Nau mai, haere mai  ·  Aotearoa New Zealand

The Books
of Waitaha

Ancient teachings. Timeless wisdom. The story of a people before time was counted.

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Tuatara ornament from the Books of Waitaha

The Nation of Waitaha

Ancient voices,
brought into the light

The Waitaha are a people of deep time - keepers of peace, guardians of knowledge, caretakers of this land long before memory became history. Their teachings were held in the silence of the Whare Wānanga, passed from elder to child across countless generations.

"Let the sacred kete be opened for the ancestors to speak again. Let the ancient karakia and waiata be heard throughout the land."

These books carry those voices into the world. They are not simply texts - they are vessels of whakapapa, of cosmology, of a way of living in reverence with all things. To hold one is to hold something rare.

The Books

Two books. One lineage.

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Song of Waitaha book cover

Song of Waitaha

Histories of a Nation

First released in 1994, this landmark work opens the sacred kete of Waitaha knowledge - genealogies, cosmologies, and the deep histories of this land's first peoples. Now rare, and deeply sought after.

Currently out of stock
Whispers of Waitaha book cover

Whispers of Waitaha

Traditions of a Nation

Released at Matariki in 2006, this companion volume carries forward the living traditions of Waitaha - the songs, the teachings, and the way of peace known as Rongomaraeroa.

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In memory

Portrait of Makere Chapman

Makere Aroha Anikitawa Chapman
Kaitiaki · Guardian

Makere Aroha Anikitawa Chapman was the heart and voice behind these works - a woman of profound knowledge, deep aroha, and unwavering commitment to bringing the Waitaha teachings into the light.

For over three decades she worked to ensure these books reached the hands and hearts of those who needed them. Her legacy lives in every page, in every teaching passed on, and in every reader who pauses to listen to what this land has always known.

Haere, e te rangatira. Moe mai rā.

The way of Waitaha

Rongomaraeroa -
the path of peace

The Waitaha placed the highest value on Rongomaraeroa - the female entity of peace - as the foundation of all living. Their ancestors left no weapons in the earth. Only memory, song, and the careful tending of the land.

These teachings speak of humility, of deep respect, of genetic memory carried through generations. They are as relevant now as they were when the first waka came to these shores.

Aroha Whakapapa Wānanga Karakia Rongomaraeroa Manaakitanga Waiata

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Questions or enquiries

For orders, availability, or to enquire about a rare copy of Song of Waitaha, please reach out directly. We will respond with care.

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