Morehu Henare
From Ngai Tahu in the South, to Ngati Porou in the East, and Nga Puhi in the far North, Morehu’s ancesteral connections are as interwoven as her strikingly beautiful and intricate weaving.
She lives in Christchurch, but traditional Maori weaving practitioner, Morehu Henare’s roots are threaded through bloodlines that traverse the country. This ancestral heritage forms the backdrop and the grounding for her work, as well as the inspiration. Morehu believes her ancestors are near her when she weaves, offering guidance and motivation in their unseen presence.
“I believe they are working with me to help me create. Sometimes I am thinking of a certain person, thinking what they were like. I may have seen a photo of a grandmother – and so I create something that exemplifies her. When I am creating, it feels they are there to help.”
Three of Morehu’s stunning woven cloaks (kakahu) will feature alongside work from 160 other leading and emerging contemporary Maori artists, who have been invited to the biennial MAORI ART MARKet, being held this year at Porirua City’s Te Rauparaha Arena on October 9, 10 and 11.
It will be the largest collection of contemporary Maori artwork ever assembled. More than 2000 items including paintings, jewellery, clay work, sculpture, carving, weaving, fashion, worth more than $3 million will be on sale direct from the artists and invited galleries.
Morehu’s work is known for her ingenious use of creating features from the colours and textures of natural fibres. She works with a variety of materials, many sourced from the mountainous and tussock areas of her tribal lands of Ngai Tahu.
‘Whanau Nga Tanga’, one of the cloaks, begins in blood red at the border, to symbolise the true, pure Maori blood of her ancestors. Moving up, threads of neinei (a shrub) are added, increasingly turning the cloak a fairer shade. The neinei, says Morehu, represents the European bloodlines that came to be interwoven with Maori. At the top of the cloak red threads are woven back in, ‘because a lot of our whanau have married back into the Maori blood lines, and you can see that in the cloak.’
Red and purple threads, woven horizontally (aho) and vertically (whenu) each signify a different person, and they come from many whanau.
“It is a whanau cloak – all in my collection are for the whole whanau.”
The cloak is boarded with weka feathers.
‘Hine Aotea’, a pure white cloak is named for the precious blue stone. Made of highly prized kerere (wood pigeon) and toroa (albatross) feathers – the garment truly is precious. Areteki or whitau fibre (flax) and tikumu (New Zealand mountain daisy) are embroided in the traditional style of mawhitiwhiti. The cloak is fully reversible.
The third cloak is named ‘Pepehe’ – or butterfly. In pure black with arms evoking the wings of a butterfly, Pepehe was inspired by a visit to Auckland’s butterfly house.
Morehu has treated the leaf of tikumu by removing the underside, to resemble suede. When the wearer is moving, bone carved leaves on the wings create the sound of a butterfly in flight.
Morehu began weaving as a young girl, making her first cloak at 17. As the grand-daughter of a Ngati Porou expert weaver, the talent was in her blood. And it was developed and honed by some important mentors in her life. Morehu acknowledges the many taua, kuia, koro, aunties and friends who have, over 30 years, been her inspiration and helped her develop the many facets of traditional and contemporary woven art works.
Morehu is not only a practitioner of Maori weaving; she is also a talented visual artist across many mediums (she is a carver and a jewellery maker). She works as a tutor in creative arts and raranga (weaving) in Christchurch.
Morehu says she is thrilled to be attending the Maori Art Market in Wellington; not so much for the opportunity to display her own exceptional work, but for the ‘visual feast’ of the unique collection of Maori Art that will be on display.
“It is a wonderful opportunity to come for a visual feast of our traditional and contemporary art works. Maori Art Market is really like the ‘best thing on the menu’ – it is the best of our people’s work.”
“It really is an honour to be asked to exhibit there.”
Written by Freelance writer Linda George for immediate use, Tel 027 251 2622, (04) 976 9927. Supplied by Toi Maori on behalf of the MAORI ART MARKet or contact Iain Morrison Tel 04 473 7980 or 021 688 668.