Ngā māreikura a Matariki, whakaniko ki Ngāti Awa Exhibition Catalogue by whakatanelibrariesandgalleries

Ngā māreikura a Matariki, whakaniko ki Ngāti Awa

This exhibition brings together for the first time a collection of Ngāti Awa wāhine whose varied art works draw on Ngāti Awa customs, values, practices and our connection to the Pacific.

Some of the works and their narratives debunk the colonial influenced view on what roles and art Māori women are able to perform.

Three themes may be seen threaded through the works: Matariki, Te Tahi o Te Rangi, He mana tō te wahine.

This exhibition is just a small sample of the pool of talent within Ngāti Awa that we hope you enjoy.

He kohikohinga tuatahi tēnei o te mahi toi a ngā wāhine o Ngāti Awa. I whakaohooho ēnei mahi toi nā ngā tikanga, ngā wāriu, me ngā kaupapa o Ngāti Awa.

E tāmi ana ētahi o ngā mahi toi i ngā tirohanga kōnewhanewha o te mahi me te mahi toi ka taea e ngā wāhine Māori.

E toru ngā kaupapa matua i ēnei mahi toi: ko Matariki, ko Te Tahi o te Rangi, He mana tō te wahine.

He karipi noa ēnei mahi ki ngā iho pūmanawa o roto o Ngāti Awa.

We would also like to thank Rangipare Belshaw-Ngaropo and Maria Elliot for their contributions to the exhibition through audio and live performance. If you would like to purchase works, please enquire at the front desk.

MATARA MARGARET BELSHAW

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Tamawera, Te Pahipoto, Te Tāwera, Wharepaia

Waka: Mataatua, Takitimu, Te Arawa, Tainui, Horouta

Ngā roimata o te Toroa/Tears of the Albatross

‘Ko te Toroa noho au, e tangi ana ki tōnā kainga’

This pepehā talks about the Toroa bird, (He tino manu ki a Ngāti Awa) sitting on the currents of the ocean crying over Ngāti Awa’s whenua lost, and its culture and traditions receding.

Weavers and other artists are in the process of recovery. Many of our traditional everyday practices were lost due to the impact of colonisation. Teachers such as myself inherit a responsibility to help with the recovery of our weaving traditions, their advancement and the creation of new pathways for future generations.

He kākahu o te kauae whakaheke tēnei/This is a kākahu of inherited knowledge of woman in ceremony.

SARAH HUDSON

Ngāti Awa Hapū:

Ngāti Hokopū ki Te Whare o Toroa

He wāhine, he whenua

Whakapapa, to lay flat and place layer upon layer.

Layers of soil and silt are moved by waterways. Shifting paths, moving land. Generations spring forth and eventually return to the earth. Some lineages are a constant trickle, others sweep forward as a strong current. These are the names of our tūpuna kuia, our Ngāti Awa foremothers. As their descendants, we can trace our lineage along waterways, through layers of soil and deep into the whenua. Me aro koe ki te hā o Hineahuone, pay heed to the power of women.

MATARA MARGARET BELSHAW

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Tamawera, Te Pahipoto, Te Tāwera, Wharepaia Waka: Mataatua, Takitimu, Te Arawa, Tainui, Horouta

Kāhu Pū-aka-rimu

This pūreke or rain cape is designed for an arduous and long journey. I liken its design and function to the resilience that I have had to draw on to support my family at different times, like my mother before me and many other wahine. He mana tō te wāhine. I also liken the pūreke’s endurance to the journey that many weavers take as part of their efforts to revive a lost taonga/treasure such as this one.

I have endeavored in my recovery practice to replicate this pūreke from one that is housed in Te Papa, which the curators believe to be over 100 years old. I steeped the kākahu muka and aho in a waiwai of tutu.

He kākahu tēnei o te kauae whakaheke/This kākahu is inherited knowledge of woman in ceremony.

MATARA MARGARET BELSHAW

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Tamawera, Te Pahipoto, Te Tāwera, Wharepaia Waka: Mataatua, Takitimu, Te Arawa, Tainui, Horouta

Te Rangi Huruhuru

This kākahu will be a taonga tuku iho, a kākahu handed down by me for future generations to wear.

The kākā (orange feathers), is often referred to as a very cheeky bird whereas the kererū in comparison is considered very docile. I have paired the feathers to express the balance that can be achieved with opposites. Mā ngā huruhuru o aua manu o te kākahu anō hei kawe ngā wairua o aua āhuatanga for all those that come in contactwith it.

He kākahu tēnei o te kauae whakaheke/This kākahu is inherited knowledge of woman in ceremony.

