Exhibition focuses on moko kauae
Putaanga Waitoa opened her Who am I to wear Moko Kauae exhibition at Arts Inc Heretaunga on March 16.
The exhibition features 20 portraits of 21 wa¯ hine from around New Zealand who have moko kauae.
They are framed with recycled weatherboard that once held together Kahungunu state homes.
Each portrait is accompanied by a personal story which the women wrote themselves.
“It’s about creating a space for both Ma¯ ori and Pa¯ keha¯ to come and learn more about women who wear them [moko kauae] and why they wear them and have access to read their stories.”
Putaanga found the interested women through social media and travelled all around Aotearoa last year to meet and photograph them.
“It was quite a big thing for them to welcome me into their house and let me take photos for something so public,” she says.
Putaanga refers to moko kauae as “an extremely controversial subject”.
“Since colonisation our women have been through a lot. They’ve been through resistance, through violence, through a Pa¯ keha¯ system that has really radically changed us.
“It’s put all these terms and conditions on something which is actually our birth right.
“Even from our own people it’s very controversial,” she says.
Putaanga says some people believe only certain women can have Moko kauae or women have to be from a certain bloodline, do certain things, be of a certain age, of a certain familial status or speak Ma¯ ori.
She describes the comments she has received about her work photographing moko kauae as “cutthroat“.
Waitoa believes the only condition for getting moko kauae is that the person has Ma¯ ori whakapapa.
“It’s not what colour you are, not what colour your eyes are, it’s not what you speak, it is where your whakapapa is from and I believe it has to be Ma¯ ori.”
As part of the exhibition a discussion panel of five wa¯ hine was held on Tuesday night to answer questions surrounding moko kauae and receiving and wearing it.
It was about “creating a space for Ma¯ ori wa¯ hine to be safe, ask questions, discuss and connect”.
The exhibition is also about “decolonising the photography process” so none of the portraits are for sale.
“It is important for me to retain the mana of the women with me and in this space.
“Indigenous people have always been in front of the camera and exploited for monetary gain.”
She talks about portraits of ancestors being sold for money throughout the world.
“Pa¯ keha¯ artists would paint our nannies . . . now they’re in homes of strangers all around the world because they’re seen as this exotic artwork and I just never believed that I would do that.
“It was never about making money.
On Sunday the women in the portraits were able to have the first look and the exhibition was blessed by Putaanga’s grandfather.
It officially opened the next day Monday, March 16 to a po¯ whiri, haka, dancing and singing.
She plans to continue the project as “there’s such a big call for it now”.
The exhibition is open at Arts Inc Heretaunga at 106 Russell St South in Hastings until March 29.