Tohu Whakatipu

This exhibition unpacks some of the ways we describe our past using visual languages grounded in the present and the future. Symbols can offer us an access point or a way to interpret things we don’t understand. For Māori a tohu is not only a sign or emblem; it can also act as a set of directions or wayfinders that allows us to navigate through the complexities of contemporary life. 

Tohu Whakatipu explores the unique symbolism and visual languages of three of Aotearoa’s most exciting Māori artists. Lonnie Hutchinson, Kaaterina Kerekere and Rangi Kipa. Each artist has developed their own coding to talk about their relationships with tūpuna, whenua and rongoā. These narratives are told using new technologies and innovative adaptions of traditional forms such as kōwhaiwhai, whakairo rākau and mōteatea.

“Māori art and design are one of the key identifiers of our cultural identity and heritage. The icons, motifs and stories are unique to our whānau, hapū and iwi.”- Kaaterina Kerekere

In Tohu Whakatipu ideas of wellbeing and connection take centre stage. Whether it is through whakapapa, rongoā or the reimagining of traditional forms, each of the works in the exhibition acts as a link between past, present and future.

"Our art forms are languages and play a fundamental role in the transmission of our knowledge systems and our identity.”- Rangi Kipa

In Te Aka, the online Māori dictionary, a tohu is described as a “sign, mark, symbol, emblem, token [...] landmark, distinguishing feature, signature”1. This definition reflects the certainty and pragmatism we need in a modern world, but does not fully articulate the depth of this kupu’s meaning - as it can also relate to the notion of preserving something of importance, saving a life or offering guidance and advice during a time of need.

It would be difficult not to think of this moment in global history as that “time of need”. A pandemic that has crippled the world’s economies, closed down major cities like London, New York and Beijing, and resulted in millions of deaths world-wide is a catalyst that provides considerable perspective and reshapes some of the priorities we have held onto for decades. Things that we took for granted, including freedom of movement, access to our loved ones, wealth, food supply and health have been severely impacted, but the situation also allowed us the time and space to re-order what was most important in our lives.

Alongside impositions on our social, economic and cultural independence has come a growing awareness of the climate crisis on the horizon - like a slowly moving tsunami ready to engulf us. The Māori land rights and sovereignty movements have gained new urgency as our whenua, waterways and natural resources show the cumulative effects of decades of neglect and abuse. With this in mind the exhibition Tohu Whakatipu sets out to unpack some of the ways we describe the issues that are top of mind for those struggling to re-orientate in a world turned upside down, and looking for a new pathway into the future.

Explored in the exhibition is the unique symbolism employed by three contemporary Māori artists; Lonnie Hutchinson, Rangi Kipa and Kaaterina Kerekere. Each artist has developed their own coding to talk about their relationships with tūpuna, whenua and rongoā. These narratives are told through new technologies and innovative adaptions of traditional forms from our past using visual languages grounded in the present and the future.

Lonnie Hutchinson (Ngāti Kuri ki Ngāi Tahu, Samoan, Scottish, Irish and English) has recently returned to her tūrangawaewae Ōtautahi, Christchurch. As someone who navigates a complex cultural heritage ‘place’ is of great importance in her practice. In 2021 she opened the exhibition Lonnie Hutchinson: Ahu Tīmataka / Trace Elements at Christchurch Art Gallery representing a homecoming of sorts. The show allowed her to explore the relationship between her whenua and rongoā, and reflected the deep sense of healing that can often come from reinserting yourself into a familiar environment after many years away. For the exhibition she created a new series of works including Becoming Sound (2021) also featured in Tohu Whakatipu. The shape of this work is reminiscent of objects that help to transmit sonic vibrations, but in this case the inclusion of the word ‘sound’ in the title refers to notions of completeness or being tika, once again evoking the grounding she experienced from being back in Christchurch. Becoming Sound embodies this principle of being connected, encouraging the transference of positive energy from one place to the other and from one person to another:

“The physical work allows people to interact with one another and transfer their energy within the space through conversation, emotions and actions. The reflective surfaces amplify this energy – tuning and shaping it to increase its restorative power.”2

The body of the cone is made-up of a pierced pattern of kawakawa leaves, that alongside other native plant forms such as the kumara vine, is a motif Hutchinson often uses in her work. For the project in Ōtautahi, kawakawa was also planted outside the gallery to represent the physical and metaphorical healing energy of this potent rongoā, while here in Whāngarei kawakawa is one of the many native plants included in the rooftop garden as specified by Hundertwasser himself. The name kawakawa refers to the bitter taste of the leaves, which is a clue to its use as a remedy for numerous ailments including bruising, rheumatic pains, coughs, colds, chest complaints, infections, kidney issues and insect bites among many others. However, its considerable medicinal qualities sometimes overshadow its spiritual significance. For many Māori, this plant signifies the characteristics of courage, fortitude and resilience and, for some iwi, during tangihanga, kawakawa is worn as a headdress and laid at the foot of the casket. It represents both the gravity of the loss and also the eventual healing of the mamae felt by the mourner.

Te taiao features consistently in Hutchinson’s practice. For a 2011 commission for the newly renovated Auckland Art Gallery, the artist created a series of 12 laser-cut panels entitled Honoa Ki Te Hono Tawhiti: Te Taumata placed as portals between the foyers and the gallery spaces that played the role of physical and spiritual thresholds. Although the work incorporated Hutchinson’s recognisable iconography, including the kumara, it also reasserted a constant in the artist’s relationship with the natural world. This investment in imbuing spaces with symbols that define our inherent link to Papatūānuku is something that Hutchinson returns to time and again.