ANIKA KER

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Te Patuwai, Ngāti Maumoana

Manu Tukutuku

He taonga tuku iho te Manu Tukutuku

Kua ngaro atu kē ki ngā hau e whā

Kua whakamiharo ō ā tātou ngākau

Kia puta ake ki te whai-ao, ki te ao mārama

ERENA KOOPU

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Te Pahipoto, Warahoe

I hangahanga noa i te whenua i Tuhimata (Series)

I was born green-eyed with blonde hair, and never thought my appearance matched the language I spoke or the way I felt. I’m a product of Reo Māori movements and became part of the revival of a language and the strengthening of a culture from a young age. Genetically rich from my Māori and Pakehā whakapapa I had no choice but to be creative. I love to make a mess with paint and I’m equally passionate about Māori performing arts. I believe beyond fear and excitement is where magic lives so anything is possible. I have grown and now truly believe and feel that my appearance perfectly matches my voice and the visual languages I speak. Although I didn’t grow up in Ngāti Awa I am proud of my Ngāti Awa whakapapa and have many fond memories of my time at Kōkōhīnau marae with my nanny, she was my thread to Te Pahipoto. Most recently through my art practice, I have been able to strengthen those ties to our marae and hapū.

BRENDA KER

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Patuwai, Ngāti Maumoana

He Ata Hou

Ka puta mai a Matariki i te ata hāpara, hei tohu i te tau hou a Māori. Ka kite i a tātau i te Toroa e karanga whakawātea ana kia noa ai te huarahi. Kia tuku ai anō i te hara a te hunga kūare, kia noho tau ai a te iwi.

Matariki rises before the glowing dawn

A tohu to all that a New year is born We witness the Great Toroa making noa the way Forgiving our forefathers of any wrong that lay So today we are free from once we were framed The world is our oyster as our mana is regained.

PAULA TE MARO

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Te Patuwai, Ngāti Maumoana

Huinga

I whanau mai i te kōpu o te ata pūkei i te ao ārangi Tōmai i te ira-wairua; Matariki

Tīrama ki runga anō nei hei whetu hei arataki, hei para i te huarahi; Matariki

Ka rere i te wai he tipua, he whai āku kurupounamu; Kaitiaki

Ngā Raukohai

He koura te puawai ka tāwharau te tohu o te manaaki”

Te ringa kaha; Pōhutukawa

Ka kata, ka tioro, ka kohimu, ka taki kōrero Koinei ōna hoa; Pīpīwharauroa.

He rite ki a Mārama, ka whātare

I runga i tōna rahi, ko te aroha e pā manawa mai

He māmā, he ngāri: Te Ao Mārama

He mana whenua He mana wahine Koia... Ko taku Māmā

Born on a Living Crystal, steeped in magic, rejuvenating her; Mōtītī.

Stars are shining bright, lighting her way, guiding her; Matariki.

Flying through her waters, manta rays and stingrays, guardians and protectors; kaitiaki.

Ancient branches, blooms of gold, offering shelter and shade; Pōhutukawa.

They laugh, they chatter, tell tales, whisper secrets, they are her friends; Pīpīwharauroa.

Like the moon watching over us, her love like moonlight, soft and gentle; Te Ao Mārama

She is my mother, she is mana wahine.

LANAE CABLE

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Hokopū, Ngāi Tamawera, Ngāti Pūkeko

He Whare Tangata, He Pā Tūwatawata

He tuahu tēnei whakaaturanga a ‘He Whare Tangata, He Pā Tūwatawata’ e whakamihi ana i ngā tīpuna wāhine o Ngāti Awa. Ko te ingoa ‘He Whare Tangata, He Pā Tūwatawata’ e hāngai ana ki ngā āhuatanga o ngā wahine ō Ngāti Awa hei ūkaipō, hei whare tangata, hei parepare mō te iwi. E ora ana te tuahu nei, nō reira, whakatakotohia ōu whakaaro nui, ōu karakia, me ōu koha kei mua i ngā tīpuna whaea.

He Whare Tangata, He Pā Tūwatawata is a tūahu dedicated to our Ngāti Awa māreikura. It’s a work for us to actively participate with and reconnect to our tīpuna wāhine through ritual. The name He Whare Tangata, He Pā Tūwatawata refers to Ngāti Awa women being the progenitors, continuation and protectors of our iwi.

GLENDA HAPE

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Rangataua

Te whakatakoto a te mānuka a Ngāti Awa

Te whakatakoto a te mānuka o Ngāti Awa hei whakaea i ngā tūkino ki a Tahinga-o-Te-Rangi.

E mohio whānuitia e Mataatua ki ngā kupu a Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi; “waiho mā te whakamā hei patu”.

Ka whakatakoto i a Ngāti Awa te mānuka kia whakawātea ai ngā mahi tūkino i mahia e te hunga kūare.

The story of Tahinga-o-Te Rangi is well known when he uttered “Waiho mā te whakamā, hei patu”.

Today, Ngāti Awa graciously places the manuka to correct a wrong to return the mana to Tahinga-o-Te-Rangi and his descendants.

MAIA WHAREWERA-BALLARD

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Hokopū ki te Hokowhitu a Tū

Te kōpū hei rongo ki te manawa o tōku tīpuna

E taku pōtiki, kua puta mai rā koe i te toi i Hawaiki. My child, you are born from the source, which is at Hawaiki. (Royal, 2005, p. 1).

