Once Were Warriors

The male elders of Beth’s home village take charge of preparing a traditional funeral for Grace. The chapter opens on the second day of the funeral service, with Beth standing vigil along with Abe, Polly, and Hatua, as well as some members of her extended family—but not Jake. Beth feels a mixture of conflicting emotions about the funeral procession. She feels ostracized from the procession because she does not know their ancestral language and needs her aunt to translate the elders’ speeches, but as she stands in the wharenui (the meeting house), she realizes that it is a carved record of her history and culture. People come to give their condolences to Beth. Eventually, Te Tupaea, “the paramount chief of the tribe” (117), arrives and begins the official procession. The chanting, the wailing, the speeches that recount their people’s history and whakapapa (genealogy), the haka, and the overall power behind Grace’s send-off to their ancestors among the stars help Beth in her grief and give her clarity and peace. The narrative flashes to Nig fighting a fellow Brown Fist, hopeful to prove that he is worthy of being a gang member.