Antipodean Affinities: The Maori and Italy in Patricia Grace's Tu

Patricia Grace’s Tu offers an unprecedented view of Italy from a Maori perspective, invested with their animistic and spiritual philosophy. Importantly, in this novel a Western country is not associated with the imperial centre, nor is it set in binary opposition to Maori culture. On the contrary, the protagonist, Tu, perceives a series of affinities between Maori and Italian culture that allow him to re-interpret and validate his own heritage. In this paper I will explore the role played by Italy as an agent of self-discovery and self-assurance for a colonized indigenous minority. In particular, I will focus on three major cultural affinities found by the protagonist between Maori and Italians: 1) an affective relationship with food; 2) a close bond of the individual with his/her community and family; 3) the enjoyment of singing as an emotional and communal experience. Besides, the contact with the Italian language, similar to Maori in pronunciation and rhythmic pattern, reinforces the Maori soldiers’ confidence in their own language, so that English, becomes ‘a forgotten language’. The recognition of affinities pertaining to primary affective needs, emotions, and language reinforces the Maori soldiers’ ethnic identity. The Italian Campaign becomes therefore a conscious act of appropriation of a Western culture in the service of the Maori cause, increasing their racial self-esteem and legitimizing the struggle for the defense of their own culture at home.