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Sleeps standing Moetū : a story of the Battle of Orākau / Witi Ihimaera ; with Hēmi Kelly.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: ArticleArticleLanguage: English, Maori Publisher: Auckland, New Zealand : RHNZ Vintage, 2017Description: 221 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 21 cmContent type:
  • text
  • still image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780143771111
  • 0143771116
Other title:
  • Moetū
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Summary: "During three days in 1864, 300 Māori men, women and children fought an imperial army. This books offers varied Māori perspectives, centering on Witi Ihimaera's novella Sleeps Standing."-- Back cover.
Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Fiction Davis (Central) Library Fiction Collection Fiction Collection IHIM Checked out 16/04/2024 T00819153
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Both fiction and fact, this fascinating book is a kaleidoscopic exploration of the Battle of Orakau.

During three days in 1864, 300 Maori men, women and children fought an Imperial army and captured the imagination of the world. The battle marked the end of the Land Wars in the Waikato and resulted in vast tracts of land being confiscated for European settlement. Instead of following the usual standpoint of the victors, this book takes a Maori perspective. It is centred around Witi Ihimaera's moving novella, Sleeps Standing , which views the battle through the eyes of a 16-year-old boy named Moetu.

Alongside the novella are non-fiction narratives from Maori eyewitnesses, together with images and a Maori translation by Hemi Kelly, further giving voice to and illuminating the people who tried to protect their culture and land.

It is estimated that, at the height of the battle, 1700 immensely superior troops, well-armed and amply resourced, laid siege to the hastily constructed pa at Orakau. The defenders were heavily outnumbered with few supplies or weapons but, when told to submit, they replied-

'E hoa, ka whawhai tonu matou, ake, ake, ake!'
'Friend, I shall fight against you for ever, for ever!'

In Te Reo and English.

New Zealand author.

"During three days in 1864, 300 Māori men, women and children fought an imperial army. This books offers varied Māori perspectives, centering on Witi Ihimaera's novella Sleeps Standing."-- Back cover.

Text in Maori and English.

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