Tag Archives: kakahu

Kōrero kākahu: Veranoa Hetet and Te Rōpu Miro

31 August 2012 – 4.07pm

Veranoa Hetet and her group of weavers Te Rōpu Miro have been the weavers in residence for the  Kahu Ora Living Cloaks exhibition for the last few weeks. Time goes so fast and it’s hard to believe this will be their last weekend at Te Papa, as they finish on Sunday 2 September.

Veranoa Hetet (right) and Kahu Te Kanawa working on Veranoa's kākahu in the Weavers' Studio. Copyright Te Papa.

Veranoa Hetet (right) and Kahu Te Kanawa working on Veranoa’s kākahu in the Weavers’ Studio. Copyright Te Papa.

Veranoa and her family have had a long association with Te Papa. I first met Veranoa’s Mum, Erenora Puketapu-Hetet in about 1987 when I was fresh to the museum world, and working in the insect department at the old Buckle Street building of the National Museum. I remember Erenora’s warmth and her willingness to share her knowledge of weaving with me, and with anyone who showed an interest. She showed me how to extract muka using a mussel shell – something that continues to amaze me – and we watched as she showed us how to weave tukutuku panels. It felt very special when years later in 2012, I was able to help make available in the Kahu Ora exhibition and on the cloaks website a video of one of the last interviews that Erenora gave, in March 2006, only months before sadly she passed away.

Kahu Ora has been one of the best and most rewarding exhibitions that I’ve had the privilege to work on for Te Papa.  Weaving is about connections and the threads that join people together. Over the last few weeks I’ve had the chance to reconnect with Veranoa. It has been amazing to watch her at work in the Weavers’ Studio, skilfully working on the tāniko border for a kākahu for her eldest son.

Veranoa Hetet weaving the tāniko border of her kākahu. Copyright Te Papa.

Veranoa Hetet weaving the tāniko border of her kākahu. Copyright Te Papa.

We reminisced about Erenora, and talked about the kākahu that Erenora was working on, but didn’t complete, before she passed away. Awhina, Norm and I filmed Veranoa the other day, capturing this wonderful kōrero. Once this is edited it will be added to the Māori Cloaks website.

Last week Veranoa and her group were joined by Kahu Te Kanawa, another expert weaver who was here to give a talk at Te Papa. 

Kahu Te Kanawa and Veranoa Hetet weaving together. Copyright Te Papa.

Kahu Te Kanawa and Veranoa Hetet weaving together. Copyright Te Papa.

Veranoa’s great-grandmother, Rangimarie Hetet, is Kahu’s grandmother – their connections are strong and deep. It was magical to see Kahu and Veranoa sitting down together to work on the tāniko border of Veranoa’s kākahu. They laughed, they talked and they told me ”this is how weavers learn”.  

Another magical moment in Kahu Ora, another connection, another example of knowledge being shared and passed on.

Nau te rourou
Naku te rourou
Ka ora te tangata

With your basket of knowledge
And my basket of knowledge
The people will be assisted

By pamelalovis | Posted in Māori | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Tai Tamariki children’s kākahu – learning continues

2 August 2012 – 6.32pm

by Becs Thomas, Assistant Head Teacher, Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

The experience of having Tai Tamariki Kindergarten children’s kākahu displayed in Kahu Ora Living Cloaks has been a wonderful learning journey for our kindergarten community, both culturally and in the learning of exhibition protocol and process. This week the second of our children’s kakahu was put on display.

Apolline and Urszula ready to transport the kākahu. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

Apolline and Urszula ready to transport the kākahu. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

The children regularly visit Te Papa in small groups and these visits have been the basis for research that focuses on how children make meanings, view themselves as learners and share understandings in museum environments.

Over time our tamariki have gained rich understandings of Te Papa and the culture and tikanga of ours and other museums. They have also used objects such as the kākahu in Kahu Ora, drawings, child/ teacher made booklets and reference books to help make connections between these different settings.

