Radio New Zealand
Jacinta Ruru: Books of Mana
By Otago University Press | Posted: Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
Listen to this incredible interview between co-editor Jacinta Ruru and Mihingarangi Forbes about Books of Mana for Saturday Morning RNZ
‘Another component of when we bring all these books together, we can see that collective intent of the strength of our knowledge, the strength of honouring our ancestors and the ideas of coming through to the future. And that whole notion of story sovereignty comes through really clearly when you hold Books of Mana, because you’re seeing the weight of all of this knowledge as a sample of the knowledge that’s been shared with us so generously, to know and to understand.’
‘Jeanette, Angela and I, we talk about this book and this whole project as being our passion project. It just gives us so much joy and heart and love for the books that have been written, to be able to bring them together and see the themes that become apparent when the books sit together. We just love this project. It’s an absolute joy.’
‘Our deep wish is for more New Zealanders to know these books, to fill your homes, your workplaces, your schools with these books, and I think through filling our lives with these books, we can come to know more about Māori society, Māori hopes and aspirations from the past going into the future.