Te Pipiwharauroa 141
No. 141
1909/12
[1] Te Pipiwharauroa, He Kupu Whakamarama, Number 141, Gisborne, December 1909
‘As clouds deck the heavens, so feathers enable the bird to fly.’ [cf. Nga Pepeha 352 but also He Konae Aronui p.13]
‘KUI! KUI! WHITIWHITIORA.’ [The cry of the shining cuckoo.]
We are drawing near to Christmas Day, to the day of happiness and pleasure and joy, to the day on which we say, ‘Merry Christmas’. This is a great day for the Pakeha, a day on which people try to eat all the varieties of good food that the heart can conceive of. This attitude of the Pakeha towards Christmas is from the olden days and this day has become a day on which a person overwhelms his stomach with food. Maori have also adopted this attitude. The real significance of this day has been lost.
