Takitimu
A History of Ngati Kahungunu
Author: J.H. Mitchell
ISBN: 978-0-947506-21-6
RRP: $85.00
Specs: 240 x 150 mm portrait, HB,
312 pp, b&w with photo and whakapapa sections
Published: October 2014

The Book:
Takitimu is one of the great tribal histories in the New Zealand literary canon. It tells of the Ngati Kahungunu people – tangata whenua of Hawke’s Bay and parts of East Coast and Wairarapa – from their origins in the Pacific Islands to their lineage in Aotearoa up to the twentieth century. It is divided into four main sections: the history up to the departure of Takitimu and other canoes of migration; the history of Ngati Kahungunu; short biographies of Sir James Carroll, Sir Maui Pomare and the Rev. Tamihana Huata; and appendices describing charms, proverbs, the interpretation of dreams and signs, and the Maori almanac.

Complete with genealogical tables, this is a book of great value for history enthusiasts and especially the people of Ngati Kahungunu – the third largest Maori tribe, with descendants throughout New Zealand and Australia.