“TE AO MARAMA” – A festival of Maori Art

Tu Tangata, Issue 7, 1 August 1982, Page 21

“TE AO MARAMA” - A festival of Maori Art

by Paid Cherrington

(Auckland Festival

For the first time ever the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Maori Artists and Writers Society were invited to provide a programme for full participation in the Annual Auckland Festival. This festival in the past has often given the impression that Auckland does not have the largest Polynesian population in the world. 1982 will perhaps be a forerunner of a future multicultural festival with input not only from Maori artists but also from Samoan, Niuean, Tongan, Rarotongan and all the other races who give a richness and variety to our city.

“Te Ao Marama” opened on Sunday 28 February and continued until Thursday 8 April the date of the final performance of “Get the Hell Home Boy” and provided a series of events giving cultural expression to aspects of social change which in turn gave form to a vision, using the age old forms of debate, music, poetry, drama and art. The art exhibition opened at Waiatarau with the following speakers Haare Williams, Tainui Stephens, Pat Hohepa and our Kaumatua Eruera Stirling then came the hangi and wine prepared by Robin Kora and his band of workers, James Paki, Robert and our Pakeha chef Paul Johnson. The exhibition was notable for being multi-media and having 28 contributors whose work ranged from bone, ivory and greenstone pendants, bronze sculptures, carvings both traditional and modern using wood, hardboard and chipboard, pottery, ceramics in clay glazed with gum, to canvasses which gave no hint of the artists Maori origins. It is important Maoridom is aware of the people who toil to keep Maori art vital, relevant, and growing. Here is the full list of exhibitors:- Ross Hemera, Toi Maihi, Buck Nin, Fred Graham, Robert Jahnke, Sandy Adsett, Selwyn Muru,

Arnold Wilson, Haare Williams, Ralph Hotere, Para Matchitt, Don Salt, Rei Hamon, John Hovell, Darcy Nicholas, Merania Paora, Ramai Hayward, Robin White, Moka Puru, Robyn Stewart, Alec Musha, plus the following who are exhibiting with the Maori artists and writers for the first time:- Henry Murray, Ruka Hudson, Jewelle Dansey, Wiki Jacobs, Gary Nicol, and the Te Hapua weavers. There was much work with a strong political content from contemporary Maori artists already well known in the wider New Zealand art scene but the many lesser known names present show that Maori art has a vigorous and energetic base for the future. Established artists Whilst I enjoyed very much the work of established artists such as Ralph Hotere with his intense but subtle “Rangi is my Ancestor”, Buck Nin’s impressive triptych inspired by the Land March, Selwyn Muru’s powerful antiSpringbok canvasses, Para Matchitt’s elegance, John Walsh’s sympathetic but strong portraits, Alec Musha’s pottery, Darcy Nicholas’ hauntingly beautiful eyes, Rei Hamon’s pointillism and works by people such as Toi Maihi, Sandy Adsett, John Hovell, Haare Williams and Arnold Wilson, I was

more excited by the works of artists new to me. I refer here to Don Salt with his bronze “frog” and “Virgin Predator”, Robyn Stewart with her “raku” fired pottery which uses an ancient method of oxidisation involving cow dung, Henry Murray with his bone and greenstone pendants, Robert Jahnke with his “Te Utu” of hardboard and chipboard which prompted an Auckland art critic to write “The paradox of the works theme, the artist’s ‘revenge’, was shocking,” and Ross Hemera’s striking “Kahukura of Huriawa,” a relief sculpture or is it a painted relief? I was amazed that the same art critic who commented on “Te Utu” made no mention at all of Ross Hemera’s “Kahukura of Huriawa” which is a departure from the tradition of public murals establsihed by Para Matchitt, Cliff Whiting and then Arnold Wilson.

Graphic approach

The style is very close to graphic media. Whereas, in the painted sections, the strong colours make the line, in the carved section, the lines have been made by the chisel and thus sculpture can be said to have enhanced the graphic statement. In a sense the work should not be seen simply as sculpture but rather as an extension of graphic line. Shapes have been made by a derivative of the traditional “Koru” yet the relief figure of Kahukura has been given life using a Western ‘design and composition’ technique. The rainbow and the canoe prow are balanced according to Western compositional conventions. The aesthetics of the design comes from a mix of the two. The two ‘fighting’ figures have a similarity to traditional Maori rock drawings yet they are also similar to the figure of Kahukura but more flowing. The ‘fighting’ figures are solid,

