The origins and development of Māori and Moriori musical instruments
by Jennifer Cattermole
Echoes from Hawaiki is a comprehensive account of taonga pūoro ancestral musical traditions and instrument-playing techniques.
In this thoroughly researched and beautifully illustrated book, Jennifer Cattermole traces the origins and development of taonga pūoro, the stories they carry and how they connect present-day iwi with ancestral knowledge and traditions. She shows how traditional Māori and Moriori musical instruments have developed in response to available materials and evolving cultural needs, from their ancestral origins through the suppression of their use in nineteenth and early twentieth-century Aotearoa New Zealand, to their revival in the present day.
An essential resource for all who are interested in taonga pūoro as treasured objects and as voices through time and place.
‘How did our forebears succeed in creating a bountiful array of musical instruments using stone tools and natural materials? This book answers that question in fine detail and also reveals how our present generation is reviving indigenous culture and language, thereby sustaining our brightly burning fires.’ — Huata Holmes (Kāitahu, Kāti Mamoe, Waitaha, Hāwea a Rapuwai ano)
Author
Jennifer Cattermole is an Associate Professor at the University of Otago. She is one of Aotearoa’s leading ethnomusicologists with a particular interest in Māori, Moriori and Pacific Island music. She is passionate about taonga pūoro and is an experienced player, maker and educator.
Audio
Audio recordings for some of the instruments included in Echoes from Hawaiki can be found on our YouTube channel.
Kōauau pongā ihu and kōauau waha
Kōauau pongā ihu (left) and kōauau waha (right). Descendants of Hinepūtehue; wind instruments. Measuring 9.5 and 12 centimetres tall. Made by Brian Flintoff, and Jen and David Cattermole, respectively. Photograph by Mel Stevens.
Nguru
Nguru made from sperm whale tooth. Descendant of Hine Raukatauri; wind instrument. Measures 8.5 centimetres long. Made by David Cattermole. Photo by Mel Stevens.
Publication details
Paperback with flaps
Photographs by Mel Stevens
240 x 170mm, 236pp approx
Colour photographs
ISBN 9781990048593
RRP $50
Release date: 20 June 2024
Reviews and Interviews
Interview: Jennifer Cattermole speaks to Kathryn Ryan on Nine to Noon RNZ Listen
Interview: Jennifer Cattermole speaks to Jeff Harford on Write Spot OAR FM Listen
Interview: Jennifer Cattermole speaks to Laura Hewson for the University of Otago Read
Interview: Jennifer Cattermole discusses what she learned through writing Echoes from Hawaiki with the NZ Listener Read