Uniquely, New Zealand has a treaty with its indigenous peoples, the Treaty of Waitangi.  The book under review presents the story of a Maori girl, Atapo, with the signing of the treaty as a backdrop.  I chose this book specifically to learn more about our close neighbours and their history.  However, the story is most disappointing, from a post-colonial perspective.

When her tribe is defeated in battle, Atapo becomes the slave of her enemies (another tribe).  She escapes and finds refuge in a Christian mission run by Europeans (Pakeha).  Atapo is a descendent of chiefs and, although she believes her destiny is to save her tribe, she is unable to achieve this while her people still consider her a slave.  At the mission Atapo learns to read and write and she adopts a European way of life.  Ultimately her education enables her to stop devious land-grabbers from taking her tribal lands and, consequently, she regains her noble status.  Only then can Atapo fulfil her destiny as a free woman and marry the man to whom she was betrothed as a child.

Despite the provision of historical notes and photos of the real characters on whom the story is based, the book, a diary supposedly written by an indigenous person, only represents a tiresome colonial perspective.  There are so many elements in the text that portray colonial stereotypes, expose a colonial ethos, or are noteworthy from a post-colonial perspective.

The first obvious element is that the author, Fleur Beale, is not Maori.  The foreword recognizes this fact and recommends her as 'brave' to write the story; the story itself is thought to 'ring true' (Mikaere cited in Beale, 2004).  I beg to disagree!  In the first place, an undeclared advocate writes the forward.  Then, secondly, missing is any recognition of consultation with, or approval by, the indigenous community.  Clearly this is a story told by an non-indigenous author trying to tell it from an indigenous perspective.

The next outstanding element is the token and indiscriminate use of language.  A New Song in the Land is unlike exemplary texts such as  My Girragundji  (McDonald & Pryor, 1998) that use language and dialect in a naturalistic and value-added way.  Terms are inserted as direct replacements for European idiom.  For example, Atapo says "When I awoke, I was hungry and was bursting to mimi'; in the glossary provided, mimi means 'urine/urinate' (Beale 2004:48).  Generally, the Maori language is not used with deference or in an appropriate context.

Thirdly, the missionaries and settlers, who are European, are portrayed as benevolent protectors of Atapo and her people.  'The great Queen Wikitoria promised to protect all of us' (Beale 2004:157).  There is an 'illusion of white dominance and superiority, which in turn helps ... (to) justify their role as conquerors.' (Thompson 2001:355).  The book also infers that Christianity is superior to the Maori gods.  For example, A Maori chief declares, 'The power of our gods has waned before the power of the Pakeha god' (Beale 2004:34).  Furthermore, Atapo's European education is shown as the sole factor that saves her people from being swindled and also allows her to regain her chiefly status.  "You learn from the Pakeha and suddenly you're important again. You're somebody.' (Beale 2004: 68).  The implication is that Atapo has no intrinsic value as a person and she cannot save her people without this European knowledge.  This is so condescending!

The fourth element to note is the personal representation of Atapo.  She has a fascination with dresses and hats when she escapes to the mission.  "My thoughts were of blue hats and pink dresses with lace collars' (Beale 2004:90).  Following this line, Europeans are often are noted as wearing red, the colour reserved for Maori chiefs (Beale 2004:51), the implication being that every European is equal to a Maori chief.  The Maori people are pointedly defined by European standards as dirty and reluctant to bathe.  When Atapo talks about being homesick for Maori life she adds 'I wasn't homesick at all for lice and fleas' (Beale 2004:72). 'Everything in the Pakeha world was soft or smooth' (Beale 2004:48).  Atapo is represented as someone who has the potential to be worthy, like 'us', if she lives like 'us', thinks like 'us' and acts like 'us'; then she will not be one of 'them'.

Finally, other tribes are portrayed as Atapo's enemies, not the white invaders/settlers.  In this book, ironically, it is the Maoris who consider each other slaves, not the Europeans.  Yet Atapo is a servant for the missionary and his family.  In fact, invasion is never openly referred to in this book; Thompson (2001:361) highlights this point concerning books written about the indigenous people of North America.  Indeed, it is implied that it is wise for the Maoris to sell their land, just not to rude people with blue hats!  The loss of land and freedom by the Maori is taken lightly, even frivolously, demonstrated by Atapo, 'I will give her all my land - from the mountains to the sea - in exchange for her blue hat' (Beale 2004:126).

This book is patronising and maddening!  It perpetuates colonial views of the indigenous people of New Zealand.  In the scene at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, a European guest comments 'This could be an English garden party' to which the reply comes 'That's an insult to a civilized nation.  One would never see a half-naked savage in an English garden!' (Beale 2004:153).  In the story Atapo and her Maori friends hear this and simply laugh.  The author of A New Song in the Land has reinforced the legacy of the invaders (Thompson 2001:353) through her depiction of the thoughts, behaviour and experiences of Atapo.

Review by Anita Zubulis

This piece was originally submitted as part of the course work in Post-colonial Literature for Children. It listed as references:

Beale, Fleur (2004) A New Song in the Land: the writings of Atapo, Paihia, c. 1840. My Story series. Auckland: Scholastic

McDonald, Meme & Pryor, Boori (1998) My Girragundji. NSW: Allen & Unwin

Thompson, Melissa Kay (2001) A Sea of Good Intentions: Native Americans in books for children. The Lion and the Unicorn [online] 25(3): 353-374. Available: Project Muse.

© 2005 Anita Zubulis