Māori oratory and performance event M9 is returning this Matariki to spotlight nine powerful voices from the world of toi Māori.
One of these voices is a skilled barkcloth maker, Nikau Hindin. Hindin (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) is deeply engaged in the renewal of the Māori aute (bark cloth) tradition.
For the past 10 years Hindin has been dedicated to the revitalisation of toi aute, from making the tools, to refining the process and teaching a new generation of aute makers.
With a strong commitment to sustainability and indigenous knowledge, Hindin says that in a world that is obsessed with instant gratification, working with aute is about maintaining and practising our knowledge systems as an act of resistance and tino rangatiratanga.
“For Māori, art is an intrinsic part of life. Toi Māori is rooted in cultural practices, technology, nature, communication and the spiritual realm. Aotearoa’s unique and important contribution to the global consciousness is contained within the power and potency of Toi Māori,” she said.
For Hindin, her practice is closely tied to the life cycle of the Aute plant. Hindin carefully tends to the plants and skillfully processes the inner bark into a fine white cloth, employing traditional technologies and aligning her practices with the Maramataka.
M9 is at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre on July 6.
“The materials themselves carry their own agency and meaning. The creation process is dictated by the aute and the swelling and extraction of water from the fibres,” she said.
Hindin is ultimately focused on the decolonisation of time through reinforcing Indigenous traditions and Māori ways of being in relation to the natural world.
“The stars and moon are our first measures of time, our plants are always responding to these celestial beings and they are the key to re-engaging with a Māori concept of time that is unique to this place.”
Event curator Ria Hall says that M9, ‘He Toi Whakairo, He Mana Tangata’, is special as it dives deep into the world of individual artists. Like Hindin, many of these artists are bringing back art forms that were once lost.
“This kaupapa needs to be discussed more in-depth. As artists, they know how they view the arts, but it’s in the forms of expression that the rich histories and culture of te ao Māori can be felt and understood,” says Hall.
Hindin will be joined by eight other revered mātanga toi to collectivise and weave together the tapestries of Māori arts. The nine kaikōrero will reflect on the resilience their tūpuna required to pursue their respective art forms. They will also explore how their continued practice in the face of colonisation led to revolutionary change, and how integral Māori arts are to the collective survival of the nation today.
M9 is supported by NZME, Te Māngai Paho and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, M9: He Toi Whakairo, He Mana Tangata is coming to the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre on July 6, from 7.30pm to 10.30pm.
This instalment of M9, ‘He Toi Whakairo, He Mana Tangata,’ aims to create a rich and diverse cultural landscape that reflects the unique experiences, stories and perspectives of the Māori world. Begging the question: without Māori art – who are we?
