Navigating the Stars: Maori Creation Myths

by Witi Ihimaera

From master storyteller Witi Ihimaera, a spellbinding and provocative retelling of traditional Maori myths for the twenty-first century. In this milestone volume, Ihimaera traces the history of the Maori people through their creation myths. He follows Tawhaki up the vines into the firmament, Hine-titama down into the land of the dead, Maui to the ends of the earth, and the giants and turehu who sailed across the ocean to our shores . . . From Hawaiki to Aotearoa, the ancient navigators brought their myths, while looking to the stars — bright with gods, ancestors and stories — to guide the way. ‘Step through the gateway now to stories that are as relevant today as they ever were.’

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Mythology

500 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 20, 2020

About the author

Witi Ihimaera is a novelist and short story writer from New Zealand, perhaps the best-known Māori writer today. He is internationally famous for The Whale Rider.

Ihimaera lives in New Zealand and is of Māori descent and Anglo-Saxon descent through his father, Tom. He attended Church College of New Zealand in Temple View, Hamilton, New Zealand. He was the first Māori writer to publish both a novel and a book of short stories. He began to work as a diplomat at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973, and served at various diplomatic posts in Canberra, New York, and Washington, D.C. Ihimaera remained at the Ministry until 1989, although his time there was broken by several fellowships at the University of Otago in 1975 and Victoria University of Wellington in 1982 (where he graduated with a BA).[1] In 1990, he took up a position at the University of Auckland, where he became Professor, and Distinguished Creative Fellow in Māori Literature. He retired from this position in 2010.

In 2004, his nephew Gary Christie Lewis married Lady Davina Windsor, becoming the first Māori to marry into the British Royal Family.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful, including the art, and even the quality of the book and thickness of the pages. A dream!!! It is so well researched, painstakingly put together, and draws upon the author's own experience of growing up Māori and hearing versions of these stories from his parents and grandparents. What an honour to be able to read these pūrākau, toanga of Māori people. And to have variations of the stories compiled into one book. This book contains humour. It also honours the creation myths as philosophical and deep and even scientific, in a way that I've not heard these myths talked about. I was blown away by this book!!

[Neil Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting & enjoyable book. One you cannot and shouldn’t read quickly. Witi Ihimaera is a master story teller - I’ve read ‘Tangi’ and ‘Whale Rider’ both of which are intertwined with Maori traditions & legends. I grew up reading some of the more simplistic, early 20th century versions of the Maori Myths by European writers such as Edith Howe’s ‘Maoriland Fairytales’, which complied with conventions of the day. In this book Witi gives a modern, unadulterated version of the stories of creation, the development of the people of the Pacific and, most interesting for me, the traditions around the navigators. Sometimes the names, especially their similarities, can get a little confusing, but this is not the authors fault as he is, as he says, hopefully covering traditions of all iwi. As someone who has both Maori/Polynesian and European heritage and can trace the whakapapa back on the Maori side, many of the names mentioned crop up on my family tree - even Maui! One of my nieces had a DNA test done & she mentioned it must be wrong as there appeared to be a South American connection. I thought this strange also until I read a passage in Witi’s book which mentioned that there was DNA evidence that Polynesian navigators who brought the kumara from South America, may have also brought back local women. Certainly food for thought.
This is an excellent, easy to read reference book by a master storyteller & as an earlier reviewer wrote, a must for all discerning kiwis.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend! A very easy to understand explanation of Māori creation myths from Te Kore through to the migrations. A must own for every Kiwi.

[Lily Yochay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it hot sexy slay and written in a nice simple way that doesn’t confuse my lil brain. What a legend 🥹🤩✨

[Chloe Searle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Mikaera Topia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible re-telling of common and much less common Māori "myths and legends".

[Ciahnan Darrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a worthwhile but challenging read probably better suited to a reader with knowledge of Te Reo, tikanga Maori, Maori mythology and storytelling practices, and Rangatiratanga.

[Jonathon Hagger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb comprehensive collection of purakau told on in a contemporary style of language while maintaining the ethos of the original story. A brilliant collection.

[Zimena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one will take me a while to get through because I'll be reflecting on it a lot. Witi Ihimaera writes as if he's sitting on the marae with you telling the pakiwaitara (stories) . It makes them easy to absorb, and then you can reflect on the wisdom they contain.

[Tama Bw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book for all the wisdom and knowledge captured and the integration of different iwi (tribal) myth and scholarly insight. For those looking to read in depth about Māori (and polynesian) myth and legend in an engaging way, this is a beautiful book enhanced through the imagery included of sacred artefacts, sites and the regular weaving of whakaaro Māori (Māori thought) through the metaphor and experience of literally navigating by the stars.

I do have one critique which is the author's voice is used a little too liberally, and felt as an incursion within the stories. I prefer this to be kept as a framing device to allow the stories to speak for themselves, and reflections to be added following the reading. Witi Ihimaera sought to capture a true story-telling experience that would take place on a marae (tribal village) with the whānau (family) gathered, and in particular where more than one story-teller would 'tell' the story. With respect to this intention, I didn't enjoy this as much in book format and prefer such experience to be kept to live-retellings.

However, this did not take away from the rich and spiritual experience i felt from interacting with these stories. I particularly love the metaphor of the fishing up islands (aka Māui) and pulling an island closer to oneself (rather than going to it). Further, the rebuilding of waka for new journeys to make between Hawaiki-runga and Aotearoa is potent, and has inspired me to continue delving deeper into the lore of the Pacific.