Nga Pepeha a nga Tipuna: The Sayings of the Ancestors

This unique collection of more than 2,500 pepeha, sayings of the ancestors,
were gathered and compiled from all over New Zealand over a 20-year period. More than just proverbs, pepeha include charms, witticisms, figures of speech, and boasts, and they are featured in the formal speeches heard every day on the marae and in the oral literature handed down from past generations. The pepeha also provide a rich source of language, using metaphor and an economy of words to show language that enriches the textbook Maori of today.