Tū Te Turuturu Nō Hineteiwaiwa - Maintaining Cultural Integrity in the Teaching of Māori Weaving

Abstract

“He whatu kōrero mō te whatu He whiriwhiri kōrero mō te whiri He rangaranga kōrero mō te raranga”

Despite the development and teaching of an increasing number of Māori focused tertiary programmes, many kaumatua remain concerned that tikanga is being lost. The research reviews the developments that have impacted on the teaching of Māori weaving (raranga, whiri, and whatu) and appraises the current status from the perspective of the oral narratives of Edna Pahewa, Christina (Tina) Hurihia Wirihana and Matekino Lawless. Whilst they would not describe them as such, all three are expert weavers who teach this taonga. These weavers concur that despite the increased numbers learning these arts and acquiring high capability in the technical skills, many often lack the wairua, tikanga and values and remain apprehensive for the state of the art. Therefore, they believe that mātauranga Māori, spiritual knowledge and Māori tikanga cultural practices must remain central, at the very core of the art form itself and not exist as an academic study or peripheral addendum. As a result of this study, a model framework, ‘Te Kāwhatuwhatu’ is proposed that advocates for the incorporating of Māori tikanga cultural practices into classes and teaching pedagogy and thereby foster the wellbeing of this cultural legacy and the mana and integrity of Hineteiwaiwa, kia ea ai te kupu

“ka tū tonu te turuturu nō Hineteiwaiwa!”¹