Another project entitled Beat the Feet (2008) that emphasised this notion was for SCAPE: Christchurch Biennale of Public Art where Hutchinson created a virtual viewing station sited within the Christchurch Anglican Cathedral. This work was staged only a few years before the devastating earthquakes. The work simulated the flood plain landscape once traversed by the Waitaha, Ngāti Mamoe and Ngāi Tahu peoples prior to European settlement in the area3 and attempted to reflect a scenario that was not reliant on the physical structures we have come to see as the typical trappings of human history. When the viewer looked through the apparatus they were presented with a moving panorama of birds, insects and plants all created in Hutchinson’s unique black cutout style – the only concession In Te Aka, the online Māori dictionary, a tohu is described as a “sign, mark, symbol, emblem, token [...] landmark, distinguishing feature, signature”1. This definition reflects the certainty and pragmatism we need in a modern world, but does not fully articulate the depth of this kupu’s meaning - as it can also relate to the notion of preserving something of importance, saving a life or offering guidance and advice during a time of need.

It would be difficult not to think of this moment in global history as that “time of need”. A pandemic that has crippled the world’s economies, closed down major cities like London, New York and Beijing, and resulted in millions of deaths world-wide is a catalyst that provides considerable perspective and reshapes some of the priorities we have held onto for decades. Things that we took for granted, including freedom of movement, access to our loved ones, wealth, food supply and health have been severely impacted, but the situation also allowed us the time and space to re-order what was most important in our lives.

Alongside impositions on our social, economic and cultural independence has come a growing awareness of the climate crisis on the horizon - like a slowly moving tsunami ready to engulf us. The Māori land rights and sovereignty movements have gained new urgency as our whenua, waterways and natural resources show the cumulative effects of decades of neglect and abuse. With this in mind the exhibition Tohu Whakatipu sets out to unpack some of the ways we describe the issues that are top of mind for those struggling to re-orientate in a world turned upside down, and looking for a new pathway into the future.

Explored in the exhibition is the unique symbolism employed by three contemporary Māori artists; Lonnie Hutchinson, Rangi Kipa and Kaaterina Kerekere. Each artist has developed their own coding to talk about their relationships with tūpuna, whenua and rongoā. These narratives are told through new technologies and innovative adaptions of traditional forms from our past using visual languages grounded in the present and the future.

Lonnie Hutchinson (Ngāti Kuri ki Ngāi Tahu, Samoan, Scottish, Irish and English) has recently returned to her tūrangawaewae Ōtautahi, Christchurch. As someone who navigates a complex cultural heritage ‘place’ is of great importance in her practice. In 2021 she opened the exhibition Lonnie Hutchinson: Ahu Tīmataka / Trace Elements at Christchurch Art Gallery representing a homecoming of sorts. The show allowed her to explore the relationship between her whenua and rongoā, and reflected the deep sense of healing that can often come from reinserting yourself into a familiar environment after many years away. For the exhibition she created a new series of works including Becoming Sound (2021) also featured in Tohu Whakatipu. The shape of this work is reminiscent of objects that help to transmit sonic vibrations, but in this case the inclusion of the word ‘sound’ in the title refers to notions of completeness or being tika, once again evoking the grounding she experienced from being back in Christchurch. Becoming Sound embodies this principle of being connected, encouraging the transference of positive energy from one place to the other and from one person to another:

“The physical work allows people to interact with one another and transfer their energy within the space through conversation, emotions and actions. The reflective surfaces amplify this energy – tuning and shaping it to increase its restorative power.”2

The body of the cone is made-up of a pierced pattern of kawakawa leaves, that alongside other native plant forms such as the kumara vine, is a motif Hutchinson often uses in her work. For the project in Ōtautahi, kawakawa was also planted outside the gallery to represent the physical and metaphorical healing energy of this potent rongoā, while here in Whāngarei kawakawa is one of the many native plants included in the rooftop garden as specified by Hundertwasser himself. The name kawakawa refers to the bitter taste of the leaves, which is a clue to its use as a remedy for numerous ailments including bruising, rheumatic pains, coughs, colds, chest complaints, infections, kidney issues and insect bites among many others. However, its considerable medicinal qualities sometimes overshadow its spiritual significance. For many Māori, this plant signifies the characteristics of courage, fortitude and resilience and, for some iwi, during tangihanga, kawakawa is worn as a headdress and laid at the foot of the casket. It represents both the gravity of the loss and also the eventual healing of the mamae felt by the mourner.

Te taiao features consistently in Hutchinson’s practice. For a 2011 commission for the newly renovated Auckland Art Gallery, the artist created a series of 12 laser-cut panels entitled Honoa Ki Te Hono Tawhiti: Te Taumata placed as portals between the foyers and the gallery spaces that played the role of physical and spiritual thresholds. Although the work incorporated Hutchinson’s recognisable iconography, including the kumara, it also reasserted a constant in the artist’s relationship with the natural world. This investment in imbuing spaces with symbols that define our inherent link to Papatūānuku is something that Hutchinson returns to time and again.

Another project entitled Beat the Feet (2008) that emphasised this notion was for SCAPE: Christchurch Biennale of Public Art where Hutchinson created a virtual viewing station sited within the Christchurch Anglican Cathedral. This work was staged only a few years before the devastating earthquakes. The work simulated the flood plain landscape once traversed by the Waitaha, Ngāti Mamoe and Ngāi Tahu peoples prior to European settlement in the area3 and attempted to reflect a scenario that was not reliant on the physical structures we have come to see as the typical trappings of human history. When the viewer looked through the apparatus they were presented with a moving panorama of birds, insects and plants all created in Hutchinson’s unique black cutout style – the only concession suite of exhibitions for the newly constructed Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver. Radiáre was a reimagined whare whakairo that reintroduced the traditional form of a small whānau home, rather than the larger more all-encompassing iwi or hapū whare nui. Using new approaches to materials, colour, and design to reference Kipa’s whakapapa and whānau narratives he wanted to challenge New Zealanders’, and, in particular, Māori understandings of traditional practices and art forms. For this work Kipa created his first parata to replace the whare upoko form, which sits at the apex of the roof. This lime green prow form sported lightly incised tā moko and the word ‘ao’, which among other meanings refers to the Māori concepts of daylight, the world and a newly emerging bud. This one, seemingly small, aspect of the impressively scaled Radiáre aimed to guide the way literally and conceptually both for Kipa and his practice and for Māori to hold ground and find their place in the world.7

More recently Kipa has worked on the redevelopment of the New Plymouth airport. The airport is sited on whenua formerly inhabited by the Puketapu hāpu of Te Ātiawa and was acquired by the City of New Plymouth in 1964 under the Public Works Act for use as an aerodrome. The total acquisition, along with this block, was around 478 acres and included 128 acres of Māori freehold land. This loss of ancestral lands was the source of considerable pain for the hapū and iwi and formed part of a Treaty of Waitangi claim. Through negotiation and agreement, the hapū were invited to be a partner in the airport project. Their input included contributing to the overarching conceptual premise for the airport’s design and responsibility for the cultural narrative represented in and around the building. Kipa led the artistic design team.

