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Xlibris NZ - Marge Wong

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58 pages

English

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Many people regret not seeking and preserving information about their family history. This book is a collection of stories about the author's Maori Chinese whanau (family) and their extended Maori relatives. It was written for the mokopuna (grandchildren) and those yet to be born. The stories open a window to the past in ways that will help the mokopuna to know who they are and where they come from. The author describes the people, places, experiences, and events that have shaped her life and that of her siblings. The notion that "it takes a village to raise a child" is highlighted within the narratives. The stories emphasise the importance of resilience and determination when faced with adversity such as the effects of poverty and racism. The author describes the relationships, emotional and cultural experiences, and whanau aroha (love) that impacts positively or negatively on a child's sense of belonging.

Sujets

Personal Memoirs

Biography

Autobiography

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Publié par	Xlibris NZ
Date de parution	31 mars 2023
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781669880400
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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WHERE WE COME FROM
Stories for the Mokopuna
MARGE WONG

Copyright © 2023 by Marge Wong.
Library of Congress Control Number:
2023903528
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-6698-8042-4

Softcover
978-1-6698-8041-7

eBook
978-1-6698-8040-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 03/24/2023

Xlibris
NZ TFN: 0800 008 756 (Toll Free inside the NZ)
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www.Xlibris.co.nz
849902
CONTENTS
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction

Our Pineaha Whānau
Nanny Kui’s Whānau
Our Wong Whānau
My Story

Glossary
FOREWORD
‘H e iti noa, nā te aroha’ (unconditional love).
Knowing who we are and where we come from is a very important part of being Māori. From our earliest days, even before birth, we are exposed to stories and songs about our ancestors. Learning through the oral tradition so highly valued by Māori is integral to the educative process in schools where tamariki learn about and are immersed in te ao Māori.
One of the first people to nurture my inquisitive mind was my aunty. During my lifetime, she has shared many stories and experiences of my grandparents, our whānau, and her upbringing, which, in comparison to my own upbringing and that of my children and mokopuna, was vastly different. Even as I outgrew childhood, I continued to maintain a close relationship with her right through adulthood. I realised early on that Aunty Marge had been subtly nurturing my thinking, encouraging and guiding me from the very beginning, and following my own public service career with interest. My close bond with her enabled me to learn a great deal about her memories and experiences of her family, her upbringing, and the amazing life that she has had.
As a mother and now a grandmother, it became important to me to ensure that my aunty’s stories, memories, and musings of our whānau and her life experiences were captured in print and made available to all our whānau. This is the result. This book opens the door to a past full of stories about the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual experiences of those who lived and died during my aunty’s lifetime. The stories capture her memories and musings and provide a clear picture of life for our extended whānau and of times vastly different from that of my generation.
Through these stories, we learn how aroha, encouragement, and attributes such as resilience and determination are important in helping an individual to negotiate the times when challenges are at their most difficult and painful. This first-hand account of poverty and racism and the influences of Māori life and cultural values can be handed down to our future generations. The stories ensure that an important part of our whānau history will not be lost. The sacrifices my grandparents made—and, in particular, our nanny—to encourage my aunty to pursue her teaching career is not lost on me. She was the first of our family to achieve an academic qualification and the one role model we all had who encouraged all of us to pursue higher education for ourselves. Her acute understanding and awareness of the effects that social and cultural deprivation has on tamariki Māori have been a constant motivation for her in her professional life.
A very special part of this book illustrates the way my sisters and I were raised by a village. All my mother’s siblings had a big hand in our upbringing. It was entirely normal for us to spend lots of time with one of the aunties or uncles. It was this section of the book that illustrates the impact of family love. It evokes tears of joy and sadness as my personal childhood memories and reflections of my aunties and uncles come to the surface. This book is a taonga aroha for our whānau.
PREFACE
T his book was written for my family, in particular, our mokopuna. It is made up of a collection of stories about members of our whānau and a way of life that will help our mokopuna to know who they are and where they come from. Knowing about oneself and recognizing oneself through the life, personality, and attributes of others in the family builds self-esteem and confidence. Knowledge of people, places, and times deeply connects us to our true identity. Whānau relationships and aroha can encourage and inspire an individual. Stories of resilience and determination shown by whānau members who achieved success because of these attributes can lift an individual beyond what he/she may aspire to be. By reading these stories, our mokopuna will note the skills, strengths, and interests they share with those of my generation. They will marvel at the way these gifts are handed from one generation to another when they are valued and form an important part of our life. The greatest gift one generation can give to the next is knowledge.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
T his book is based on my memories of people who were a huge part of my life as a child and those who influenced me during my teaching and sporting careers. The events and experiences that I recount were the stepping stones that helped in preparing me for what has been a rich and enormously satisfying life. This book touches on some of the stories of earlier times and some world and local events that I lived through to the present day.
In writing the stories, I have tried to honour and respect the memories of those who have passed. I have not included any personal information about each of our whānau because those stories are not mine to tell.
I want to acknowledge my aunties and uncles and the time they took to share whānau stories with me when I was a child. I appreciate the time my sisters gave to reading different parts of the stories from time to time, and the helpful comments they made that jogged my memory and encouraged me to write more widely.
I thank my niece Julie Tangaere for encouraging me to write this book in the first place. Initially, she thought I should write about my teaching and sporting career as a means of motivating our mokopuna in their pursuit of learning. Instead, I chose to write more widely about those who made up our extended whānau and the significant impact they had on me and my older siblings as we were growing up.
The stories are about individuals and their personalities, the different places that were significant in our lives and the cultural aspects that formed a special part of our learning. The stories include the negative factors that caused us emotional harm and the coping behaviours that helped us to minimise the impact of these.
I thank my friends in Christchurch, who, through their interest and encouragement, prompted me to keep writing and helped me to clarify my thoughts as I described to them some of the different scenarios that I planned to write about. These shared times, strengthened my resolve to tell stories that would enable our mokopuna to gain a deeper understanding of who we were, where we came from, and how they fit in.
INTRODUCTION
F rom the time of our birth, we crave attachment, belonging, and connection with our whānau. The relationships we form can be brief or lifelong and are linked to those who are living and those who have died. The shared experiences create stories and memories and leave a footprint for the people in our future. As we live our lives, we create our own history to leave for the next generation long after we are gone.
Researchers of family history find that children who are in touch with their roots generally enjoy greater emotional health. Those who know their whakapapa have a stronger sense of who they are and where they come from. They often have higher self-esteem because of this knowledge. The recounting of events and experiences strengthens family connections. These stories also open a window to the things that helped to build character and resilience.
Through family stories, we find out what our grandparents were like, the challenges they faced, the skills and talents they had, and how they used these to help them live their lives. The greatest benefit of family-history stories is that we can learn from them. Sometimes the stories tell us how to pick ourselves up if we lose everything. Other stories tell us how to make something of ourselves even though we might lack financial wealth or life-enriching experiences.
All families, at one time or other, experience ups and downs. Real-life stories present messages that are either good or bad, happy or sad. These stories relate to lived experiences—how people overcame all the challenges that life threw at them. Most importantly, when the stories are about tīpuna or whānau, then making meaningful connections is more likely to occur.
Through whakapapa, we learn the stories of our tīpuna, iwi, hapū, whenua, and marae. We become familiar with how we are connected not just to our tīpuna but also to the whenua. The creation stories about Ranginui and Papatūānuku begin our learning of mātauranga Māori and the people whose stories helped to form the foundation of t