Gisborne man Falcon James (Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki) has realised a long-held dream to complete a novel and publish it.
He has self-published Haka! The Backlash! on Amazon Kindle in a series format.
Described as an epic tale weaving together fantasy, horror and romance, it is set in Gisborne in 1869 and 1985 and examines the impact of English colonisation on Māori despite the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The narrative opens with an account of the dishonouring of the Treaty, leading to land grabs and slaughter.
In the first instalment, Book One, readers are transported to 1869 and told the harrowing story of a colonial invasion of a pā, resulting in a massacre that leaves only one survivor, Hine Kura - a married wāhine with a son.
Visited by the iwi kaitiaki - a falcon that transforms into a man - Hine Kura learns she must perform an ancient karanga to open the Spirit Trails, allowing the spirits of the dead to return to Hawaiki.
The second book shifts to 1985/86 and follows the lives of two 19-year-old Māori students, Joe Finch and Ellie Te Aroha, from Gisborne and the East Coast.
“This part of the story sheds light on the societal issues faced by the Māori community in the 1980s, including tobacco, alcohol, drugs and marginalisation,” James says.
“Despite these challenges, the narrative highlights the sense of community, love and day-to-day living among Māori.”
James was raised by his grandparents Stella and Herbert Kirkpatrick and attended Elgin School.
“Ever since primary school I knew I wanted to write a book,” he said.
He has fond memories of an upbringing surrounded by manaakitanga.
“The whānau has a huge whānaungatanga trait, which I miss dearly to this day.”
James is of mixed heritage - Irish, German and Scottish ancestry on his father’s side and Māori on his mother’s.
He followed his dad into shearing and works as part of a shearing gang in Gisborne.
He started writing in 2014, completing short stories and pieces of creative writing that would eventually feed into the book Haka! The Backlash!
In 2019, he did a complete rewrite and the result is available on Amazon Kindle.
James is publishing sections as he completes them and will have the entire project finished in the coming months.
“It has been a labour of love but I believed in it, so I have kept going,” he said. “I think it is very powerful.”
It has been a solo project without any outside help. James wrote, edited and proofread it, and did the layout.
His biggest writing inspiration is Gisborne-born author Witi Ihimaera.
“We lived across the road from his parents at one stage, and they were such lovely people. I have always admired Witi and his contribution to the world of Māori literature and film.”
Haka! The Backlash! is available on Amazon.com.au
