Parihaka poi opens new Deane Gallery

Works by Parihaka artist Ngaahina Hohaia (Ngati Moeahu, Ngati Haupoto) have launched City Gallery Wellington’s new Roderick and Gillian Deane Gallery, dedicated to Maori and Pacific art. Visitors will encounter hundreds of embroidered poi reflecting on interactions between the people of Parihaka and the colonial forces in the late 19th century.

In particular, Ngaahina honours Parihaka’s political and spiritual leaders, Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi, and their vision to build a peaceful relationship between Maori and Pakeha.

“I am delighted that Ngahina Hohaia’s exhibition will open the Deane Gallery,” says City Gallery Director, Paula Savage, “Ngaahina’s whanau were instrumental in the creation of the 2000-2001 Parihaka exhibition at City Gallery, during which Ngaahina worked as a guide.  It is fabulous to be able to continue this relationship.”

The exhibition has been drawn together by Reuben Friend, recently appointed Curator, Maori and Pacific Art. Reuben notes that Ngaahina’s works create giant patterns, with each poi pattern referencing a customary Maori design that has specific cultural and historic symbolism. The main work, Roimata Toroa, is made up of 392 poi embroidered with symbols of the Parihaka community’s passive resistance against invasion by Government troops. One of these symbols is Roimata Toroa (the tears of the albatross) which references the three albatross feathers that represent the Parihaka movement.

In addition, the poi themselves are constructed from 100% New Zealand wool blankets symbolising the trade between Maori and Pakaha. They are also examples of products of the New Zealand economy that are built on confiscated Maori land. The blanket stands as a symbol for the land but also the historical imbalance of power. Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu K?kahi stated to the crown that they were willing to share their “blanket”, but that sovereign independence must remain with M?ori. “Words recited by Tohu Kaakahi in 1895 form the textual statement embroidered in my works. Words that continue to resonate even today,” says Ngaahina.

Ngaahina has a strong whakapapa of weaving and fibre work in her whanau and is rapidly establishing herself as an outstanding artist in her own right. In June this year she was selected for Fibra Spirare, an exhibition at Rydals Museum in Sweden that showcased five contemporary New Zealand textile artists. Ngaahina lives in Palmerston North where she is completing a Masters in Maori Visual Arts at Massey University.

Reuben Friend - Curator, Maori and Pacific Art

Reuben is of Pakeha and Ngati Maniapoto descent (Tainui) and currently lives in Featherston. He comes to City Gallery Wellington from Toi Wairarapa, Arts, Culture and Heritage Trust and is currently completing a Masters degree in Maori Visual Arts at Massey University. He was awarded the Creative New Zealand-Blumhardt Foundation Curatorial Internship for 2008-09, based at TheNewDowse in Lower Hutt, where his Plastic Maori exhibition is on display until September 2009. Reuben is fluent in Te Reo Maori, having completed a Level 4 Certificate at Auckland College of Education in 2000.

“I’m very excited about my new role at City Gallery,” says Reuben, “It’s an amazing opportunity to not only showcase the best contemporary Maori and Pacific artists, but to also create exhibitions that challenge our understanding of indigenous art forms.”