HORI AND DAD
Sir-I could not claim to know the mind of the Maori-nor yet the mind of the Pakeha; but having lived three years as the only Pakeha in a Maori community, I was moved to loud guffaws by your correspondent M. B. Soljak’s comments on "Hori and Dad." Would he, I wonder, expect Australians to feel insulted by the Dad and Dave series? A pity he could not meet an intelligent and cultured friend of mirfe -Maori, incidentally-who habitually refers to cruder members of his race as "cannibals," Does anybody object to Pakehas being portrayed as villains or clowns? He says, ". . . many can set an example to Pakehas in the use of English." Dear! Dear! I know Pakehas who can set’ an example to Maoris in the use of the Maori language-so what? A burlesque of the type of "Hori and Dad" can offend only a Maori who is already ashamed of himself-or a Pakeha who is overflowing with sentimental eyewash, Personally, I find Hori a likeable young livewire whose speech is certainly no worse than that of the majority of youths. As for Dad-why pretend he does not exist? In the kitchen of many restaurants you will find his foreignborn counterpart-comic by language difficulty, the stock character in many plays, and his children doing as well in the professions as other New Zea- = children do. Why be tragic about t Any Maori with a sense of his own worth and an adjusted personality will find it funny. My ancestors lived with pigs and potatoes in the bogs of Ould Oireland, but I have been known to tell Pat and Mike stories, After all, I still have Kevin Barry to remember and that other fellow, Michael O’Connell, or whatever his name was. Perhaps M. B. Soljak could rest from his romantic mission of "seeking to raise the Maori" long enough to wonder whether the Pakeha could not benefit from having his "sense of dignity and responsibility’ restored. Alternatively, as "a means of inspiring the race toward a better way of life,’ perhaps he would like to organise displays en masse of the customs and costumes of his own. Stone Age ancestors.
FRANCIS
GAWN
(Titahi Bay).
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 898, 19 October 1956, Page 5
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367HORI AND DAD New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 898, 19 October 1956, Page 5
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