Contemporary Carving

I photographed this contemporary carving last year at Hokonui Marae in Gore in the South Island. I was visiting the marae to research one of the traditional kai features for Ngai Tahu's TE KARAKA magazine and in between courses, I ambled about the marae grounds photographing points of interest. I made the mistake of not finding out who the carver was but I'm featuring it here regardless because it highlights contemporary carving expression and technique. www.tekaraka.co.nz www.ngaitahu.iwi.nz

From the Kete Files

Kete on Display

(baskets)

Hokonui Marae,

Gore, Southland

2008. Ajr

More From the Kete Files

Woven Kete
Mixed Styles on Display
At Hokonui Marae, Near Gore

Steeped in History

Waitangi, Northland. April 2009. Ajr

I HAD to stop and photograph these magnificent carvings at Te Tii Marae in Waitangi when I was there in April. The marae (often inappropriately referred to as the Lower Waitangi marae - in relation to its proximity to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds), sits beside the Waitangi River and opposite Te Tii Beach and is the focal point of Waitangi Day celebrations on February 6th each year. It is also an important meeting place for the Ngapuhi people.

A Place with History

Makirikiri. May 2009. Ajr
Makirikiri Marae, near Dannevirke in the lower North Island is home to three hapu of the Rangitane iwi – Ngati Mututahi, Ngati Hamua and Ngati Te Rangiwhakaewa. When I called in to see the marae it was mid-morning in May and my time was short. I stood awhile and admired the exterior carvings of the wharenui, Aotea, thinking how different they seemed to many I had seen on my North Island travels, yet not quite able to describe how exactly – darker I think, more heavily painted perhaps… if that doesn’t seem too superficial an observation.
It wasn’t until I got home many weeks later that I discovered the marae has a long and intriguing history. For a start, the first wharenui called Aotea was built by Ngati Te Rangiwhakaewa at Tawakeroa, near Tahoraiti, some miles from Makirikiri, about fourteen generations ago. Much later, Ngati Mutuahi started building a carved house at Tahoraiti in 1880, working with carvers from the Te Arawa iwi and craftsmen from the Ngati Tu hapu of Whanganui to complete the tukutuku panels and the embellishment of rafters. That house, named Aotea Tua-Toru, was completed in 1883.

During the 1950 and 1960s these Rangitane hapu areas were prone to the same population exodus as many others, as Maori moved to urban areas for work. The Aotea wharenui at Tahoriti was virtually abandoned and it fell into disrepair. Those hapu members remaining in the area decided to dismantle it and reassemble it closer to populated areas where hapu members could make better use of it. Hence its shift to its current location at Makirikiri, where it opened afresh – smaller but using the original carved wharenui barge boards from Tahoraiti – in 1967. A Tainui contingent led by Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu attended the dawn opening ceremony of Aotea Tua-Toru; and then Prime Minister, Sir Keith Holyoake gave an opening speech. www.rangitane.co.nz

The Beauties of Rongomaraeroa

Two top images courtesy of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

The first time I saw Te Marae at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, I was gobsmacked by the rainbow of coloured light that was seeping across the forecourt – reflections from the beautiful stained glass windows behind me (which I’ll show you another time). It took me some time to re-focus on the stunning carvings that decorate the wharenui (Te Hono Ki Hawaiki) and in the many times I’ve seen them since, I’ve been no less impressed.

