Crown pursuit of Te Kooti 1868-1872

Ko tēnei raupapatanga paraikete nā Aimee Ratana he toi i ara mai ai i ngā tikanga tīvaevae, tifaifai rānei, nō Tahiti, nō ngā Kuki Airani. Kua tuia e Ratana ngā tohu mō te ātetetanga ki te papamuri o te paraikete. I ngā wā o mua, ko te paraikete he rawa hokohoko mā te Māori me tauiwi. Ko tā te ringa toi he whakamahi i te paraikete hei tohu mō ngā whakawhitinga o mua i waenganui i te Māori, me te Karauna. Ko ēnei toi he kōrero mō te aumangea o Ngāi Tūhoe, ka mutu ko tā tēnā paraikete, ko tā tēnā paraikete he whakaata i tētahi urutomo a te Karauna ki ngā whenua o Tūhoe.

Ko te *Crown Pursuit of Te Kooti 1868–1872*, 2012 he toi mō te rangatira taioreore o te pono Ringatū, a Te Kooti, nāna i matakite te whānako i te whenua Māori, me te memeha o ngā tikanga Māori, i te ringa kaha o te Karauna. Nā Ngāi Tūhoe ia i whakaruruhau, ka mutu nā te tautoko o ngā pononga Ringatū i karo ai ia i ngā hōia a te kāwanatanga. Ko te tohu mō Te Kooti, ko te hōiho mā, ko Te Wepu, ko te hīra Ringatū e whakaatu ana i te ringa e tū ana, he īkara a runga ake.

This series of blankets by Aimee Ratana was originally inspired by the textile traditions of tīvaevae or tifaifai (quilting) from Tahiti and the Cook Islands. Ratana stitches symbols of resistance onto the blanket background. Historically, blankets were item of trade between Māori and colonists. The artist’s use of the blanket therefore symbolises historic exchanges between Māori and, ultimately, the Crown. These works are a commentary on the resilience of Ngāi Tūhoe people and each blanket reflects upon a historical moment of Crown invasion upon Tūhoe lands.

*Crown Pursuit of Te Kooti 1868–1872*, 2012 refers to the inspirational leader Te Kooti of the Ringatū faith who prophesised the loss of Māori land and Māori ways of life at the hands of the Crown. He took shelter in Tūhoe lands and evaded government forces with the support of his Ringatū followers. Te Kooti is represented by the white horse, the flag Te Wēpu (the whip), and the Ringatū seal showing the upraised hands (ringa tū) with the eagle above.

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