Te Mahi Māra: Hua Parakore

Description

Title: Te Mahi Māra: Hua Parakore 

Author: Jessica Hutchings

Iwi: Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Huirapa, Gujarati

Description: A Māori Food Sovereignty Handbook, first published in 2015 by Te Tākupu, Te Wānanga o Raukawa

This book makes explicit the connections between the global and the local, between the political and the personal. Jessoca Hutchings explains the political implications of the decisions that we make about growing and eating kai. She encourages us to take control over the food security of our whānau, providing practical advice on how to grow kai in accordance with the kaupapa of hua parakore, and reassuring us that becoming a hua parakore gardener is a journey that anyone can embark on.

A te wā ka marewa a Matariki ki te rangi, koia rā te ahunga mai a Matariki me kī. When Matariki rises again it is the time of Matariki, and for Ngāti Raukawa this is the time of year to take a reading for the year ahead. If Matariki appeared bright and clear, it would mean there would be lots of kaimoana and horticultural crops would flourish. A good growing season where birds and berries would be plentiful. If it appeared hazy or seemed to be moving about, it indicated a lean year ahead.

This book helps us to collaborate with the work of Tupuānuku, the eldest daughter of Matariki, who is connected to food grown in the ground. She spends her time with Papatūānuku tending to plants during the end of May and the beginning of June, preparing her tupuna kuia for the new year.

Materials: Softcover