black, silhouette type shapes. The whole work is a story of two hapu of Ngai Tahu Ngai Te Rau Hikihiki and Ngati Huirapa who peopled the area of Huriawa. Te Wera was the chief some 200 years ago who had a quarrelsome and ambitious nephew, Taoka. Taoka tries to usurp the mana of Te Wera, he steals the figure of Kahukura, symbol and repository of chiefly and tribal mana, and makes off out to sea with the figure. However, after invocations by the tohunga Hatu, Kahukura ‘comes to life’ and travels back to his marae at Huriawa on a rainbow. The dastardly nephew’s attempt is repulsed and tribal mana remains intact. The work is a transposition from an oral medium to something ‘in between’.

Ngai Tahu

James Ross Hemera of Ngai Tahu, born in 1950, was educated at Waitaki Boys High School and then the Otago school of fine and Applied Arts, graduating in 1972. He spent 1973/1974 at Auckland Secondary Teachers’ College and was the Art Teacher at Glenfield College from 1975-1978. Currently he is Head of the Art Department at Long Bay College. He has exhibited eight times with the Maori artists and writers but does not exhibit solo since he prefers the group experience. He says of the Maori artists and writers: “I owe them a lot in many different ways and a great deal of respect for what they do. They are the most worthwhile art organisation I have experienced. They give me a foundation for my art a kind of support and encouragement for the particular direction and exploration in the development of my art a foundation which comes from our Maoritanga”. Overall the exhibition created a great deal of interest and was seen by a number of school groups who participated in daily events arranged by the Maori artists and writers. These included the Te Hapua weaving demonstrations, the story telling of Maori based children’s publications and the language oriented programme.

Whakawhitiwhiti korero

During the evenings the Maori Artists and Writers committee arranged further events of interest such as a fashion parade, a film festival of Maori based films, an evening of debate in Maori ‘Whakawhitiwhiti Korero’ (“an exchange of thoughts, words and ideas”) which is not really ‘debate’ in the Pakeha sense of the word, an evening of “songs, scenes, and Poetry of Protest”, a Rock/Family concert and there was also Aitutaki Enua a Cook Island cultural group. Space precludes an examination of each event but it seems important to look at three of the evening pro-

grammes the ‘debate’, the play “Get the Hell Home Boy”, and ‘Song, scenes and Poetry of Protest’. The ‘debate’ took place on the evening of 8 March and had as its ‘take’ :- “Nga mahi a nga tupuna a wairua a tinana. E ora tonu ana? He aha nga tohu?” Translation: “Traditional Maori beliefs and practices. Are they still operative and how do you define what these are?” The ‘Kauwhaka haere’ was Pat Hohepa ‘Kaumatua tangata whenua’ Eruera Stirling Ropu: Tahi Tait, Hare Tawhai, Miro Stephens, Harata Maaka, Arapera Blank, Toby Curtis, Purewa Biddle, Selwyn Muru. Whilst there was no specific concensus coming out of the evening except for general agreement that we still have marae protocol and kinship obligations, the evening was notable for such people to be discussing such matters in Maori anyway. With such a high percentage of Maori people now living in cities, many of our youth have missed learning marae protocol in its natural setting. Such discussions as this one must be continued and encouraged. Forceful women For me the evening was notable for the strong and forceful presentation by

the women. There are many women whose knowledge of Maori and Maoritange exceeds that of many of our men, and yet they have to put up with hearing men “practising” their whaikorero or mihi. Some even have to sit on the sideline and listen to pakeha men mispronouncing and mangling Maori. In my own experience I have been aware that the strength of Maoridom lies with the women and that many of the men are purely figureheads. Perhaps the time has come to break with tradition and allow those women with the ability to take their true positions on our marae. Whilst there were men who were loath to make any concessions for women on the marae, it was a pointer that some agreed the situation must be discussed in future. There was interesting comment made on ‘Hawiiki hou’ a vision of ‘a new place’, ‘an inspired homeland’, where ‘we have to create’ an ‘environment for our future generations to stand’, and environment which has ‘a Maori base’. An evening of “songs, scenes and Poetry of Protest” was presented by two Maori theatre groups, “Maranga Mai” and “Te Whanau”, along with Selwyn Muru’s anti-Springbok banners, songs from Mereana Pitman and Tomo Nahi, plus Robin Kora reading his own poetry. The evening opened with both groups singing the now fimiliar “Hey Maori People” and continued with excerpts from “Te Whanau” and “Maranga Mai” dealing with the bias of the education and justice systems against

Maori people, the prejudice of landlords (now worsening because of the economic downturn which makes for fewer rentals available) and the strength of cultural values.

