#VoicesFromTheStacks Te kuia me te pungawerewere [Kuia and the spider.] by Patricia Grace  translate

#VoicesFromTheStacks Te kuia me te pungawerewere [Kuia and the spider.] by Patricia Grace  translated into Maori by Syd Melbourne with Keri Kaa.Patricia Frances Grace DCNZM QSO is a New Zealand Māori author, who has written short stories, novels, and children’s books. She “is widely recognized as a key figure in contemporary world literature and in Maori literature”Grace notes that she wants to write “about what she knew – the ordinary, everyday lives of Māori people and their families” and when criticized for not providing a index for Māori words [also called te reo Māori or simply te reo (the language)]  in her 1986 novel Potiki, she responded  “I didn’t want Māori to be treated as a foreign language in its own country.”That sentiment seems to be growing. According to an article by the Guardian, the language is starting to return to everyday use, coming back from a period after World War II when the language was not allowed in public schools and many people instead taught their children English for better job prospects.The book pictured here is a retelling of a classic New Zealand fable, about a Kuia (a grandmother) who is a weaver, and the spider who lives in the corner of her kitchen. They get into friendly arguments like who is a better weaver, or who has better grandchildren when they come to visit.  When asked to judge the weaving, the grandchildren do not comment, only enjoy what each has made. The human children find mats, and baskets with their names, and the young spiders swinging on the webs, and admire a large web that catches the sun. Grace has won several awards for her works, such as the New Zealand Book Award for Fiction for Potiki, the Neustadt Prize for her 1998 novel Baby No-Eyes, and was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit during the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to literature. Photo of the author from the GuardianPhoto of book from our collection–Diane R., Special Collections Graduate Student -- source link

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