Kua puta te ihu o Te Kāhui o Mata Aho me Ahorangi Maureen Lander ki te Whakamānawa o Walters, 2021, i tā rātou whakaaturanga o Atapō, 2020.
Ko te mahi wāhanga rua nei he mea tono nā te whakaaturanga Toi Tū Toi Ora ki te Wharetoi o Tāmaki-makaurau. Mahora ake ngā mahi nei e tūhāngai ana i ngā papa e rua o te wharetoi, he mihi ki ngā kōrero tuku iho mō Hinenuitepō.
I kōrero ngā ringatoi ki a Matariki Williams.
“Koinei te wāhi e tuwhera nei mātou. Ki te hiahia te tangata ki te pā mai ki te mahi, me tomo te paepae.”
Koinei te kī mai a Ahorangi Maureen Lander (Ngāpuhi, Te Hikutu, Ngāi Pākehā) i te wā i kōrero ai mātou ko Te Kāhui o Mata Aho – ko Erena Baker (Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira) rātou ko Sarah Hudson (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe), ko Bridget Reweti (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi), ko Ahorangi Terri Te Tau (Rangitāne ki Wairarapa). Ko te kaupapa i kōrerohia ko tā rātou mahi tahi inātata nei i te whakaaturanga Toi Tū, Toi Ora, ki Te Wharetoi o Tāmaki-makaurau, arā ko tā rātou toi puni - ko Atapō. Ko te tono, nā te kaitīpako o taua wā, nā Nigel Borrell (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Te Whakatōhea), kia waihangatia tētahi mahi e pā ana ki te atua wahine, a Hinenuitepō. Ko te hua o te tono he autaia, he nui ake i tērā i whakapaetia: he mahi wāhanga rua tērā, e mahora ana i ngā papa e rua o te wharetoi. He mea taurua anō a Atapō i runga i te āhuatanga e aronui ana ki ngā paki e rua. Tē aronui kē ai ngā ringatoi ki te kōrero o Hinenuitepō anake, o te atua wahine o te pō me ngā mate anake, i whakaurua kē hoki a Hinetītama, ko te pūaotanga.
Ko te kōrero mō ēnei atua wāhine ka pēnei: Nā Tāne Mahuta a Hineahuone i hanga i te uku, nā, i riro māna hei pūtake o te ira wahine, te kaihanga o te wahine tuatahi o te ao kikokiko nei. I moe ia ki a Hineahuone, ka puta ko Hinetītama. Kātahi i moe a Hinetītama ki a Tāne, me te kore whāki atu a Tāne ko ia tana matua hoki. Ka tuhuraina tēnei e ia, he whakamā nōna, ka pūrere atu a Hinetītama ki te pō, waihoki i huri ia kia tapaina kē ko Hinenuitepō.
Kāti, kei te pērā te kōrero e mōhiotia whānuitia ana i ēnei wā.
Engari, ko tā te Kāhui o Mata Aho me Maureen kaupapa he ketuketu me te uiui i ngā kōrero riro noa. Kāore a Hinenuitepō e whakaaturia hei wahine muhani, i pūrere atu mō te whakamā te take, e pērā ana ki te kōrero o runga nei. Engari anō mā roto i a Atapō ka whakamihia, ka miramira hoki tana mana, waihoki ko tana ihi, tana wehi, me tana pūmanawa anō. Nāna i whakatau kia wehe atu ia, kia whakaruruhau, kia whakamaru hoki i ngā mate i te pō. Nō roto i tēnei āhuatanga kua kīnakihia ēnei kōrero e ngā ringatoi nei kia matatini ake ai: ko tā rātou, kāore a Hinetītama i whakaumu atu kia tū ko Hinenuitepō, e tohe kē ana rātou ngā ringatoi ko te tokorua he kotahi tonu; i ngā wā katoa, ko Hinetītama a Hinenuitepō, ko Hinenuitepō a Hinetītama.
He ōrite tēnei kotahitanga ki ētahi āhuatanga o te hononga o Maureen ki a Mata Aho. Ko tā rātou mahi tahi ki a rātou anō nō te tau 2014 ā mohoa ake nei, e tuakana ana, e teina ana hoki: nā Maureen a Mata Aho i whakaako i ngā pūkenga raranga, i whakamahia ai e rātou i roto i ā rātou ake mahi (hei tauira, ko Tauira, i tonoa e te wharetoi o Dowse, me AKA, i tonoa mō te whakaaturanga Abadakone, ki te Wharetoi ā-motu o Kānata). Nō roto i a Atapō, kua whanaketia tonutia tēnei hononga, he ringa tahi nō rātou kia oti te mahi kotahi. Ko ā rātou ko Maureen, ko Mata Aho tuku mihi ki a rātou anō he miringa taringa, inā noa atu i kitea tēnei āhuatanga e whakaatatia nei ki roto i a Atapō.
