Bilingual book takes top honors at New Zealand Children's Book Awards
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"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 presents the Māori creation pūrākau in a bold design using universal elements recognised across iwi. The bilingual text is poetic, and integrated into the artwork on each page in a way that draws readers into an interactive experience, inviting them to turn the book as they become immersed …"
Wikip telling the myth, including comparisons to other creation myths.
Mai i te kore … ko te Pō.
He pō nui. He pō roa.
He pō mutunga kore.
He pō mārama kore.
He pō marana kore.
"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." — seems to cover it.
Selected readings
- "Local language" (11/24/15) — in the comments
- "Whaumau" (3/13/19)
- "Realitätsflucht" (7/30/23)
- "Bilingual road signs" (6/5/23)
- "Barfing in tongues" (6/6/14)
- "It's in the was" (9/13/17)
- "Indigenous languages of Taiwan" (6/14/23) — in the comments
[Thanks to AntC]
AntC said,
August 27, 2023 @ 9:01 pm
Thank you Victor,
I've now obtained a copy: the artwork is rich and stunning.
But I should warn also the plot is quite gruesome in places. (The publisher hasn't included those images in their thumbnails.) This isn't a 'fairy story' but more like the internecine rivalries in Greek ancient mythology; or the Norse legends/Nibelungenlied; the grimmer of Grimms' tales.
The explanations are right there for why the earth mother is so angry and restless; the sky father is continually weeping and lamenting; their second-born, the god of storms and winds is furious.
Michael Carasik said,
August 29, 2023 @ 4:31 pm
Not quite as mellifluous as the King James, but here is my translation of Genesis 1:2 – "at the time the world was a tohu-bohu, with darkness over Deep and a God-wind hovering over the water — "
Discussed in these posts:
https://michaelcarasik.substack.com/p/genesis-12-part-1
https://michaelcarasik.substack.com/p/genesis-12-part-2
https://michaelcarasik.substack.com/p/genesis-12-part-3
https://michaelcarasik.substack.com/p/genesis-12-part-4
FG said,
September 1, 2023 @ 6:32 am
Of course it won. It had to win. It's Maori and that's politics in NZ.
Carol Lisker Kennedy said,
September 7, 2023 @ 3:58 pm
Thanks, Victor. I will look for the book!
AntC said,
September 8, 2023 @ 12:15 am
Thanks @FG, since you're keen to brush up your reo, try 'Teach your dog Māori' — fun language games with your best friend. (The same author — I think that might be a nom-de-plume — offers 'Teach Your Cat Guernesiais'; and more topically 'Llyfr Lliwio Rygbi Cymru | Welsh Rugby Colouring Book'.)