Pipiwharauroa Raranga
Page 5
Weaving With Harakeke In Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki Nā Rene Babbington
As Iwi co-ordinator for Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki in 2003 Rene’s role was to look at what could be used to sustain the Marae. She chose harakeke and, with Raueka Bates, Martin Baker and Oho Brown, researched harakeke on Mangatū, Tapuihikitia, Rongopai and Tārere marae.
mothers run by Dr Tipene Leach. Its aim was to promote the weaving and use of sleeping baskets or pods for babies meaning they can safely sleep next to adults. In the same year Rene was offered another contract by the Ministry of Education Māori Unit to weave 50 more kete!
In the following year, working out of Te Poho ō Rāwiri Marae, Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki Trust organised a weaving hui for a group of local weavers to make traditional korowai under the facilitation of Ria Davies, daughter of Diggeress Te Kanawa. Margaret Edwards, Margaret Taumata and Rene were part of that group.
2008 was a venture into a wānanga for Whariki at Mangatū Marae which was facilitated by Louise Te Maipi. The whānau wove three whariki for the Wearable art woven by Mary Jane Seymour Model Tipi Babbington
By 2004 Rene believed she learned the basic art of weaving so attended four weekend weaving wānanga also held at Te Poho ō Rāwiri Marae and tutored by Moana and Mau Tupara. From there she practiced, practiced and practiced until as they say, ‘practice makes perfect.’ Weaving whariki at Mangatū Marae
verandah of their whare tipuna. During 2008 a wānanga was held at Te Rāwheoro Marae, Tolaga Bay where a guest speaker used harakeke as a metaphor to illustrate Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership. Students wove a rourou for this exercise. The same wānanga was held again at Mangatū Marae the following year.
A prized kete woven by Rene
Rene continued to weave - producing kete, backpacks, pōtae following up with a stunning bodice for her namesake, Rene Hawkin's 21st birthday.
In 2009 Rene attended a Harakeke Taonga Series held at Mangatū Marae where they again wove kete, backpacks, harakeke flowers and wahakura. This was followed by a raranga programme from where Rene and others had their completed items displayed at their exhibition and, to top the year off, Rene wove a wedding dress for Ari Milner – wow! In 2010 the wedding dress was turned into a ‘wearable arts’ item and was worn by Tiara Fleming at a function. Again at Christmas time a harakeke wānanga was held at Mangatū for the whānau. In 2011 Uncle Rutene presented Rene with four of Aunty Te Wai’s pōtae and an unfinished kete which she uses as a display piece. The pōtae were all dyed and now form part of a harakeke display at the motel, ‘Accommodation Ahi Kā’ in Gisborne. The wedding dress made in 2009 is also a display piece.
One of the masterpieces
Initially she did not intend on selling any of her harakeke, being concerned that she would lose her new found skills but after pressure from whānau and friends she took some of her work to sell at Rhythm and Vines, the Māori Women’s Welfare League conferences and the Kapa Haka stalls where she found a ready market. She went on to display her work in a local business ‘bric a brac antique’ shop in Gisborne.
A visit was made to Whatatutu School in 2013 to weave hieke (rain capes) and during the year Adult Literacy Tūranga held a harakeke class for young mums and the Te Ataarangi Group. In 2014 Rene continued to take weaving classes at Adult Literacy Tūranga in preparation for an amateur art exhibition with Tairāwhiti Creative Community Centre. These harakeke wānanga provide the opportunity for the whānau and community to come together to share whakawhanaungatanga, manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga
At a harakeke wānanga making backpacks at the Mangatū Marae in 2006 Rene was contracted to weave 50 kete for the Ministry of Education Māori Unit. What an achievement that was! At Christmas in the same year, a further harakeke wānanga was held at the Marae for the whānau where they were taught to make pōtae, kete whakairo and backpacks, that were then sent off to Rene’s sister, Teringamau Tāne in Tauranga to sell. In 2007 Rene was involved with the highly successful Te Tairāwhiti Wahakura Project targeting young
The display at Adult Literacy Tūranga
and arohatanga with each other. They enhance thinking around key issues of traditional knowledge and practices and provide for intergenerational succession with the passing on of skills and understanding from generation to generation. They teach harvesting and preparing harakeke and through this taonga, tikanga, culture and stories are told. Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Whatatutu are practising sustainable development; the tamariki are learning to clean & harvest harakeke. To prepare, weave and complete their hieke is intergenerational succession in action; if this valuable taonga is not passed on, the skills, knowledge and values will be lost. An innovative cultural response promoted by Māori SID Project was part of the wānanga series. Through this taonga, whānau talked about parenting practices, whakapapa, mokopuna, whānau and taonga and were able to support and contribute to the well-being of others by using traditional Māori knowledge to protect lives and promote the wellbeing of Māori babies. It also provided them with the opportunity to learn how to make wahakura. Rene explained how the knowledge of weaving harakeke has been passed on to a younger generation. MaryJane Seymour was taught to weave by Aunty Te Wai Irwin and Rene’s mum, Tangiwai Tomoana and in 2005 she entered her bride and groom items into a wearable art exhibition. Ruth Davoren learnt to weave and helped Rene with her kete contract with the Ministry of Education and in 2009 Charlotte Davoren took a group of women from Whatatutu to attend raranga night classes in Gisborne where they made harakeke flowers, belts, bangles and iti whāriki iti.Wini Brown and Mereana Cameron are long time weavers of piupiu, pōtae and kete. During September of last year Adult Literacy Tūranga celebrated Adult Learners Week/He Tangata Mātauranga with a weeklong Amateur Art Exhibition linking literacy with Art. The featured items woven by learners of the Centre was held at their office on the first floor of the Adair’s Building in Grey Street.
Margaret Edwards standing, Rene Babbington on the left and Margaret Taumata on the right.