In a vibrant display of creativity and connection to the land, Waikato based ringatoi Maeana Ataria recently shared her knowledge with residents of Raahui Pookeka. The Ngaa Tae o te Whenua workshop focused on the art of transforming earth pigments such as kookoowai, uku, and pounamu into natural paints.
“We have some red ochre, kookoowai, some uku. Also we have different textures, clay textures and colors that we’ve collected but my main thing I love using is Pounamu,” says Ataria.
Beyond the technical skills of filtering and preparing pigments, the waananga carried a deeper message of looking after the Taiao.
“What I want for them to take away is a connection to the Taiao and to look at our whenua differently. Basically looking after our Papatuuaanuku and being more resourceful.” according to Ataria.
The initiative was a collaboration between Te Whare Haututuu and Matariki ki Waikato, designed to provide whaanau with a unique opportunity to explore their local landscape through a sustainable lens.
“If it’s about creativity, if it’s about our wellness, if it’s about connection for our whaanau, 100 percent we will go where we need to go,” according to Julz Nonoa of Te Whare Haututuu.
Nonoa noted that the goal was to provide a different lens for whaanau to look at their own whenua and create art directly from it.
“The whakaaro behind it that we like to look at is, what color is your whenua? To provide a different lens for whaanau to look at their own whenua, to look at road trips differently and to then create art from your own whenua,” Nonoa says.
The hope is that the participants will see the land and its colors through a different lens while also learning to look after the environment and its treasures within.