Keri Hulme - The Bone People

Her grin to him is sharp and fanged.

"Gillayley, I'll get you for this."

"O yeah?" he replies. "Like how? I done you this one good turn and," turning, hearing the slipping step, "My God," his heart stopping.

"Ahh Jesus, no!" as the child comes creeping up beside, his face alight.

Stooping, weeping, cupping both hands about the small face, framing it, fingers spread back in a protective flange for the thin bone cradle of his skull, "Ahh, Jesus yes!"

Now I'm the wordless one, what can I say?

Hupe nose and eyes dripping as though this is a tangi, not a return. So gather him up, gather him in, arms tight full, and spin round and round and round in a giddy dance of ecstasy, aching with love to give, smothered by love in return.

No sign of reproach.

The unlevel gaze is bright, brimming, but every time I look, the loveshine's there.

But ahh Ngakau….

In the early night, when it's still orderly, less of an orgy, Kerewin Plays. The child listens on the fringes, but soon comes to her knee, leaning there, head down. His hair has regrown in fine straggling flakes and shades his crooked face: silvery moon hair pressed against the dark body of the guitar as he strains to hear the high notes Sing. Kerewin, used to it already, plays on unmoved., "What have I done," whispering it, crushing down his crying,

What have I done? I've taken away his music-"

O, not all of it," says Kerewin the stony.

There's memory in all the eyes round him, furtive glances that fake him, all saying, The quick light is dimmed, the dancer's grace is gone. Damn you.

He endures all the hate. We can endure anything. We are toughened, different, an annealed steel, triple-forged. But if I were alone-

Piri says,

"Give him here."

"No."

"Give."

The Tainuis are still wild. Liz punched Joe in the stomach first chance she got, and Piri looked the other way. When she kept it up though, past the first wild swing, he said, "Lay off, miss. Smack her down, man."

"No," said Joe, "I understand why." Bending down to the furious little girl, breathing hurt and hard, "Liz, I am very sorry for it, but it's past. It's all over now." And he hopes the Tainuis will see, will learn, will agree.

Passing the boy carefully into Piri's arms, It's past, but we live with it forever. As Kerewin said, he's mainly calm and good as bread. But, she added, you should've seen the performance at the copshop when I arrived… wheeee'. Shaking her head at them both, spitting casually on her dandelions, Pah! Gillayleys, I dunno- So she had offered them both that unlikely gift, her name. As umbrella, as shelter, not as a binding. No sentiment about it, says Kerewin, just good legal sense.

The cold-forged lady, aue!

"Ah sheeit…" coming through a wall, over the buzzzz and jingle of music and talk; only she has that penetrating drawling way with swearwords, "I thought it was a berloody funny coffee bean."

"Lookit its little legs…."

"Nothing else left after going through the grinder… you like your coffee?"

Choke.

Luce glides up to them, elegantly dressed in katipo colours. Cool hand on Piri's shoulder, cool eyes on Simon Clare, cool smile turned to see itself in Joe's eyes.

"Happy, Hohepa?"

"Yes, Luce." Get lost.

"With everything, cos? Every tiny thing?"

"No, Luce." Bugger off.

He stirs the silvergold hair with one cool finger. Not deep enough to touch the skull, enough to make his cool cool point.

The gentleness goes from his tired son's eyes, and something iron and quick takes its place. The fingers veer up into Luce's face, effoff. Right on, tama.

"Manners need mending too," lidded mean gaze turned back to Joe.

"Piss off, Luce," says Piri, handing the child back. Right on, Piri.

(But all the while, the old man while, instinct fought against my

clavicle and told me sin, hop in, the living water's warm. No way. Not that way ever again.)

"As the lady said, a hen is an egg's deeplaid plot to get itself more company."

There she goes out the door, weaving round and singing to herself, guitar slung over her shoulder, not seeing us in the gloom.

Follow follow, we're the led, e tama?

and he nods to me, without a word being said. Out under the cold dimming stars, drawn on by her moonshadow.

(Yesterday afternoon, I turned aside this way. "Excuse, I need a mimi please," the pack growing so heavy I was sure I would drop. But I have grown strong. I got out of sight, and the mauri, set down, sunk itself into the hard ground. Or maybe the earth turned willing water beneath its touch. It vanished completely. But we all came back to it, after the hoha died down, and each of us can feel where it is resting. A sort of pricket and tremble in our gut.)

And there she stands, over the place, throwing away sparks of words. All to a sly fast-picked tune, the mead reel, his dance, bringing out last steps to her.

O the spun shiny surface, mica and stars,

span: stand stunned reeling over night and mind, so far, no sand

or chance strange feeling blunts my eyes blind….

"You took a helluva long time coming-" Reaching out with one hand to join us, "Ka ao, ka ao, ka awatea-" It is dawn, indeed it is dawn, and bright broad daylight braiding our home."

TE MUTUNGA — RANEITE

TAKE

Aue=exclamation of dismay, or despair

Te Kaihau = lit. windeater. Can mean either wanderer or loafer

Tena koe=hello, greeting to one person

Raupo=a variety of weed Ngaio=a coastal tree

Pounamu = New Zealand jade, also called 'greenstone' Manuka = useful shrub, also called 'tea tree' Kia ora koe=good health to you (singular)

Mere=a short flat weapon of stone (often greenstone) for hand to hand fighting. Other terms on this page (hei matau, patu pounamu, kuru, marakihau etc are translated in text)

Hinatore=glow with an unsteady light, phosphorescent things in general

Pake = Simon pake means stubborn Simon E tama = son, kid, boy

E noho ki raro. Hupeke tou waewae=Sit down. Hold your foot

E whakama ana au ki a koe=I'm ashamed of you

Kei whea te rini=Where's the ring?

Kaua e tahae ano=Don't steal again

E korero Maori ana koe? = Do you speak Maori?

He iti iti noa iho taku mohio=O, I understand a bit

Ka pai=good, great, thanks mate etc.

E hoa = friend, mate etc

Nga 'bush = bush people, primitives Makutu, nei = hoodoo, eh?

Maoritanga = Maori culture, Maoriness

Ka whakapai au ki a koe mo tau atawhai = Thanks very

much for your kindness

Ka pai, e hoa = That's okay, mate

Na tou hoa = from your friend

qi

Kia ora korua = Good luck you two

Etnoe koe = Goodnight

Hongi = greeting or salutation by two people pressing noses

with each other

Pakeha = stranger, now used for a New Zealander of

European descent. Used here as an adjective, hence the lower

case.

Kaika = Ngai Tahu dialect for home, or village

Te Ao Hou = the new world, the shining world

Whakapapa = genealogies, family trees Rangatira= chiefly or noble person/people

Kina = sea-egg or sea urchin, delicious!

Puha/Puwha = edible weed

Pikopiko = fern, young fronds of which are edible

Kai moana = seafood Karengo = edible seaweed

Tena koutou katoa = greeting to more than two people Haere mail Nau mai! Haere mai! = a formal chant of welcome Kei te pehea koe? = How're you?

Ae=yes

He puku mate, nei? = Crook stomach, eh?

E pai ana = also means, Thank you Muri iho = Later

E noho ra = Goodbye, said to the person(s) staying Haere ra = Goodbye, said to the person(s) going Pipi = edible shellfish

Kete = basket, generally made of plaited or woven flax»