This mahi engages with Māori intersectional sciences of wāhine existing multi-dimensionally through tracing our matrilineal whakapapa from our creation narratives & whakapapa of the body through recalling our mātauranga. As a māmā this is important to understand where our indigenous sciences & tikanga come from through generations finding the source that points back to many along the way.

Ko Te Kore (the void, energy, nothingness, potential)

Te Kore-te-whiwhia (the void in which nothing is possessed)

Te Kore-te-rawea (the void in which nothing is felt)

Te Kore-i-ai (the void with nothing in union)

Te Kore-te-wiwia (the space without boundaries)

Te kōpū hei rongo ki te manawa o tōku tīpuna (continued)

Nā Te Kore Te Pō (from the void the night)

Te Pō-nui (the great night)

Te Pō-roa (the long night)

Te Pō-uriuri (the deep night)

Te Pō-kerekere (the intense night)

Te Pō-tīwhatīwha (the dark night)

Te Pō-te-kitea (the night in which nothing is seen)

Te Pō-tangotango (the intensely dark night)

Te Pō-whāwhā (the night of feeling)

Te Pō-namunamu-ki-taiao (the night of seeking the passage to the world)

Te Pō-tahuri-atu (the night of restless turning)

Te Pō-tahuri-mai-ki-taiao (the night of turning towards the revealed world)

Ki te Whai-ao (to the glimmer of dawn)

Ki Te Ao-mārama (to the bright light of day)

Tīhei mauri-ora (there is life)

I revert back to Te One-i-kurawaka, from Papatūānuku & Te waiora-o-Tāne came Hine-ahu-one composed from red soil, she is the connection between te ira atua and te ira tāngata, created from wahine, by Tāne, of wahine. My understanding of internal body relationships is our atua gifted their functions from the natural world as body parts for her, for example Pūnaweko: hair, Tāwhirimātea: lungs, Tūmatauenga: muscle, Tangaroa: wai & blood, Rūaumoko: intestine & fertility from her mother Papatūānuku. Hine-ahu-one gave birth to Hine-tī-tama, she holds the threshold between earthly light and earthly night, then transcending to Hinenuitepō in Rarohenga, creating the space for wahine to menstruate and receive our wairua after death. As wāhine we cycle through the many stages of Te Pō, by delving deep into the narratives & characteristics of pūrakau whakapapa, we can understand our tinana and tikanga through those relationships. During hapūtanga, pēpi grows from Te Kore, existing in Te Pō being sustained by the whenua, just as the land sustains us. During childbirth we exist on the threshold of Te Pō & Te Ao, life and death. He tapu te whare tangata for the continuation of your whakapapa line, the ability to create & sustain generations, to then beholding the same tapu during your ikura because of losing that potential life.

He taonga nō te whenua, me hoki anō ki te whenua (What is given by the land should return to the land). The placenta goes inside an ipu whenua (vessel) which is then buried into the land which will reaffirm my daughter’s tūrangawaewae and strengthen her relationship to the taiao. One day she will also be ready to return back to the whenua.

MIHIHEA RUA

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Warahoe

KO WAI KOE?

Ko te whakaahua pango me te mā (i pupuhihia ki te V-System tawhito o Hasselblad) i tangohia i te rāina raupatu i te huarahi ō Awahou, i Rūātoki. E ai ki a Tūhoe, ko te rāina raupatu he ariā hai tohu i ngā mahi tūkino me ngā tāmitanga. Ehara i te mea he tohu ana te haki i ngā mahi anake a te karauna i te wā o te Operation 8 i te tau 2007: engari he hokinga mahara ki te tau 1916 ka whakaekehia a Maungapōhatu me Rua Kēnana i mua noa atu Scorched Earth Policy me te whai a te motu mō te matua tāngata i te tau 1867 – 1871. Mai ngā Kurī ā -Whārei ki Tihirau kai roto anō wēnei whenua i te rāina raupatu. Ko ngā whenua taketake i raupatutia i te tau 1866, 448,000 eka te nui. Ko wētahi ō ngā whenua i hoatuna ki Māori kūpapa, ā rānei i roto i ngā ringaringa ō te Pākehā. Neke atu i te 211,000 eka i raupatutia mai a Ngāti Awa, Te Whakatōhea me Tūhoe (Binney, Chaplin, Wallace: 1979).

Rūātoki Confiscation Line - (Mai ngā Kuri ā Wharei ki Tihirau) The black and white photographic image (shot on a Hasselblad’s traditional V-System) was taken at the confiscation line in Awahou Road, Rūātoki. For Tūhoe, the confiscation line is a physical representation of the injustices of colonisation. The Union Jack symbolises not only what the New Zealand CROWN did during the Operation 8 raids in 2007; but serves as a reminder of the 1916 Maungapōhatu Raids on Rua Kenana and before that, the Scorched Earth Policy and pursuit of Te Kooti in 1867-1871. Mai ngā Kuri a Wharei ki Tihirau; also encompasses the confiscation line. The original boundary of land confiscated in 1866 was composed of 448,000 acres. Some land was restored or endorsed to Māori loyalists or was in European hands. Ultimately 211,000 acr confiscated from Ngāti Awa, Whakatōhea, and Tūhoe (Binney, Chaplin, Wallace: 1979). In 2014, The Crown held a public apology to Tūhoe for these ‘past grievances.’

