Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapōkai: A boy learning about the world

Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapōkai

Nā Michaela Keeble i tuhi, nā Tokerau Brown i hanga ngā whakaahua

Tēnei pukapuka kia whakahōnore ki ngā atua kua horahia ngā mea puta noa ki te ao.

Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapōkai follows a young tama (boy) who you can refer to as Paku Manu Ariki Whakatapōkai, aged 7. There is value and power in our names and it is clear for our young tama that he exerts his inner mana by exclaiming right from the start what his name is. Rather than giving himself a nickname he stands staunch and proud with who he is.

Paku Manu Ariki is a young person who is beginning to unravel the inner workings of things in today’s society using what our atua (gods and deities) have provided for us with their stories of the world and how it came to be.

We also dive into understanding how he perceives and understands the roles and make up of his whānau, friends and the undertones of what it is like living with a biracial whānau specifically here in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We learn his likes and dislikes within the family dynamics, and friend dynamics as well as his place in his own world. He has three mōkai (pets) as well as a kurī (dog) named Fred (Fred reminds us to consider the use of screen time and the spaces we use).

Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapōkai considers both the physical living world, as well as theories and ideas of what the spiritual world above us could look like.

Throughout the world different places have their own unique stories of how the world came to be which are retold through songs, books, stories (or in scientific theories like The Big Bang). Paku Manu Ariki considers Ranginui and Papatūānuku, and the separation of the two by Tāne Mahuta, as a way for him to understand how the world came to be.

This pukapuka (book) also touches on Paku Manu Ariki's emotional reactions to things in the physical and spiritual realms, as well as experiences that we, as a people, might have in different situations.

It is safe to say that through this pukapuka new conversations may be sparked in your household or your own whānau and friend group. This pukapuka reinforces the power that knowledge has - the value in learning names as well as the stories behind them. If you’re looking for an easy light read, but also want to challenge yourself to understand more of the stories hidden behind our atua or are just looking for something new and exciting to read then this is the pukapuka for you. This pukapuka definitely allows the reader to laugh, smile and reminisce on life via light leisurely reading.

Whaea Justice
Multicultural & Māori Services

More

• Ngā Pakiwaitara - Bilingual Storytimes with Whaea Justice at Tūranga
• Posts about picture books
• Te Ao Māori