Toi Rangatira: Ngāti Toa

This tukutuku panel remembers Te Kara (The Colour), the first national flag of Aotearoa (1833-1840)

Te Kara o Te Whakaminenga o Ngā Hapū o Nu Tireni – The Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand was adopted by Rangatira in 1834 under which He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni, the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand, was signed by the northern tribes and James Busby in 1835.

Upon the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840, New Zealand became a colony of Britain and the Union Jack became the official flag. When Te Kara was flown at Port Nicholson and Petone later that year, Imperial soldiers were dispatched to remove the flag.

Growing disillusionment with the practice of Te Tiriti o Waitangi saw Māori return to Te Kara and has since been associated with Māori sovereignty movements, with this tukutuku panel paying tribute to the Mana Motuhake political party formed by Matiu Rata in 1979 after his departure from the Labour Party.

Mana motuhake (Māori independence and autonomy) is expressed in this tukutuku as purapurawhetū (the many stars of the sky) and represents the continuity of whakapapa, past, present and future. The other horizontal and vertical lashings are called tūmatakahuki, representing inter-tribal connections, working in unison, bringing together minds, voices, skills and aroha – ‘mā te Kotahitanga, ka whai kaha ai tātou.’

Kohai Grace

Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Porou

Kohai attributes her interest in Māori art beginning as a child, travelling with her parents and six siblings to the annual Māori Artist and Writers hui held at different marae around the motu in the 1970s-80s. There, she found herself captivated by the arts of the wharenui; from her bed, looking up at the kōwhaiwhai in the ceiling and around the walls at the tukutuku and whakairo. She says, ‘I kept my eyes occupied while the artists talked’. Kohai also found her eyes stimulated by the paintings exhibited at the hui by leading Māori visual artists, such as Darcy Nicholas. “I remember as a small child looking up at his paintings in awe, but kind of scared seeing those faces in the clouds.”

In 1986 Kohai was first introduced to raranga harakeke, kiekie and tāniko weaving by Kataraina Hetet at the Wellington Arts Centre, and the following year was taught tukutuku by Katariana’s father, tōhunga whakairo, Rangi Hetet.

Kohai’s first introduction to muka and cloak making was during her degree study at Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa 1994-1997 under the tutelage of Erenora Puketapu-Hetet. Then in 2001, Kohai made her first korowai. while attending a series of cloak making wānanga with Kahu Te Kanawa at Orakei Marae, Auckland.

Kohai’s first solo exhibition was in 2007 titled Tūkākahumai – garments stand forth, a series of ‘black on black kākahu’ that encapsulated her research, exploration, and ‘obsession’ with muka and whatu woven forms within her Master of Māori Visual Arts study, completed in 2008.

Presently Kohai's attention has turned to tukutuku. She enjoys a project that stimulates and challenges the mind whether it be in its form, ‘story to design’ or use of materials, and celebrates its relevance and value not only confined to the wharenui, but for public display and in private homes, and says ‘there is always a story to tell’.

Elena Rei

(Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Koata, Ngāruahine, Samoa

Elena is an emerging artist and textile practitioner based in Porirua. Her practice focuses on investigating textile processes, the whakapapa of natural fibres and the materiality of patterns drawn from te taiao. She works with multiple techniques, guided by mātauranga Māori, exploring notions of whakapapa, kaitiakitanga, mauri and reconnection. Inspired by atua wāhine, time and space concepts and the ways her tūpuna used customary materials her mahi toi aims to make connections between people and place.

Elena is a 2022 graduate from Toi Rauwhārangi with a Bachelor of Design with First Class Honours and a major in Textiles. She is currently exploring her art practice using earth pigments as well as learning the customary art form of tukutuku alongside kaiako Kohai Grace and whānau.

Kaya Grace

Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Porou

Kaya's interest in mahi toi stems from my innate love and appreciation of our culture, Te Taiao and a desire for a deeper connection to Te Ao Māori.

She has been privileged to learn mahi tukutuku under the guidance and tutorage of my aunty Kohai Grace, working on three large panels including one restoration with her guidance and support.

Her passion for mahi tukutuku is something that she has been able to share with her daughters and mokopuna. "It has naturally become part of our home environment where we have collaborated on a series of tukutuku panels."

Through engaging in Toi Rangatira programme offered by Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira she was provided with an avenue to express herself creatively, learn about use of traditional materials and techniques and extend theuse of te reo me ōna tikanga in the process. She is well suited to this ‘model’ or preferred style of learning and grateful to learn from such distinguished ringatoi. This year Kaya have had the opportunity to explore additional disciplines such as raranga and whakairo rākau.

Kaya's long-term goal is to immerse herself in mahi toi, continue gaining skills and knowledge, work on restoration projects and retain our cultural practices for future generations.

Maia Grace-Paul

Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Porou, Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu

Mahi toi is something that Maia always admired. "I’ve wondered how our tūpuna came up with the ideas of turning plants and materials from the natural environment into functional items."

It has been a privilege for Maia to be engaged with the Toi Rangatira, Ngāti Toa Rangatira programme this year, in particular her attendance at Te Whatu Kākahu Wānanga, finding myself in a comfortable and safe learning environment where she has been able to learn new skills, techniques, expand my knowledge of mahi toi and explore my create side. As a first-year teacher she also is able to share this mātauranga with rangatahi.

"Helping to bring a vision to life has been especially inspiring, I have appreciated seeing the creative process from the beginning to end."

Working with her whānau on the tukutuku panel ‘Mana Motuhake’ has strengthened their connection to each other and to Te Taiao.

Te Aomania Grace-Paul

Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai , Ngāti Porou, Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu

Te Aomania first experiences of mahi toi was when she was a young child seeing her mum, Kaya Grace, painting and continuously drawing kōwhaiwhai. Her mum introduced her to tukutuku and she has been addicted ever since.

Te Aomania enjoys the tau that the craft brings her. She enjoys every process of creating tukutuku from the beginning stages of graphing, to assembling the kaho and kakahō onto the framing and to finally get on the panel to create. "Learning under Kohai Grace has been such a privilege, tukutuku is now embedded in 3 generations of our whānau. Mahi toi is a huge part of our everyday life, I am so grateful that my daughter gets to grow up and be immersed in world with mahi toi and her culture at the forefront."

Throughout her schooling she was never the creative of crafty type, it was only in 2022 when Te Aomania found her passion for tukutuku and found something that felt she was good at.

Having the privilege of tutoring tukutuku this year in the Toi Rangatira programme has introduced her to a space she never thought she would be comfortable in. "Passing on knowledge to my class has provided me with the purpose to continue to revitalise mahi toi while teaching the traditions of our people. Being immersed in mahi toi has deepened my connection to my culture, to the whenua and to my whānau."