Hamuera by Erena Koopu, 2018
Acrylic and graphite on canvas, 710mm diameter
This work by Erena Koopu was part of the exhibition Hei ō Mō Apanui | Iwi Sustenance held at Tairāwhiti Museum in 2018 and purchased by the Friends of Tairāwhiti Museum for the collection.
He waiata a ringa (an action song) Performed by Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau a Apanui at Te Matatini in the year 2005 in Palmerston North.
Nō te tau 2004 ka whakaturehia e te kāwanatanga te pire takutai moana, e riro ai te taitara o te papa moana, tōna ritenga, he muru whenua. I taua tau rā, ko Tāriana Tūria te wahine toa o Reipa kāore i tautokona taua pire, ā, ko ētahi atu o ana hoa mema Māori, i tautoko tonu. He waiata-ā-ringa tēnei e kōrero ana ki aua mema rā, kia aro ki ngā tohutohu a ngā poropiti Māori, kei reira te māramatanga e noho ana.
In 2004 the Government passed the controversial Foreshore and Seabed Bill, which transferred title to the crown, and in itself is a form of modern day confiscation. In that same year, Tāriana Tūria, Māori MP of Labour crossed the floor, while the rest of her Māori colleagues remained seated. This action song speaks to those seated members, and urges them to remember the lessons of past Māori prophets, as clarity must resides in their messages.
A full gallery of the works in this exhibition features on our blog
Erena Koopu is committed to sustaining Māori culture through art by guiding and helping people to explore and discover their own creative core. Koopu was one of the first students to graduate with a degree from EIT Tairāwhiti’s Toihoukura – School of Māori Visual Arts. Since that achievement, she has come full circle and is now responsible for Toihoukura’s Te Toi o Ngā Rangi: Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts degree and Level 4 Foundation Certificate. Koopu is also senior painting lecturer, a role which allows her to investigate art in a framework that encompasses all aspects of Te Ao Māori for students who may have little to no experience of a Māori worldview of art and its related protocols.
