He toikupu, he kaiwhakatutu hoki a Dr Maya Angelou-ko ana kupu tana rakau, ko te kaikiri, ko te kuare me te ahikauri ana tino hoariri. Ko te tino rongonui pea o ana tuhinga, ko I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), he pukapuka haukiri i korerotia ra tona ano whanaketanga, tae atu ki te pangia ona e te kaikiri, e te tukino, me tana whai ki te whakatinana i tana mana motuhake. E hia ke nei nga tohu i whakawhiwhia ai ki a Angelou i te wa i a ia, tae atu ki te Presidential Medal of Freedom i te tau 2010, me te BET Honors Award for Literary Arts i te tau 2012. He rite tonu tana tuhi korero mo te kaikiri, mo te tohe, mo te whai ora, mo nga wheako hoki o te wahine me te kirimangu, ma roto i tona reo ahurei, i ona whakaaro atamai, me tana tohungatanga ki te tuitui i te whakatuma me te whakatoi, i te aroha me te riri. No te tau 1928 whanau mai ai te manu whati mahanga nei, a, no te tau 2014 rere atu ai ki tua o te arai.

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an iconic American author, poet and civil-rights activist known for her profound literary contributions and influential advocacy. As well as her acclaimed autobiographies, she wrote several volumes of poetry including On the Pulse of the Morning for the inauguration of President Clinton. She held a life-time appointment as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Her enduring legacy continues to inspire generations, reflecting her commitment to social justice, artistic expression and the power of the human spirit.

E toru tekau ma wha nga wahine i hiki ra i te manuka na te pouwahine o Te Panekiretanga, na Pania Papa i whakatakoto, kia tu hei kaiwhakamaori mo tenei kaupapa. I te pukapuka nei rangona ai ko te reo o tenei tira wahine Maori, me ona kanorautanga. Me pewhea e kore ai-no nga pito katoa o te motu te tira nei, mai i te Ara a Kewa, tae atu ra ki te raki, ki te Hiku o Te Ika. Kuia mai, mama mai, rangatahi mai, teina mai, tuakana mai, katoa nga Ika a Whiro nei no nga rangapu ngahuru ma wha o te whare o reo kia tika, kia rere, kia Maori. Ko etahi he pouako, he kaitito, he kaimahi kawanatanga, he kaipakihi, he toki hakinakina, he ringa toi, he kaihaka, he kaipapaho, he roia, he kaiwhakatere waka. Heoi ano, ko te katoa he aroha nui ki te reo Maori, a, kua whakapeto ngoi, kua whakaheke werawera i roto i nga tau ki te whakapakari i o ratou reo, e tu ai ratou hei tuara mo tenei reo puiaki nei i roto i a ratou mahi katoa, i roto hoki i o ratou kainga.Kei oku tuakana o Te Panekiretanga, mo koutou i whakaatu i te rerehua me te motuhaketanga o to tatou reo ki te ao, e kore e mutu nga mihi.

From 2004-2019, Sir Timoti Karetu, Dr Wharehuia Milroy and Sir Pou Temara selected cohorts of fluent speakers from around the motu to take part in Te Panekiretanga o te Reo - an intensive series of wananga delivered through Te Wananga o Aotearoa, with excellence in language and cultural practices at its heart. In this volume a group of Ika a Whiro wahine - female graduates of Te Panekiretanga o te Reo - rise to the challenge of breathing te reo Maori into a selection of key poems by Maya Angelou.