Kahu Ora has enabled children to extend on their knowledge of kākahu from previous experiences and explore and research the new. It has also given them the opportunity to interact with weavers, Te Papa staff and visitors who have passed on their valuable knowledge, skills and stories of Te Ao Māori. These experiences together have fostered learning and inspired the ongoing projects of creating kākahu back at kindergarten.

Apolline Michaud-Fidey’s cloak is the second Tai Tamariki kākahu to be displayed in Kahu Ora. Like Maia Waldegrave’s dog skin cloak before her, Apolline has designed and created her kākahu from start to finish.

Apolline's plan for her kākahu: "I got my ideas from looking at lost of different types of korowai like flax, feathers, letters and shapes". Courtesy of Tai Tamaraki Kindergarten

Apolline’s plan for her kākahu: “I got my ideas from looking at lost of different types of korowai like flax, feathers, letters and shapes”. Courtesy of Tai Tamaraki Kindergarten

The children have taken responsibility for their own learning throughout the creation of these kākahu and the teachers at Tai Tamariki and staff at Te Papa placed great value in their involvement in every step of the process of exhibiting in Kahu Ora.

Apolline transfers her plan on to her cloak. She studied images of three very different kākaku exhibited in Kahu Ora, and these provided inspiration for her cloak's finished design. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

Apolline transfers her plan on to her cloak. She studied images of three very different kākaku exhibited in Kahu Ora, and these provided inspiration for her cloak’s finished design. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

On Tuesday this week it was time for Apolline to exhibit her korowai. Pamela Lovis from Te Papa talked to Apolline and her friend Urszula about what was going to happen and the kakahu was then carefully placed in a box and transported by the designer and her support crew up to the exhibition space.

Urszula and Apolline carefully transport the kākahu from Tai Tamariki Kindergarten on the ground floor up to Kahu Ora. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

Urszula and Apolline carefully transport the kākahu from Tai Tamariki Kindergarten on the ground floor up to Kahu Ora. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

Maia’s Dog Skin cloak was gently removed and Pamela and Apolline worked together to display the new kākahu. Apolline gave direction as to how she thought it should look, helped to tie the ribbon and instructed the collar placement.

Pamela and Apolline discuss and display the kākahu, as Urszula looks on in interest. Courtesy of Tai Tamaraki Kindergarten

Pamela and Apolline discuss and display the kākahu, as Urszula looks on in interest. Courtesy of Tai Tamaraki Kindergarten

It became clear through this process that the kākahu was to be treated as a taonga.

Apolline's beautiful kākahu and label on display in the Weavers' Studio of the Kahu Ora exhibition. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

Apolline’s beautiful kākahu and label on display in the Weavers’ Studio of the Kahu Ora exhibition. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

It is hands on experiences such as this and the recent blessing of the kākahu that show our children how artefacts are treated and exhibited in Te Papa.

Apolline and Urszula with the kākahu on display in the Weavers' Studio of the Kahu Ora exhibition. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

Apolline and Urszula with the kākahu on display in the Weavers’ Studio of the Kahu Ora exhibition. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

Apolline and Urszula returned to Tai Tamariki to share their busy morning with their friends. I am really looking forward to documenting future visits and how our children can teach others about the knowledge they have formed.

Our kaiako, whanau and most importantly our tamariki feel such a sense of pride in seeing the Tai Tamariki kākahu exhibited in Kahu Ora. I feel that through each step of this exhibition process our young children have been shown first hand how their learning and contributions are valued in this museum environment.

By pamelalovis | Posted in Education, Exhibitions, Māori | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

Tai Tamariki Kindergarten childrens’ kakahu on display

26 July 2012 – 5.19pm

Tai Tamariki Kindergarten opened in Te Papa in early February 2010. It’s a unique and wonderful thing for a kindergarten to be located within a museum like Te Papa. The children and staff at Tai Tamariki are frequent visitors to the museum exhibitions, making use of all the learning opportunities and inspiration the museum provides. Kahu Ora Living Cloaks has been popular with the children. After visiting the exhibition they designed and made their own kakahu.