The primary historical narrative that was embodied by the redevelopment was that of the tūpuna Tamarau-te-heketanga-a-rangi, a son of Ranginui and Papatūānuku, who is said to have come down from the heavens after seeing the maiden Rongo-ue-roa bathing in the Waiongana River. From their union came Awanui-a-rangi whose descendants are known as Ko Te Ātiawa no Tunga i Te Rangi (Te Ātiawa descended from the heavens above). As well as being reflected in the building design and orientation this whakapapa was also communicated through other components including the pare above the doorways entering the airport. Kipa had come across an unusual pare held in the collections of Te Papa Tongarewa. The pare was found near the site of the current New Plymouth airport and Kipa was keen to explore the unique style, shape, and form of this taonga tāwhito and in particular the distinctive mata form seen in the Tohu Whakatipu works Mata (Yellow) and Mata (Black) from 2021. This series reiterates the unbreakable connection between whakapapa and the whenua that weaves itself consistently through Kipa’s practice, reasserting the need for us to take heed of the lessons of the past so generations to come can consider a bright future.

This can also be said of the pivotal work Takuahiroa (2019) by Kaaterina Kerekere (Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Rangitane and Ngāi Tahu). Fusing Māori concepts and traditions with a contemporary design aesthetic and digital technology, Kerekere has created her own visual language to explore themes of whakapapa and mātauranga tāwhito.

Based in Ūawa, Tolaga Bay, Kerekere has a deep understanding of the need to reference the past in order to establish a way to navigate the future. This work directly references Te Whare Wānanga o Te Rāwheoro once located at Takuahiroa. Whare wānanga were sites of learning and for the sharing of knowledge, and often required participants to be fully immersed in studying karakia, whakapapa and mātauranga related to tapu ceremonies and rituals. Kerekere also refers in her work to another important area of learning within the whare wānanga called ‘Ka Tipu te Whaihanga’ which relates to the ability to creatively interpret and narrate concepts as well as the capability to be innovative in the way you thought, retained and processed knowledge.

Takuahiroa utilises animated graphic motifs to highlight the loss of knowledge for Kerekere’s hapū Ngāti Patuwhare and Te Whānau a Te Aotata and to encourage people to stay connected to their papakāinga and whānau.The audio of this work is a mōteatea and whakapapa combined, naming the artist’s lineage in a way that is both about holding on to something that might be lost and also a claiming of connection and solidarity. The soft recitation of each tūpuna that fills the space is repeated visually in words and imagery on the screen reinforcing these profound relationships. Kerekere refers to this as oro – “the echoing and resounding of verse and imagery, connecting oneself and imbuing a sense of presence.” 8

This work was created as part of the artist’s Master of Professional Creative Practice for EIT Tairāwhiti. It explores the representation of an intellectual whakairo practice that combines oral histories with a visual language drawing on artforms such as whakairo rākau and kōwhaiwhai. One of the most striking approaches Kerekere has employed in this work is the interpretation of the computer circuit board motif to represent the connections and relationships of whakapapa. However, as Dr Wayne Ngata suggests, there are other readings that have equal significance for Māori:

“The line, string or cord. In connection with whakapapa, this is a figure that would naturally occur to people who are weavers, net and cord makers, the people who gather fish[...]“The string was the aho or kaha. The act of tracing it along in memory was “taki”, and of lifting it “hapai”.9

Although it is a digital and audio presentation Takuahiroa acts as a tangible connection for Kerekere to her papakāinga and her ambition of capturing her whānau’s ancestral knowledge before it disappears. She is conscious that her return to her tūrangawaewae has highlighted the need to not only learn and share knowledge but also to awhi and support the people she has returned to. Her work in the community and for her whānau takes precedence over her art practice and design studio, and she is implicitly aware of the need to support their wellbeing and health before her own career aspirations. In some ways Takuahiroa is part of this process as it signals a forward trajectory while acknowledging the people, places and events from the past that are essential in defining our present.

The three artists in Tohu Whakatipu, while individual in their approaches, are linked by a shared ambition for the future that is grounded in connection to tūpuna and to the places that embody that connection. Whether through their artworks in this exhibition, or those they have made throughout their careers, it is clear that the artists share a collective need to define a path forward that is about whānau, whenua and waiora. The tohu they have created are not only signs or emblems; they are a set of guiding principles that offer alternative ways to navigate the complexities of contemporary life in a time of need.

Karl Chitham

Endnotes

1 https://maoridictionary.co.nz/

2 In conversation with the artist. February 2022

3 In conversation with the artist. June 2013

4 Linda Tyler, Casting Shadows in Lonnie Hutchinson: Black Bird. Centre for Art Studies, University of Auckland, Auckland, 2015, Pg 25.

5 Stephenie Oberg, Ahu Timataka/Trace Elements in Marinade: Aotearoa Journal of Moana Art. Ioana Gordon-Smith and Lana Lopesi, Tāmaki Makaurau, 2022, Issue 1, Pg 112.

