TY  - GEN
AU  - Ihimaera,Witi Tame
AU  - Kelly,Hēmi
TI  - Sleeps standing Moetū
SN  - 9780143771111
KW  - Ōrākau, Battle of, N.Z., 1864
KW  - Fiction
KW  - Māori
KW  - New Zealand
KW  - Waikato
KW  - History
KW  - 19th century
KW  - Ngāti Maniapoto (Maori people)
KW  - Ngā Pakanga Whenua o Mua
KW  - reo
KW  - Reorua
KW  - Pakiwaitara
KW  - Kōrero nehe
KW  - New Zealand fiction
KW  - 21st century
KW  - Historical fiction
N2  - Both fiction and fact, this fascinating book is a kaleidoscopic exploration of the Battle of Orākau. During three days in 1864, 300 Maori men, women and children fought an Imperial army and captured the imagination of the world. The battle marked the end of the Land Wars in the Waikato and resulted in vast tracts of land being confiscated for European settlement. Instead of following the usual standpoint of the victors, this book takes a Maori perspective. It is centred around Witi Ihimaera's moving novella, Sleeps Standing, which views the battle through the eyes of a 16-year-old boy named Moetū. Alongside the novella are non-fiction narratives from Maori eyewitnesses, together with waiata, images and a Maori translation by Hemi Kelly, further giving voice to and illuminating the people who tried to protect their culture and land. It is estimated that, at the height of the battle, 1700 immensely superior troops, well-armed and amply resourced, laid siege to the hastily constructed pa at Orakau. The defenders were heavily outnumbered with few supplies or weapons but, when told to submit, they replied- 'E hoa, ka whawhai tonu matou, ake, ake, ake!'  'Friend, I shall fight against you for ever, for ever!
ER  -