Over the next two weeks we are displaying three of these wonderful kakahu in the Weavers’ Studio space. The first kakahu made by Maia Waldegrave, aged 4 is now on display. She was inspired by the dog skin cloak in the exhibition (complete with the ears and tails of several dogs).

Maia Waldegrave aged 4 from Tai Tamariki with her korowai. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten.

Maia Waldegrave aged 4 from Tai Tamariki with her korowai. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten.

It’s a real joy that this is happening – it was a highlight of my week!  To mark this special occasion we organised an opening blessing, lead by our Tainui resident kaumatua and kuia, Taki and Ratau Turner.

Tainui kaumatua Taki Turner and the Tai Tamariki children at the opening blessing. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten.

Tainui kaumatua Taki Turner and the Tai Tamariki children at the opening blessing. Courtesy of Tai Tamariki Kindergarten.

Tai Tamariki Kindergarten children and staff at the opening blessing for their kakahu. Courtesy Tai Tamariki Kindergarten.

Tai Tamariki Kindergarten children and staff at the opening blessing for their kakahu. Courtesy Tai Tamariki Kindergarten.

We talk a lot about museums as learning environments – places where we can change peoples hearts, minds and lives. I think the Tai Tamariki children’s kakahu are delightful examples of this in action.

More info about Tai Tamariki Kindergarten

By pamelalovis | Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

Kōrero kākahu: Rain Capes

21 June 2012 – 12.50pm
by Matariki Williams

This week we are featuring two kākahu shown in Kahu Ora that employ the same weaving techniques but use distinctly different materials. These kākahu are both versions of pākē or rain capes, one from 1850-1900 and the other made in 2009 by Matthew McIntyre-Wilson.

Päkë, 2009, Wellington. McIntyre-Wilson, Matthew. Purchased 2011. Te Papa

Päkë, 2009, Wellington. McIntyre-Wilson, Matthew. Purchased 2011. Te Papa

The inspiration for this pākē hukahuka came when Matthew inherited a pākē that had originally been given to his great-grandfather and was possibly from Te Rangihiroa, Sir Peter Buck. Trained as a jeweller, Matthew was taught how to weave through his friend and master weaver, the late Rangi Kiu. After initially working with flax, Matthew moved into using more contemporary materials thus combining his passions.

Päkë, 2009, Wellington. McIntyre-Wilson, Matthew. Purchased 2011. Te Papa

Päkë, 2009, Wellington. McIntyre-Wilson, Matthew. Purchased 2011. Te Papa

The underside of the cloak is very colourful and shows the base of the cloak to be made of electrical cables. The overlapping tags on the outer of the cloak have been made from the copper stripped from the cables. Despite the deep layers of silver and copper, the colours from the electrical cables also show through.

The pākē developed from a need for Māori to adapt to their newer, cooler clime. They were strong and durable and oft valued for their practicality over their aesthetic qualities. This pākē from Matthew manages to bridge both these qualities, being both modelled on a pākē with its layers of thatching (I’m not sure if it has been tested on its waterproof qualities!) and being exquisitely beautiful.

Whakatipu (type of rain cape), 1850-1900, Taranaki. Maker unknown. Purchased 1904. Te Papa

Whakatipu (type of rain cape), 1850-1900, Taranaki. Maker unknown. Purchased 1904. Te Papa

This whakatipu is from between 1850 and 1900 and is made from natural materials with a foundation of muka (processed New Zealand flax) and covered in rain tags also made from short strips of flax. The tags are attached to the foundation starting from the bottom of the kākahu and heading upward creating a thatch affect that causes rain to drain off the cloak and keep the wearer dry. The whakatipu is laid flat in Kahu Ora and the height of the tags off the foundation is impressive, this kākahu would be both warm but also impenetrable to rain. Botanist Joseph Banks who accompanied Captain James Cook on his first voyage to New Zealand observed of pākē that “every strip of leaf becomes…a kind of gutter which serves to conduct the rain down.”

