Taha Maori programme focus on te ihi

Tu Tangata, Issue 8, 1 October 1982, Page 36

Taha Maori programme focus on te ihi

Te Paki Hone Te Aho Cherrington

New Zealand has a great need today for programmes which help towards a greater understanding between Pakeha and Maori. Tuhoe Artist, Arnold Wilson, Project Director for the Department of Education has completed another such programme.

At the Forum North Arts Centre, Whangarei earlier this year, 140 pupils and teachers from 6 North Auckland secondary schools, took part in a programme focussed on “taha Maori” and lived “marae style” for a week amidst an atmosphere of creative energy rarely seen or acknowledged in this country. Kamo High School, Tikipunga High School, Bream Bay College, Dargaville High School, Rodney College and Bay of Islands College, were the participating schools. Each had sent about 20 pupils plus their music/drama and/or Maori studies teachers. Inspiration for the week long art form activities was drawn from this passage: “Hutia te rito o te harakeke Kei whea te komako e ko Ki mai koe ki au He aha te mea nui o tenei ao Maku e ki atu he tangata He tangata he tangata.” Translation: “Wrench out the heart of the flax. Where then is the bellbird? If you ask me the question, What is the most important thing in this world? My answer to you is thus It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.”

The week was noted for its informality and flexibility and was a bridge building exercise of the visual and performing arts using myths and legends of our country as a catalyst. Various artists, groups, and resource people were in attendance to help and advise on the creative ideas of the students. Advice and lessons Limbs Dance Company, led by Mary Jane O’Reilly was in attendance and each morning put the students through exercises. Limbs encouraged and helped with practical lessons and advice on any modern dance ideas. Statement Theatre with Marie Staples, Kapa Kitchen and Nat Lees, did similarly from a straight drama view point. Statement Theatre early in the week performed a 3 A of an hour programme. John Rangihau of Tuhoe, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Maori Studies and Reseach, University of Waikato, was present for three days to advise on aspects of Maoritanga. Other local kaumatua also attended daily to advise on any matters which pertained to local kawa and/or legends and to give their experience and expertise to the programme. Along with John Rangihau, they were an essential part of the experience.

Creative songs

Hirini Melbourne and Bernadette Papesch Huata were also in attendance. Hirini as New Zealand’s most creative Maori song writer today and Bernadette as a singer of Maori as well as a most experienced female leader of culture groups.

This duo’s input in three days was great. Hirini would put a story or chant to music and then he and Bernadette would sing it. The school they were helping at the time invariably included the song and/or chant in their item.

Other resource people present included Garfield Johnson with his vision of “multi-culturalism”, Lionel Gray for a visual record, sculptors Graeme North and Rua Paul, Dr McLean with a slide presentation of waiata, and the Flamenco Dancers.

Local relevance

Each school had earlier agreed to work on an idea which dealt either with the name of their school or area, or with a local legend which was relevant to their locality and were to work on it for a pageant type presentation at the end of the week. Dance, mime, music, theatre, artwork, sculpture were to be used in any manner with input from the various resource people.

Ideas came, were work-shopped, some rejected, some retained and then rehearsed for the Thursday presentation. What was exciting was the creative energy and enthusiasm being given free reign, the creative ideas of our secondary students bubbling over on ideas that pertained to their locality, their school and their “patch”, bringing with it an added pride in doing “their thing, their way” and in a manner

which was peculiar to them and New Zealand. A unique artistic happening was evolving before us.

Tangaroa and the Battle of the Fishes, Rei-tu and Rei-pae in the naming of Whangarei, Maui catching the sun, taniwha in the Kaipara Harbour, Papatuanuku and Ranginui in the creation myth, all became relevant during the week. Relevant not just to Maori students but to all taking part. Maori and Pakeha were working together creatively on New Zealand myths and legends which were a reality to them.

