Puke Huia

Ko ēnei toi peita a Elizabeth Mountain (whai muri ko Ellis kē), he whakaahua i te kaupapa nui o te tūrangawaewae, o te whakapapa hoki hei tārai i te tuakiri o te tangata. He maumaharatanga tēnei ki te nukuhanga o te reanga o te ringa toi ki ngā tāone, e whakarere ana i ō rātou kāinga taiwhenua ki te haere ki ngā tāonenui ki reira whai ai i te mātauranga, kimi ai rānei i te mahi. Ko tā Elizabeth Mountain he haere ki te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau, ki te Elam School of Fine Arts, i ngā tau tīmata o te tekautau 1960. Ko tā ngā mata whakapuaki kua peitahia i te Puke Huia, 1966, he maumahara i ngā taiao o te tamarikitanga o te ringa toi, i ngā wāhi whakahirahira ki tōna iwi.

Painted by Elizabeth Mountain (later Ellis), these works explore the importance of one’s tribal kainga (home) and the place of whakapapa (geneology) in shaping one’s identity. They recall the urban drift that the artist’s generation made in leaving their rural homelands and relocating in the booming city centres to further education or take up employment. In the case of Elizabeth Mountain this was to study fine arts at the University of Auckland Elam School of Fine Arts in the early 1960s. Puke Huia, 1966 with its expressive painted surfaces recalls the landscapes of the artist’s upbringing and the important landmarks of her people.

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