Cultural Inheritances In Polynesian Poetry Essay Research free essay sample

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 heritages in assorted ways. The chief ways in which these heritages can be seen to be reflected, is by demoing the poets inclusion of their civilization s mythology, imposts, and civilization. The manner in which these poets voices have been informed by their civilizations, can be seen with depicting the manner these poets address their civilization s concerns. Albert Wendt was born in Western Samoa. The contemplations of his Polynesian cultural heritages is apparent in the manner he uses their mythologies in his poesy. In his verse form No Return there is an obvious usage of civilization s mythology: her journey to Pulotu has no morning. ( p109 ) Pulotu is the spirit universe in Polynesian mythology. In The Mountains of Ta U he draws on the celebrated fable of Maui: like whirling tops or Maui s infinitely / contriving head. ( p110 ) Maui is an of import portion of Polynesian mythology ; Maui is a superman who is used to state of many narratives. There are besides contemplations of Polynesian cultural heritages in Hone Tuwhare s usage of mythology in his poesy. Tuwhare was born in Kaikohe, and belongs to the Ngapuhi hapus Ngati Korokoro, Ngati Tautahi, Te Popoto, and Uri-O-Hau. In his verse form Papa-tu-a-nuku, he utilizations Maori mythology. The rubric, Papa-tu-a-nuku, means Earth Mother, which is portion of a figure of nature s elements that are personified in Maori mythology. Hense, the Earth being personified as a female parent, and the content of the verse form affecting this interaction with the Earth: We are rub downing the ricked back of the land with our sore but ever-loving pess: snake pit, she loves it! Writhing, the land wiggles in delectation. ( p242 ) The contemplations of Polynesian cultural heritages are besides evident in Apirana Taylor s usage of Maori mythology. Taylor is of Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Ngati Porou and Ngati Ruanui descent. In his verse form The Womb, when depicting the grudges of the land because of the colonists damaging it, he desribes the land s revenge in the signifier of a Maori myth: that of the God Ruamoko: I am the land the uterus of life and decease Ruamoko the unborn God rumblings within me and the fires of Ruapehu still live. ( p101 ) Further, In the poesy of Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, there are besides contemplations of Polynesian cultural heritages of mythology. Throughout the voice of Sanctuary of Spirits many Polynesian fables are referred to ; such as Te Rauparaha, Tama, Hakitara, Pehi, Te Hiko, Tamaiharanui, etc. Throughout the voice of The Dark Lord of Savaiki fables such as Paroa and Paetou are mentioned. The name in the rubric itself is synonymous with his civilization s mythology. In Soul Traps, the fable of Maui is present once more, as in Wendt s The Mountains of Ta U ; Maui is frequently referred to in Polynesian poesy. It is non merely the poets use of mythology in their poesy that reflects their cultural heritages ; it is besides in the content of many of their verse forms that show the imposts and civilization of their civilization. This is apparent in the poesy of Tuwhare ; such as in Tangi. A Tangi is the Maori significance for a funeral, which is a traditional rite that Maoris undertake with the adieus and entombment of the dead. The bowed caputs / of old adult females ( p237 ) invokes an image that is synonymous with a Tangi. In the verse form Dear Cousin, there is mention to nutrient ( or kai ) that is synonymous with Maori s penchant for such. This includes Puha, Kamokamo, riwai, etc, which is represented in the undermentioned infusion: and on it place a steaming pot of puha, / kamokamo, riwai. ( p245 ) The poesy of Keri Hulme besides shows a reflecting of Maori cultural heritages through her inclusions of their imposts in her poesy. This is apparent in her poesy from Fishing the Olearia Tree. In this, the nutrient that is described is synonomous with Maori kai ; such as kumara, yams, muttonbirds, etc: pink flesh of smoke-cured eels, the lemony succulency of oysters, muttonbirds grilled so their tegument cracklings and the Sweet fat bastings the kumara, the adust yams, the wrinkly salmon-pink yams. ( p86 ) Throughout the poesy of Gloria Rawlinson ; her inclusion of the civilization of her civilization, reflects the cultural heritages from her old place of Tonga. This is apparent in her verse form The Islands Where I Was Born. The verse form is about the memories of her place, as suggested by the rubric. Consequently, many facets of her cultural heritages from Tonga s civilization are reflected. The imagination is synonymous with Tonga s civilization, in which there is much imagination of coral, palm trees, and the ocean: When I saw the Pacific skyward beyond our coral ; / Farewells fluttered # 8230 ; palm-trees turned away ( p394 ) There are besides islands, giants, etc: Once on an island ocean trip / A coupling of giants. ( p395 ) More peculiar, in depicting the poets use of their civilization s imposts and civilization, there is their usage of linguistic communication. Wendt s cultural heritages from Polynesia is reflected in the manner he incorporates Samoan linguistic communication into his poesy. This is apparent in his verse form The Mountains of Ta U. A batch of the words used are of the Samoan idiom, such as aitu and atua. Many of the nouns that are used are besides of Samoan beginning ; such as the the sweet black berries of mosooi and the laumaile leaves. ( p110 ) Tuwhare besides reflects his cultural heritages by integrating his civilization s linguistic