Nga Toi Maori: Maori Art in Aotearoa New Zealand
By Professor Hirini Moko Mead, 1999.
"Toi" is a traditional word that refers to knowledge, origins and sources, and to art in general, while the term "Toi Maori" is now used to cover the wide range of creative activities that Maori artists engage in.
Toi Maori refers to all the traditional arts such as whakairo (wood carving); kowhaiwhai (rafter patterns); raranga (weaving); tukutuku (lattice work); ta moko (tattooing); waiata (songs and chants); haka (dance); taonga puoro (traditional musical instruments); karanga (traditional call of welcome); whaikorero (oratory); and mau rakau (the art of weaponry).
Toi Maori also refers to all the artforms that contemporary Maori artists are exploring such as writing, stage production, contemporary dance, film, visual arts, claywork and sculpture...
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