The Pakeha Revolution

The Pakeha Revolution

The 60,000 facebookers who turned up for the "Pakeha Party" debacle did make at least one thing clear... the word Pakeha now carries some real energy.   Some people identify as Pakeha but most white New Zealanders still mistrust the word and think it has some intrinsically derogatory meaning. A Pakeha Party would be a great thing says Hall, but that idiot David Ruck blew the opportunity, his stereotypical conversation was exactly what we don't need.  The conversation of race or unity here is a sophisticated one.  If you want traction you need to drop the myths and get real.... Artist Lester Hall, a Wellingtonian gone North has been delivering social commentary about what it means to be Pakeha. His print identity, "Ngati Pakeha Inks" sell countrywide to an audience who take the racial landscape of the nation seriously enough to invest in having it on their walls. Is there a quiet revolution happening? This week Lester visits his old home town with a new character in his Pakeha conversation, Forest Ranger, artist and Maori fighter Major Von Tempsky. Over the next 12 months Lester's new works introduce more forgotten stories of Pakeha history. Hall's website has emphasised the "Unity" conversation for many years and is visited by academics and fans  alike. "Get educated or shut up", Hall says of White "Kiwis" when they prattle on the old lines of "Maori ate the Mori Ori". 

Described as one of New Zealands cultural intellectuals by esteemed Tau Moko artist Rangi Kipa Lester Hall is one of the few Pakeha who can enter the conversation and not pander to Maori but gain respect in his understanding and belief in a unified and wellness outcome for the races in New Zealand.

Prussian cavalry officer who travelled to the United States in search of gold and learnt the art of "Injun fighting" with a pistol and Bowie knife. He sailed to New Zealand and became a leader of the Forest Rangers, known as Manu Rau and 100 birds by Maori. His beautiful, delicate artworks of his times in the bush seem utterly at odds with his penchant for fighting the Maori in their own space. At first glance this characterisation of him might seem downright romantic but the face is taken from a photo of the man and his tattoos are based on his actual artworks. He died fighting, some say chasing the Victoria Cross that Heaphy received fighting with him at an earlier engagement. He was a prized catch and as such enjoyed a
ceremonial Maori funeral pyer and his sword hidden for all time. He was a man of his times, an artist, musician and a warrior, understanding that life was best expressed through art and writing and best lost in battle. 

www.lesterhall.com

ENDS

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