T Ā N E V, 2023

This eco-sourced print is solely based on the leaf of the New Zealand native whau. Many of the native leaves have particular relevance to Māori people because of their connection with ngā tūpuna 'ancestors' and with wānanga 'tribal stories' that are seen as taonga tuku iho 'treasures passed down.' For the North Auckland iwi 'tribal group' Te Parawhau the whau leaf was used to wrap the body of our tupuna Te Tirarau after he was killed in a duel with a Ngāti Hine rangatira outside Whāngārei. His people carried him back to his ancestral lands on a stretcher made of whau wood. Te Tirarau's body was covered with te rau o te whau 'whau leaves' and when he arrived at our 'kāinga tūturu' ancestral settlement' the leaves were taken from his skin to reveal the distinctive impression of the whau leaf on his body. From that incident on Ngāti Ruangaio took the name Te Parawhau.