I te tau 2014, ka whakapāha te Karauna ki a Tūhoe mō wēnei ngā ‘raru nunui.’

JESSICA WIKEEPA

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Patuwai

Te Ata Hāpara

Kua tākohahia e taku iramutu tōnā ate ki taku teina kia ora ai ia. He taonga nui tēnā mahi me tēnā whakaaro. Ko te peitatanga nei kia whakaatu ai i te haerenga me te whakakotahitanga a taku whānau i runga i te aroha. E ora pai ana ēnei wāhine kaha, ēnei wāhine whakaoho.

The women in these artwork are my sister who recently had a kidney transplant and of our niece who donated her precious taonga. They represent the journey of giving and receiving a new life. It has been a journey of whānau coming together, prayer, arohaand amazing strength from that aroha. These beautiful mana wāhine are an inspiration and are both in good health today.

MARAMA HARAWIRA-COOK

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Rangataua, Te Patuwai

Te Hei-Tiki o Te Ara-paparahi

Ko te Hei-Tiki kā whakahōnore i te tātai whakapapa wāhine o te whānau a Te Arapaprahi Hona.

Te Ara-paparahi Hona is my great-grandmother and through our whakapapa her Hei-Tiki to this day has been carried through the Harawira (Hona) whānau by the women: from my grandmother Koau to her eldest daughter Urumāhora, and now to my aunty Ramari. This interpretation of granny’s Hei-Tiki honors this lineage.

MARAMA HARAWIRA-COOK

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Rangataua, Te Patuwai

Hei Mauri Whakaoho ā Hine

E whakamana ana te hā onamata o te Wāhine. Ko ngā Wāhine ngā whakaritenga o ngā raru o te Ao.

Enabling ancient feminine energy, a vitality that enlivens those around her. It invokes creativity and births new ideas and opportunities for success.

“Ko ngā wāhine ngā whakaritenga o ngā raru o te ao”.

MARAMA HARAWIRA-COOK

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Rangataua, Te Patuwai

He uri ahau nō Papatūānuku

He mihi ki a Papatūānuku. He mihi hoki ki ngā wāhine e whakapau kaha ana ki te kimi oranga mō te whenua mō ngā awa wai o Ngāti Awa. Me whakapakari te whenua kia whakaora ai i te tangata.

A tribute to the atua Papatūānuku and the wāhine associated with the work of Sawmill Workers Against Poisons. Trauma on whakapapa and wāhine Māori through pentachlorophenol and dioxin contamination of whenua and waterways in Ngāti Awa.

MARAMA HARAWIRA-COOK

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Rangataua, Te Patuwai

Te māra teiria o tōku kuia a Te Awhiahua

Ka hoki ngā mahara ki te wā e tamariki ana ahau. I rongo au i te mahana o ngā kara o ngā putiputi, ka hiki, ka rere ōku whakaaro ki wāhi kē.

Childhood memories inspired by my grandmother’s dahlia garden on Rewatu Road, Poroporo. The bursting warmth of colour as a continuum of high frequency energy to arrive at a place of limitless potential.

RIPEKA MARTIN

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Hokopū, Wharepaia

Te Māra Tautāne

E ai ki ngā tikanga Ringatū, ko te putanga mai o Rehua, o Matariki, he tohu hei whakarite i te māra tautāne.

According to Ringatū tikanga, the rising of Matariki signalled the time for the planting of te māra tautāne and was dedicated to ngā atua. It was a task that was carried out by a rangatira or tohunga skilled in Ringatū tikanga. The māra tapu or māra tautāne (containing kōpara or seedling kūmara) was planted in a wāhi tapu where it was left undisturbed.

KAHUI MARTIN

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Hokopū, Wharepaia

Te Puku Riri

Te kitenga atu e Te Tahi-o-Te-Rangi kua whakarerea ia e tōnā iwi, ka pupū ake te riri, pērā ki te tahepuia e koropupū ana. Ko tāna he rapu huarahi kia hoki ora ai ia ki te kainga. Tōnā taenga atu, mōhio tonu tana iwi kua raru rātou. Ka tino whakamā rātou mahi nanakia, ā, ka puta te whakatauāki; “Waiho mā te whakamā e patu”.

Although seeming dormant, an active volcano produces hot lava deep within its depths. Similarly, when Te Tahi o Te Rangi discovered that he had been duped by the treachery of his people, the anger in his belly drove him to find a way to exact revenge. This he achieved and his people were highly ashamed of their dastardly deed, arā, ka “Waiho mā te whakamā e patu.”

KAHUI MARTIN

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Hokopū, Wharepaia

Hauhake tū, ka tō Matariki

Hei ngā mārama o Māehe ki Aperira me hauhake i te kai. E mahana tonu a Papatuānuku, ā, kāore anō kia tō a Matariki. Hei te Hune, hei te Hūrae rānei ka puta anō a Matariki, ā, koinei te wā hei whakarite pārekereke kōpura.

Harvesting of kūmara is best completed around March to April, when the ground is still warm, and prior to the setting of Matariki. When Matariki rises again in late June or early July, preparation of the earth for kūmara seeds commences.

KAHUI MARTIN

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Hokopū, Wharepaia

Nōku tōku mana

Kei ia tangata tōnā ake mana. He mana tō te tane, he mana anō tō te wahine. He tane, he wahine kei ia taha o tēnei pikitia. E whakaatu ana a waenganui o te pikitia he tirohanga kē. Ahakoa pēhea te huri o te ao, ka mau tonu te wahine ki tōnā ake mana.

The complementary roles of male and female in traditional Māori society are depicted by the figures on the left and right sides of the painting. The central designs denote the changing roles of Māori women – He mana tō te wahine - in contemporary society.

PAORA PAULINE MARTIN

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Hokopū, Wharepaia

Te Wai o Pouahu

He mana tō te wahine. He mihi tēnei ki te tīpuna a Pouahu me tōnā kaha ki te tiaki i taku whānau me taku hāpori.

This piece recognises the life giving and nurturing waters of Pouahu. These waters provide the means for my community to survive and thrive. In teaching my tamariki to value and respect Te Wai o Pouahu it also teaches them to acknowledge and value contributions that derive from Te Mana o Te Wāhine.

PAORA PAULINE MARTIN

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Hokopū, Wharepaia

Pouhine

Ko tēnei kete hai whakanui i te mana o te wahine. Ko tā te tāne he poutama. He whakamiha hoki tēnei ki a Hine-te-iwaiwa me Te Whare Pora.

This kete acknowledges and honours the unique aptitudes of women, including nurturing, intelligence, and creativity. It recognises te Mana o te Wāhine and the importance of Hine-te-Iwaiwa in establishing Te Whare Pora.

PAORA PAULINE MARTIN

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāti Hokopū, Wharepaia

Kōhinemōtu

He whakamiha tēnei kākahu ki tōku tīpuna wahine ki a Kōhinemōtu. Koia tētahi o ngā kaitiaki o te puna kahawai ki Mōtu. I a ia tōnu tōna ake mana motuhake.

This piece was developed to honour one of my |tīpuna wahine Kōhinemōtu, a kaitiaki of the puna kahawai in the Mōtu. Living in a remote coastal hapū, my whānau was reliant on the environment andTangaroa to provide much of our kai. This ākahu pays tribute to Te Mana o Tēnei Wahine a Kōhinemōtu.

NOTI D BELSHAW

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Tamawera, Te Pahipoto, Te Tāwera, Wharepaia

Waka: Mataatua, Takitimu, Te Arawa, Tainui, Horouta

TeRirioteatua/ThewrathofWhakaari

Ka whakatakariri i a Whakaari ki te hunga kūare i māhue mai ai i a Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi kia kore ai iakia hoki mai me te ora mai.

Whakaari expresses her deep displeasure at the subterfuge that led to tōhunga Te Tahi-o-te Rangi being stranded on Whakaari and left to die.

NOTI D BELSHAW

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Tamawera, Te Pahipoto, Te Tāwera, Wharepaia Waka: Mataatua, Takitimu, Te Arawa, Tainui, Horouta

Hine-te-Iwaiwa - He tino mana tō tēnei wahine

He wāhine atua rongonui i a Hine-te-Iwaiwa. I mua i te taenga mai o tauiwi, i mohio whānuitia e te iwi Poronīhia Rāwhiti, e te iwi Māori anō ki a ia. He nui ōnā mana me ōnā pūkenga i te whakawhānau pēpi, te māramataka, te mahi toi me āna karakia.

Ki a au anō, orite ētahi ōnā āhuatanga i tōku māmā. Me kī he wahine mōhio, he hūmarie, he mateoha, he atawhai tangata tōkū māmā. Ko ia me tōku pāpā te kura o taku ahi.

Hine-te-Iwaiwa is a prominent atua wahine from pre-colonial Māori society. Well known in Eastern Polynesia and Aotearoa, in relation to pro-creation, lunar cycle, various artforms and their associated karakia.

Hine-te-iwaiwa is dedicated to my mother who to me exemplified some of her traits, including her gentle nature, profound teachings, unconditional love and humility.

NOTI D BELSHAW

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Tamawera, Te Pahipoto, Te Tāwera, Wharepaia Waka: Mataatua, Takitimu, Te Arawa, Tainui, Horouta

Muriwai aka Murivai

E ai ki ngā kōrero, i whānau mai a Murivai i Poronēhia Rāwhiti. Ko tōnā ingoa nō te wai e rere ana i muri atu i tōnā kainga. Ko te kī hoki, he nui ōnā pūkenga, ōnā mana hoki.

