Harko Brown is set to release his new book this coming Monday.
Having led a nationwide revival of traditional Maori games, particularly ki-o-rahi, over the past decade, the Kerikeri sporting facilitator described Nga Taonga Takaro II: The Matrix as a 200-page opus of "ancestral awesomeness".
He noted the book features chapters on the rituals and protocols of gameplay (the matrices which support the games), an in-depth korero on 10 revived games, 10 hpara (log-based artefacts), theory-in-action (such as the youth leadership mentoring programme at Kerikeri High School from 2003-2008 via the ki-o-rahi kaupapa, and New Zealand's participation in the First World Indigenous Games 2015), along with references and resources for more than 50 games and activities.
The book also features six introductions, including Dame Tariana Turia, Howie Tamati, local kaumatua Renata Tane, Caitlin Prendergast (one of his former Kerikeri High School students who was part of his high school mentoring programme and who is now a doctor in Maori communities), Colonel Jeff Tamayo (Philippines, and a member of the IOC ), and high chief Marcos Terena (Brazil) who organised the first world indigenous games.
It's his second published boo,k but Brown hesitated to describe it as a sequel to Nga Taonga Takaro, which was regarded as somewhat of a disappointment in that he had not been given full creative control. All 3000 copies of his first book had sold out, but Brown later refused the publishers' offer for a reprint.
