Ngaa Mahi Whakaari a Titokowaru—Ruka Alan Broughton (1993)
This work by Ruka Broughton, written entirely in te reo Māori, extensively utilises a wide range of Māori oral literature and is complemented by commentary and oral testimony provided to Broughton in his youth by contemporaries of Titokowaru.
Publication details
Broughton, R. Ngaa Mahi Whakaari a Titokowaru Wellington, Victoria University Press, 1993.
About the book
In Ngaa Mahi Whakaari a Titokowaru, Ruka Broughton (Ngā Rauru Tohunga; 1940-1986), explores the deeds of Titokowaru against a Māori contextual background. The foundation of the work is built with three broad themes: mana tangata Titokowaru’s personal influence and prestige, mana atua supernatural power and forces, and mana whenua control and authority over the land. The framework developed from these themes cover Titokowaru’s life and deeds, his prominence amongst the iwi, his brilliance in strategic warfare, his belief and adherence to Māori supernatural order and his work as a prophet of peace and passive resistance.
Broughton’s preparation for this book came from a lifetime immersion in the study and acquisition of the oral traditions of his Taranaki people. He originally embarked upon this work as a doctoral thesis and passed away in 1986 without submitting it for final examination. Professor Hirini Moko Mead who had supervised the thesis, undertook with the agreement of the Broughton whanau to publish the study and the book was completed under Mead’s editorial guidance.
Ruka Broughton’s experience and depth of knowledge was highly respected by the iwi of Taranaki, to the extent that he was acknowledged by them as a tohunga, an expert in customs, concepts and traditions of his people.
Further information
- Out of print.
This publication is part of the series Te Takarangi: Celebrating Māori publications - a sample list of 150 non-fiction books produced by a partnership between Royal Society Te Apārangi and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga.