Low-key final day of tangi for Ralph Hotere
Ralph Hotere, who rose from humble beginnings to become one of New Zealand's most important artists, has been laid to rest in the tiny Hokianga settlement where he was born 81 years ago.
He was buried in 'Hotere Lane,' on a hilltop cemetery overlooking his home marae at Mitimiti, with what his brother Moss Hotere (Kaitaia) described as a million-dollar view of dunes and the pounding west coast surf.
In contrast to the artist's dramatic arrival on Friday on board an Air Force NH90 helicopter and the crowds that filed through Matihetihe Marae over the weekend to pay their respects, the final day of his tangi was a relaxed, low-key affair.
About 150 people, including many of his wife Mary McFarlane's family members from Otago, squeezed into the marae's whare tupuna for a mass led by Pa Henare Tate. A hundred more followed the service outside via loudspeakers.
Mr Hotere's casket was decorated with cloaks, a 'HOTERE' personalised plate and photos, including one with the acclaimed poet Hone Tuwhare, a close friend and another Northlander who found his inspiration in the far south.
Pa Tate's readings focused on John the Baptist, after whom Mr Hotere was named Hone Papita by his devout Catholic parents. Like John the Baptist, a "stirrer" who cleared the way for Jesus, Mr Hotere also challenged authority but used paintings instead of words. They also shared the quality of humility, he said.
But he also sprinkled the mass with humour, including jokes about the difficulties people had knowing which way up to hang Mr Hotere's paintings.
Following the service his casket was carried into St James' Church next to the marae, stopping at the grave of his mother, Ana Maria, as the church bell tolled. The pall bearers and mourners then made the long trek on foot to the top of Te Maunga Hione, the hilltop cemetery where Mr Hotere's father and some of his siblings already lie buried overlooking the Tasman Sea.
Amid the chants and hymns the artist provided a last moment of drama when the soft sand gave way, sending the casket tumbling in too soon and forcing the gravediggers back to work before the final tributes.
Friends and family members sat up all night in the whare tupuna on Sunday, exchanging stories about Mr Hotere and recalling his humour, generosity and gentleness.
He is survived by his wife Mary, daughter Andrea and five of his 13 siblings. They are Moss Hotere (Kaitaia), Winiata Hotere (Auckland), Ellen Hobson (Huntly), Maraea Chung (Kaitaia) and Charlotte Courtenay (Kaitaia).
Among those at the funeral were all the art students at NorthTec's Rawene campus, the seventh form of his old school, Hato Petera, the children of Mitimiti School and Te Kura Taumata o Panguru, who sang at Mr Hotere's graveside when the formalities were complete, and Te Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira.
Soldiers from Linton Army Camp, near Palmerston North, helped prepare the hakari (feast).