Tertiary Education Programmes

Maaori art today

Explores the diversity of Maaori art in our galleries, touching on the three dimensions described by Bob Jahnke ONZM...

1. 1. Toi tuuturu / Customary practice
   2. Toi whakawhiti / Transcustomary practice
   3. Toi rerekee / Contemporary practice

...before zooming in to tease out the diverse possibilities of 2. Toi whakawhiti or Transcustomary practice. What does it mean to create work that straddles cultures and paradigms? What makes each artist's message unique? And what might their taonga offer us in terms of life lessons - artworks to 'live by'? 

This programme has been taught alongside a range of toi Maaori exhibits at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, including: Fred Graham: Katohia He Wai Moou; Sandy Adsett: Toi Koru; Robyn Kahukiwa: Tohunga Mahi Toi; Inside Out (sculpture and public art); and He Aa I Uta, He Aa I Tai (weaving). Contact our Educator to discuss other artists coming soon.

Museum objects as primary sources 

This programme looks at a range of taonga, objects and artworks as ‘primary sources’, unearthing their kōrero and exploring the complex histories such objects can hold.

Themes include: complicating firsts and originals; cultural interpretation and ideology; reclamation and restoration; Māori conceptions of taonga and their return. 

Objects and taonga to discuss: 

• Paepae paataka from Te Raratuna O Tutumua (north of Pukete Paa)
• 'Te Hokioi e rere atu-naa' newspaper (1922 reprint of 1863 first ed.)
• Double-sided heitiki from Opoia paa
• Gunter's chain, early Waikato land title deed 
• Te Winika and te wharewaka
• Von Tempsky street sign
• Carving, photograph and painting of Kiingi Taawhiao 
• Etc.

An introduction to te ao Maaori

Draws on a range of puuraakau or customary narratives to convey essential understandings of the Maaori world. Through our creation stories we encounter Maaori concepts of te kore, to poo and te ao maarama (potential, becoming and being). These in turn illuminate all birth, life and death in the natural world, and all process of artistic creation. 

We can find these stories and their characters (atua, tipua, tūpuna) throughout the galleries and taonga of Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, in carvings, weavings and contemporary art. Narratives told may include:

• • Ko te pū
  • Te wehenga: the separation of Ranginui & Papatuuaanuku
  • Ngaa atua wahine: Hineahuone, Hinetiitama, Hinenuitepoo and more  
  • The stories of Maaui and Taawhaki  
  • Te manu huna a Taane
  • The poowhiri process, the wharenui & other reanactments of creation
  • Taonga journeys from darkness to light

Decolonisation 

Introduces students to some key decolonising methodologies (with reference to key theorists including Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Frantz Fanon, Fred Moten). 

Explores decolonisation as a strategy for art/design practice.

Touches on the challenges of decolonisation for indigenous peoples, and the challenges for allies/accomplices. 

Includes a guided tour of Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, looking at taonga, objects and artworks through a decolonial lens. Galleries visited will change according to the season and our current exhibitions, but can be discussed in advance with your Educator.

Te Koopuu Maania o Kirikiriroa

Designed to support an interior design brief about the Waikato food basket, this programme explores several atua known for their connections with kai/food: Taane Mahuta, Rongomaataane, Haumiatiketike and Tangaroa. We then look at:

• Customary Maaori relations with the Waikato whenua, including local paa sites and mahinga kai
• Taonga and objects in the Museum collection used for agriculture, hunting, fishing, food gathering and kai preparation
• Tainui whakataukii or sayings carrying knowledge of gardening, food sovereignty and the maramataka (including Kiingi Taawhiao on Te Koopu Maania o Kirikiriroa)
• Customary and contemporary kaitiaki practices: raahui, legal personhood, translocation, soil and water care.