Ko ia te kaitiaki o te mauri o te waka i te wā i whakawhitia mai ai ia mē ōnā whānau whānui i runga i a Mataatua ki Aotearoa.

He mana nui tō tēnei wāhine.

According to tradition Muriwai also known as Murivai was born in Eastern Polynesia and was named after a watercourse that ran behind her village. She is reputed to have been among other things, a kaikarakia who had the responsibility of kaitiaki o te mauri on board the Mataatua waka, that brought herself, her siblings and other descendants to Aotearoa.

NOTI D BELSHAW

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Tamawera, Te Pahipoto, Te Tāwera, Wharepaia Waka: Mataatua, Takitimu, Te Arawa, Tainui, Horouta

Pūkiore

E ai ki ngā kōrero tuku iho, ko ēnei āhuatanga hoahoa e pā ana ki a Ranginui rāua ko Papatuānuku, ki ngā wāhine me ngā tāne, ki ngā ngakaupai me te ngā ngakaukino rānei.

Kua panonihia e tauiwi ngā mahi i mahia e ngā wāhine Māori kia whakaiti iho a rātau mana, kia rite ai ki a rātau tiro ā-tauiwi ki tōnā ake ao.

Ko tēnei pūkiore e whakaatu ana, ki te mahi tahi ngā wāhine me ngā Tāne, ngā tangata nō iwi kē, tērā pea ka whai ora ai te whārite me te reretau a tāngata.

These traditional design elements often symbolise Ranginui and Papatuānuku, women and men and positive & negative. The traditional roles of wāhine were re-cast and relegated to passive roles to suit what non-Māori believed was acceptable according to their worldview.

This panel represents the balance or harmony that can be achieved by wāhine and tāne standing side by side and the same with other cultures rather than one being the dominant factor.

TE A MATEHAERE

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Te Patuwai, Ngāti Pūkeko

Waka: Mataatua, Tainui, Te Arawa

Whare Tāngata

Ko tēnei huinga pua e whakaatu ana i te aho o te whare tāngata ki a Papatūānuku.

Floristry that expresses the connection of the whare tāngata to Papatūānuku.

NGARO WIKEEPA

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Te Patuwai, Ngāti Maumoana, Ngāi Tamapare

Whakapapa

He tino mana te whakawhānautanga o te pēpi. E ai ki te ao Māori titiro, e toru ngā mahinga, mai i te kūkunetanga ki te whānautanga mai. Ko te aho te mātauranga pītau ira.

Te mana o te wāhine lies in the birthing process. This work is based on the three states of existence i roto i te Ao Māori. The muka whenu is the DNA.

Te Kore = kauae = wāhine

Te Pō = Hei tiki = Kūkune

Te Ao Mārama = Taniko Pattern = Whakapapa

Tīhei Mauri ora ki te whei ao. Ka kore te wāhine, ka kore to whakapapa.

TE A MATEHAERE AND NGARO WIKEEPA

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Te Patuwai, Ngāti Pūkeko, Ngāti Maumoana, Ngāi Tamapare Waka: Mataatua

Wairuatanga

Ko te manako ko te mahitahi nei, e whakaatu ana i te haerenga o Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi i muri mai i tana mahuenga i Whakaari me tana whakawhitinga ki tuawhenua i runga i a Tūtarakauika.

E toru ngā wāhanga, ko Whakaari, ko Tūtarakauika, ko Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi; ko te tāmoko tēnā. Ko te ārai te puha o Tūtarakauika, Kei roto rātau katoa i te ao wairua.

This collaboration attempts to follow the journey of Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi after his abandonment on Whakaari and his ultimate return on the taniwhā Tūtarakauika.

Three main elements are Whakaari, Tūtarakauika and Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi represented as a tā moko.

The white veil in the foreground represents the waterspout of Tūtarakauika and is an attempt to place the whole picture into the realm of wairuatanga.

AGNES MCFARLAND

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Taiwhakaea

Ngā Mata ariki o Tāwhirimātea

E hangai pū ana ki a Matariki, ā, me ngā kōrero e pā ana kia Hinepūtehue, nānā i kapo i te hau o Tāwhirimātea ki roto i ngā tāhā, i te wā e pukuriri ana ia mō te wehenga a ōna mātua. I tīkarohia e ia ōna whatu ka whiua ki te rangi e mōhio whānuitia nei ko Ngā Mata ariki o Tāwhirimātea. I muri mai ka noho kāpō ia, i roto i tēneki Toi auaha e mau ana ia i te Kākahu Pekapeka. I whakaatu ana koia te Tangata Pekapeka o te ao Māori.

Focuses on Matariki and how Hinepūtehue captured the wind of āwhirimātea into gourds during his time of rage after the separation of his parents. He plucked his eyes out and they are known today as Ngā mata ariki o Tāwhirimātea. After this incident he became blind. In this piece he is wearing a cloak of pekapeka (bats). I guess you could call him the Māori Batman.

