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Polynesian Mythology

by George Grey

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First published: 1855
Pages: 243

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About this book

Gathered by a colonial governor who took the trouble to learn the Maori language, this collection preserves the myths, legends, and traditional history that the New Zealand people had carried by word of mouth for generations. Here are the great tales of Maui, the trickster demigod who fished up the North Island, snared the sun, and dared to seek immortality, set beside the story of Rangi and Papa, the sky father and earth mother whose children forced them apart to let in the light. Grey recorded the accounts as chiefs and elders told them to him, giving later readers one of the earliest written windows onto a living oral culture.

About the author

George Grey

George Grey (1812-1898) was a British soldier, explorer, and colonial governor who served in South Australia, New Zealand, and Cape Colony. A keen linguist, he learned Maori and other languages and spent years collecting the oral traditions of the peoples he administered.

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