Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Click here for English translation
Tērā tētehi tokorua tāne he tuakana tētehi, he taina tētehi ko Tamaroa Walker rāua ko Akapita (Aka) Scally.
Kua waia rāua ki te ara o te orooro pounamu e noho nei rāua kahoki ana ngā maumāharatanga no rāua e taiohi kau ana me tā rāua whakamiharo ki te ara kua takahia nei e rāua moroki noa nei.
Kai te whare o Mountain Jade Carving Tours rāua e tuku mātauranga atu ki ngā pia Māori waihoki ki ngā manuwhiri o te ao whānui.
Hai tā Walker te matamua o rāua nā tēnei tūāhuatanga ia i ora ai.
'Tērā tētehi taima, he kotahi tekau mā waru oku tau, e noho kore mahi ana, e tatari ana ki te whānautanga mai o taku tamaiti tuatahi'.
'I kitea tētehi o aku whakairo wheua nei e taku hoa tata, he koha nāku ki taku makau, ka ki mai ia ki ahau ki a kotahi atu ahau ki tana tama ki a Lewis Gardiner kia noho atu hai pia orooro pounamu māna'.
Ka kōtahi atu rā ahau ka tāti taku haerenga orooro pounamu.
'He kotahi tekau ma whitu o ngā tau kua pahemo nei tērā tūponotanga. Ko te mōhiotanga hoki he ahakoa ngā tini whakairo katoa kua oti noa i ahau, ko wēnā taonga ka tiakina, ka manaakingia e te pou-hoko, tūturu hai taonga noho tapu ki te whānau haere ake nei, haere ake nei – nā runga i tēnei whakaaro kua whitikingia taku wairua ki tēnei huarahi ngākau-whakaiti.
'I whakarewangia ai e mātou tētehi kaupapa tuku mātauranga Māori ki ngā tūruhi o te ao. Nā te mea kua aukatingia a Aotearoa, kua kitea e mātou kai te piki haere te hiahia o Aotearoa nei ki te ako ki te kawe hoki i te ahurea Māori – he haerenga ā wairua ka tika hoki', koia nei ngā whakaaro o Sam Hulton koia te Tumuwhakarae o Mountain Jade.
Nā ngā pūkenga whakarākei pounamu kua tino eke te mana o Scally, e tū nei ia hai tohunga orooro pounamu mā Mountain Jade.
Hai tā Scally, 'He tamaiti heahea ahau nō mua mai i taku kuhutanga mai ki tēnei mahi a taku tuakana ahau i tōtō mai ki tēnei ao whakaharahara , nōku e taipakeke ana nānā hoki ngā whao whakairo ki ahau i tino mana ai aku ringaringa'
Māori nei te wairua o Walker he mōhio nōnā me kaha rā e ia ki te tuku iho i ngā pūkenga kua mau i a ia ki ngā whakareanga hou.
'Kai te whāia rawatia te tai hauāuru o Aotearoa e Rotorua kia whakawhiwhia e ia ki te mana nui mō te orooro pounamu me te whakairo wheua – tirohia te tokomaha o ngā pia e tū rarangi kau ana ki te wahatīeke o te whare e hiakai nei ki te pupuri i te mana o te whao haehae pounamu, haehae wheua.
'Ko te manaaki me te poipoi i ngā pia tētehi kaupapa e haere ngātahi nei me te orooro pounamu. Kāua e tūnahatia te mana o tēnei whare wānanga kai pīrau ngā kōrero, ngā pūkenga ngā mātauranga otīā ngā taonga katoa ōna. Mātua ko te poipoi whānau, ko te poipoi tauhou rānei te hunga e noho taumaha ana – ko tēnei tūnga poipoi tangata, he mana nui tōna ka nui taku hiahia ki te kawe tonu i tēnei tūāhuatanga.
Nā te mate urutā kua tū ngā mahi a Mountain Jade mō tētethi wā poto – Engari kai te whatitoka tonu te hunga e paopao haere ana ka nui te pirangatia ki ngā taonga a te whare nei e te ao, taihoa kia hikina anō ai ngā rāhuitanga mate urutā ka tū anō te tāhūhū o te whare.
