Tipani comprises the selected poems of Ian George, Christine Hatcher, Harry Ivaiti, Jon Jonassen,
Kauraka Kauraka, Florence Syme, Makiuti Tongia, and Manu Tutapu. The volume tackles complex problematics of racism “Racial Discrimination”, sense of belonging “Coral Beach”and “Home”, morality “My Dad”, nostalgy “Shell” and “When I Leave”, love ”Mother”, self-disclosure “I Walk”. The compositions such as “Ngapoko Bertram” convey the strong connection to origin and ancestry which form inseparable component of identity. The authors do not restrain from raising difficult matters of the pressure in between Global North and South “Forgotten Shelves” and tackle the issues caused by both Internal “Drunen Moods” and external factors “Service on Mangaia”, “Kia Orana”. The collection of poems encourage to observe and confront, react and response. Tipani could be briefly described by Jim W. Corder’s words, who said “[r]hetoric is love, and it must speak a commodious language, creating a world full of space and time that will hold our diversities” (1985, 31). “Harmony Not Prejudice”, by Christine Hatcher, is one of the volume’s poems which might be quoted to represent its overall character and aim to navigate through inequalities and calling for change:

Stop!
blaming the colour
God happened to find on his palette
the morning of your birth.
Imagine the monotony
were we all the same

Look!
beyond mere pigment to
what people really are
instead of condemning
with prejudice and ignorance
making fear you master.

Find!
the antidote to this poison
which kills compassion
separates humans, cultures
nurturing only sad losses
denying the richness of knowledge.

Free!
your mind from debilitating
pollution. Yes! We are all
different, unique- but let’s select
only the best as gifts
for our children (7)

Corder, J. W. (1985). Argument as Emergence, Rhetoric as Love. Rhetoric Review, 4(1),16-32.
Tongia, M., & Kauraka, K. (1991). Tipani: Poems of The Cook Islands. Tauranga Vananga.

Tipani comprises the selected poems of Ian George, Christine Hatcher, Harry Ivaiti, Jon Jonassen,
Kauraka Kauraka, Florence Syme, Makiuti Tongia, and Manu Tutapu. The volume tackles complex problematics of racism “Racial Discrimination”, sense of belonging “Coral Beach”and “Home”, morality “My Dad”, nostalgy “Shell” and “When I Leave”, love ”Mother”, self-disclosure “I...