He tino pukumahi ki te mahi toi

• Published date: 24 June 2022
• Publication title: Rotorua Weekender

I whānau ai, i kuraina ai i te takere waka o Te Arawa nā tōna kuia ia i ako ki te raranga i te New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts koia tētehi o ngā ākonga a Emily Schuster. “ Nā tēnā wā tonu ko te noho tahi me ngā kuia i ū ai te mauri o te toi ki roto ki ahau mō te wehi kai a rātou, me te whakarākei, kai a rātou, koina taku hiahia, he aroha ki te kaupapa, ki te whakaniko, ki ngā kame, ki te waihanga ka oti ana he taonga whakahirahira”. Nā tēnei hoki i pūāwai mai tona aroha nui ki te whakairo. “ Nā taku nohonoho i taua wāhi i tuwhera katoa ōku kanohi ki ngā kaupapa toi o tātou te Māori, engari te whakairo , kai reira te hiahia, e noho ana, e whakarongo ana e titiro atu ana ki ngā tauira e whakairo ana me ngā tini whakaniko hoki. Ka reka katoa ki ahau te kakara o te paru, wheoi anō rā ko te harikoa e pupū ake ana i ngā whatumanawa o ngā tauhou e mātakitaki haere ana i ngā tohunga nā”

Nāna e mahi ana ka eke ai āna pūkenga ki tētehi taumata rangatira, kātahi ia ka tahuri ai ki tētehi karaehe mahi toi i Waiariki. “ Nāku tonu i utu kia ea ai te nama, e ako ana, e mahi ana. Ko taua tau tonu i tino whānui hoki ai ngā whakaaro ōku o te ao toi Māori me te toi hou, inā rā he mana tō te ahumahi, he mana tō te ao whakanikoniko, whaihoki te ao kāone, ka whakawhiti ao ahau e whia kē ngā taima. Mai i reira ka noho ahau hai pou whakanikoniko mō ngā tau e rima mō tētehi kamupene pūeru i Rotorua, he noho, he ako tonu ki a mātau ai ahau ki ngā wāhanga katoa , nā reira ka tupu anō taku kete mātauranga nā wai rā ka mōhio ahau ki te mahi waitohu me te whakarākei pukapuka engari tūturu a Māori nei.

“Nō tēnei wā tonu ka pupū ake ai te hiahia ki te whakawhiti ki te tuhi tapeha tangata. Kua kite noa ahau i taku tuakana me etehi o ona hoa whakairo e whakaora ana i te tā moko i te wā o te waru tekau, ka nui taku whakamiharo e titiro ana ki te tapeha e korikori ana, nā reira i hū nuku ahau ki Tamaki i te tau kotahi mano e iwa rau, e iwa tekau mā rima. Ka noho tauira ahau ki taku tuakana, koia te iti e hāpai ana i tēnei momo i taua wā me te mea hoki kāore e tino pai ana ki ētehi o ngā tāne ki a noho mai he wahine ki te...