I bought the journal from a woman at the Denmark Markets. She'd made the paper herself and bound it with kangaroo hide.
I punched a hole in the hide, wrapped twine around the book, locked it with the tooth of a seal that washed up at Cosy Corner, and took it to Dunedin.
Woah, that is as they say round here, a taonga.
ReplyDeleteA work of art ST, even your writing. Gorgeous. Does that mean it is full now?
ReplyDeleteAren't they pretty? Yes MF these are old, way back.
ReplyDeleteWhat is a taonga Merc?
Taonga http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taonga the interesting thing about Maori precepts is that they were firmly entrenched and widely disseminated pre European contact, and they carry great meaning for us today, ref Treaty Of Waitangi Article 2.
ReplyDeleteSuffice it to say your personal taonga bears great significance individually and as part of our greater community. I saw a little note in your journal regarding fisheries too.
I keep journals, am currently on Book 17, I commenced in earnest after a trip to the South Island, (Māori: Te Wai Pounamu), a known place for mana restoration.
I looked it up. It is a lovely word. Cultural capital and the making of us, all in one. Nice. Thanks for that.
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