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Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler

ウィティ・タメ・イヒマエラ＝スマイラー

Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1944-02-07 （Gisborne, New Zealand）
Nationality
New Zealand
Languages
English, Māori
Residence History
Waituhi → Gisborne → Wellington → Auckland → Canberra, Australia → New York City, USA → Washington, D.C., USA → Menton, France (residency)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Academic, Diplomat, Editor, Librettist
Active Years
1969-2024
Affiliations
University of Auckland (Professor of English; Distinguished Creative Fellow in Māori Literature), New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (writer/diplomatic posts), Victoria University of Wellington (writing fellowship)
Memberships
Royal Society of Literature (International Writers)
Influenced By
Māori oral tradition, Local history and legends, Representations by Pākehā writers (e.g., reaction to Douglas Stewart)
Influenced
Contemporary Māori writers, Children's literature and film-makers influenced by Whale Rider, Theatre and music communities (through librettos and plays)

Education

University of Auckland
Period: 1963–1966
Country: New Zealand
Attended but did not complete a degree
Victoria University of Wellington
Faculty of Arts
Degree: BA
Period: 1969–1971（通信・夜間等の併修を含む）
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: New Zealand
Completed Bachelor of Arts

Awards

Queen's Service Medal
1986
Organization: New Zealand government
Result: 受章（公共サービスへの貢献）
Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
2004
Work: Services to literature
Organization: New Zealand government
Result: 任命（後にナイト称号の再導入で称号付与を辞退）
Robert Burns Fellowship
1975
Organization: University of Otago
Result: 受賞
Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship
1993
Organization: Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship
Result: 受賞（フランス・モントンでの滞在執筆）
Montana New Zealand Book Awards (Fiction)
1995
Work: Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies
Category: フィクション
Organization: Montana New Zealand Book Awards
Result: 受賞（Fiction）
Nielsen BookData New Zealand Booksellers' Choice Award
2003
Work: The Whale Rider
Organization: Nielsen BookData
Result: 受賞
Ockham New Zealand Book Awards (General Non-Fiction)
2016
Work: Māori Boy: A Memoir of Childhood
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: Ockham New Zealand Book Awards
Result: 受賞（General Non-Fiction）
Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement
2017
Work: Lifetime contribution to literature
Organization: New Zealand government (selection panel)
Result: 受賞
Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Award
2009
Work: Literary achievement
Organization: Arts Foundation of New Zealand
Result: 受賞（賞金付与）
Te Tohutiketike a Te Waka Toi (Te Waka Toi Awards)
2009
Organization: Creative New Zealand / Te Waka Toi
Result: 受賞（マオリ芸術分野での顕著な業績）
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier)
2017
Work: Services to raising international profile of Māori storytelling
Organization: French government
Result: 叙勲（シュヴァリエ）
Royal Society of Literature International Writer
2024
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Pounamu Pounamu

1972 Short story collection

Early short-story collection addressing Māori life, culture and the effects of colonisation; pioneering publication for Māori writing.

Māori cultureFamilyIdentityColonisation

Tangi

1973 Novel

An early novel portraying Māori mourning rituals (tangi) and community life, exploring family and cultural practices.

RitualFamilyCommunity

The Whale Rider

1987 Novel (also widely read by children)

Story of a young girl destined to become leader in a chiefly line; blends mythic elements with contemporary culture and is his best-known work.

Myth and modernityLeadershipGenderIntergenerational inheritance
Adaptations
  • [Film] Whale Rider / Niki Caro (2002)
Translations
  • Te Kaieke Tohorā (Māori edition)

Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies

1994 Novel

A novel set in 1950s rural Māori life, with elements Ishmaera described as a Māori 'Western'.

FamilyLandTradition and change
Adaptations
  • [Film] Mahana / The Patriarch / Lee Tamahori (2016)

Nights in the Gardens of Spain

1996 Semi-autobiographical novel

A semi-autobiographical novel about a married man's coming to terms with his homosexuality; later adapted for film.

SexualityFamilySelf-acceptance
Adaptations
  • [Film] Kawa / Katie Wolfe (2010)

Māori Boy: A Memoir of Childhood

2014 Memoir (non-fiction)

Memoir covering childhood through teenage years; won Ockham New Zealand Book Award for General Non-Fiction in 2016.

Coming of ageCultural formationFamily

Bibliography

  • Pounamu Pounamu (1972)
  • Tangi (1973)
  • Whanau (1974)
  • The New Net Goes Fishing (1977)
  • The Matriarch (1986)
  • The Whale Rider (1987)
  • Dear Miss Mansfield (1989)
  • Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies (1994)
  • Nights in the Gardens of Spain (1996)
  • The Dream Swimmer (1997)
  • The Uncle's Story (2000)
  • Sky Dancer (2003)
  • Ihimaera: His Best Stories (2003)
  • Whanau II / Band of Angels (2005)
  • The Rope of Man (2005)
  • Ask at the Posts of the House (2007)
  • The Trowenna Sea (2009)
  • The Parihaka Woman (2011)
  • The Thrill of Falling (2012)
  • Māori Boy (2014)
  • Native Son: A Writer's Memoir (2019)
  • The Astromancer: The Rising of Matariki (2022)

Adaptations

  • Whale Rider (2002 film, dir. Niki Caro)
  • Mahana / The Patriarch (2016 film, dir. Lee Tamahori)
  • Kawa (2010 film, dir. Katie Wolfe; based on Nights in the Gardens of Spain)
  • White Lies (2013 film; adapted from a novella)

Translations of Works

  • Te Kaieke Tohorā (Māori edition of The Whale Rider, 1995)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Incorporation of Māori oral traditions into narrativeEpic/lyrical style linking myth and contemporary narrationCross-genre writing (novels, short stories, plays, librettos)
Recurring Motifs
Family and kinshipLand and seaMāori legends and mythIntergenerational inheritanceIdentity and belonging

Legacy

Witi Ihimaera is one of the world's leading indigenous writers; by placing Māori culture at the centre of his writing he has had major influence on New Zealand literature. Works such as The Whale Rider have been widely adapted and taught, impacting generations.

Museums

  • Dunedin Writers' Walk (plaque for Witi Ihimaera) Dunedin, The Octagon

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature (International Writers)

Archives

  • Related papers at the University of Auckland archives

In Popular Culture

  • International profile and incorporation into education via the film Whale Rider
  • Citations and performances of his work in theatre, music and exhibitions

Quotes

  • Māori culture is the taonga, the treasure vault from which I source my inspiration.
    Source: Interview (Sydney Review of Books) (2019)
  • I was going to write a book about Māori people, to 'unpoison' the stories already written about Māori.
    Source: Memoir 'Māori Boy' (2014)

Trivia

  • Considered among the first Māori writers to publish a short-story collection and a novel.
  • As a teenager he threw a book out the window in protest at its depiction of Māori and was caned.
  • The Trowenna Sea (2009) was withdrawn after unacknowledged passages were identified; Ihimaera apologised and the issue attracted public debate.
  • The Whale Rider was adapted into a successful international film in 2002 directed by Niki Caro.