It’s Christmas at Te Papa and this year’s Christmas tree decorations are on a pounamu and paua theme. The colourful creations include tikis as you’ve never seen them before! Here’s one with fabulous tropical looking flowers… But my favourite tiki is this one with it’s red sparkly hearts… If you’d like to make a decoration… Read more »
Posts categorized as Māori
Pounamu taonga up close and now online
Tim Tait is one of Te Papa’s talented IT developers and one smart cookie. He put together the fabulous touchscreen image browser which you can find in our Kura Pounamu exhibition – and after more of Tim’s hard work this is now available on our website. All 200 of the incredible pounamu taonga on display in the… Read more »
Weavers National Hui 2009, Takitimu marae, Te Wairoa
On the 23-26 October, fellow work colleague Hokimate Harwood and I attended one of the biggest events on the arts calendar of Māori weaving-the Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa Weavers National Hui. A biennial event, the first inaugural hui was called by Ngoingoi Pewhairangi of Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare, a member of the Māori South Pacific… Read more »
Taonga pūoro – recording the moment
One of Te Papa’s photographers Norman Heke is usually behind the camera. He’s been at many hui and wānanga, studiously taking photos to put together a wonderful photographic record of these events. This time Norm was able to take part in the taonga pūoro wānanga and learned how to make and play a pūkāea. A mystery photographer captured… Read more »
Finding our voices
Earlier this week Hongoeka marae in Plimmerton was filled with the sounds of taonga pūoro (Maori musical instruments) – accompanied by the buzzing of sanders and the call of tuis flitting among the flaxes. I was one of twenty Te Papa staff who took part in a three day wānanga on taonga pūoro, tutored by… Read more »
Howard Morrison – how great thou art
Te Papa is saddened at the passing of Sir Howard Morrison, and extends sympathy to his whanau and friends. Over a long and distinguished career, Sir Howard brought great pleasure to many with his fine singing voice, and his ability to charm and entertain. New Zealand has lost a consummate entertainer who had a special… Read more »
Te Māori – 25th year anniversary
This year marks the 25th year since the opening of the Te Māori exhibition at the Metropolitan museum in New York, 10th September, 1984. The exhibition was an overnight media and public sensation. It was heralded as an international success and continued its tour over 1985-86, to the Saint Louis Art Museum, the M.H. de… Read more »
Winter weather can’t keep kaumātua away!
Flooding and storms aren’t enough to stop pakeke (elders) from the East Coast from making their way down to Wellington to perform at Kaumātua Kapa Haka at Te Papa this weekend. Senior Maori performing artists from Te Hokowhitu a Tu have had to leave earlier than planned to dodge road restrictions in the region…. Read more »
Kaumātua Kapa Haka at Te Papa goes global, 11 & 12 July
The final weekend of the 2009 Matariki Festival at Te Papa is by no means the least with the return of the popular Kaumātua Kapa Haka, proudly supported by TelstraClear and NZ Post. These senior performing artists performed at last year’s Matariki Festival and this year they are going global! Can’t make it to Te… Read more »
New Website to Inspire Teaching and Learning of Te Reo Māori
A new website from the Ministry of Education features images from Te Papa’s collection. He Reo Kōmanawa: Images to Inspire Teaching and Learning Te Reo Māori is a digital resource for Te Reo Māori teachers and learners. The website includes a framework for designing sequences of teaching and learning tasks for teachers. Learners get to find… Read more »