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Punga: The Goddess of Ugly

by Deborah Nourse Lattimore

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1951,134,149 (3.67)None
Because of their bravery and understanding of Maori traditions when they outwit Punga, the goddess of ugly, a pair of twin sisters earn the highly revered chin tattoo called a moko.
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Summary:Twin Maori girls, Kiri and Maraweia, are learning to do the traditional haka dance. If they can prove they have learned the Maori ways and come of age, they will earn a moko, a chin tattoo. While dancing, Maraweia begins to act silly and wiggle her tongue in an ugly way. Grandmother warns her that Punga, the goddess of all things ugly, takes things that are ugly and they become stuck on her lodge pole. Maraweia does not listen and continues to make ugly faces,and Kiri is scared when Punga takes Maraweia and sticks her to her lodge pole. Kiri begins to dance the beautiful haka, and convinces Punga to let her twin dance as well, because if she can be beautiful, she does not belong to Punga. The girls dance the most beautiful haka and magicall their mokos appear, and Punga releases Maraweia.

Personal Reaction: I loved this story. The idea that sticking out your tongue can be done in a fierce and beautiful way was fun. The illustrations pull you in to the whole scene, deep in the island's forest.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. Accompany this book with a book that shows and identifies many Maori tattoos.
2. Ask the students to list some things can be considered ugly and ask them how it could be made beautiful. ( )
  Sara.rivera | Sep 10, 2013 |
In this story "based upon" the mythology of the Maori - New Zealand/Aotearoa's indigenous people - two young sisters on the North Island find that they must perform a strong and beautiful haka (a traditional dance) if they are to escape the clutches of Punga, the goddess of all things ugly. Relying upon the teachings of their grandmother, Kiri and Maraweia (whose mischievous play had gotten them into this scrape in the first place) do so well that moko - the sacred facial tattoos used by the Maori - appear on their chins as they dance.

I find Punga: The Goddess of Ugly a very difficult book to analyze, as my knowledge of Maori culture is rather limited, and issues of appropriation might very well slip by me, as a result. My own first reaction was one of disappointment, as I discovered that this is not, in fact, a retelling of a Maori tale (as I had thought), but simply uses the Maori tradition as a springboard to tell an original story. I'll probably still keep it on my "folklore-maori" shelf because of the association, but as much as I appreciate the fact that Lattimore is honest about her story being an original creation, I think I would have preferred something more traditional - something to enlighten me as to Punga's significance in the Maori world-view. After all, having a goddess of "ugly" things is an unfamiliar, and therefore quite intriguing concept for me.

I see that some of the online reviews for this item, including one which accuses Lattimore of being "demeaning and patronizing," are strongly negative. Again, I can't speak to any specifics, but I did feel uneasy at a number of points in the story, as it seems to touch on certain subjects (like the moko) which are considered sacred. It's not that I feel the sacred can never be discussed, but in the absence of any knowledge of my own, it's difficult to know whether it was done in a respectful way. All in all, a book I would recommend readers approach with caution, particularly if they're looking for material on traditional Maori culture to use for educational purposes. ( )
  AbigailAdams26 | Apr 6, 2013 |
This is a story about the Maori people, who came to New Zealand a long time ago. It is about two sisters whose grandma is teaching them the ways of their people. In hopes her granddaughters will receive their facial markings Moko. Their grandmother tells them to practice the Haka dance, but Maraweia is being silly and making ugly faces. So she tells the girls a story about Punga the Goddess of Ugly and how she growled, stomped her feet and stuck out her tongue. The girls wanted to find Punta’s place in the forest once their grandmother went to sleep. They did happen upon it and Maraweia was “poofed” stiff as a board with an ugly face. Her sister not wanting to leave her went back and danced the most beautiful Haka dance. This broke the spell and the girls then danced the Haka together perfectly, while dancing they magically received their Moko. Punga was jealous of their markings and made an ugly face in hopes to get Moko also, but her face got stuck in an ugly face and the girls got away. The girls returned to their grandmother to show her their Moko proudly.

I love the illustrations in this book. They are naturalistic with an abstract feel. It teaches that ugliness is just that, ugly. It shows bravery and sisterhood. I also love the glossary in the back which helps the young readers understand the terms better.

1. This could be a great introduction to a lesson on creative writing. They could write their own story about a Goddess or God.
2. This could be a way to show how a story can be expressed with an artistic approach. How the pictures are just as important as the content.
  juliac83 | Oct 24, 2011 |
Media: Watercolor

Age Appropriateness: Intermediate ( )
  beth1219 | Nov 18, 2009 |
Genre: FolkTale
Media: paint
Age appropriateness: Intermediate
This book is the story about two twin sisters who are learning how to do the Haka, a Maori dance. This dance is done with your arms up and tongue sticking out while dancing backwards. It is quite difficult to do without being silly. If that is done, Puga the Goddess of Ugly will take you and turn you into wood at Punga's Lodge. This story is a good example of a folktale because it is made up, but is a story told in another culture. ( )
  bmiller06 | Feb 4, 2009 |
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Because of their bravery and understanding of Maori traditions when they outwit Punga, the goddess of ugly, a pair of twin sisters earn the highly revered chin tattoo called a moko.

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