Wellington April 2009. Ajr
Rongomaraeroa is the name given to the marae, which was created by master carver, Cliff Whiting and the Maori advisory group to Te Papa, Nga Kaiwawao, who aimed to create a fully functional contemporary marae within the museum – “one that would embrace the concept of mana taonga and the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.” It was opened in 1997 and is “the museum’s response to the challenge of creating an authentic yet inclusive marae (communal meeting place) for the 21st century.” In addition to serving as ‘a living marae’ it is also an exhibition in its own right, designed to give visitors an insight into the meaning of the marae experience. It is also – obviously – a beautiful showcase of contemporary Maori arts and crafts; and a reflection of both the nation’s and Te Papa’s bicultural identity. “All people have the right to stand on this marae through a shared whakapapa (genealogy) and the mana (power) of the taonga (treasures) held in Te Papa collections.” It is a place for all cultures and all iwi (tribes). www.tepapa.govt.nz

A Bay of Plenty Marae

All photos May 2009. Ajr
The tiny settlement of Kutarere sits in the eastern Bay of Plenty, 30 kilometres from Whakatane and 20 kilometres from Opotiki. Once the port town of Ohiwa Harbour, servicing the hinterland, today it is little more than a cluster of houses that line the main road. In 2005 the population was just 15. When I past through recently, I never even saw that many people.

All photos May 2009. Ajr

But I did stop at the cute wee Kutarere Church (which I’ll show another time), and, just a few metres down the road, the Kutarere Marae, pictured here, which has recently undergone major renovations. The area is steeped in Maori history and it’s home to the people of Te Upokorehe, one of the six sub-tribes of Te Whakatohea and the beautiful wharenui is called Te Poho o Tamaterangi. There also appear to be tribal links to Tuhoe via the hapu Turanga Pikitoa of the Maungapohatu tribal group – but just a little complex for me to work out for sure. If I’m wrong in that, I’m happy to be corrected via a comment left below.

Hokianga History

Pakanae, Northland. May 2009. Ajr

Marae-roa Pakanae sits on a small hill beside the main road that leads in to the tiny Far North town of Opononi, in the Hokianga Harbour. Opononi of course, was made famous by Opo the Dolphin, who ‘befriended’ people in the seaside community in the 1950s. The little Maori settlement of Pakanae, just a couple of kilometres from Opononi, has a much deeper history. It’s one of the oldest Maori settlements in New Zealand and is said to be the place Kupe settled in before making his return trip to Hawaiki to encourage his people to migrate to Aotearoa. I stopped on the roadside and took some photographs of the marae, looking back up into the wonderful cloud formations that had gathered behind the hilltop buildings

Pakanae, Northland. May 2009. Ajr
And with a zoom lens, I was able to get a (slightly fuzzy) photograph of Kupe’s Memorial Stone, which sits within a small fenced area on the grassy expanse in front of the marae itself. Not so far away is the conical hill, Whiria, which is said to have been a powerful pa (fortified village) many centuries ago.
Pakanae, Northland. May 2009. Ajr
There was a gathering in progress at Pakanae when I pulled up on the roadside – I could just see people moving about in the distance and there were cars parked all the way across to the rather beautiful red-roofed church that stands nearby on the same rise – St Luke’s Anglican, according to the sign….one of the many gorgeous little red-roofed churches that dot the Far North landscape. Pakanae now has a gleaming new look after an extensive marae re-building project that culminated in a happy re-opening in December 2007. You can see before and after photographs of the marae project on their website – http://www.pakanaemarae.org.nz/

Marae Revival

Northland. April 2009 Ajr
Whakapara Marae sits on a hill overlooking the Whakapara River, north of Hikurangi and south of Kawakawa. I found it by turning down yet another Northland side road and I’m so glad I did for it has a fascinating story. It’s one of five marae that make up the hapu of Ngati Hau (Akerama, Pehiaweri, Maruata and Waihou are the other four), and it is home to the descendants of Eru Nehua and Te Tawaka, who had fourteen children - nine of whom went on to have families of their own. Land was set aside as a Maori Reserve here in 1913 and was gazetted in 1966. The original wharenui on the site was called Hukarere but it fell into disuse in the 1950s and was filled with hay and left to become overgrown with gorse when many of the local whanau moved away from the area.

