Ngaahina Hohaia

Paopao ki tua o rangi

Paopao ki tua o rangi by Ngaahina Hohaia

Artwork Detail

Ko tā tēnei hanganga rongorau he whakaatu i ngā āhuatanga, i ngā tūkinotanga, i ngā tukunga iho o Parihaka, te tūrangawaewae o Ngaahina Hohaia. I tupu mai a Hohaia i te kāinga o Parihaka i Taranaki, ā, i a ia e tamariki ana ka akongia e ia te poi-manu – he tikanga e kōrerohia ai e te iwi o Taranaki ngā kōrero tuku iho me ngā karakia. I te taunga o te iwi ki Parihaka, ka whakahaumanuhia te poi hei maumahara, hei paoho i te kaupapa o te ātete hāngū me ngā kauwhau a Te Whiti rāua ko Tohu. I te taenga atu o ngā hōia mau pū ki te kāinga rongomau o Parihaka i te 5 o te Whiringa-ā-rangi i te tau 1881, ka tae atu ki mua i te aroaro o ngā rārangi tamariki e waiata ana, e poi ana. Kei te maumaharatia ngā poautinitini me ngā tūkinotanga i pāngia ai ki te iwi o Parihaka i roto i ngā waiata poi i titoa ai e ngā morehu.

Ko *Paopao ki tua o rangi* 2009 he kōrero ataata me he whakaaturanga ā-wā o te poi-manu. Kua whakaritea ngā poi hei porohita pūrite e whakaatu ana i te tirohanga a te manu ki te Maunga o Taranaki. Ko te kūmore kei waenganui he ata mō te kāinga o Parihaka, mō ngā tīpuna, mō te ringa toi. He toi tēnei e whakaatu ai i ngā taipitopito whaitake, i te mahi pū, i te ngākau pono, arā, he tauākī tūturu tēnei mō te whakapapa, te mātauranga, te ātetetanga.

This multi-media installation navigates the events, injustices and legacy of Parihaka, Ngaahina Hohaia’s tūrangawaewae (homeland). Hohaia grew up in the Parihaka settlement of Taranaki and from an early age was taught poi-manu – a cultural tradition of ritual narration used to impart tribal narratives and karakia (incantations). During Parihaka’s settlement, poi was revitalised to disseminate the philosophy of passive resistance and the spiritual teachings of Te Whiti and Tohu. When armed troops raided Parihaka on 5 November 1881 they were met by rows of children performing waiata (songs) and poi. The atrocities and injustices endured by the people of Parihaka are remembered in waiata poi composed by survivors.

*Paopao ki tua o rangi* 2009 is a visual interpretation of the narrative of poi-manu’s narrative and performance. Arranged in concentric circles, the poi resemble a bird’s-eye view of Mount Taranaki. The projection in the centre includes images of Parihaka village, the tīpuna (ancestors) and the artist. Full of purposeful detail, precision and integrity, the work is an enduring statement of whakapapa (genealogy), knowledge and resistance.

Title
Paopao ki tua o rangi
Artist/creator
Ngaahina Hohaia
Production date
2009
Medium
sound, photograph projection, poi
Credit line
Pātaka Art + Museum – Porirua City Council Collection
Accession no
X2020/82/1
Copyright
Copying restrictions apply
Department
New Zealand Art
Display status
Not on display

To find out which artworks are available for print requests and reproduction please enquire here. This service only applies to select artworks in the Gallery's collection.