E Tu Ake
Maori Standing Strong
Published on 4. January 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
196 pages
978-1-877385-69-8 (ISBN)
Description
Based on a unique exhibition of the customary and contemporary taonga (treasures) of Maori, E Tu Ake: Standing Strong presents New Zealand's indigenous people as a culture that is dynamic, diverse, politically strong and globally engaged. This book includes images and descriptions of over 100 of the most impressive, highly valued ancestral taonga in the museum's collections - from a carved whare tupuna (ancestral meeting house) to a waka whakamaumaharatanga (canoe cenotaph); from unique jewellery to customary hand-held weaponry, tools, and finely woven cloaks. Alongside these ancestral treasures are more than 50 images of contemporary art works, objects, historical photographs, digital media installations and personal stories. Together, they portray a contemporary, indigenous culture of great artistic depth. In highly accessible language, E Tu Ake tells the story of Maori and introduces the concepts that underpin the Maori world view - concepts like mana, whakapapa and kaitiakitanga - as well as exploring the historical struggle for tino rangatiratanga, or self-determination, that continues to drive Maori creative and political expression today.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Wellington
New Zealand
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Illustrations
155 Halftones, color
ISBN-13
978-1-877385-69-8 (9781877385698)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Huhana Smith (Ng ti T korehe, affiliated to Ng ti Raukawa ki te Tonga) PhD was Senior Curator M ori at Te Papa from 2003 until December 2009. She has lectured in Museum Studies and M ori visual art. She has written on taonga tuku iho (valued ancestral treasures) and contemporary M ori art and visual culture. Smith led the M tauranga M ori section for Icons Ng Taonga (Te Papa Press, 2003) and was the general editor of Tai whio: Conversations with Contemporary M ori Artists (Te Papa Press, 2002), Taiawhio II: 18 New Conversations with Contemporary M ori Artists (Te Papa Press, 2007) and Toi Ora: Ancestral Maori Treasures (Te Papa Press, 2008). A practising artist/painter, Smith illustrated Haere, Farewell, Jack, Farewell by Tim Tipene (2005), winner of the 2006 New Zealand Post Children's Book Honour award. An active kaitiaki (M ori environmentalist) she is currently leading a M ori research team in a major environmental project until 2015 that is assessing ecological decline for waterways into the marine for a stretch of coastline in Horowhenua, south west coast, North Island. It is a solutions based project with many active restoration projects planned. She is engaged in writing collaborations with M ori, indigenous and other scholars from around the world, and more recently was invited to join the Humboldt Forum International Advisory group who will meet in Berlin in April 2011. Huhana is also back in the studio working on a new series of paintings to accompany the research project.