Mō te wā itiiti nei kai te orooro pounamu tonu a Walker rāua ko Scally .Ka kitea a rāua taonga whakahirahira ki ngā toa huhua o Mountain Jade, ki Rotorua nei ki Tamaki Makaurau, ki te ipurangi hoki.
He ahakoa he pākihi pakupaku, he pākihi ā whānau a Mountain Jade ko te nuinga o rātou he tohunga orooro, he tohunga mahi-a-ringa. He kaupapa i whakaarohia e John David Sheehan.
Nō te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau e waru tekau mā ono ka whakarewangia ai tana kaupapa, na te orooro ka kitea i reira e tuhi ana e rapa ana i raro i te whatukura o Tangaroa ananā tu mai ko Mounatin Jade.
E mahi tahi nei a Mountain Jade me ngā tohunga toi huhua o te motu nā tēnei āhuatanga kua momona kau te puna mātauranga toi, mātauranga orooro, mātauranga whakairo - māturuturu noa ana te oko nui a Tangaroa. Me te tini hoki o a rātou poumahi orooro pounamu ki te puku o Rotorua nei rātou whakaheke toihau ai.
Nō Ngāi Tahu te pounamu koia ko rātou te iwi tiaki i te māuri o tēnei taonga nā Tangaroa. Nā reira e mana ai te kōrero – tūturu he taonga i homaihia e te ika o Ngāhue hai ara mō tātou kia whiti ai tātou ki rāwāhi o te awa hai whakamiharotanga mā te mārea.
Rotorua brothers, Tamaora Walker and Akapita (Aka) Scally, started their carving career's as fresh-faced teens, searching for a pathway through adulthood.
Today, the pair sit at the helm of Mountain Jade carving tours, where they get to pass down this piece of mātauranga Māori to aspiring manuhiri.
Walker, the elder of the brothers, believes the carving industry extended a helping hand when he needed it most.
"I was 18-years-old, on the dole and expecting my first kid," says Walker.
"My family friend saw a bone piece I had carved for my partner, and mentioned I should approach her son, Lewis Gardiner, for an apprenticeship.
"That was almost 17 years ago. Knowing that each piece I make is going to be around forever, in spirit and in person, made me fall in love with carving – and I haven't looked back."
The tours allow visitors to experience the art of pounamu carving up-close and personal.
During 30-minute workshops, Scally and Walker provide insight into the important role pounamu plays in Māori culture, exploring its traditional uses and values while also uncovering the legends and kōrero which breathe life into the stone.
"We created this kaupapa to share a snapshot of Māori culture to international tourists. Now that borders are shut, we've noticed an increase in New Zealanders wanting to connect and learn more about Māori culture — it feels special to be a part of that journey," says Sam Hulton, Chief Executive at Mountain Jade.
Scally has quickly become one of Mountain Jade's most sought out carvers due to his stylistic blend of traditional and contemporary design.
"I was a bit mischievous before I started carving, my brother pulled me into the profession when I was just 16, giving me all the tools I needed to find my style, and start my journey," says Scally.
"You have to remember, pounamu carving is a relatively new art form, they didn't have these diamond tools back in the rā. This new technology has opened avenues for carvers to create their own styles and techniques, I think that's an enticing aspect for the next generation coming through the ranks."
For Walker, there is an expectation to pass down his skills to the next generation of Rotorua carvers, as they were once passed down to him.
"Rotorua, trailing after the West Coast, is one of Aotearoa's largest carving hubs, you can see this through the talented crop of upcoming rangatahi itching to get into the industry."
"Mentorship is something that comes hand in hand with pounamu carving. This is an art form that you can't afford to keep secret, or else you risk losing it altogether. Whether I get to mentor whānau, foreigners, or someone who's struggling through life — mentorship is a gift I want to continue giving."
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Mountain Jade have paused their daily carving tours.
With frequent enquiries and strong demand, Mountain Jade looks to reopen its tours when travel restrictions ease.
In the meantime, Walker and Scally continue creating pounamu jewellery displayed in Mountain Jade's four stores located across Rotorua, Auckland and Online.
An online petition supporting the hapū has over 1950 signatures.