6 Mike Ross, The Throat of Parata in Imagining Decolonisation. Bridget Williams Books Ltd, Wellington, 2020, Pg 21.

7 This essay includes re-worked excerpts from a self-published article by this author Back to the Future: Notes on recent works by Rangi Kipa. 2007.

8 Kaaterina Kerekere, Exhibition Exposition Notes. Te Hono ki Toi (Poutiriao) Master of Professional Creative Practice EIT Tairāwhiti, July 2019.

9 Ibid

Ki roto i a Te Aka, te papakupu Māori tui hono, ko te tikanga o te kupu tohu hei ko tāna, “he tohu, he mātohu, he waitohu, he ariā, he kōtua, he whakaumu, he whaitohu, he mokotā”1. Ko te tautuhi ka whakaatu i te āpaiānga me te haratau ka hiahiatia ki te ao hurihuri engari ka kore e taea katoatia te whakahuahua i te hohonutanga o te tikanga o taua kupu- inā ka taea anō hoki te whāki i te āhua o te ariā rokiroki i tētahi mea whakahirahira, te penapena i te kaiao, te tohatoha āwhina me te hoatu whakaarero ki te wā hiahiatia.

He mea pakeke kia kaua e whakaaro mō tēnei wā ki roto i te hitōria ā Tai Ao hei “Wā o te hiahia”. He mate urutā kua whakahauātia ngā ohaoha ā tai ao, kua aukatihia ngā taone matua pērā i a Rānana, Niu York me Beijing, me te hua mai i ngā matemate miriona puta noa i te ao whānui hei whakapuaki i ngā tino wānanga whakaahua hou i ētahi o ngā tikanga matua kua pupuritia roatia e tātou mō ngā tekau tau. Ko ngā mea i whakaaro noa ihotia, kohi katoatia ki te wātea o te korikori, te whai take ki o tātou ka arohainatia, te whai moni, te whai kai, ā, kua tino tāmītia engari nā taua i whakapuaki ake he wā me te wāhi kia whakatikatika i ngā mea ngākau nui ki o tātou koiora.

Haere ngātahi ana ki ngā pepēhitanga ki te rangatiratanga mō te pāpori, te ohaoha me te ahurea ko te tupu whakahoro ake o te mārama ki te mōrearea ahurangi kei te taha tū o te rangi, he pērā i te mūmū, āta haere nei me te whakatika kia horomi i a tātou. Ngā tikanga whenua Māori me ngā nekeneke tino rangatiratanga kua whiwhi kōhukihuki hou i te wā ko o tātou whenua, rerenga wai me ngā rawa māori ka whakatohu i te whiwhinga katoatanga o ngā tekau tau o te whakangongo me te tūkino. I a te whakapū aketanga whakaaturanga ki te hinengaro i a Tohu Whakatipu, ko tāna hei whakangita i ētahi ara hei whāki i ngā kaupapa kei te uru o rae mō te hunga e pakanga ana kia whakataurite ki roto i te ao kua huri kōaro, ā, e rapu ana i te ara hou ki te apōpōtanga.

Ka totorotia ki roto i te whakaaturanga te whakatohu tūturu ka raweketia e ēnei ringa toi o ōnaianei; i a Lonnie Hutchinson, i a Rangi Kipa me Kaaterina Kerekere. Ko ia ringa toi kua waihanga i tōna ake raupapa hei whakawaha i tā rātou whanaungatanga ki ngā tūpuna, te whenua me ngā rongoa. Ko ēnei tukunga kōrero mā roto i ngā hangarau hou me ngā whakapuakitanga whakawhiwhi āhua tūturu mai i tō tātou inanahitanga ka kawea e ngā reo ā kanohi kua whārikitia ki tō tātou ōnaianeitanga me te apōpōtanga.

Ko Lonnie Hutchinson (Ngāti Kuri ki Ngāi Tahu, Hāmoa, Kōtimana, Airihi me te Ingarihi) katahi anō kia hoki ki tōna tūrangawaewae ki Ōtautahi, Te Wai Pounamu. Hei a ia tētahi kai totoro ki te tāpaenga ahurea, ko te “wāhi” he mea tino whakahirahira ki tōna whakamahi. I 2021 ka whakapuakitia e ia te whakaatūranga ‘Lonnie Hutchinson: Ahu Tīmataka / Trace Elements’ ki te Huarewa Toi o Ōtautahi, hei tūmomo hokinga kāinga. Nā te whakaatūranga i totoro te whanaungatanga wawaenga i tōna whenua me te rongoa, ā, ka whakatohu i te āhua hohonu o te whakaoraora ka putaputa tonu i tōu whītikitanga anō i a koe ki te whenua whakatupu kua mahue mō ngā tau maha. Mō te whakaaturanga i ringaringatia e ia he raupapatanga mahi hou Becoming Sound (2021) ka whakaatūria anō hoki ki roto i a Tohu Whakatipu. Ko te whakaahua o tēnei mahi he maumaharatanga o ngā mōhaketanga ka āwhina i te whakawhitiwhiti ihirangaranga engari ki tēnei take ko te ngātahitanga o te kupu ‘oro’ ki te ingoa he mea whakatohu i te āta wairua o te katoatoatanga o te whakatika, hei whakahau anō hoki i te whārikitanga i whēakotia e ia i tōna hokinga mai ki Ōtautahi. Ko Becoming Sound ka whakatinana i tēnei tikanga i te tūhonohonotanga, e whakahau ana i te whakawhitiwhitinga o ngā hihiri papai mai i tētahi whenua ki tētahi atu, mai i tētahi tangata ki tētahi atu.