AGNES MCFARLAND

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Taiwhakaea

Toitū te whare o Hinenuitepō

E hāngai pū ana ki te kaupapa o te mana o te wahine. I whakaatu ana i a Maui e kōnihi atu ana ki te whare tangata o Hinenuitepō, he mokomoko tōna ata.

Toitū te whare o Hinenuitepō based on the mana wāhine theme. It depicts Maui entering the whare tangata of Hinenuitepō as a lizard.

AGNES MCFARLAND

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Taiwhakaea

Mahuika

Ko Mahuika te atua o te ahi, hāngai pū ana ki te kaupapa o te mana o te wahine, ā, me ngā mahi tinihanga ā-Maui.

Mahuika the goddess of fire is focused around the mana wāhine theme and how Maui betrayed her.

AGNES MCFARLAND

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Taiwhakaea

Te Wehenga o Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku

E hāngai pū ana ki te kaupapa o te mana wahine. Te wehenga o Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku nā o rāua tama. E whakaatu ana ki tēneki tikanga e mōhiotia nei ko te poroporoaki.

Te Wehenga is based around the mana wāhine theme. The separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku by their sons. It portrays the tikanga known as poroporoakī.

LILA TE KANI

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngā Maihi, Tuariki

Ko au te maunga, ko te maunga ko au Pūtauaki Tū Mai Rā

Also of Ngāi Te Rangi descent, I was born to my parents Korinthia Te Kani and Maluafou Vagana (Samoan). My mother married Solomon Maaka in the 80s and although he would raise me as his own, I struggled immensely with my identity from an adolescent up until my late 40s. Experience has shown me that as a whangai, relationships aren’t always ‘accepting’ of your place, and it is not uncommon. I was not one of the ‘chosen’ to connect whanau or iwi. I was one of the unchosen who had no control over one’s destiny (but that’s another story). The struggle was such that I had to undertake counselling and therapy. It was a journey that entailed the discovery of my true self, where I belonged and whom I belonged to.

When I see or remember my maunga, it is the cue that reverts me back to the person I was as a child. My father visited Onepū frequently, so I spent a lot of time playing and working in his Pūtauaki presence. Pūtauaki reminds me of the whenua I played upon and the people I shared my time with. He reminds me of my nanny who filled the kitchen with the smell of fresh Māori bread every evening. He reminds me of playing bullrush on the atea of Hāhuru with the many cuzzies that for reasons I now have a distant connection with. He reminds me of my connection with my first love. He reminds me of my youth, my responsibilities to my whanau growing up on the marae. He reminds me that my children and mokopuna belong to him too. This mahi toi of Pūtauaki embellished with Ranginui and Papatuānuku is the first of a series that will depict Pūtauaki at different angles, because Pūtauaki is a reminder that no matter where I am in this world, no matter how I see him (physically or spiritually), he will always be a part of my identity. Pūtauaki has empowered me to take control of my own life and choose who I belong to.

MIHIHEA RUA

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Warahoe

Mahuika

Ko Mahuika tētahi wahine atua o te ao tawhito e kākahutia ana e tōna mana. Ko Mahuika te atua o te ahi, nāna i kawe te ahi ki te ao tūroa. Ko tētahi whakaaturanga ō Auahi-roa (he auahitūroa) i moe i a Mahuika – te atua o te ahi me te kuia ō Māui. Ko ā rāua tamariki ngā matimati ahi ō Mahuika. Mahuika deity of the ancient world holds a power that cloaks her.

Mahuika was known as the goddess of fire who brought fire to the world. One version of Auahi-roa (a comet) married Mahuika – goddess of fire and the grandmother of Māui. Their children were the fingernails of fire on Mahuika’s hand.

MIHIHEA RUA

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Warahoe

TĀNE-NUI-Ā-RANGI

I whakatūhia tēnei whare-tīpuna ka tāpaina kia Tāne-nui-ā-rangi. Kai Maungapōhatu tënei wharenui i te ururuatanga ō Te Urewera. E whakamahia ana a Tāne-nui-ā-rangi i tēnei wā, mai anō i te wā o mua, te wāhanga o te kauhanganui ō te whare hei wāhi kai. Ko te kai, te kai whakanoa i te tāngata. Ko ngā tokorua nei a Te Kooti me Rua Kēnana he poropiti. Ko Te Kooti ki te haahi Ringatū, Ko Rua Kēnana ki ngā Toenga a Iharaia. Ngā Tāne-nui-ā-rangi i wehe i ōna mātua a Ranginui rāua ko Pāpātūanuku ka kitea te ao mārama e ngā tamariki kātoa.

Piripono ngā pūrakau mō Matariki me Tāne-nui-a rangi. Mauri Ora!