Whakatipu (type of rain cape), 1850-1900, Taranaki. Maker unknown. Purchased 1904. Te Papa

The detail on this whakatipu is quite astonishing, each harakeke tag will have been scraped with a mussel shell to soften it, been folded in half and then twined into the foundation of the cloak. From afar, this cloak looks very feathery in texture due to the hundreds of tags. Most pākē were for everyday wear with mangaeka and tihetihe as exceptions, these kinds of pākē were coloured and worn by chiefs. Kahu tōī were different again and were valued for their protection and camouflage, they had thick necks that could dull the blow of a weapon.

Changes in the material used to make kākahu highlight the need for people to adapt to the areas they live in. Having discovered that the aute (paper mulberry tree) from the Pacific did not take to the cooler New Zealand climate, Māori found harakeke to be a suitable replacement to make garments with. Matthew carries this adaptive sentiment forward with his application of a material that he is already renowned for working with. In Whatu Kākahu it is stated that senior weaver Eddie Maxwell felt that it was the mana of the weaver that determined the value of any weaving rather than the materials, and considered garments woven from plastic and other non-natural resources as having their own beauty. This applies to Matthew’s cloak which is made from a mixture of natural and non-natural resources. His pākē is a rainbow of colours covered with the fine threads of copper and silver. The whakatipu is also impressive with deep colours on the rain tags and the sheer thickness of the kākahu. Both are taonga of their times but also manage to transcend time in that the techniques utilised are sustained.

A new competition has just been added to the Te Papa facebook page where you can design your own cloak and be in the draw to win an indulgent weekend in Wellington.

By Te Papa | Posted in Exhibitions, Māori | Also tagged , | Comments (3)

Delighted to have two finalists in New Zealand Post Book Awards

13 June 2012 – 2.41pm

Te Papa Press, New Zealand’s unique museum publisher, are delighted to advise that two of its books are finalists in the prestigious annual New Zealand Post Book Awards.

The finalists, announced last week, were selected from 160 entries and are described by the judges as “diverse and exciting”.

Whatu Kākahu: Māori Cloaks edited by Awhina Tamarapa and New Zealand Film: An Illustrated History, edited by Diane Pivac, Frank Stark, Lawrence McDonald and published in association with The Film Archive, are both finalists in the Illustrated Non-fiction category of the awards.

According to the finalist announcement the judges were unanimous in their selection of  the titles and Te Papa Press publisher Claire Murdoch is thrilled that both books are being recognised in this way.

“Awards like this are a welcome acknowledgement of the great care and professional pride our team takes in creating books about Aotearoa’s art, culture and natural world. An immense amount of dedicated scholarship went into the writing and editing of both books, and because they’re also heavily illustrated, the efforts of the photography and design teams were similarly substantial. I’d like to extend congratulations and hearty thanks to all who worked on these beautiful books, and to all who work closely with Te Papa Press.”

The New Zealand Post Book Awards will be announced at an evening ceremony on Wednesday 1st August. Readers are invited to vote for their favourite through the People’s Choice Award here: www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz

Visitors to Te Papa will also be able to find elements from Whatu Kākahu: Māori Cloaks featuring in the exhibition Kahu Ora Living Cloaks which opens at the museum this week. Entry to this exhibition is free. 

By Roxan Mathys | Posted in Museums, News, Te Papa Press | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Māori cloaks in the Kahu Ora exhibition – two days to go

5 June 2012 – 4.55pm

It’s two days to go before we open our Kahu Ora Living Cloaks exhibition - and time to give you a little preview of what you will be able to see from Friday 8 June.

When an exhibition opens and all the taonga are in place, the graphics are up, and the lighting is done it’s hard to imagine all the work that’s been going on to get the exhibition installed.

Last week, at a quiet moment, they let me into the gallery to see how things were going.  Here is Sam, one of our exhibition team installers, preparing the case and mount to display the unique huru kuri, dog-skin pelt, cloak which we featured in an earlier blog post.

Sam Wallis preparing the case and complex mount for the huru kuri, dog skin pelt cloak, on loan from Puke Ariki, photograph by Pamela Lovis, copyright Te Papa 2012.

