Tia Barrett: He Pounamu Ko Āu

He mihi a He Pounamu Ko Āu ki kā mana wāhine Māori o Kāi Tahu. He whakamiramira hoki i te kaha me te manawaroa o Kāi Māori me te whakapapa. Kai te whakamiramira tēnei kaupapa i kā honoka tuku iho o kā wāhine Māori me te whakanui i te hiraka o te whakapapa i te pounamu. Mā te mōteatea, mā kā whakaahua ataata, ka waihaka anō te kaupapa i te titiro ki te pounamu. Ka whakauru hoki i tētahi hakaka pōhatu awa e whakaatu ana i kā haehae moana ka kitea i Te Waipounamu. Ka hua ake i kā mahi a Tia Barrett tētahi honoka tānekaha me te mīharotaka taketake.

He whakaaturaka a He Pounamu Ko Āu e whakanui ana i te huhuataka o te kōrero pūrākau me te reo i roto i te hapori Māori, waihoki e whakaatu ana i kā tirohaka me kā wheako rerekē. Ka whakanui tēnei i te hiraka o te tiaki me te whakaute i kā tikaka Māori me kā mahi o nehe i te wā tou o te aro ki kā take ao hou. Ka akiaki te whakaaturaka kia whai whakaaro ki te honoka ki te taiao māori me te matenui ki te tiaki i a ia. Ka noho nei hai whakamaharataka nui ki te mana me te amaru o te pounamu, waihoki te mate ki te whakanui me te tiaki i a ia. He uri a Tia, te rikatoi, nō Tahu Pōtiki, ā, he kaitiaki hoki ia o te taoka nei, o te pounamu.

Kai te whakanui a He Pounamu Ko Āu i te manawaroataka me te kaha o te wahine Māori nei, o Tia Barrett, mā āhana mahi auaha e tūhono ana i kā waitohu taketake Māori me kā rautaki toi o te ao hou. Ka whakaatu te whakaaturaka i te mana o te mana wahine Māori, ko tuituia kā pūrākau pounamu ki ōhona whakapapa.

'Ka whakatairite a Tia Barrett i a ia anō ki te haereka o te pounamu taketake i ahu mai i Aoraki, e pākia ana e kā taupā ekari ka ū tou ki te nanao ki tōhona reo auaha. Ka whakanui te rakahau i te akitutaka Māori me te tūhono i a Tia ki tōhona whakapapa me tōhona tuakiritaka. Ko te wero ināianei ko te tuari i ēnei mōhiotaka me te whakakaha i kā reaka o te anamata.

Kaituhi - Dr Alvina Jean Edwards
   
   

All pounamu is found in our waters. The waters are healing that transcends through the generations; it does not matter the percentage of dark nor light; it is still pounamu our whakapapa remains. - Dr Alvina Edwards. 2018

He Pounamu Ko Āu presents an immersive portrayal of the resilience and perseverance of a mana wāhine Māori. This exhibition celebrates and preserves Māori culture and traditions. Still, it also addresses contemporary issues and struggles of the current state of Māori learners in the New Zealand mainstream education system. Tia associates these struggles with the long journey it takes for Pounamu to rise to the surface of the earth's crust. She sings about it in her mōteatea, oriori, "Piki mai, piki mai, piki ake, hi! Rise, rise, on and on" (Barrett, 2022). It offers a creative and compelling narrative that pays tribute to the strength and determination of a mana wāhine who has navigated her unique experiences and perspectives, triumphing over the challenges of a system that once weighed heavily on her mind and spirit. Tia Barrett, my daughter, embodies the spirit of a mana wāhine, who brings 'He Pounamu' to life through moving image, mōteatea, ambient environmental sound and stone installation. During conversations surrounding the exhibition, Tia's presence is imbued with a spiritual essence that offers therapeutic benefits across multiple domains and mediums of creative practice.

The Power of Mana Wahine: He Pounamu Ko Āu is a commemoration of Ngāi Tahu mana wāhine Māori. This significant concept highlights the power and resilience of our people and whakapapa. This understanding has resulted in a merging of thought-provoking and inspiring art discipline, whānau pūrākau and mātauranga Māori. He Pounamu Ko Āu explores the intergenerational relationships among Māori Wāhine, emphasising the significance of whakapapa in pounamu. These concepts echo loudly within the mōteatea, oriori. Tia (2022) sings, "Kua tae te wā hei noho pounamu ki ā Papatūānuku. Now I sit as pounamu on Papatūānuku" metaphorically embodying pounamu. My daughter uses the camera and sound to reimagine the lens of pounamu through the composition of mōteatea and the visual composited imagery of moving image; you hear and see the sacred, healing waters, as well as the voice of Tia sharing her pūrākau and offering poetic guidance. My daughter responds to space and environmental nuance by incorporating a river stone installation that mirrors the braided rivers found in Te Waipounamu. Tia's practice creates a profound sense of connection and indigenous brilliance.

A Celebration of Multiplicity and Indigenous Identity: The exhibition features an admirable quality in its acknowledgement of the multiplicity of storytelling and language within te Ao Māori. This bodywork from Tia will be on display to showcase different perspectives and experiences that reflect the intricate and valuable nature of Māori identity and pounamu. The exhibition nurtured by Tia is a celebratory tribute to Ngāi Tahutanga and complemented by her many other tribes that make Tia the mana wahine she is today. Her artwork presented emphasises the importance of preserving and respecting Māori customs and traditions while addressing modern-day affairs in an educational and art creating context. He Pounamu Ko Āu aims to inspire spectators to contemplate their relationship with the natural environment and the importance of preserving it for future generations. The exhibition serves as a powerful reminder of the potency and grace of pounamu and the need to commemorate and preserve it. As a descendant of Tahu Pōtiki, Tia is a kaitiaki of the taonga pounamu.

Now experience the powerful and inspiring exhibition He Pounamu Ko Āu, which celebrates the resilience and strength of a Māori Wāhine, my daughter, Tia Barrett. This exhibition is an unprecedented example and exploration of the power and strength of a mana wahine Māori, with pounamu pūrākau interwoven into her whakapapa. Tia's creative piece, a taonga, is a multidiscipline of traditional Māori motifs and contemporary art techniques, resulting in a unique, powerful visual and immersive experience. I leave you with her words,

"I liken myself to the rawness of pounamu as it descends from Aoraki; it is a rough and sometimes painful journey, and I faced many obstacles along the way. Nevertheless, like Pounamu, I am a strong survivor and persevered to claim and reclaim the beauty of my creative voice. The positive transformation of feeling uplifted through this research is the peace felt when pounamu arrives in the riverbeds in Te Waipounamu. My mōteatea describes this peace as a calming sensation - Tū ki Waitaki noho mārie; the pounamu has calmly arrived at Waitaki. To conclude, this research celebrates Māori achievement and a whakamana of my wahine identity, activated by connecting to my Te Waipounamu whenua and whakapapa. The challenge ahead is to share this knowledge and whakamana future generations through mātauranga Māori and claim, reclaim, discover, and celebrate who we are as Māori." - Tia Barrett. 2022.

Author Dr Alvina Jean Edwards.

Reference:
Edwards, A. J. (2020). Blood Quantum' A Pūrākau approach to understanding the
impact of "Blood Quantum" in Māori Identity' [Doctoral Thesis, The University of Waikato].
https://hdl.handle.net/10289/13766

Barrett, T. (2022). He Pounamu Ko Āu. Celebrating my Mana Wahine Māori narrative
[Master’s Thesis, The Auckland University of Technology].
http://hdl.handle.net/10292/15597