarred my face
It seems I became a domestic giant. (p101)
Taylor addresses the concerns of Maoris, also in the way
that the langauge and culture of Maoris is dying. This is
evident in the poem Sad Joke on a Marae . In this poem,
the speaker is Maori but the only maori words that he
knows is Tihei Mauriora ; implying that the language is
dying:
though I said nothing but
Tihei Mauriora
for that s all I knew. (p99)
In his poem Taiaha Haka Poem , he implies that Maori
culture has become artificial. It is implyed that there is no
longer any authenticity or spirit to their cultural customs;
but only plastic maoridom . So, Maori culture has been
reduced to merely aesthetics with no soul:
I am the taiha left among people
who dance and twirl poi
in gaudy halls
of plastic maoridom. (p100)
Taylor further emphasises the loss of Maori culture and
spirit in his poem Te Kooti . The legend of Te Kooti with
his rebellion on the settlers and his enigmatic spirit is
described as dead. In other words, what he is implying is
that the spirit of the Maori people today is spent. This is
made clear in the following extract:
Now the stones are cold.
Te Kooti is dead
under incubus earth.
We are ashes of his fire
dead a hundred years. (p99)
This can be further elaborated, by discussing the poetry of
Roma Potiki. Her poem Compulsory Class Visits
suggests that maori culture is falling because their own
people are being moulded into the shape of the settlers:
and even the maori start to call themselves new
zealanders. The only interest in maori culture now only
comes through compulsory class visits . Further, the class
visits are suggested as simply aesthetic, synonymous with
plastic maoridom :
at the powhiri they are directed to sing
there is no kaea there is no ihi.
holding their papers, they look at the words -
Ao-te-a-roa. (p9)
It is now evident, in the work of Albert Wendt, Apirana
Taylor, Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, Hone Tuwhare, Keri
Hulme, Gloria Rawlinson, J. C. Sturm, and Roma Potiki,
that their Polynesian inheritances to their poetical voices
are from their culture s mythology, customs, civilisation,
and language. Following this, their voices being informed
by their Polynesian culture, has been shown to be from
their addressing of their culture s concerns.
Bibliography
Bornholdt, O’Brian, and Williams (eds). An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry in English. Auckland: Oxford University Press, 1997.
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