Hone Tuwhare Poetry: A Close Study as Native Maori Wayfinding

Abstract

Hone Tuwhare is the most well-known Maori poet in New Zealand. His poetry is mostly inspired by Maori culture; his bond with nature and his views on man's destructibility on both nature and himself, as well as mythical and political themes, are the most prominent subjects in his work. Tuwhare's innermost feelings and thoughts are passionately expressed in his poetry, whether it's a show of deep reverence for nature or an angry protest against mankind's cruelty. His use of poetic devices like a poetic apostrophe, personification, and onomatopoeia all contribute to his message being delivered strongly and effectively to his audience. Hone Tuwhare was a prominent poet who was well-liked by both Maori and Pakeha New Zealanders. The research explores the ways Tuwhare expresses the Maori island peoples, who see themselves as an extension of the land.   This research focuses on a close reading of Hone Tuwhare, a New Zealand Maori poet who wrote in English from 1975 to 2000, providing insights into the poems' customary worlds, or "ritenga tangata." "Ritenga tangata" most directly relates to people's traditional behaviors and traditions. Hone Tuwhare collected works interconnected themes of tragic loss, questions of identity, and integral familial bonds, all of which cannot be divided from poetic representations of the natural world. The research sums up that Tuwhare is a lyricist with a distinct voice and a distinct affinity to his Maori ancestry. Traditional ocean voyaging principles and symbolic systems are employed to navigate the worlds of the poetry as he is described. This way of navigation aims to show cultural signals in work as well as a level of concern for the worlds depicted. This concern is manifested in political, social, and economic terms.