Dr  Rangihiroa Panoho
Iwi by Dr  Rangihiroa Panoho  Image: Iwi means 'bone' but it also signifies tribal affiliation. All of the important metaphors associated with social organisation in te ao Māori are connected with symbols of growth, fertility and interconnectedness. Whānau signifies birth, hapū denotes pregnancy and iwi describes the foundational joins that comprise Māoridom. 'He Mauri' describes the journey of one branch of a family that eventually grows into the largest iwi in Aotearoa. Taken as a whole 'He Mauri' might be considered a modelling of a typical Māori social unit with all of the normal strengths, weaknesses and problems that families encounter. I use this wānanga to suggest Puhi arrives in Ōwairaka to visit his niece and that this in turn demonstrates the interconnected of ngā iwi 'bones'.  

Mātaatua waka (taken by Puhi to its resting place at Te Kopua Kawai Rangatira o Te Whakaheke 'the spring or source of noble descent' Takou River, Te Tai Tokerau) is still recognised by both Ngāti Awa and Ngā Puhi iwi as an important originating waka that joins the iwi together in the broader confederation. 

This work was produced with artifical UV in the darkroom at Black and White Cube, Newton
Iwi means 'bone' but it also signifies tribal affiliation. All of the important metaphors associated with social organisation in te ao Māori are connected with symbols of growth, fertility and interconnectedness. Whānau signifies birth, hapū denotes pregnancy and iwi describes the foundational joins that comprise Māoridom. 'He Mauri' describes the journey of one branch of a family that eventually grows into the largest iwi in Aotearoa. Taken as a whole 'He Mauri' might be considered a modelling of a typical Māori social unit with all of the normal strengths, weaknesses and problems that families encounter. I use this wānanga to suggest Puhi arrives in Ōwairaka to visit his niece and that this in turn demonstrates the interconnected of ngā iwi 'bones'. Mātaatua waka (taken by Puhi to its resting place at Te Kopua Kawai Rangatira o Te Whakaheke 'the spring or source of noble descent' Takou River, Te Tai Tokerau) is still recognised by both Ngāti Awa and Ngā Puhi iwi as an important originating waka that joins the iwi together in the broader confederation. This work was produced with artifical UV in the darkroom at Black and White Cube, Newton
  • Subject Matter: Ngā Puhi tribal art, Maori art, wānanga 'tribal narrative'