Tomo Nahi sang the link song “Nga Mana atua” and took part in the Te Whanau excerpts. Robin Kora added his poetry which he surely must publish a collection of soon and then Mereana Pitman rounded off the evening with moving anti-nuclear songs and two forceful women’s songs. Mereana Pitman was undoubtedly the high point of the evening.

Her strong, earthy voice, her guitar playing, and her confident stage presence caused the audience to call for more. I note that Rowley Habib used Mereana for the theme songs of his T.V. play “The Protesters” seen recently as the last of the “Loose ENZ” series.

Ngati Kuri

“Te Raukura” written by the late Harry Dansey and presented at the annual festival 10 years ago, was the first play written by a Maori to be performed at an Auckland festival. Selwyn Mum’s “Get the Hell Home Boy” is the second. Selwyn Muru, a Ngati Kuri of Aupouri, is better known as an artist and broadcaster. He can now add playwright to the list of his many talents.

The play was written in 1979 as a radio play and this was its first production on stage. It centres on the Maori need for communal and cultural identity, the sense of belonging to ones people and the strong ties to the land and to ancestors; it centres on the disorientation in our modern urban technological society where the Maori is expected to accept the mores of Pakaha society whilst sometimes forfeiting ones own mana and individuality.

The play was sponsored by the Auckland Maori Artists and Writers, produced by Ray Waru and directed by Garry Taylor. It is now no coincidence that Ray Waru’s producing skills are often associated with successes in Maori based productions.

This play had several full houses and was notable for each night having a good percentage of Polynesians in the audience something that does not normally happen in Auckland’s theatre scene.

Clear message

The message to Maori playwrights is clear. Write more plays; we have the actors and directors now, plus a ready made audience eager to come to plays relevant to them.

The production was fortunate in having the directing skills of Garry Taylor of Ngati Porou who has progressed from the N.Z Drama School, to Theatre Corporate to Manukau Theatre, “Te Whanau” players, radio, T.V, films and currently Mercury Theatre. Garry is a

force in Maori theatre today and will continue to become a strength in New Zealand’s total theatre scene. His cast for “Get the Hell Home Boy” was as follows^ Robin Kora of Ngati Raukawa who played Tupu Tamarangi. James Cherrington of Ngapuhi as Benji and the Black Power memer, Paki Cherrington of Ngapuhi as Koro and the Judge, Kuresa Fleseuga of Samoa as Tua, Roger Fowler of South Auckland as Sting, David Meade of Wales as Court Clerk and Policeman, lan Melville of Auckland as Prison Officer and Announcer, Vince Tierney of Ngati Kaha as Tobruk, Dawn Underwood of Ngapuhi as Dolly, Rawinia, and Kuia and Albert Whittaker of Ngapuhi as Bistro and a policeman. Holding cells The action of the play takes place in the holding cells of the Auckland District Court, a jail and a small town north of Auckland. It was presented at New Independent Theatre, Upper Queen Street, Auckland. Reviews were favourable with Robert H. Leek of the New Zealand Times saying:“The key factors in this success are: richly engaging performances by Robin Kora and Paki Cherrington as Tupu and Koro respectively (Cherrington also

plays the unbending pakeha magistrate a nicely ironic touch), a disarming ensemble spirit among the raw young members of the cast and last but not least Garry Taylor’s unobtrusive and thoughtful direction, which highlights the play’s strengths while camouflaging its technical shortcomings, such as they are.” For me the play was worthwhile because we were playing ourselves. The experienced members of the cast gave performances that were expected of them but those who were acting for the first time should be given an accolade. I refer here to Kuresa Faleseuga, Albert Whittaker, Vince Tierney and David Meade, all of whom gave excellent first time performances and we look forward to many more enjoyable shows from them. “Te Ao Marama” A festival of Maori Art, was highly successful, thanks to the energetic committee of the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Maori Artists and Writers which includes: Diane Francis as secretary, Ramai Hayward as chairperson, Ross Hemera as Treasurer along with stalwarts Georgina Kirby and Brian Kirby who are owed so much both Auckland-wise and nationally. Other committee members were Toi Maihi, Haare Williams, Fred Graham, Paki Cherrington, Robin

Kora and Robert Jahnke.