Fired up on mahi kōhatu

WORDS: Niki Partsch IMAGES: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

The weather was cold, and rain was forecast, but the group that was gathered inside the marquee did not notice because they were on fire.

Over four days during October last year, a special gathering took place in Waimārama, Hawke's Bay. About 40 mātanga mahi kōhatu (practitioners of stonework) gathered to take part in a dedicated wānanga focused on mahi kōhatu, for creators who work with traditional stone tools and methods. They came from as far south as Invercargill and as far north as Kerikeri.

Huia Pacey, Pou Horanuku Ancestral Landscapes at Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, attended as a participant/kaimahi (helper). About the wānanga she says, “It was a rare opportunity for practitioners to get together to do mahi kōhatu, a very at-risk vulnerable mātauranga practice.”

Phil Belcher, an experienced educationalist and kaiwhakairo (carver), organised the wānanga. Phil does most of his work using traditional stone tools. He was supported by his immediate whānau and many Waimārama locals during the wānanga. Funding for the wānanga came from the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Mātauranga Māori programme pūtea (fund).

Huia described the organisation and planning for the event as “excellent”. All participants work in some way with stone tools. “There were some really experienced practitioners there and it was good for them to talk amongst themselves as peers,” says Huia.

Ages spread from late teens right up to those in their 80s, with a mixture of fulltime practitioners, tohunga (experts) and learners who all shared a strong focus on learning and sharing. “What was really funny, and indicative of the entire week was that after the pōwhiri, a quick visit to the offsite Napier Museum collection and kai, we all headed to the marquee to set up workstations for the next day. But immediately everyone started mahi. They were so busy discussing and showing their projects, we completely missed the planned whakawhanaunga (getting to know each other) session because they just couldn’t wait to get started.”

The venue, Hinetemoa Health & Recreation Camp, was designed originally as an education facility but with a transformation underway is increasingly operating as a marae.

With appropriate permissions the group were able to collect hōanga (grinding stones) for their various projects. The sharing and learning continued as projects to work stone, pounamu and making other objects such as heru (hair combs) and fishing hooks got underway.

With advice from the two proficient kōauau (traditional flute) practitioners present, one participant carefully crafted a kōauau from bone, using stone tools.

Dante Bonica, a nationally regarded pūkenga (specialist) of stone tools, participated. “Dante has had a lifelong passion for mahi kōhatu and was initiated into the practice as a young man under the guidance of Dame Te Atairangikaahu. He has over many years trained, advised and worked with so many practitioners that he is one of those pūkenga (specialists) pivotal to the mātauranga and continuity of this practice because of his passion and his willingness to share,” says Huia.

The marquee provided an excellent space to work outside during the cold spell. There was a large diesel heater and a couple of big comfortable couches which provided participants with space for collaboration and quiet discussions, including kaumātua Dante and Koro Te Whaiti.

The rōpū (group) engineered tools to fashion new tools and then used the new tools to create an end product.

The earlier visit to Napier Museum offsite storage facility to view some taonga sparked various discussions on stonework techniques and about the knowledge contained within pūrākau (traditional stories) related to geological deposits across Aotearoa. Over the course of the wānanga several participants were filmed and interviewed providing archival footage of this historic event.

Always present were the sounds of grinding and hammer dressing. Mahi was so intense and constant that even a power cut which took supply out of the whole valley went unnoticed. The group ate a cold lunch and happily used the hot water from a pot for tea and coffee because they were so focused on the mahi. “It didn’t faze them; it didn’t slow them down,” says Huia.

Feedback from participants was positive and all agreed on the value of their learnings. There was strong interest in a potential future series of wānanga. Gena Moses-Te Kani (Ngāti Kuia) described her experience at Waimārama, “This was a great opportunity to be with other traditional practitioners, to learn together and share how we are reviving this

mātauranga with our whānau.”

Inspired by the event, kaumātua Koro Te Whaiti voiced his desire, “I want to see a whare toi (arts institute) here at Waimārama.” n