When the Red Man Came
by Ben Brown (Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Koroki); illustrations by Joseph Qiu
This fictional story is told from the perspective of a kuia as she waits for “The Red Man” to arrive at her kainga. She hopes to seek lasting peace with him through the gift of a precious pounamu. The piece explores the significance of pounamu from a te ao Māori perspective, and includes an explanation of the true events surrounding the story, which is set after the battle of Hīngakākā.
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