Sam Wallis preparing the case and complex mount for the huru kuri, dog skin pelt cloak, on loan from Puke Ariki, photograph by Pamela Lovis, copyright Te Papa 2012.

The exhibition graphics are the work of graphic designer, Wol Jobson – here he watches over the install of some of the larger wall graphics.

Wol Jobson, graphic designer, supervises install of some of the exhibition graphics. Photograph by Pamela Lovis, copryight Te Papa 2012.

Wol Jobson, graphic designer, supervises install of some of the exhibition graphics. Photograph by Pamela Lovis, copyright Te Papa 2012.

And finally, before I give away too much – here are several kākahu installed in their cases but carefully covered up until later this week when the conservators will come in and remove the covers.

The whakataukī, or saying, that you can see on the wall speaks to one of the ideas key to  this exhibition:

Ko te taura whiri, he whiri i te tangata
The muka (flax fibre) cord is like the cord that connects people.

Muka is the silky fibre extracted from the leaves of harakeke, or flax. After hours of skilled preparation Māori weavers use this muka to weave the kaupapa, or foundation, of a kākahu.

Kākahu in their cases, soon to be revealed in the Kahu Ora Living Cloaks exhibition. Photography by Pamela Lovis, copyright Te Papa 2012.

Kākahu in their cases, soon to be revealed in the Kahu Ora Living Cloaks exhibition. Photograph by Pamela Lovis, copyright Te Papa 2012.

So cloaks, or kākahu, are all about connections – the threads that weave us together as people, and the stories that connect people and kākahu. Come and see for yourself, in Kahu Ora Living Cloaks  from this Friday 8 June.

By pamelalovis | Posted in Exhibitions, Māori | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (3)

Unique dog skin cloak – soon to be on show at Te Papa

23 May 2012 – 6.25pm

Every exhibition I work on is different. Each time I learn more and my basket of knowledge (my kete) expands and grows. This time it’s a wonderful exhibition about Māori cloaks, which features many kākahu from Te Papa’s collection, plus a small number of unique taonga which we’re fortunate to borrow from elsewhere.

Kahu Ora Living Cloaks opens in about 2 weeks time on Friday 7 June, and we start to install the taonga in the gallery next week. A week or so ago a very special cloak, a huru kurī, made from eight dog skin, or kurī, pelts stitched together arrived on loan from Puke Ariki in New Plymouth.

I was one of a  group of staff  who were excited to see this unique cloak – the only one of its kind that exists today – for the first time. We had read about it, researched it, and written about it for the exhibition, but this was the first chance to see this taonga close up. The person who once wisely cautioned me to never write a label for an object without seeing it for yourself – well they were right…

Te Papa staff look at the huru kurī cloak in Te Whare Pora, the collection store. Photograph by Moana Parata, copyright Te Papa.

Te Papa staff look at the huru kurī cloak in Te Whare Pora, the collection store. Photograph by Moana Parata, copyright Te Papa.

What really struck me was that each of the eight dog pelts stitched together to make the cloak is different. Some are white, some are dark black, and one has fox-like fur of quite a different texture. The white fur on another pelt is quite curly. And while I knew that the tails and pointed ears of the dogs were visible on this cloak it was another thing altogether to see them!

Te Papa staff look at the huru kurī, cloak stitched from whole dog skins, on loan from Puke Ariki. Photograph by Moana Parata, copyright Te Papa.

Te Papa staff look at the huru kurī, cloak stitched from whole dog skins, on loan from Puke Ariki. Photograph by Moana Parata, copyright Te Papa.

Under the careful supervision of Conservator Anne Peranteau we  looked at the other side of the cloak.  Anne pointed out where you could see the imprint of the dogs’ ribs, still visible in the dried skin. To see the thickness of the leather and the quality of the stitching made me realise how much skill and effort was involved in making this cloak.

This taonga will now be carefully mounted and displayed in a section of the Kahu Ora Living Cloaks exhibition that looks at Māori sewing technology and recent research in this area by experts such as Dr Patricia Te Arapo Wallace.

