“In the course of those conversations they were invited to mount a 2017 exhibition at Te Papa about Rongowhakaata and its history.
“But it was decided that these stories first needed to be told at home — at the marae exhibitions, then in an installation at Tairawhiti Museum later this year so it is a way of starting this process at the flax roots level.”
The focus, she says, is on strengthening kinship relationships among the people of Rongowhakaata, while at the same time sharing their history with the other peoples of Turanganui (Gisborne).
“The reality is that, in these times, many iwi members don’t necessarily live in their tribal areas and some have never known their Rongowhakaata roots, so these marae are saying ‘we need to tell these stories so they understand where they come from’.”
And Ms Watene believes that hosting the exhibitions at the iwi’s five marae — Whakato, Te Pahou, Manutuke, Te Kuri a Tuatai Marae and Ohako — is significant for a number of reasons.
“Obviously they have their own stories and must take ownership of those,” she says.
“But also, it is important to understand the quality and value of the meeting houses in Manutuke.
“Their stories are on par with those attached to the marae held at Te Papa — if not even more compelling — so this is a chance for the people of Turanganui to appreciate what they have right in their own backyard.”
An investment in the futureBy underwriting the exhibition series the Iwi Trust is making an investment in the future of Rongowhakaata, Ms Watene says.
“The whole process has been absolutely led by the people and the trust sees huge benefits in matauranga Maori (increasing knowledge). So this is not just an event, it is something that adds to all the goals and intentions of the iwi.”
For the week-long series of exhibitions each of the marae have developed their own themes and programmes incorporating everything from wananga and live displays of raranga (weaving) and whakairo (carving), to exhibitions of historic and contemporary works.
• Whakato Marae (January 4-5) – A celebration of Te Mana o Turanga explored through wananga, activities and a curated exhibition of significant taonga (particularly korowai).
• Pahou Marae (January 4-9) – Discover Nga mata o Maruwhakatipuna: The Many Faces of Maru through exciting displays, wananga and activities.
• Manutuke Marae (January 6) – Seek to answer the question ‘Who is Kaipoho?’ with the help of exhibitions and wananga.
• Te Kuri A Tuatai Marae (January 8) – Interactive activities from the planting of native trees to carefully curated historical presentations, live artistry and contemporary displays.
• Ohako Marae (January 9) – Our Tipuna, Our Awa . . . unpack the layers of whakapapa, korero and whakaaro through the arts and crafts of Ohako, including contemporary visual arts and significant korowai, harakeke, manu aute and waiata.
Meanwhile, having taken on her role at Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust just eight months ago — and being primarily of Ngati Kahungunu descent — Alayna Watene says she has found the process of preparing for the week’s exhibitions to have been illuminating.
“Like all iwi Rongowhakaata has a rich heritage of culture, arts, innovation and entrepreneurship and that can be witnessed in the marae, in the distinctive and unique way they have been embellished,” she says.
“But there is another layer of richness in that Manutuke is where missionary William Williams (1800-1878) actually lived and one of the benefits of that is a people who are well-educated, highly-literate, while being steeped in their own indigenousity.
“Seeing the marrying of those things has been amazing for me to learn about, and I’m excited about learning even more.”
