TY - BOOK AU - Ihimaera,Witi Tame TI - Bulibasha: king of the gypsies SN - 0140239413 PY - 1994/// CY - Auckland, N.Z. PB - Penguin KW - Teenagers KW - Fiction KW - Māori (New Zealand people) KW - Sheep-shearing KW - East Coast (North Island, N.Z.) KW - New Zealand fiction KW - 20th century KW - local N2 - Bulibasha is the title given to the King of the Gypsies, and on the East Coast of New Zealand two patriarchs fight to be proclaimed the king. Tamihana is the leader of the great Mahana family of shearers and sportsmen and women. Rupeni Poata is his arch enemy. The two families clash constantly, in sport, in cultural contests and, finally, in the Golden Fleece competition to find the greatest shearing gang in New Zealand. Caught in the middle of this struggle is the teenager Simeon, grandson of the patriarch and of his grandmother Ramona, struggling with his own feelings and loyalties as the battles rage on many levels. ER -