Hukanui Marae Trip

 This week our school visited the Hukanui marae. We as Manuhiri (visitors) were welcomed onto the marae by the tangata whenua (people of the land). The Hukanui marae is the marae that Hamilton East School has a connection to. 

The marae was moved because of the arrival of British troops in 1864. The new wharepuni (camp hut) was built from ponga logs and raupo reeds. Named after the nearby swamp land. It is very foggy on cold frosty mornings, and the fog hangs down low on the ground. The second Maaori king was Tawhaio, Tukuroto Matutaera Potatau Te Wherowhero. He called the Wharenui 'Tu Tururu-a-papa kamutu'. Enduring the land. To the people, this means that they will not be made to move again. Their marae is their home and it will always be there.

We are now a part of the Hukanui Marae.

Marae experience - By Layton Mace

Tuurangawaewae - Portraits

Tuurangawaewae in maaori culture is a sense of identity and independence associated with having a home base. Through this we explore our own identity and place in the world. The main question we ask ourselves is Ko Wai au? Who am I? 

As a part of our Tuurangawaewae learning we explored the art style of maaori artist Robyn Kahukiwa. Robyn Kahukiwa is a leading maaori artist who has done a lot to raise awareness of contemporary maaori art. Her art style is often political and addresses the oppression of Maaori woman by the social structures of the dominant Pakeha culture and the change in Maaori tradition. In her artwork she acknowledges the disappearance of meaning and identity - specifically maaori identity.

Here are a few examples of the amazing artwork ruuma tekau maa rua has completed. The task was to complete a self portrait inspired by Robyn's style. We added in Tui to incorporate our hub name (Tui hub) and other designs inspired by papatuanuku.