Mihipeka: Early Years PODI wanted to write about how the Maori people lost the language, to let it be known how it really did happen. I made a vow in my heart that one day I would tell it from every point, every pinnacle, every rooftop, so that there would be no more misunderstanding. I would let people know how important it is to hold fast to your identity, because without your reo you are nothing. So begins this story, in her own words, of Mihi Edwards, known to her family