89. Ojibwe ladies with embroidery stories

In a cramped little kitchen
filled with laughter and smiles
I sit at the table with 2 nokomisinonnig

Their long, straight, grey hair
pulled loosely behind them
while wrinkled round faces
look sweetly down at me

One of them begins by drawing the eye
to a beautifully quilted, coat that she wears
running her fingers along stitched designs
of silver grey stars over universe seams

The other now shows me the coat that she wears
soft to the touch with an apricot hue
and shaking the coat and making it billow
I see a new story begin to unfold

Some people write books while others may carve
some people sing, while others might dance
but these little old ladies who sit in their kitchen
show me the way, they share their own stories


* Nokomisinonnig (Grandmothers)

13. Words, art and the landscape

Toi te kupu, toi te mana, toi te whenua
Knowledge in words, art and the landscape

This research;

1. Uses a Māori whakatauki (proverb) to ground the research within a Māori worldview of research
   
2. Reviews Māori access and collection management work to date in meeting the challenges of providing access to or managing Māori clients and material in an effort to show the need for Māori research in this area
3. Looks at the debasement and decline of Māori knowledge and forms of managing information
   
4. Looks at 3 key mediums used by Māori to record, retain and disseminate information; words, art and the landscape or environment
   
5. Intends to introduce traditional aspects of Māori information management into Library Education Instruction in a University Library specifically for Māori to improve information literacy levels
   
6. Intends to introduce traditional aspects of Māori information management into the Library and Information Management Curriculum in New Zealand