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'Ko te Katekismus Poto, me tona whakamaramatanga' (a short catechism, with explanation), reads the title page of this Māori-language schoolbook from 1877. A catechism is a summary of religious beliefs, in this case those of Martin Luther, the German priest who formed the Lutheran Church in the 16th century. Several early Lutheran missionaries in New Zealand were based in Māori communities and became fluent in Māori.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Reference: Ko te pukapuka poto, hei ako mo te tamariki katoa : he ako e pai rawa. Wanganui: Printed by A.D. Willis, 1877 (S-L 1118-COVER)
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.