RSS 
Related objects
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
World video travel guide
News • New Zealand • 2011-07-12
Historic Māori wharenui heading home
A New Zealand homecoming that’s been 130 years in the making will see a famous wharenui or carved meeting house returned to its rightful place in one of the most significant Māori cultural happenings of modern times.
The historic Mātaatua Wharenui was originally built as a symbol of unity and strength by the Ngāti Awa Māori tribe - at Whakatane, in the Bay of Plenty - but had been lost to its people since 1880.
One of the biggest carved meeting houses ever built, the wharenui has spent most of its life travelling the world, but is now finally home as part of the New Zealand government’s Waitangi Tribunal settlement.
Fit for a queen
Built by Ngāti Awa in 1875, the huge wharenui was "fit for a queen" - and dedicated to the Queen of England so that if she ever came to New Zealand, she would have a house in Whakatane.
The tribe had suffered severely during colonisation and the house was seen as a symbol of the unity, strength and resilience of the Ngāti Awa people.
But soon after completion, Mātaatua Wharenui was uplifted by the government and shipped overseas to represent New Zealand at anthropological exhibitions.
The meeting house endured a century of foreign travel that saw it put up, taken down and turned inside out - first in Sydney, then Melbourne and London. Then, when it returned to New Zealand, it was sent to the Otago Museum - faraway in the South Island city of Dunedin - where it stayed for 70 years.
Finally Mātaatua Wharenui is returning to its true home in Whakatane where - after 15 years of painstaking restoration - it is set to fulfil its real role as a focus for local people, and also offer a new tourism experience.
Home to rest
The wharenui’s final resting place is on the site where it was originally built - in a dramatic coastal setting with native bush clad backdrop, on the outskirts of Whakatane.
The huge meeting house is the central point in a complex that now incorporates modern dining and conference facilities, and will provide a Māori cultural tourism experience that local experts say is unlike anything currently available in New Zealand.
As well as hearing the fascinating story of the wharenui and learning the traditions and history of the tribe - all brought to life with the latest interactive digital technology - visitors will experience legendary Ngāti Awa hospitality and have the chance to meet local elders, descendants of the tribe’s great chiefs.
Cultural depth
Te Runanga o Ngāti Awa chief executive Jeremy Gardiner says close interaction with local guides and immersion in both traditional and contemporary facets of Māori culture will add the depth that visitors are increasingly expecting of cultural tourism experiences.
"Research tells us that visitors, and particularly internationals, are increasingly opting for cultural experiences that offer more than a concert and dinner. They want to learn about the culture on a holistic level - our values, our customs and our way of life," says Gardiner.
He says the meeting house is the perfect setting for visitors to learn more about local culture, and New Zealand Māori in general.
Ancient ritual
The wharenui will be officially opened on Saturday 17 September with an ancient, pre-dawn ritual fitting for the ancestral house, and something rarely witnessed today.
Known as kawanga whare or Te Tai i Te Kawa, the ceremony will be led by respected tohunga / Māori spiritual leaders or high priests.
It is a rare and ancient ritual traditionally undertaken to lift the tapu or sacred spiritual restriction of a house so that it may be used socially in comfort and confidence.
The ceremony will begin before sunrise and will also involve two ruahine / respected women of rank, as well as a puhu / young girl who will be cloaked in ceremonial dress and adorned with treasured ornaments.
Ceremonial feast
After the ceremony, a hakari / ceremonial feast, featuring the finest foods the home tribe can source, will mark the beginning of celebrations that will continue into the night with tours of the wharenui and a diverse entertainment programme.
Local Māori say the opening of the wharenui will mark a joyous end to its separation from the people who lovingly built it, and will also celebrate the reincorporation into the future of Ngāti Awa as a people, as well as injecting a renewed sense of unity.
Rare features
Apart from its size - 24m / 79ft long by 12.5m / 41ft wide by 7.5m / 24ft high - Mātaatua Wharenui has a number of rare features.
It is the only wharenui in existence with two sets of twins depicted on the two upright carved amo / supports on the front gable of the house.
When it was dismantled and taken to Sydney in 1879 for the British Empire Exhibition, the wharenui was carried on a ship smaller than the house itself.
When Mātaatua Wharenui was re-assembled in Sydney, the interior walls were facing out so that the carved panels were exposed and subsequently damaged by the elements. This was because there was no money to send anyone with cultural knowledge along with the house.
Having been built "fit for a queen", the wharenui eventually fulfilled its role when British monarchs King George and Queen Mary visited the British Empire Exhibition in 1924, and were photographed on the front porch.
European carver
On its return to New Zealand in 1925, the house was repaired by a European carver in Auckland who added extra details including a sequence bizarrely depicting the famous New Zealand horse Phar Lap winning the 1930 Melbourne Cup.
During its extensive journeying, many of the wharenui panels were badly damaged. Some did not return at all, and highly skilled carvers have worked painstakingly for the past 15 years to return the house to its former glory.
Woven panels
The delicate woven panels were also virtually destroyed during its century on the move, and in 1996 the search began to find an expert skilled in the traditional art of Māori raranga / weaving.
True holders of the knowledge are scarce but the role was eventually given to Mere Walker - a respected kuia or elder from a neighbouring tribe - who employed a core group of 15 women, many of whom had little or no weaving experience.
The team has spent 15 years researching, planning and recreating the finely detailed panels, and the weavers have emerged as experienced exponents of the art form.