Ko ngā mahinga ā ringa ka whakaahei i te tangata kia kōrerorero tahi ki tētahi me te whakawhitiwhiti i o rātou hihiri ki roto i o te wāhi mā roto i te kōrerorero, ngā kare-ā-roto me ngā nekenekehanga. Ko ngā papa ataata ka tino whakakaha ake i te hihiri- kia orotau me te whakaahua kia kaha ake tōna mana whakaoraora.2

Ko te tinana o te koeko ka hangaia i te tohu oka rau kawakawa, haere tahi noa i ētahi ake momo rau taketake pērā i te aka kumara, he tohu ka whakamahitia haere noatia e Hutchinson ki roto i āna mahi. Mō te kaupapa ki Ōtautahi, ka whakatōkia he kawakawa ki waho i te huarewa hei whakaahua i te ā tinanatanga me te kupu whakaritenga o tēnei tino rongoa, i te wā ki Whangarei, ko te kawakawa tētahi o ngā rau taketake tinitini ka whaktō tahitia ki te maara rā runga ki te tuanui i whakaritea e Hundertwasser tonu. Ko te ingoa kawakawa ka whakatohu i te tino kawa o te rongo o ngā rau, he tīwhiri ki tōna mahi hei rongoa mō ngā mate maha, kohi katoa mai te kōmekemeke, te mamae rūmātiki, te maremare, te rewharewha, ngā mate uma, ngā whakapoke, ngā mate ate whatukuhu, ngā ngaunga mū me te maha ake. Engari ko tōna tino kounga rongoa ka taumarumaru i tōna mana wairua. Mō te Māori maha, ko te rau ka whakatohu i ngā tūāhuatanga o te maia, te pūkeke me te manawaroa, ā, ki ētahi iwi i te wā o te tangihanga ko te kawakawa ka kuhuna hei pare ka whakatakotōria ki te wae pouaka o te tūpāpaku. He whakatohu tēnei mō te ngau o te mamae me te whakaoranga ake a tōna wā o te mamae ka kāingia e te kaitangi.

Ko te taiao ka whakatohu haere noa ki ngā mahi a Hutchinson. Ki tētahi i 2011, mō te whakatikatika hou o Te Huarewa Toi o Tāmaki Mākaurau, ka hangatia e te ringa toi he potonga taiaho e 12 ka ingoatia ko Honoa Ki Te Hono Tawhiti. Ko Te Taumata ka whakatakotōria hei tomokanga ki waenganui i ngā māhau me ngā tauwāhi o te huarewa i whakatohua ngā ātea ā tinana, ā wairua anō. Ahakoa ka whiwhia e ngā mahi a Hutchinson ngā whakatohu ka mōhiotia, anō rā te kumara, Ka whakautuhia anō te pūmautanga whanaungatanga o te ringa toi ki tōna ao taketake. Tēnei whakangao ki ngā wāhi whai mana mā ngā whakatohu me te whakatūwhera i o tātou whakapapa ki a Papatūānuku he kaupapa hokihoki nā Hutchinson ia wā, ia wā.

Ko tētahi atu kaupapa ko Beat the Feet (2008) tōna ingoa, ka tino whakahau i tēnei tūmomo āhua mō SCAPE: Christchurch Biennale of Public Art, i reira ka hangahia e Hutchinson he anganga taumata tirotiro ka whakatakotōria ki roto i te Whare Matua Mihingare ki Ōtautahi. I whakaatuhia tēnei mahi ki ngā tau torutoru i mua i ngā rū manihi kaiota. I whakaatuhia ngā horanuku whenua mānia waipuke i hōparatia i tōna wā e ngā iwi o Waitaha, Ngāti Māmoe me Ngāi Tahu i mua i te nohoanga o te Pākehā ki tēnei riu, ā, ka whakatohu i tētahi whakaatūranga ka kore e whai tikanga ki ngā tūnga whare kua taunga tātou kia kitekite hei whakaotinga noa nei o te hītōria tangata. Ka titiro te kaimātakitaki mai i te taputapu nei, ka homaingia he anganga nui manumanu, ngārara me te rau i hangatia e Hutchinson ki tōna ake anō huatau tapatapahi pango. Ko te tautukunga noa iho mō te whare i hangaia e ia, ko ngā pou anganga e rua ka tūwhera ki te wā tūturu. Ko tēnei mahi he whakaatūranga matihiko o te ārai ka wewehe i ngā ao kikokiko me te wairua, he kaupapa ka matua te mauri mō Māori me ētahi ake hāpori taketake maha. Ko Linda Tyler ki roto i tana tirohanga ki ngā mahi a Hutchinson ka whakahau, “Ahakoa ka haere mai, kā haere he ātārangi, ko te take matua ka whakamahia he ātārangi kia whakatūria ia hei tohu whakamaumaharatanga, kia taea te mea ngaro te whakatinana, ā, kia maumaharatia”4 Ko ngā mahi pērā i a Beat the Feet, Honoa Ki Te Hono Tawhiti: Te Taumata me Becoming Sound ko ia mahi ka whakatakoto whakatinanatanga tapu o tēnei tūāhua, ka miramiratia tō tātou tauoranga ki roto, ā, hei whakatutukingatanga ki runga i te whenua me te whakahau ko tō tātou māramatanga o te wā me te wāhi he mea rangitahi me te pakeke kia mau pupurihia.

E mōhiotia ana a Hutchinson mō āna mahi ka hangaia i ngā āhua ka tapatapahia i te pepa hangahanga whare bituman mangu me ngā pepapātū tawhito. I a ia e mahi ana ki runga i tētahi atu toi puni ka mārama ia ki ngā āhua whakahē, he mea riterite ki ngā whakaatūranga kua kitea e ia i a ia e toro haere ana ki te tūnga ana rongonui o Takiroa ki Duntroon, Ōtākou ki te raki. Mā roto i tēnei huatau ka hangaia e ia te whakaaturanga Hibiscus Cave (2021), he matarau nui, he toi puni ā pātū hangaia i ngā tapatapahinga konumohe ā taiaho. Ko ngā āhua nunui o tēnei toi puni he mea whakatohu i ngā tūāhua tangata kua waituhia ki ngā pātū ki Takiroa. Tohutoro Kokowai he tae i whakamahia e Māori ki ngā tuhituhi ana me te whakairo, kōwhaiwhai me te taonga whakarākei. Kei tā te toi puni nei he āhua nohinohi kei a rātou he tapahitanga ka whakatohu i tētahi rimurimu ka rokohanga ki te tātahi ki Te Wai Pounamu – he tūngou ki te āhua noho kaupeka tau ō ērā tērā pea i whakamahia ki ēnei ana. He mea matua tēnei hei ara kaipaoe i whakamahia e Māori o nehe hei neke wawaenga i ngā whenua whakangau me ngā tūnga wāhi kohikohi kai ka whakatohu i kō atu i te haerenga mai i tētahi wāhi ki tētahi atu. Ko ēnei ara anō hoki he huanga tohutoro ka taea e tātou te tūhonohono i tō tātou ōnaianei ki te inanahi me te apōpō mā roto i ngā kōrero mō, mō runga anō i te whenua. I a ia e kōrero ana mō tēnei, ka tuhituhi a Stephanie Oberg:

“He pānga mātai ā tinana, mātai ā ahurea kei roto i te raupapa (mahi toi), he āhua taketakenga whakapapa ka haere ngātahi ki ngā taetaenga (Hutchinson) ki Takiroa me ngā tūnga tapu ki Hāmoa. Kei a ia he manawa reka urutapu me te pūkenga mō te tūhonohono ki te inanahi, te taumarumaru i ngā roherohenga o te wā me te tuarangi.”5

Ko ngā aunga moana ka kitehia i a ngā ara o Moana-nui-a-Kiwa e tūhonohono ana i a Aotearoa ki ētahi atu iwi motumotu hui katoa ki a Hāmoa. Ko ngā kōrero ka pā ki te whakaterenga o ngā tuhene tukutata nanakia whakawhiti i ngā whakarahi nunui ka whakatohu he pēhea tā tātou whanaungatanga ki te moana me ētahi atu rerenga wai. I a Mike Ross ka whakahau:

“Ki ngā kōrero tuku iho a Māori, ko Parata i whakaponotia he taniwha nunui i noho ki te wāhi tino hohonu o te moana, ki tua atu i te taha tū o te rangi, wawaenga Aotearoa me ngā tauwhenua. Ko Parata te otinga o ngā rerenga wai katoa, ā, i a ia te tikanga whakahaere mō ngā tai, mā tōna hā ki roto, hā ki waho i ngā wai moana. Mēnā ka mau he waka hekenga ki te āmiomio nui, he hūkerikeri rānei, ā, kei roto i te wāhi o te raruraru rā, ka kiia kei te waha, kei te korokoro rānei a Parata.”6

Ki 2007, nā Rangi Kipa (Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Tama ki te Tauihu) i hanga he mahi i tohutorotia ngā āhua whakairo e karangarangatia nei ko Parata ka whakatūwheratia ki ētahi wā ki te tauihu o te waka tīwai. I tangohia mai e ia tēnei tohu inā ki a ia he mea ka whakakaureratia ia wā e ngā kaiwhao hei ngākaupai kē atu ki ngā whakairo whakarākei kē ake ka kitehia ki te waka taua. Ka tihorehorea e Kipa ki tōna more – he ngutu nohinohi kua āta hangatia ngāwaritia ki raro i te rae rahi, he papa taurua, horekau he kanohi. Ka oti i a ia whai muri mai he raupapa mahi ka whakaatūhia ki Goff + Rosenthal Gallery, New York ki 2008, kohi katoa he toru ngā taurua parata ka whakaatūhia ia whakairo kia motuhake te hōputu, ka whakairihia ki ngā pātū huarewa kia riterite e tae kotahi katoa mai ana rātou. He mea pērā rawa, ko ngā mahi e puta ake ana i tētahi ārai mai i tētahi atu wā me te wāhi angaringari i ngā pātū korekore o ngā tuarangi huarewa matatoru mā. He mea māmā kia kite i te whanaungatanga wawaenga i te toi puni me te whakamahinga o te parata hei tohu mō ngā ara hou me ngā tau tānui whakapā hou. Ki tua atu i tēnei hononga, heoi anō, ka kitea anō hoki ēnei mahi hei tohu, hei kōrero tukuiho mai i ō tatou tupuna kia tūpato ki ngā piki me ngā heke kei tua.

He āhuatanga kōhure ki roto i a Tohu Whakatipu, ko te whakaatūranga matua a Kipa ki New York – he mahi kua ingotia kia Navigator (2008), i tākunetia hei arotahinga, hei paepae whakaterenga ki ētahi atu mahi ki te tītohu. Ko tēnei tētahi o ngā maramara torutoru mai i te raupapa tūturu kia whiwhi i te taonga o te kite – me ōna kanohi manaia nunui e anga matua ana ki waho, ki te haerenga ki tua noa. Kua whakarākeitia tēnei mahi ki ngā mahere tātai arorangi ka whakahau i te tikanga taurua. He whakatohu tōtika rātou ki te tino whaitikanga o te tātai arorangi me tōna whanaungatanga tūturu Ki ngā hītōria whakatere moana a Māori, engari ko ngā matatuhi ka hākaro he piringa ki te pūtahitanga o te wā me te whakapapa me ngā raruraru ki tua. Ko Navigator, ka utaina me te tautohu i te huarahi anga mua mō ngā hāpori Māori ōnaianei e whakamātau ana kia whakawhiti mai i ngā nanawe whakataiwhenua o nehe ki te tino pokapū apōpōtanga ngākaupai ki runga i te oranga me te whakatupuranga.