Ahakoa he mahi kotahi tēnei, ko ēnei ariā tokorua nei, arā ko Hinenuitepō me Hinetītama, he mea hanga tūhāhā, nā Maureen a Hinetītama, nā Mata Aho kē a Hinenuitepō. Ka maea te mahi, ka kitea a Hinetītama ki muri i a Hinenuitepō, he hiahia nō Maureen kua noho ia ki muri i a Mata Aho: “Tū nei au ki muri i a rātou”. Nā konā ka huakina he āhuatanga hōhonu ake i roto i a Atapō, ehara i te mea ka whakaatatia ko ēnei pūrākau Māori anake ki roto rā, engari anō ko te whakapapa o te hononga i waenganui i ngā kaihanga me te tukanga waihanga hoki.
Ka kaha kitea ā rātou toritori, whakapeto ngoi hoki kia ea pai ai te kaupapa. Hei tauira ko ngā nihoniho o Hinenuitepō. Ka tītaha te kite, ka koeko te āhuahanga o Hinenuitepō, he mokamoka tēnei mō te kanohi hōmiromiro pea, kāore au i whai mōhio ki tēnei āhuatanga o te pakiwaitara mōna. Ko te āhuahanga koeko nei he tohu o ngā nihoniho tūhua o te tara o Hinenuitepō. I a rātou e rangahau ana, i kōrero a Mata Aho ki a Ahorangi Ngāhuia Murphy (Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana, Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu), he ketuketu nōna i ētahi kōrero tuku iho mō ngā kawa, ngā tikanga, ngā kōrero hoki o te wāhine, mō ngā kaupapa pērā i te waiwhero. Ko tā Ahorangi Murphy whakamārama, he kōrero ā ngā tini iwi huri noa i te ao whānui e pā ana ki te niho o te tara, waihoki e putuputu ana te kōrero ka pakaru ngā nihoniho nei i runga i te wairua tino tunuhuruhuru, hei tairitenga mō te tāmitanga o te wāhine e ngāi tāne. Ko te kōrero mō Hinenuitepō he tauira mōmōhanga, me ngā nihoniho e houkura tonu ana.
E hāngai ana ngā nihoniho ki tētahi kōrero kaha tākina mō Hinenuitepō, ko te kōrero mō Māui. I ngana a Māui ki te karo i te mate mā te kuhu i te tara o Hinenuitepō, me te haere mā roto rawa i a ia, ki te puta atu anō mā tana waha. Heoi, i katakata a tīrairaka ki a Māui nōna e takaoraora ana ki te kuhu i te tara. Nā tana wheko te māreikura i oho ai, waihoki i komikomia a Māui kia mate.
Ko Atapō tērā ki tana wāhi motuhake o te wharetoi, he māwhero kōmā te tae. Ka kuhuna te wāhi nei, ka whakaputa te tangi o te tīrairaka, i hopua e Te Kahureremoa Taumata (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), he ringatoi, he kaipuoro, he kaiako hoki i mahi tahi ai i te kāhui nei i ngā rā kua pahure.
Nā Maureen te whakaaro nei i whakaaweawe, i tonoa a Mata Aho e ia kia whakatūturutia, ahakoa te whakatinanatanga o te mahi toi, kia whai i te mana whenua ki te wāhi e tū ai tērā, mā te karu, mā te taringa hoki o te kaimātai. Koinei te tikanga o te ‘tomo i te paepae’; ka tomo te tangata ki te mahi nei kua mārama ia kei te kuhu ia i tētahi ao me ōna tikanga, ōna āhuatanga anō he mea tautuhi e ngā ringatoi tonu me ngā atua wāhine hoki. E ai ki a Ahorangi Bob Jahnke (Ngāi Taharora, Te Whānau a Iritekura, Te Whānau a Rakairo o Ngāti Porou), ko te tomo i te paepae ko te “tukanga mā reira e whakapā atu te tangata ki te tikanga o tēnā iwi, o tēnā iwi, kia pikia ngā rangi tūhāhā o taua iwi e tana hinengaro, kia whakawhitia ngā tini ao o taua iwi e ia. Waihoki, ka hono tana pōkai i ngā whenua ā-tikanga nei ki ngā kōrero tuku iho mō te whakawhiti a tuatangata nō taua iwi tonu i waenganui i ngā ao kikokiko me ngā ao wairua hoki o taua iwi, ka hono hoki ki ngā kōrero me te whakapapa e pā ana ki te whakatairanga i ngā taonga tuku iho o taua iwi.”
