About the tukutuku image

The tukutuku image used on this page is copyright and attributed to Clare Butler (nō Ngāti Kurahikakawa, Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa) on behalf of Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs, and cannot be downloaded, copied, distributed or adapted without the artist’s permission.

This tukutuku was created for DIA's He Iti Kahurangi Award to acknowledge Crown-Māori relationships within the DIA. It represents the collective efforts of the DIA to work in partnership. The word tukutuku describes the motion of passing the fibres to and through. Ka tuku atu, ka tuku mai. When a tukutuku is being created you have someone on the front and someone on the back, the fibres are passed through the kaho (horizontal slats) and the kākaho (vertical rods) to create the pattern. This mahi is whakawhanaungatanga; it’s about building relationships.

The natural resources used (kiekie – Freycinetia banksii) brings with them the mauri (essence) from the land of Te Wairoa where they were harvested. This tukutuku carries the poutama and kaokao designs.

He whakamarama tēnei mō ngā tauira o te Kaokao me te Poutama – this is a brief interpretation of the two patterns used which remind us of ways of being, anchored within our traditional ancestral wisdom.

Poutama – Step pattern: To pursue mātauranga, to seek enlightenment, to strategise. Inspiration can be drawn from this pattern and can be seen as furthering personal and professional development, mentoring, supporting others and planning for the future. When someone enters a learning space they are at the beginning of their journey, the upward/vertical parts of the step pattern are the steep learning curves we experience, and the horizontal parts of the pattern are the opportunities to implement those new learnings. When someone reaches a point in their journey where they have gained experience, they have a responsibility to then turn around and assist others to also reach those same taumata (summit).

Kaokao – Chevron pattern: This pattern represents a side profile of a person’s body. This pattern is about protection. When a warrior holds their taiaha in a fighting stance the side flank of their body is exposed. This stance puts you in a vulnerable position but also in a position to defend. This pattern can be seen as asking “What will you hold your taiaha up for? What will you protect?” In Te Tari, we have so many areas where we need to be protectors of people, mātauranga (knowledge), whenua and wai. This pattern challenges us to be protectors for future generations and to protect the memory and legacies of those who have passed.

 

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