To find out more about the huru kurī, the history of the cloak and see more images go to:
http://vernon.npdc.govt.nz/search.do?id=294155&db=object&page=1&view=detail

By pamelalovis | Posted in Exhibitions, Māori | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

‘Pīata’ – a cloak returns home

11 May 2012 – 4.42pm

He kanohi kitea, he hokinga mahara.
To see a face is to stir the memory.

On Sunday 6 May 2012, a beautiful kahu kiwi cloak from the Te Papa collection, was named by her descendants as part of a special church service held at Rongomaraeroa marae, Porangahau.

Te Papa Press recently published a cloak book Whatu Kākahu: Māori Cloaks edited by Awhina Tamarapa, Māori Curator. The cover of the book features a detailed image of this stunning kahu kiwi.

Part of the research for this book included liaison with weavers, textile experts, researchers and descendants to bring together information on the cloaks held by Te Papa. We were fortunate to have the guidance of Professor Piri Sciascia from Victoria University, Wellington for this particular kahu kiwi. How the cloak came into the museum collection was pieced together from archival records. Piri, his sister Marina, and their whanaunga Morehu Tūtaki, gave the history and whakapapa of their tipuna whom the cloak originally belonged to – an amazing wahine Rangatira- Rāwinia Ngāwaka Tūkeke. Her story and the journey of her cloak unfolded.

The journey home of Rawinia’s kahu kiwi after more than 150 years away was an emotional and joyous occasion. The whānau of Ngāti Kere, Ngāti Pihere, Ngāti Manuhiri, Ngāti Hinetewai and members of the Porangahau St Hill-Warren and Lambert families connected to the cloak’s history, welcomed Te Papa representatives with the pōwhiri onto the marae.

Te Papa was led by Tainui iwi resident kaumātua Taki and Ratau Turner, with Hema Temara and Tamati Cairns from Ngāi Tūhoe. Te Herekiekie Herewini and Mark Sykes were the cloak’s couriers.

Awhina Tamarapa and Hawke’s Bay Museum kaitiaki Tryphena Cracknell carried the cloak to the mahau of the wharenui during the pōwhiri. The sun peeked out and the mist rose, during the whaikōrero. Soft rain fell while the people gathered inside for the church service. “Kei te heke ngā roimata o Ranginui” – tears of happiness were shed”. A taonga returns to be with her people.

Descendants of Rāwinia Ngāwaka Tūkeke gather around the kahu kiwi before the blessing inside the wharenui Te Poho o Kahungunu. Rongomaraeroa marae, Porangahau. 6 May 2012.

Descendants of Rāwinia Ngāwaka Tūkeke gather around the kahu kiwi before the blessing inside the wharenui Te Poho o Kahungunu. Rongomaraeroa marae, Porangahau. 6 May 2012. Photographer Mark Sykes, Te Papa.

The blessing service inside the wharenui Te Poho o Kahungunu was led by Reverend Harriet Cutbush and Reverend Leo Te Kira. The cloak was carried into the wharenui by Ashton St Hill-Warren and placed on a table at the front of the assembly.

During the service, Rāwinia’s cloak was named ‘Pīata’, meaning ‘to shine, to glisten’, by Morehu Tūtaki. Pīata was the name of Rāwinia’s mother. Such a powerful, symbolic act, transcends the physical world. All present witnessed the spiritual and cultural reinstatement of the people to their taonga. ‘Piata’ remains a beautiful and precious symbol of their whakapapa and the community’s entwined relationships, which completed a full circle that day.

‘Piata’ will be on display in the upcoming Te Papa cloak exhibition Kahu Ora Living Cloaks, which opens on Friday 8 June. Piri’s daughter Atareta, has been photographed wearing ‘Pīata’ as the main promotional image for the exhibition.

Our thanks and best wishes to the people of Porangahau, and for all those that contributed to the day.

E kore e kitea ngā kokona o te ngakau.
The corners of the heart cannot be seen.

Awhina Tamarapa and Pamela Lovis

By pamelalovis | Posted in Exhibitions, Māori | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 281 other followers