Must be felt

It is in programmes like this that the best of cultural interaction takes place. The activities must be experienced, not learned from an educational book, and the activities must be felt to be relevant to the participants. One hopes that Arnold Wilson will be continuing such programmes with increasing frequency. New Zealand art forms will then continue to evolve and grow. New Zealand cannot afford to let such programmes lapse.

Lest my earlier comments give the impression of a “willy nilly arts happening”, I would hasten to point out that there is a long history of commitment and planning behind this current cross cultural community involvement Arts Programme, which should be seen in its perspective of following on, but with a greater sense of immediacy and urgency, earlier programmes in the arts.

One such art programme was the Northern Maori Project initiated by Gordon Tovey in 1954. This programme led later to the appointment of specialist Maori art advisers and from this era came artists such as Cliff Whiting, Arnold Wilson, Para Matched, Ralph Hotere, Fred Graham and others.

The ihi

At long last people were being trained to appreciate and use Maori art forms. However, little thought was given to sensing and experiencing the “ihi” the essence of beliefs and values, the thinking and feeling which underlie them.

In the 1970’s Peter Boag, then Assistant Director-General of Education provided the opportunity for the setting up of today’s type of programme which is aimed at bringing about biculturalism by first gaining an appreciation of the ethnics of Maori culture. It is hoped that on this foundation other cultures can be added so as to produce true multiculturalism. Today the criticism of not giving thought to the “ihi” no longer applies.

This current programme was started in 1975 with the secondment to the Education Department of Tuhoe, Arnold Wilson sculptor, art teacher and advisor. In 1977 Garfield Johnson, ex-prin-

cipal of Hilary College became the coordinator of the programme. Jocelyn Tarrant joined the team in 1978. The work is monitored by an in-ser-vice committee which is headed by the District Senior Inspector of Secondary Schools, Auckland, Ray Scott and ineludes Sunney Amey, Lionel Gray, Miria Pewhairangi, Jim Leabourn, Miss J. Carter, Mr G. Grenfell, Mr C. Herbert, Mr R. Munro, Mrs P.V Price, Mr V. Penfold and Mr P. Smith.

Guiding philosophy The philosophy behind the programme seems to be summed up in the following passages taken from the cross cultural community involvement Arts Programme resource booklet prepared by Arnold Wilson for pupils, teachers, parents and others. “... We readily accept the proposition that ethnic identity should be respected ....” “That fifty per cent of the Pacific Islands children in New Zealand are born here is not just a demographic fact. That Auckland is the biggest Polynesian city in the world is not just a

matter of geographic curiosity. That our Maori culture goes back at least a thousand years is not just anthropological information. That Maori and Pakeha have for over a century and a half, lived and loved together, fought and died together, is not merely a matter of passing historical interest. That we have tried together to forge relationships with each other in different ways, sometimes with indifferent snccess, is not lust a sociological and political issue These constitute he cultural lifeblood of our society Whether we acknowledge it or not there is no New Zealand Pakeha who is not in some sense culturally Maori and there is no New Zealand Maori who is not in some sense culturally Pakeha.”

Appreciate cultures “ j s our hope that the new generations of New Zealanders, as well as CO ming to understand the major cultures, will appreciate also our many cultures. They will accordingly respect them and, because they value the diver-

sity that results will identify with each and every culture and hold their opportunity to do so as something precious. That is our exclusive heritage and privilege. This is what it means to be a New Zealander ....” “... In keeping with these views the Cross Culture Community Involvement Programme is a serious attempt, not to promote art alone, but to use visual art and craft initially as a catalyst to spark off discussion and thought about the underlying attitudes and values which are the heart and the very guts of culture, and the source of creative effort The resource booklet can be obtained

by contacting: Arnold Wilson Project Director CCCIP Department of Education Private Bag Newmarket AUCKLAND Phone: 541-989 Extension 777. success of such programmes is startlingly obvious and since 1975 has ta ht over 3000 p ils from pri intermediate and secondary schools. I have seen the murals of a number of schools at , he Kh ber Pass Maori sion> Auckland and at Forum North whangarei and have no doubt as to the standard and worth of other such works /