communication into his poesy. This is evident in his Po mutton quad Sun O, where the talker uses an informal manner of speech production, synonymous with some Maoris manner of talking the English linguistic communication. The informal pronunciations and morphology of words can be seen as distinctively built-in with some people of his civilization: Gissa smiling Sun, giss year best good mawnin one, fresh n cool like yore still comin # 8211 ; still half in an half outa the local area network flower stalk? ( p242 ) Despite the contemplations of the poets Polynesian heritages, the manner that they have been informed by their Polynesian civilization must be discussed. The manner in which these poets voices have been informed by their civilizations, can be seen by depicting the manner these poets address their civilization s concerns. It is apparent that the voice of Wendt s poesy is informed by his Polynesian civilization, with his concern of the manner that the Settlers have forced Colonialism upon them. This is a position held by many people because of the unfairnesss that occured with it. He indicates this in his poem Colonialism: Independence. In this verse form, Colonialism has attempted to model the indigens into the same form 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 attempts to acheive this by giving him gifts, such as the stuffs to construct him a strong house and the followers: Then the palagi Governor, he reward / me with a musket. The over-persistence in which the Governor is seeking to model the indigens into the form of the colonists civilization is indicated: when he refused / for to go forth my house. The indigens rebelliousness to the Government seeking to determine him into person else is indicated: I shot to him / and he is dead. ( p108 ) It is apparent in the poesy of J. C. Sturm, that she is besides informed by Polynesian civilization, with her concerns for them. In her verse form Maori to Pakeha it is apparent that she is concerned with the colonists forceful colonialism. It is asserted that the colonists have been colonizing excessively much and that they do non belong ; while the Maori assert their topographic point in holding every right to populate their manner on their land: Where do you believe you re traveling? You must be color blind. Can t you see you ve strayed Into another coloring material zone? This is brown state, adult male Brown on the interior Equally good as the exterior Brown through and through The unfair manner in which the Europeans have colonialised is described. The Maoris are being held confined by the occupying colonists: Meanwhile keeping me gently Firm confined Here, in the tight curve Of your foreign arm. ( p75 ) Throughout the poesy of Taylor, it is apparent that he is informed of Maori concerns, in that he besides addresses the unfairness of the colonist s colonialism. This is apparent in the poem The Womb. In The Womb the talker is the native land, and is depicting the manner in which the colonists bust uping it ; this is addressed in the followers: Your fires burnt my woods go forthing merely the charred castanetss of toara imou pine and New Zealand Dacryberry Your Big Dippers like the fingernails of a adult female scarred my face It seems I became a domestic giant. ( p101 ) Taylor addresses the concerns of Maoris, besides in the manner that the langauge and civilization of Maoris is deceasing. This is evident in the verse form Sad Joke on a Marae. In this verse form, the talker is Maori but the lone Maori words that he knows is Tihei Mauriora ; connoting that the linguistic communication is death: though I said nil but Tihei Mauriora for that s all I knew. ( p99 ) In his verse form Taiaha Haka Poem, he implies that Maori civilization has become unreal. It is implyed that there is no longer any genuineness or spirit to their cultural imposts ; but merely fictile maoridom. So, Maori civilization has been reduced to simply aesthetics with no psyche: I am the taiha left among people who dance and kink poi in gaudy halls of fictile maoridom. ( p100 ) Taylor farther emphasises the loss of Maori civilization and spirit in his verse form Te Kooti. The fable of Te Kooti with his rebellion on the colonists and his puzzling spirit is described as dead. In other words, what he is connoting is that the spirit of the Maori people today is spent. This is made clear in the undermentioned infusion: Now the rocks are cold. Te Kooti is dead under incubus Earth. We are ashes of his fire dead a hundred old ages. ( p99 ) This can be farther elaborated, by discoursing the poesy of Roma Potiki. Her poem Compulsory Class Visits suggests that maori civilization is falling because their ain people are being moulded into the form of the colonists: and even the maori start to name themselves new Zealanders. The lone involvement in maori civilization now merely comes through mandatory category visits. Further, the category visits are suggested as merely aesthetic, synonymous with fictile maoridom: at the powhiri they are directed to sing there is no kaea there is no ihi. keeping their documents, they look at the words Ao-te-a-roa. ( p9 ) It is now apparent, 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 heritages to their poetical voices are from their civilization s mythology, imposts, civilization, and linguistic communication. Following this, their voices being informed by their Polynesian civilization, has been shown to be from their addressing of their civilization s concerns. Bibliography Bornholdt, O # 8217 ; Brian, and Williams ( explosive detection systems ) . An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry in English. Auckland: Oxford University Press, 1997. 35c