Tühoe Exhibition Opens At Te Papa

2 PAGES

21 November 2001

MEDIA RELEASE

Tühoe Exhibition Opens At Te Papa

Tühoe moumou kai – We give you our stories
Tühoe moumou taonga – We give you our treasures
Tühoe moumou tangata ki te Pö – We give you our lives

Tühoe – Children of the Mist, opening at Te Papa on Saturday 24 November, is a compelling exhibition telling the stories of the Tühoe iwi (tribe), from the Urewera ranges. It is the latest in an ongoing series of iwi exhibitions that will eventually tell the stories of all of the iwi of Aotearoa New Zealand.

After fifteen months in development, Tühoe – Children of the Mist will be officially opened at a dramatic dawn ceremony at Te Papa (commencing at 5am) when up to a thousand Tühoe representatives, who will have travelled from the Urewera ranges and from elsewhere in New Zealand, will be welcomed onto Te Papa’s marae.

Tühoe – Children of the Mist is a collaboration between Te Papa and the Tühoe people, and it replaces the previous iwi exhibition, Te Aupouri – people of smoke and flame. A feature of Te Papa’s iwi exhibition is the presence of kaumätua (elders) during the time the exhibition is open. A Tühoe koroua (male elder) and kuia (female elder) will be involved in the exhibition as well as in ceremonial duties on Te Papa’s marae.

Tühoe – Children of the Mist features the whakapapa (genealogy) of the iwi. Their principal ancestor, Tühoe, a descendant of Toroa, arrived on these shores aboard the Mätaatua canoe many hundreds of years ago.

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TÜHOE EXHIBITION OPENS AT TE PAPA – PAGE 2

Crucial historical events are also explored, for example the Battle of Öräkau between Mäori and the Crown, where many Tühoe male warriors, as well as Tühoe fighting women, were killed.

The exhibition also looks at one of the major contemporary events in the Tühoe calendar – the Hui Ahurei, or festival, which is held every two years in the Tühoe rohe (tribal area). This festival attracts Tühoe from around the country, galvanising the iwi in sporting encounters, kapa haka (dance and song) competitions, debating and oratory, and many other activities.

Tühoe – Children of the Mist is filled with beautiful and powerful objects – weapons, cloaks, carvings, and other significant taonga (treasures), along with striking images of the mist-filled valleys and forests in and around the Urewera Ranges. The Urewera forest is sacred to Tühoe, and the exhibition looks at how it has been utilised as an important source of food and medicine for the people.

Tühoe – Children of the Mist will run for twenty-four months. Admission is free.

ENDS

Contact

Paul Brewer
General Manager, Communications & Marketing
04 381 7023, 021 532 920

Vicki Connor
Senior Media & Communications Co-ordinator
04 381 7083, 029 601 0180

Tamahou Temara
Manager Mäori Projects
04 381 7006

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