Under The Microscope

HE KORERO PURAKAU MO NGA TAUNAHANATANAGA A NGA TUPUNA, PLACE NAMES OF THE ANCESTORS, compiled by Te Aue Davis; NZ Geographic Board 1990; 98 pages; $39.95 (softcover)

NGA TOHU PUMAHARA, THE SURVEY PEGS OF THE PAST, compiled by Te Aue Davis; NZ Geographic Board 1990; 48 pages; $11.50

These books have been produced as part of the 1990 celebrations, a blend of oral history, social anthropology and the Geographic Board's desire for a better appreciation of the Maori names that dot our landscape.

The Oral History Atlas and its smaller companion volume on understanding Maori place names provide an interesting glimpse into the whys and wherefores of the names many of us mangle. The Atlas leaves you wanting to know more, the companion volume gives you a chance to find out on your own.

The atlas is beautifully presented, with rich illustrations by Cliff Whiting and a fully bilingual text. I'm pleased to see the Maori versions lead the English, though I could have wished for more lyrical treatment of the latter. The text reads unevenly at times, but this may well be a product of the different speaking styles of the various kaumatua involved. Nga Tohu Pumahara is more fluid and more personal, calling on the reader to make an effort to understand those "survey pegs of memory" which call up times and people long gone.

Vicki Hyde