A long-established whare tīpuna (meeting house) with a more traditional name, Tāne Nui a Rangi (Great Tāne of the Heavens). This wharenui is at the sacred mountain Maungapōhatu deep in Te Urewera. Tāne-nui-āRangi is used today as well in the past as a communal dining room where food is permitted. This practice is a direct contradiction to the majority of Māori practice. Food disposes of noa (void of freedom) that which is tapu (sacred). Te Kooti Turuki established the ideology of mana motuhake and Rua Kenana’s physical manifestation of mana motuhake through establishing the Māori Parliament. Both were uprising prophetic leaders. The use of the uprising of the right hand (Ringatū) is the focal point of this triptych. A demonstrated and a juxtaposition of both Ringatū and Iharaia (Israelites). Tāne-Nui-ā-Rangi also approved with the separation of Rangi-nui and Papa-tū-ā-nuku permitting, te ao marama (light) would shine through on their children. He is also known to have ascended to Te Toi-o-ngā-rangi to retrieve the three kete (baskets) of knowledge. Matariki was implanted and juxtaposed within Tāne-Nui-a Rangi and the traditional ideologies.

CARLA TUTUA

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Taiwhakaea

Princess Wairaka

This work serves as a powerful reminder of the profound courage and strength that women possess. Adjusting her cultural framing as a woman to utter the words, “Ki a Whakatāne au i ahau”. Through her actions she has inspired her descendants to seek knowledge through Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiarangi for personal growth, positive change and awakening. Through moko kauae the bloodlines that flow carry whakapapa, tikanga and mana onto our next generation.

CARLA TUTUA

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Taiwhakaea

Jacinda Ardern

This painting demonstrates the exceptional strength and leadership as Prime Minister of New Zealand in response to the mosque shootings that took place in Ōtautahi, March 2019. This piece places emphasis on kotahitanga and manaakitanga, extending compassion and āwhina to the families of grieving Muslim families. Kia kotahi tātou.

CARLA TUTUA

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Taiwhakaea

Matariki

This piece acknowledges the memory of loved ones whose spirits have risen to find their place among the stars. To give thanks to our gods and to appreciate the physical and spiritual connection of Rangi and Papa who were forced apart by Tāne Mahuta after defeating his brother Tāwhirimātea, who, in his anger and pain of losing, crushed his eyes and threw them to the universe, creating the Matariki clusters.

CARLA TUTUA

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Taiwhakaea

Kiwi foraging underneath the Matariki sky

Inspired by childhood memories of those extraordinarily clear Matariki starry nights where we would head to the far end of the Heads with blankets, make a fire and stargaze while our father would regale his version of legends of the lands from our rohe. He told us to listen very hard and if we were lucky we could hear kiwi calling while foraging for food at the foothills near Kōhī point. A very rare occurrence.

LEAH PAUL

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Taiwhakaea, Ngāti Pūkeko and Ngāti Hikakino

Te hā o Hine-ahu-one

E ai ki nga korero o te Māori, ko Hine-ahu-one te timatanga o te ira tangata. Ko tōnā orokohanga nō ngā hiahia i puta i nga tamariki (Atua) o Ranginui raua ko Papatuānuku. Ko Tane-nui-a-rangi te tuakana o nga atua, nānā i rapu i te uku i Kurawaka hei waihangatia he wharetanga. Ka hanga e ia te ahua o te wahine, ka ūhia e Tane tōnā mauri ki roto i te oneone, tīhei mauri ora. Ka ora mai a Hine-ahu-one ki te whai ao ki te ao mārama.

Koia ko te ira tangata, Ko Hine-ahu-one he tohu manawanui ki te wahine. Whakatauki - Me aro koe ki te hā o Hine-ahu-one (Pay heed to the mana of woman).

Hine-ahu-one in Māori pūrakau is said to be the first human being. She was made by the gods (the children of Rangi & Papa). After they separated from their parents, they were unable to procreate. Coming into the light gave them the knowledge of how they came to be. So wanting to have the same relations as their parents and being able to have their own woman, the brothers decided to approach their mother, who told Tane where to go to form a woman. She was formed by the gods from the red clay at Kurawaka, known as the sacred bleeding place of Papatuānuku, and given the breath of life from Tane the eldest child. Having the DNA of the Atua, she became all knowing, carrying the essence of Papatuānuku, able to love, procreate and nurture all living things.

So we Māori attribute te mana wahine, the power of woman, as coming from Hine-ahu-one. Whakatauki – Me aro koe ki te ha o Hine-ahu-one (Pay heed to the mana of woman).

LEAH PAUL

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngāi Taiwhakaea, Ngāti Pūkeko and Ngāti Hikakino

Te Wairua o Te Tahi (Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi)

This depiction of Te Tahi O Te Rangi, Ngāti Awa’s Tōhunga rongonui, shows his wairua/spirit residing in the waters of Whakatāne. His hair made from ngā ika, representing his communion with the fish in our oceans, his beard depicted from ngā tuna i roto i te awa, (the eels in the river), which you can see stand up in the sand bars at different times of the year. All who know the story of Te Tahi, know that he has the power to keep you safe while at sea.

RONN KUPA

Ngāti Awa Hapū: Ngati Hamua, Ngā Maihi

Mana wahine