Witi Ihimaera’s use of Nineteenth Century Maori prophets’ Oral Narratives in The Matriarch and The Dream Swimmer

Abstract

Since its first publication in 1986, The Matriarch by Witi Ihimaera has been classed as one of the most political novels to date written by a Maori writer. Mark Williams, in his essay “Witi Ihimaera and the Politics of Epic”, calls the novel “politically engaged”, “angry”, and “antagonistic” (118). The novel spans over 150 years of Pakeha occupation of New Zealand and weaves a complex variety of literary styles and sources together. Much attention has been given to the way these conflicting stylistic tendencies add or detract from the overall success of the novel but there is one strand in particular that has not been looked at in any depth. The oral narratives relating to Te Kooti and Rua Kenana which Ihimaera threads through The Matriarch and its sequel, The Dream Swimmer, are used by the author to make some of the strongest political comments to be found in the two novels.