Mana wahine – Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan

Whetu Marama Tirikātene-Sullivan passed away in July. She is renowned as the first Māori woman cabinet minister. But she also had a major influence in the world of fashion and design, as this article Snapshot: A Māori Fashion Designer in the Berg Fashion Library reveals:

She commissioned a large number of garments incorporating Māori motifs by contemporary Māori artists, such as Sandy Adsett, Para Matchitt, Cliff Whiting, and Frank Davis. She wore these at her many public engagements, and they were generally regarded as her signature style. For many New Zealanders this was the first time they had seen such traditional elements in a new context.

• Search our BiblioCommons catalogue for books on Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan
• Search BiblioCommons for Mana wahine
• Information on Māori women from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs

Mrs Tirikatene-Sullivan (M.P.) at art exhibition (image on Kete Horowhenua from Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.)

Animal wisdom: Avoid biting when a simple growl will do

My two loved pooches

We have probably all seen this list of things we can learn from dogs including:

•  Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
•  When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
•  When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
•  Delight in the simple joys of a long walk.

Cutesy it may be, but book publishers are also seeing a market in anything to do with human/animal relationships.  In the last couple of years we have purchased at least 35 – 40 books on this topic or the Library. Dogs seem to feature mostly, and are seen as the loyal emotional bearers of happiness and self-awareness that most of these books celebrate.

Cats being the fickle creatures they are seem less prominent.  I am yet to find out what we can learn from rats, but maybe they are the next “big thing”?

People who do not have pets will probably find all of  this completely barmy, so I have  included a few titles that will either change your mind, or just confirm your belief in the craziness of devoted pet owners, (of which I confess am one).

• The dog who couldn’t stop loving : how dogs have captured our hearts for thousands of years  by Jeffrey Masson
• Making the rounds with Oscar by David  Dosa
• Some we love, some we hate, some we eat : why it’s so hard to think straight about animals by Hal Herzog
• Forever Norton : the perfect cat, his flawed human and life’s greatest lesson by  Peter Gethers
• Follow my lead : what training my dogs taught me about life, love, and happiness by Carol Quinn