Robyn Kahukiwa's Ngā Atua – Māori Gods returns in bilingual paperback

Ngā Atua – Māori Gods

Written and illustrated by Robyn Kahukiwa

Translated by Kiwa Hammond

Bilingual paperback relaunches Robyn Kahukiwa's classic introduction to Māori gods

A new paperback edition brings Robyn Kahukiwa’s beloved Ngā Atua – Māori Gods into te reo Māori thanks to a fine translation by Kiwa Hammond. 

 

Robyn dedicates her book to her mokopuna so they can learn  of  ‘the supernatural beings who are important to the Māori people of Aotearoa New Zealand’. 

 

In the hands of an internationally renowned artist, Robyn Kahukiwa brings to brilliant life the pantheon of Māori deities. 

 

Simple text, in te reo Māori and English, explains the arena of life for which each god is responsible: 

 

Hine Moana is a powerful being, She looks after the sea with Tangaroa.

He mana hoki tō Hine Moana e tiaki ana i te moana i te taha o Tangaroa. 

 

Then there is Mahuika, who has the power of fire; Tāwhiri-mātea who controls the weather, wise Muri-ranga-whenua, warrior god Tūmatauenga and many others.

 

This new paperback version (ISBN 978-1-99-004242-3) replaces the popular hardback edition in English (published by Oratia Books in 2017). 

The author

Robyn Kahukiwa (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti) is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most important artists. Her paintings have been exhibited worldwide and are held in galleries, museums and private collections. Robyn has written and illustrated numerous children’s picture books, garnered awards and herself been the subject of books including The Art of Robyn Kahukiwa (Reed, 2005). 

The translator 

Kiwa Hammond (Ngāti Kahungunu o Te Wairoa, Ngāti Ruapani, Rongowhakaata, Moriori, English, Irish, Scottish) is a noted writer, educationalist and registered translator of te reo Māori who lives in Wairoa. He is co-director of AATEA Solutions and a passionate advocate for language regeneration. 

Publication: 17 May 2023  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004242-3 | RRP $22.99

Paperback, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour

 

New picture book vividly celebrates Māori gods

Publishing today, Ngā Atua: Māori Gods is a gorgeous hardback edition of artwork and simple explanations of the major Māori gods.

Author Robyn Kahukiwa is widely recognised as one of the leading artists of her generation, and a pioneer among Māori women in her multiple activities in painting, writing and publishing.

In Ngā Atua, Robyn introduces the pantheon of Māori gods, and explains the arena of life for which each deity is responsible.

“I created for this work for my mokopuna, Kahu, to encourage him and others to relate to their whakapapa and know that we of Maori descent have a genealogy that comes from ngā atua,” Robyn comments.

Tāne, Hine-te-iwaiwa, Tangaroa, Mahuika and Māui are some of the spiritual beings who leap off the pages of this four-colour book.

Publication Date: 22 June 2017  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-26-1 |  RRP $24.99

Hardback, 270 x 210 mm, 32 pages colour