Keyword: «witi ihimaera»

The article is dedicated to the research into New Zealand fiction of the renaissance period in the second half of the 20th century. It deals with the novel “The Whale Rider” by the Maori author Witi Ihimaera. Special attention is paid to the characteristics of the hybridization of Maori identity. The article mentions some Maori loanwords, the sentence structure and text reminiscent of oral tradition are characterized, the content is analyzed (description of myths and legends, Maori way of life and the book characters. The author of the present article summarizes some results of the researchers of the Maori language. The author comes to the conclusion that Maori identity as well as New Zealand fiction has a hybridized nature. The research introduces the Maori culture as well as shows that two cultures of New Zealand are closely interwoven.