History at forefront of Dansey's novel

Wikitoria Dansey's fascination with Te Arawa history inspired her to write her first published book Te Rakau Whakapapa - The Generation Stick. Photo / Ben Fraser

A Te Arawa woman who finds courage, discovers love and is chosen by her people to lead is the narrative journey in a recently released book by Wikitoria Dansey.

Te Rakau Whakapapa - The Generation Stick is historical fiction littered with actual events and places. The story followed the lives of descendants of two waka, Te Arawa and Mataatua. The book is also the first published work for the 79-year-old author whose main tribal affiliation is Ngati Tuwharetoa.

"I began writing this in 2009. That's when I started really putting it together," Ms Dansey said.

"In 2002 I became a docent at the Te Whare Taonga o Rotorua [Rotorua Museum] and that is what sparked a love of learning about our own history," Ms Dansey said.

"I hung out in the library quite a lot learning the history of Te Arawa and the history of the arrival of Europeans.

"As I was reading I wanted to write about it and once I started, I become obsessed. I wrote quite a large amount with a pencil and scrap paper but then changed over to a computer.

"At my age I found it was very hard to learn, I found it very difficult."

The story's main character is Tiro Whetu (star gazer), who became the 13th generation from the Te Arawa waka. Her birth was marked with the 13th notch on Te Rakau Whakapapa - the generation stick, which recorded the first born of each generation in the tribe.

Te Rakau Whakapapa is a taonga (treasured item) that is on display in the Rotorua Museum. As a museum docent, Ms Dansey gives guided tours to visitors and must be knowledgeable of every exhibit. The rakau became the inspiration for the book and later lent its name for the title.

"In those days, marriages were arranged to strengthen bonds and expand tribal lands, just like the [British] royal family used to be," Ms Dansey said.

She said she wanted to write a character that represented the strength and leadership that is seen in Maori women today.

"Men have been recognised as brave and courageous, but women haven't been as much," Ms Dansey said.

"There have been many aristocratic women in Maori history who became rangatira, leaders of their people, descendants from every waka - the 'Joans of Arc' of our history.

"My heroine was such a woman, groomed then elected by her people to lead them. I have portrayed her life and the lives of her whanau who all had a great capacity to love one another and who displayed integrity and courage. Their memories are preserved by the writing of this book."

Ms Dansey is the granddaughter and namesake of Wikitoria Ngamihi Kahuao - the daughter of the leader of Ngati Rauhoto, a hapu of Ngati Tuwharetoa. Victoria St was named after her.

Her Englishman grandfather Roger Delamere Dansey was one of Rotorua's earliest postmasters.

The mother of five children and 12 grandchildren said it was a special moment finally seeing her work in print.

"It was pretty exciting, they all came in boxes and when I pulled the first book out it was quite emotional as it was the end of all of this writing," she said.

Te Rakau Whakapapa - The Generation Stick is on sale at McLeods Booksellers, the Rotorua Museum and Rotorua Take Note.