Te whakaatatanga ki runga i tō tātou apōpō ka taea tonu te mau āwhina hei whakamārama me anga ki hea ināianei. Ko tētahi atu mai te whakaaturanga o New York, ko Golden Hands te ingoa, he āhua parata kua whakarākeitia ki ngā morihana e rua, he mea rahi me te mea nohinohi e taiāwhio ana i a rāua. Ko te mahi he tino korero matawhaiaro e whakatohu ana i te whanaungatanga i tohaina tahitia e Kipa ki tōna matua. He huanga tēnei ki te take o tōna matua, ko ia te kaiwhakarawe, ka whakapau haora maha e hī ana mō te whanau ake, he mahi mō Kipa, inā ko ia te tamatāne matua, kua whakaritea māna anō e hāpai. I whiwhi tōna matua i te taitara “Ringa Koura” mō ōna taera hīnga ika ahurei ka taea e ia te ngāokooko mārehe te tuna me te taraute ki waho i te awa mahue kē ngā aho hī me ngā hīnaki. Kia rite ki ngā mahi katoa o tēnei raupapa, kua whakahaumitia e Kipa ki a Golden Hands ki te whāriki whakaaro whiwhiwhi. Ko te morihana ki roto i te pūrākau Hainamana ka kau rā runga awa, ā, ka tae ki te pūtake, ka huri hei tarākona. Ko te tarākona, anō he kohikohinga o ngā kararehe pūrākau, ā, koia tonu te tino kaiwhakamana me te ruanuku – i a ia ngā matihao o te īkara, ngā unahi o te morihana, te ūpoko o te raiona, me te tinana o te nākahi. Mā runga i te pūtake o tēnei whakaatūranga, tērā pea ka taea e koe te whakariterite te tarākona ki te taniwha, he kaitiaki me te tohu mō Māori, e rua, e rua mō te ārahi me te tiaki, mei kore ake te whakatūpato me te mōrearea.

Ko te whakaaturanga o 2008 horekau i te whakamahinga tuatahi o te āhua parata. I Oketopa 2007, i whakaatūhia e Kipa Radiáre hei wāhanga o tētahi raupapa whakaatūranga pāhekoheko mō te hanghangatanga hou o te Whare Taonga o Ōnaianei o Denver. Ko Radiáre he mātātuhinga anō o te whare whakairo nānā i whakamōhio te āhua tūturu o te whare whānau nohinohi, kia mahue kē ko te tino whare-nui kohinga iwi, hapū rānei. Mā te whakamahi kauawhinga hou, tae, me te whakaahua hei whakatohu i ngā whakapapa me ngā korero whanau a Kipa i hiahia ia kia taki i te katoa hunga Aotearoa, ā, koia tonu rā ko te māramatanga a Māori o ōna tikanga tuku iho me ōna tūāhua toi. Mō tēnei mahi, I hangaia e Kipa tōna parata tuatahi hei rīwhi i te āhua upoko whare ka noho ki te tāhuhu o te tuanui. Ko tēnei tauihu kakariki kotakota ka mau i a ia te āhua tā moko kua māmā te tā me te kupu ‘ao’, koia ko ētahi atu o ōna tikanga kupu ka whakatohu i ngā tirohanga Māori ki te whitinga rā, te ao me te rea hou e puāwai ana. Ko tēnei tūāhua hanga tokoiti nei o te Radiáre āwhata wheriko kia, hei whai i te huarahi, hei meanga, hei huatau, rāua, rāua mō Kipa me tōna mō Māori hei pupuri whenua me te hua mai i tō rātou wāhi ki te Tai Ao.7

I ngā wā koia tata nei ka mahi a Kipa ki runga i te whakawhanaketanga o Te Whare Waka Rererangi o Ngāmotu. E tū ana te papa rererangi i runga i te whenua i nohoia i mua e Puketapu he hapū o Te Ātiawa, ā, i riro i te taone nui o Ngāmotu ki raro i te Ture Public Works i te tau 1964 hei whakamahi mō tētahi papa rererangi. Ko te katoa whiwhinga haere ngātahi ki tēnei poraka he tata atu ki te 478 eka kohi katoa i te 128 eka whenua herekore. Ko tēnei ngaromanga whenua tūpuna he mātāpuna tino mamae mō te hapū me te iwi, ā, i whakauru wāhanga mō te kereme ki te Tiriti o Waitangi. Mā te whakaritenga me te whakaae, i pōwhiritia ai te hapū hei hoa kaipākihi ki te hinonga papa rererangi. Ko tā rātou tohatoha kohi katoa ki te korowai ātawairua mō te whakaahua me te mana whakahaere o te papa rererangi, mō te kōrero tuku iho ka whakatohutia ki roto me waenganui i te whare. Nā Kipa i arataki te roopū whakaahua.

Ko te kōrero hītōria mātua i whakatinanatia e te whakawhanaketanga nā tērā o ngā tūpuna i a Tamarau-te-heketanga-a-rangi, he tama nā Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku, he ai ki te kōrero i heke iho i te rangi whai muri i tana kitenga i te wahine i a Rongo-ue-roa e kaukau ana ki te awa o Waiongana. Mai i tā rāua moenga ka puta ko Awanui-a-rangi, e mōhiotia ana ko āna uri ko Te Ātiawa nō Tūnga i Te Rangi. Haere katoa ki te whakaahua o te whare me tōna ahunga ko tēnei whakapapa ka ārerotia mā roto i ētahi atu tūāhua hui katoa i te pare ki runga i ngā kuaha e hou atu ana ki te papa rererangi. I heipū a Kipa ki tētahi pare rerekē ki te wāhanga mau pupuri o Te Papa Tongarewa. Ko te pare i rokohina kia tata atu ki te tūnga ōnaianei o te papa rererangi o Ngāmotu, ā, ka ngākau whakapuke a Kipa kia totoro i te tāera tūturu, te āhua, me te puka o tēnei taonga tawhito ina koa te puka mata ka kitea ki roto i a Tohu Whakatipu i a Mata (kōwhai) me Mata (pango) mai i 2021. Ko tēnei raupapa ka whakatohu i te tūhonohono mau tonu wawaenga whakapapa me te whenua ka whiriwhiri i a ia haere noa ki roto i ngā mahi a Kipa, ina koa te hiahia kia whakamau tātou ki ngā akomanga tuku iho kia taea ai e ngā tai rea whakaheke te whaiwhakaaro ki te apōpō mārama ake.