Northland April 2009. Ajr
It wasn’t until the land marches of the 1970s that interest was revived and Eru and Te Tawaka’s te uri (descendants) (among others), made a commitment to rebuild a marae on the site. This is the new wharenui – Te Iho O Nehua - which was opened in 1998 during a torrential storm (seen as a blessing by the locals); and the new gateway – Tomokanga Te Whei O - opened in 2006. It was made by some of the whanau, who attended carving classes for that purpose. I haven’t been able to find out anything about the canoe, which sits to one side of the wharenui.

Northland April 2009. Ajr
Across the road, I found the cute little St Isaac’s Anglican Church and the large memorial to Tupuna Eru and Te Tawaka. Eru had donated the land for the urupa (cemetery) and the church, which opened on August 11, 1898 – also, strangely, during continuous rain. Opening services at the time were conducted in te Reo Maori and although the church continues to be under the guidance of the Anglican Diocese, care and maintenance duties were handed back to the descendants of Eru and Te Tawaka in the 1980s. The little red tool shed at the rear of the church, was built in 2004 with money raised by staging a Gravediggers’ Ball.

A Kete Display

More Woven Kete

@

Hokonui Marae, Gore

Feb 2009 Ajr

A Traditional Delicacy

Believe it or not, these rather ugly little things are a Maori delicacy! Lamprey (Geotria australis) has multiple ‘identities.’ It is also known as the lamprey eel and to most southern Maori it is kanakana – although it is also known as nainai in the Temuka/Waihao Marae area; and in the North Island it is called piharau. Long considered a delicacy by Maori it is also widely eaten in Portugal, Spain, France, Scandanavia, the Baltic countries and in South Korea; and King Henry I of England is said to have died from “a surfeit of lampreys.” I was introduced to these slimy little devils at the Hokonui Marae in February, when we travelled there to write and photograph another kai feature for Ngai Tahu’s magazine Te Karaka.

Kanakana. Hokonui Marae, Gore. Feb 2009. Ajr

I had never seen them before – certainly never tasted them; and I’m almost ashamed to say, I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. I was completely put off by their awful little sucker-mouths filled with tiny razor-like teeth. But the Hokonui kaumatua were delighted. They don’t get kanakana quite as much as they used to and despite the fact that chef, Jason Dell hadn’t cooked them before, they seemed more than satisfied with their hearty lunch. They may not have been expecting their kanakana to come with marsala potato, warm parsnip salad and chilli and lime baked gurnard - (they’re used to simply pan-frying them fresh from the river) - but the verdict was unanimous – for his first time cooking kanakana Jason Dell had done pretty well. www.ngaitahu.iwi.nz

Weavers' Wall

Kete

at Hokonui Marae

Gore, Southland

Runanga Enterprise

Taare Bradshaw sorting gentians at Hokonui Marae. Feb 2009. Ajr

As I’ve travelled around the eighteen different Ngai Tahu iwi over the last four years with my journalist hat on, I’ve always been surprised and delighted by the wide variety of enterprises many of them have launched into. Take Hokonui Runanga at Gore for instance. Nine years ago they took over an old nursery on the edge of town, complete with barns and turned it into their new Marae. It’s set on 18 acres of semi-rural land and blessed with poplar windbreaks and assorted work sheds, it’s turned out to have a heap of potential. They’ve already trialled and successfully grown Maori potato varieties and now they’ve moved on to the growing and export of gentian flowers. They’ve got around eight acres planted out and most of their crop heads into Asia.

Weaving Words

Green flax weaving at Te Tauraka Waka a Maui Marae, Makaawhio, South Westland

Putiputi = flowers

Specifically woven flowers

And dry flax weaving

Hokonui Marae

Southland

Hokonui Carving

Hokonui Marae, Gore, Southland. Feb 2009. Ajr

I spied this wonderful carving at Hokonui Marae in Gore on Wednesday. We drove down there early to spend the day preparing another kai feature and in between interviews and food preparations, I was able to photograph lots of interesting marae details - and there were plenty to choose from. This was one of them; there are more to come.