01/09/2025
E noho ana ahau I te tihi o Kāpūterangi
Titiro whakararo ki nga wai o Whakatāne
Ka mau tāku aro ki te whanuitanga o nga kuri a Wharei ki Tihirau
Te whenua taurikura o Ngāti Awa
Nga uri o te waka Mātaatua
Ka huri tāku mata ki te ahi kaa roa o Ngāti Hokopu ki Wairaka marae
Ko Tamatea te huatahi tōku whare kai
Ko Toroa te tangata
Ko Briar Chantelle Merritt tōku ingoa
Ko Turoa rāua ko Lisa Merritt oku matua
Ko John rāua ko Rachel Merritt oku matua tūpuna
🌬🌱Ka ora e✨️
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I te taha o tōku māma
Ko Taupiri te maunga
Ko Waikato te awa
Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Waiti me Hui o te rangiora nga Marae
Ko ngāti pāoa te hapū
Ko Tainui te iwi
Ko Hoturoa te tangata
Ko Lisa Merritt (Tuhua) tōku māma
Ko Thomas Taipu rāua ko Patrica Tuhua oku matua tūpuna
Tenei te mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa🙏
Mauri Ora e te whanau, nau mai haere mai ki tāku wharangi pukumata
🤍🖤❤️"Tuhua.Creative"❤️🖤🤍
Mahi toi is a profound vehicle for cultural reclamation, acting as a way to reconnect with ancestral knowledge, tell stories, and foster identity and well-being. Through various art forms like weaving, carving, and tattoo, individuals and communities reclaim lost practices, revive traditions, and express cultural values, thereby strengthening their connection to land, ancestors, and the wider Māori community in a process that brings healing and honours whakapapa.
| Mahi Toi as a Form of Cultural Reclamation |
Connecting to Ancestry - Mahi toi serves as a direct link to tūpuna (ancestors) by embodying and transmitting mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) across generations.
Storytelling and Identity - Through artistic expression, stories are shared and celebrated, allowing individuals to embrace their cultural identity and understand their place within a wider narrative.
Re-establishing Traditions - The practice of specific art forms, such as rākai (jewellery), whatu (weaving), and moko (tattoo), helps to revive and sustain cultural practices that may have been suppressed by colonisation.
Community and Well-being - Mahi toi fosters strong connections within the community and contributes to overall well-being, creating vibrant and healthy spaces where people can connect, create, and grow.
| Examples of Mahi Toi in Action |
Contemporary Artists - Contemporary artists utilize a wide range of mediums, including film, digital art, and sculpture, to explore and express Māori narratives and cultural themes.
Education and Mentorship - Educators like Janine Tito are dedicated to passing on the depth and meaning behind Toi Māori to the next generation, guiding students to apply mātauranga Māori with mana.
Community Initiatives - Projects like the one involving Tūpuna stories in the Far North demonstrate how mahi toi can inspire young people by combining traditional practices with place-based learning and cultural responsiveness.
The Holistic Nature of Toi Māori
Waka metaphor - The journey of reclamation is often described as a voyage in a waka (canoe), highlighting a collective movement from ancestral times to the present, navigating the vast landscape of Māori art and culture.
Interconnectedness - The act of engaging in mahi toi is a holistic process, reflecting one's past, present, and future, and reinforcing the principle that when land and values are held firm, art flourishes.
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So consider me whanau mā, Kaua e whakama, panui mai ki ahau, a, whakapau moni ki ahau. Awhina mai i a ahau ki te tautoko o aku tamariki a muri ake nei. Commission a taonga for you or your loved ones for birthdays, achievement acknowledgments, xmas o te pakeha, te tau hou o te Māori or even just coz you keep a boujeè whare✨️
Consider MāmaMāoriToiRongoā creations, support small, local, my 3 beautiful tamariki and my first mokopuna due Jan 2026.
We understand, we're on our way & we'll make it count💯
My oldest tama, Turoa Merritt is badged as Head Boy Hato Paora 2026, ka mau te wehI!!
My Tamahine, Jaedez, ko ia te puna o te ao hou e heke mai nei, a, ko te reo māori
te reo tuatahi o tōku mokopuna. Whakaihiihi tāku ngakau🥰
Reclaiming our cultural identity back into our whakapapa onte whanau Merritt✊️
None of this "urban māori"stuff, Proudly.....Māori will do just fine😄
Nga mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa❤️🖤🤍
