Ngai Tuhoe artist Taumata Soloman's latest exhibition, Taiea,.
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See below for English translation
Ko Taiea te whare rangatira o Te Arawa
Anei tētehi tuahangata ngākau whakaiti. Ko Taumata Soloman.
He kanohi kitea he kanohi mōhio hoki ki ngā tōpito huhua o te takiwā o Rotorua. Engari anō ko āna mahitoi. Ko Taumata he tangata haere raro whenua, he tangata noho puku he kore hiahia nōnā ki te matatihi o te maunga pai kē kia tunahatia e ia ngā kura, māna hoki e āta whāngai ki ngā hau. Mō te tauira o te tangata whakaiti, kai konei.
Ko te whakatūwheratanga o tana whakakitenga toi a Taiea ka pūare kau ki te iwi ā te pō nei ki Wallis Gallery ki te Arts Village. Ka mutu ā te tuawhitu o Pīpiri.He pukenga rau, he pōtae huhua hoki tō Taumata. Ko Taiea tōna moemoeā nui ko tōna koha aroha hoki tēnei ki te hāpori.
He kaupapa whakamihi nānā ki ngā amokura rangaira o te ao kapa haka. Kotahitekau mā tahi katoa ngā kāhika tūwao o Te Arawa kua oti kē i a ia te whakaahua.Ko ngā taniwha ēnei o te whare nui o
Rēhia i tū ātamira ki te waiata me te haka i nga1 tau maha ko pahemo mai i te timatatanga o te Aotearoa Maori Performing Arts Festival tae ki Te Matatini.Nōnā hoki te hōnore nui ki te kawe I tēnei kaupapa ki te pātū o whakamihi. ' He moemoeā e tere nei’. Ka pātaingia a Taumata e Ngāti Whakaue ki te hāpai i tēnei whakaaro i ngā mārama maha ko tahā. Wheoi anō tana whakamihi hoki ki te iwi o te kāinga.
E hoa mā kia āta tirohia e koe ki te rarangi o ngā tupua kua oti i a ia te whakaahua, he ariki katoa.
Ko ēnei rangatira katoa kua whakawhiwhia ki te taumata nui o Te Matatini, ara, te Manu kura tāne, te Manu kura wahine rānei. ' Ka kite kau te iwi i ngā rangatira e ngangahū kau ana i ngā pātū o te whare, ka tere te toto o ngā uri’. Ko te whakakitenga tuarua tēnei. Ko tana whakakitenga tuatahi i tū ki te pā o Ohinemutu mō te kaupapa Whakanuia.
Wetini Mitai-Ngatai with artist Taumata Soloman beside his portrait in Taiea.
Kāti. Ko ētehi o ngā tohunga, ētehi o ngā rangatira tēnei te whai ake nei. Ko Irirangi Tiakiawa,Wetini Mitai-Ngatai, Atareta Maxwell, Trevor Maxwell, Hiwaroa Morrison, Donna Grant, Temuera Morrison and Taini Morrison
He mātanga hoki, he ika a Whiro a Taumata ki haka. He pouako, he rangatira otīā he tohunga mahi toi.Kai wareware hoki i a tātau te whakaahua i tū ki te pātū o AJ’s Emporium i te taone, nā Taumata taua whakaahua nā.
Te rearea hoki e Tā. Hai tā Taumata ko Te Toki Te Arawa Hero Mural taua whakaahua nā.He wāhanga nui o te kaupapa Aronui i tū I te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā iwa. Me he kaupapa whai take hoki tēnā. Hai tāna.
He ahakoa he nanakia te wā nōna e mahi ana hai pouako, hai pou hāpai kaupapa, hai tangata kohi pūtea me Aunt Bea kīhai i āta mōhiotia tēnei whaea o tātau e Taumata.
Nā tēnei take ka noho roa a Taumata me tana whānau, kātahi nā ka ū mai te wairua o Aunty Bea ki tōna manawa. Kai reira te tino wehi o āna mahi.
—Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
English Translation
Ngai Tuhoe artist Taumata Soloman has been around our rohe for years, reaching generations through his insightful and dramatic murals.
But he prefers to fly under the radar because he wants to keep safe the many gifts in his kete which have been granted to him to share with the world.
His latest exhibition, Taiea, opens tonight at Wallis Gallery in the Arts Village. The exhibition runs to June 7.
Taumata is a man of many talents which he believes are gifts for him to share. This statement alone is a testament to the man he is, utilising his gift purposefully intentionally and respecting the mana of it all. Taumata is the artist behind what has become a dream project “Taiea.”
He describes it as an artistic celebration of the 11 leaders of Te Arawa who won national leadership honours at the Aotearoa Maori Performing Arts Festival which later became the widely renowned Te Matatini festival.
Taumata is honoured and privileged to have been asked to bring this kaupapa to life artistically being an avid kapa haka performer himself and idolising some of the leaders on this list. “Dream of come true stuff” in his own words.
Taumata was approached and commissioned by Ngāti Whakaue to bring Taiea to life and he is very thankful to the hapū of Ngāti Whakaue.
The list of leaders reads like a list of kapa haka royalty.
All of these taniwha were winners of the kaitātaki award at a national kapa haka level in their own respective eras, some even winning more than once.
“The hope is that the wairua of each kaihaka will be felt when the portraits are seen and the many generations of kaihaka after us will forever aspire to be great just like their leaders were and some still are.”
Taiea featured at the Ngati Whakaue Whakanuia.
The haka leaders include Irirangi Tiakiawa, Wetini Mitai Ngatai, Atareta Maxwell, Trevor Maxwell, Hiwaroa Morrison, Donna Mariana Morrison, Temuera Morrison, Miri Morrison & Taini Morrison.
Taumata is a kapa haka performer, teacher and mentor whose art has featured around our town over the years.
Remember the dramatic mural of Aunty Bea Yates on the side of AJ’s Emporium in the CBD. It captured her smile beautifully.
Taumata called it Te Toki Te Arawa Hero Mural, which was part of the Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival 2019. Producing the dramatic mural was “meaningful” for him.
He had worked with the long-serving teacher, fundraiser, entertainer, and author at Lakes High School although he did not know her well.
In order to gain an insight into what made Aunty Bea tick Taumata sat down with her family to korero. It’s that attention to detail that makes his work so special.
