Eruera Stirling was an elder of the Whanau-a-Apanui tribe, who lived inAuckland. This outstanding autobiography arises from his determination to passon the traditional knowledge entrusted to him in his childhood by tribal elders,and from his wish to explain to a younger generation the deeper meanings of anancestral way of life.In an outline of tribal history and of recent events in New Zealand racerelations, he discusses such traditional concepts as mana (spiritural power),matauranga (knowledge), and whakapapa (genealogy), and he explains the customsof the rahui (reserve), taua (raiding party), and haka (war dance). There is avivid description of life in the Bay of Plenty in the era of whaling,maize-cropping, and kumara growing, and an account of his work with Sir ApiranaNgata. In speaking of his life in Auckland where he has been a prominent eldersince the 1950s, Eruera provides an inside view of the Maori Land March, thedisputes over the Raglan golf course, and Bastion Point, and the clash betweenEngineering students and 'He Taua' at the University of Auckland.Tenei mahi i mahia nei e taua, ehara i te mea hai aha, engari hai pupuri i temauri o enei mea mo nga whakatipuranga e heke mai ana, kia kore ai e ngaro.'We have entered into this task, not lightly, but to hold fast to the mauri (lifeforce) of ancestral ways for future generations, so they will not belost.'