Ka kuhuna te wāhi māwhero o Atapō ka kitea tēnei āhuatanga i roto i te mahi a tētahi atu ringatoi, i te hoia kākāriki takawairore i reira hoki ai. He tautuhi motuhake nōna mō tana whakairi kāore e oti te whakaneke ki wāhi kē atu. Nā, ka noho pūmau te hoia ki roto tonu i a Atapō. Ko tāku i whakapae ka pukuriri a Maureen me Mata Aho he takahi nō te hoia nei ki te wāhi o Atapō, engari ko tā Maureen, ko tana nohoanga he mea whakakoia nei te kōrero a Atapō, he āhua nōna ka ngana ia ki te pūrere atu. Tērā pea, e rerekē ana i tō Maui hiahia, kāore te hoia nei i te rata ki te tomo i te paepae o te tara o Hinenuitepō?
Whakahou ana ēnei ringatoi nei i ngā kōrero tuku iho kia whai mana ake ai ō tātou atua wāhine, waihoki, whakarauora hoki ana rātou i ngā mahi me ngā taonga kua mahue i a tātou, kua tāhaetia i a tātou rānei. Whakapeto ngoi ana ia ringatoi nei ki te rangahau i ngā kohikohinga o tēnā, o tēnā whare taonga, ketuketua ana he tauira o ēnei mahi tīpuna kāore e mōhiotia whānuitia tonutia ana. Hei tauira, ko te papakingaro, i kitea i tō Hinenuitepō taha o Atapō. He taimana tana rite, ā, i ngā wā o neherā rānga ai te papakingaro ki te harakeke. Engari, mō Hinenuitepō ka whakaaturia hei puaretanga kau e taimana ana te āhua, toro atu ana i te papa ki te tuanui, me tāna hoki haere anō, ā, ko tōna mimititanga.
Tērā tētahi taonga e rite ana ki te papakingaro i ngā whenua huri noa i te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. Hei tauira, ki Hāmoa, whakamahia ai te ‘fue’ i ngā horopaki ōkawa. Mōhiotia nei a Mata Aho i te whakamahi i ngā rawa ‘parāoa’, me kī, i roto i ā rātou mahi, inā noa atu ko ngā rawa e kaha kitea ana i ngā kāinga Māori, i ngā horopaki Māori rānei (arā ko ngā paraikete perehunga, ngā tāpōrena, me te taura moana). Ko Atapō he mea hanga i te raumata rango, i te mata angiangi toroa nei i ngā matapihi me ngā tatau kia parea atu ngā rango. Ko te papakingaro he mea whakamahia kētia e Maureen, i tana mahi mō Pou Kanohi, mō te whakamaumaharatanga pakanga o Te Whare Toi o Tāmaki-makaurau. Ko tana mahi, ko ‘Pō Atarau – Now is the Hour’, he mea hanga ki ngā rīpeka e whitu tekau, me te papakingaro tō rātou āhua, hei whakaata i Te Hokowhitu a Tū, i ngā hoia Māori i haere atu ai ki te pakanga nunui.
Ko Maureen me Mata Aho tahi he ringatoi e whakaako nei i a koe, me tō kore mōhio hoki e ako ana koe. Ko ia taipitopito o Atapō he mea āta wānanga, āta whakaaro hoki, me tōna whakapapa e tino mōhiotia ana. Me uaua ka whai āhuatanga kia pātaihia kua kore e āta waihangatia kia pērā pū tana āhua, ā, he aha au e ohorere nei i tēnā? Mā te wānanga e whakatūturu ai a Mata Aho i ērā mea ka hanga rātou, he mea āta matapaki, he mea huritau hoki; mōhio ana rātou ko te aha e hangaia ai e rātou, me te pēhea hoki. Ko tā Mata Aho, mō Maureen ko ia he kaipōkai whenua, ko tāna he ketuketu putuputu, he hurahura, he whakamātau i ngā tīpakohanga katoa, kia puta rā anō te komata o te rangi, koia te tino hua o aua ketuketutanga katoa.
Anā, ko te putanga tērā, ko Atapō. E tōia atu nei aku whakaaro ki tana ingoa tonu, ki te kotahitanga o ngā mea e rua e hanga ai i tērā: ko te ata me te pō. Ka oti pea te whakamārama i a Atapō hei hononga i waenganui i ētahi ringatoi: he huatau, he whai whakaaro, he waingōhia, engari he hōhonu. Whai muri nei i aku huritau, e hiahia ana au ki te whakakapi nā runga i te whakautu a Maureen ki taku kī, he uaua te hopu i a Atapō mā te kāmera. Ko tēnei hoki he hua o tā rātou whai wānanga mō te wheako o te kaimātaki: “Ko te tikanga, me haere ā-kiko ki tana nohoanga. Koia he mea kikokiko, engari he mea wairua hoki. Me mahi ōu rongo katoa ki te hopu i a ia, ko koe tēnā me te ringatoi hoki e mahi tahi ana. Ko tāu tū ki konā te whakaotinga o te mahi, kua tutuki i tō whakapāpā atu i tērā.”
I whakamāoritia tēnei kōrero e Bea Joblin
First published in Art Zone #86
You can read this story in English here.
