Tuku Taniwha — Pae Atea

@paeatea
info@haumi.nz

Mā te tauira ka tohua mai he tohunga;
Mā te tauira ako ka tohua mai he māramatanga

Through the pattern of symbols we see;
Through the pattern of learning we understand.

Hoki atu hoki atu ētahi kōrero tuku iho i tuhia e pā ana ki ngā tūtakina tāngata me te taniwha. E ai rā te tirohanga ao Māori, ko ēnei pakiwaitara kua pupuru ki roto i ngā tūmomo pūkōrero pēnei i ngā kupu whakarite, ngā kōrero whaiwhaiā, ā, ko ētahi ka tipu, ka oho i ngā rokirokinga o pae mahara. Ngā āhua motuhake o te taiao, e tohu ana i te tauoranga o te taniwha. Pēnei i te riuroa mokoranga o te whenua, te pūtahitanga terenga wai, te puāwaitanga o ngā hua, me te tangi hoki o tāwhirirangi, aha atu aha atu.

Ahakoa hanga kaurehe mai, hanga mōkairua mai, ā, kore kiko mai, i te nuinga o te wā ko te aranga mai o te taniwha i te rua he whakatūpato. Kei tūpono he wāhi me āta whakaarohia, he pikonga o aituā. Ko ētahi taniwha ka ara mai hei kaitiaki, hei kaitohutohu, ka mutu ka ara mai he tipua, he taniwha, he tangata.

He mea kawea te tuku nei i te kupu kotahi ‘taniwha’ hei whakaatu atu i te momo āheinga o te kupu me tōna māramatanga. He mea wero atu i a tātou o roto mai i te nōhanga nui. Kei ngā paeataata te kawenga matua, hei tohu, hei whakatūpato, ā, hei āta whakaaroaro mā tātou ki te whakaū ki tāu i kite ai, ki tāu i rongo ai, ka mutu ki tāu e whakapononuitia ana.

Ko tā te tuku nei ka tūrarahia mai me ko tana tino kaupapa he whakatenatena pātai, kaua ko te whakautu. Ko tā ia tuku nei he wero. Kāore tōna tikanga kotahi, pū mārama kore. Ko taua māramatanga tonu he mea me kimihia e tau ai ō roto, koia pū te aronga matua o tō ia tangata he whakaaroaro tika, tautokona ake i ōna haereerenga.

Ko te painga kupu ‘taniwha’, he whakaataata, he whakapiataata i tōna anō āhua ka tupu mai i te wao te karapoti nei. Ā ētahi whakaahua he hirahira te kitea, he āhuareka, ko ētahi atu he māmā ake he mea whakatenatena whakaaro. Ko tā ia whakaaturanga, kia niwha tātou ki te taonga o te mahara, kia whai whakaaro hoki ki te ao e noho nei tātou, me te whakamāori hoki i te taiao i runga i tāu i mōhio ai, tūturu ai.

Different traditions remember and record taniwha and their encounters with people through time. Like all aspects of Māori culture, these narratives are housed in different styles of storytelling: some metaphoric, some super-natural, and others evolve through tacit forms of representation and memory. Environmental indicators, or tohu, express the presence of taniwha. These include the unique characteristics of geography, the converging forces of waterways, the flowering of plants, and the sounds of wind to name a few.

Whether configured as a creature, spirit animal, or an intangible entity, taniwha and the narratives associated with their presence signify moments in time, places for consideration, and memories of tragedy. They can be guardians, portents, and can also be tipua - usually taking in this instance, human form.

This tuku presents a single word, ‘taniwha’ to demonstrate the dimensionality of language and knowledge. It takes us on a journey of encounter within our urban environment. Each billboard becomes a marker, a caution, and a reminder that we interpret, consider, and apply meaning to what we see, record, and ultimately believe.

It is intentionally open-ended and has been designed to raise more questions than answers. Each version of the tuku is a prompt. There is no single truth, no fixed interpretation. Understanding, and the comfort we seek in clarity, is completely dependent on how each viewer resolves their interpretation, supported by their life’s experiences.

The simple ‘taniwha' wordmark expresses itself in different forms and reflects the surrounding materiality of its environment. While some images are bold and straightforward, others are more subtle, and open for interpretation. Each is a reminder however, to contemplate our relationship to memory, to survey the world around us, and to interpret the environment based on an informed understanding of what has come before.