A Reflection of Witi's Life

Delighted to see you and the Salient crew back again. We were also pleased to see that the world is still providing grist for your political mill.

The mill sure ground under Witi Ihimaera didn't it? We were relieved to hear that a book can actually be evaluated in terms of it's literary standard alone but wonder, in light of your admission of dim literary sensibility, how you got the assignment. We were interested to note that you, Roger, a Pakeha, can not only condemn his reflections as being incomplete and inaccurate, but suggest too that his works lack Maori insight. What you mean, Roger, is that Ihimaera's work lacks your particular orientation politically. Might we suggest that literature and other art forms can have value beyond their political potency and that Ihimaera's work is intended only to be a reflection of his own life.

We are reminded of an old Chinese folks saying mentioned by Mao Tsetung describing the behaviour of certain fools — "Man who have rocks in head should keep mouth shut or rocks fall on foot."