Ka kitea anō hoki tēnei ki ngā mahi whai tikanga Takuahiroa (2019 nā Kaaterina Kerekere (Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Rangitane me Ngāi Tahu). Te whakamoemoe kaupapa Māori me ngā kōrero tuku iho ki tētahi āhua rerehua ōnaianei me te pūnaha rorohiko, kua hangatia e Kerekere tōna ake reo ataata hei totoro tāhuhu whakapapa me te mātauranga tawhito.

Ki tōna wā kāinga ki Ūawa, Tolaga Bay, kei a Kerekere he māramatanga hohonu o te hiahia kia tohutoro i te inanahi kia taea ai he huarahi whakatere i te apōpō. Ka whakatohu tōtika tonu tēnei mahi i Te Whare Wānanga o Te Rāwheoro i tū i tōna wā ki Takuahiroa. Ko ngā whare wānanga he wāhi tūnga o te mātauranga, mō te tohatohatanga o te mātauranga, ā, i ngā wā katoa me ruruku katoa ngā whakaurunga ki akomanga karakia, whakapapa, me te mātauranga e pā ana ki ngā hui me ngā tikanga tapu. Ka whakatohu anō hoki a Kerekere ki roto i āna mahi ki tētahi atu wāhanga whakahirahira e pā ana ki te whakaako ki roto i te whare wānanga ka karangahia ko te ‘Ka Tipu te Whaihanga’ ka whakatohu i te āheitanga kia whakamārama auaha me te kōrero ariā anō kia kakama kia waihanga hou ki tō ara whakaaro, mau pupuri me te tukanga mātauranga.

Ka whakamahi Takuahiroa i ngā waitohu whakanikoniko whakakorikori hei whakanui i te ngaromanga mātauranga nō te hapū a Kerekere i a Ngāti Patuwhare me Te Whānau a Te Aotata, ā, hei whakahau tangata kia noho pupuri tonu ki tō rātou papakāinga me te whānau. Ko te oro o tēnei mahi he mōteatea hui katoa ki te whakapapa, te whakaingoa i te tātai a te ringa toi ki te ara ruarua hei mau pupuri ki tētahi mea tērā pea kua ngaro me te kereme i te tūhonohono me te kotahitanga. Ko te āta takinga o ia tūpuna ka whakakī i te wāhi he reo ataata ā kupu ki runga rīanga ka whakakaha i ēnei whanaungatanga matemate-ā-one. Ki a Kerekere, ko tēnei oro – “he oreorenga me te tūpapahū o te whiti me te mātātuhi, he mea tūhonohono i a ia anō me te whakamana i te autaia o te awenga.”8

Ko tēnei mahi i hangaia hei wāhanga mō te Master of Professional Creative Practice mō EIT Tairāwhiti. Ka totoro ia i te whakatohu o te mahi whakairo ihumanea ka kohi katoa i ngā kōrero tuku iho me te reo ā kanohi ka whakawhirinaki i ngā āhua toi i te whakairo rākau me te kōwhaiwhai. Ko tētahi o ngā tino kātata whai mana kua whakamahia e Kerekere ki āna mahi ko te whakamārama o te waitohu ara iahiko rorohiko hei whakatohu i ngā tūhonohono me ngā whanaungatanga whakapapa. Engari e ai ki a Dr Wayne Ngata, he pānuitanga kē atu ka whai tikanga ōrite mō Māori:

“Te aho, te tau, te taura rānei. Kia ngātahi ki te whakapapa, he whakaritenga kia horomata noa iho ki te hunga he kai raranga, he kaimahi kupenga, ropi rānei, ko ngā tāngata hī ika [...]” Ko te aho, ko te kaha rānei tēnei. Ko te toi o te whakataki i a ia ki te maumahara ko te “taki”,ā, ko tōna hiki ko te “hāpai.”9

Ahakoa he whakatūranga matihiko me te oro, ko Takuahiroa ka karawhiu hei tūhonohono whakaine mō Kerekere ki tōna papakāinga me tōna tūmanako kia mau pupuri i a ia ōna mātauranga tuku iho ā whānau i mua i te ngaromanga. E mārama ana ia ko tōna hokinga ki tōna tūrangawaewae kua miramira i te hiahia kia kaua noa iho e akoako me te tohatoha mātauranga engari kia awhi, kia tautoko i te iwi kua hoki atu a ia ki roto. Ko āna mahi ki roto i te hāpori ka whai mana ki runga ake i āna mahi toi me te taupuni mahi toi, ā, kei te tino mārama ia o te hiahia kia tautoko i tō rātou oranga me te hauora i tua atu i āna tūmanako umanga. Ki ētahi atu tirohanga, ko Takuahiroa he kauwhiti ki tēnei mahi koia ka rota i te haere muatanga me te whakanui i ngā tāngata, ngā wāhi, ngā hui mai i inanahi ka whai take hei tautuhi i tō tātou ōnaianei.

Ko ngā ringa toi tokotoru ki roto i a Tohu Whakatipu, ahakoa takitahi ki ō rātou kaupapa, ka tuituia e te whakaeaea riterite mō te apōpōtanga kua whakatupuria ki runga i te tūhononga ki ngā tūpuna me ngā wāhi ka whakatinana i aua tūhonohono. Mēnā mā ō rātou mahi toi ki roto i tēnei whakaatūranga, mā roto i ērā kua oti, puta noa i o rātou umanga, he mārama kei tā ngā ringa toi te toha tahi i tētahi hiahia hui katoa ki te tautuhi i tētahi huarahi whakatairangi whānau, whenua me te waiora. Ko ngā tohu kua hangatia horekau noa iho i te tohu, i te tūtohu rānei; he whakatakotoranga whanonga pono ka tohatoha raupapa kē hei whakatere i ngā matatini o te ao ōnaianei ki ngā wā o te hiahia.

Karl Chitham