Whakapapa search complete Ko Tongariro te Maunga Ko Whanganui te Awa Ko Te Atihaunui-ā-Pāpārangi te Iwi
and three sons. Our whānau are from two of the sons — John and William — however we were not included in any whakapapa within Te Waipounamu.
Our whānau have been on a hīkoi, from the awa of Whanganui, to the shores of Te Waipounamu. There are up to five generations, numbering well over 700. Although it has taken more than a century to get here, our new found heritage will last long into the future.
After much research, and with help from Dr Terry Ryan and the Iwi, we are privileged to be part of Whakapapa File 153 held at Ngāi Tahu. Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki has accepted my registration for membership, the first rūnaka we are eligible to affiliate to, as we continue to trace the footsteps of our tupuna.
We have discovered we are the descendants of Aperahama Pukukaiaotea, #372 on the 1848 Kaumātua Census. Pinana Te Atua (his daughter) had a daughter, Elizabeth King aka Betsy Emmanuel or Peti Imanuera. Peti and John McLeod had 12 children, all born in Otago/Southland.
Although our search is over, may it encourage you to persevere. Yes, it takes time, but our tūpuna deserve to be recognised, after all they are the ones who give us our whakapapa — our Precious Taonga. Ko au Te Awa Ngāi Tahu Ko Au Nā Flora and David Falanaki.
Their son John married Pare Whare Te Nape Puanaki at Waitea, King Country in 1907. They had a daughter
Meeting of owners
Notice of special general meeting is hereby given to the owners of Taumaka me Popotai — Open Bay Islands. Date: Sunday 16 October at 1pm. Venue: St. John’s Hall, 134 Stafford Street, Hokitika.
Agenda: Consider lease options for eco cultural tourism proposal from owner. For further information contact Chairperson Kara Edwards on: 027 276 1087.
Celebrating Ngāi Tahu artists
‘Ngā mahi whakatekateka’ is an adaption of the old proverb ‘Ngā Pakihi Whakatetateka o Waitaha’. One version of this pepeha is that the Canterbury Plains, where Ōtautahi now sits, was a place of pride for our ancestors. The Ngāi Tahu website explains ‘Whakatekateka’ as, ‘to create pride or to exhibit pleasure’. We also take this pepeha to mean that once our ancestors arrived they created and lived on a landscape despite the adversities they faced upon arrival. Creating a new Christchurch in the face of adversity is something Ngāi Tahu artists’ wish to celebrate with pride.
Our iwi’s leading artists have been invited to participate in a group show, these artists include: Nathan Pohio, Lonnie Hutchinson, Neil Pardington, Chris Heaphy and Fiona Pardington.
We also combine the pepeha with the more modern proverb, ‘Ki te Ngoikore koe i te ra o te he, he iti tou haha’ which implies that when faced with disaster, one needs to find strength’. Rawiri Te Marie Tau.
In this exhibition of contemporary Māori art, the odd work can easily be identified as Māori. Many works might not however, fit the indigenous stereotype that some viewers have come to expect. It is my firm belief that if an artist is Māori then by definition, what this artist produces is Māori art, no matter what the subject or method used.
Photographer Fiona Pardington is the first New Zealand artist to be named a Knight (Chevalier) in the Order of Arts and Letters. Fiona was bestowed this rare honour by the French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, in May this year. We are fortunate to have several of her works to show, including one photograph which has never been exhibited before.
The Walters Prize is easily New Zealand’s most prestigious contemporary art prize. Held biennially since 2002, the prize aims to ‘make contemporary art a more widely recognised and debated feature of cultural life’. The 2016 nominees were considered notable, as three of the four nominees are of Māori descent and two are Ngāi Tahu. This success shouldn’t really be a surprise as leading contemporary Ngāi Tahu artists are among the nation’s best. Nathan Pohio should be congratulated on his tremendous achievement.
‘Ngā mahi Whakatekateka’ is an exhibition of contemporary Ngāi Tahu art, opening 5.30pm September 6 at the Jonathan Smart Gallery, 52 Buchan Street, Sydenham, Ōtautahi - Christchurch. Nā Eugene Huston, Curator.
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