A carved cloak for Tahu

"A Carved Cloak for Tahu tells the story of the northern Hawke's Bay hapu of Ngai Tahu Matawhaiti. It is a history that blends old and new, land and people, traditional stories and modern issues." "The carvings of the wharenui Te Poho O Tahu at Iwitea, near Wairoa, are the starting point for a tribal history that goes back to Hawaiki. Mere Whaanga draws on the traditional methods and materials of Maori history - whakairo, waiata, tauparapara - to evoke the stories and identify of a people who keep alive the links with their tipuna. She recounts the journeys and exploits of the forebears of Ngai Tahu Matawhaiti - and the ancestors of many other hapu and iwi - Tahu Potiki, Matawhaiti, Paikea, Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine and Te Huki." "This is also a story of changes in land tenure, obligations and authority, and the way one hapu has responded to them. As these have been among the fundamental concerns of Maori since the mid nineteenth century, the story of Ngai Tahu Matawhaiti has relevance for other hapu and iwi today."--BOOK JACKET.